Garage
BIC
F
Guest
Bedroom
Courtyard
Master
Bedroom
Bedroom 1
Living
Room
Kitchen
Ground Floor
House Shreuder’s brief was to design a 3-bedroom house
on a site located in a housing estate in Somerset West,
Cape Town. The site has a magnificent view of Gordon’s
Bay and of the ocean to the south and vineyards to the
north. The main challenge for House Schrueder was to
design a unique and distinguishing house satisfying the
client’s need, while adhering to a restrictive estate guideline.
The layout is well structured and organised around a central
courtyard into three major plans : the living wing, the bedroom
wing and the garage (guest room attached). The courtyard
was consciously positioned such that it is protected from the
prevailing South-Easter and is opened onto the vineyards.
Another space defining element is the strong axis that runs
from the main entrance all the way to the back courtyard.
Section through Bedrooms
In order exploit a 2m diagonal slope across the site, the living
wing is designed as a 1.5 space. The dramatic view through the
large corner window adds to the spatial quality of the room.
Further, the stacking sliding glazing onto the courtyard offers
the opportunity to the living space to open up onto the outside.
A concrete gutter which is part of a rain water harvesting
system ties the three plans together. The gutter ends in
gargoyle that pours into to a steel water tank. The system
(also) becomes a striking feature on the front façade which
helps to create a rural feeling, as required by the guidelines.
House Schreuder project provided me with a new experience
of running the initial stage of a project whereby I had to liaise
with the QS and engineer. I had to implement cost cutting
measures whilst staying true to the initial design ideas.
Kurvin Virahsawmy
Section through Living Room
Roof Plan
Francois Engelbretch Architect
DW
CAMP STREET
RESIDENCE
BIC
WM
BOOKSHELVES
Francois Engelbretch Architect
HOUSE SCHRUDDER
BIC
18
‘Inter-Lock’ 1
‘Inter-Lock’ 2
Camps Street Residence project is situated in an
upmarket area in Gardens, a few minutes away from
Cape Town city centre. The brief was to prepare a
conceptual design to be presented to the clients, to
foreshow the potentials of the site which offers a
magnificent panoramic view onto Table Mountain.
The site being in an urban conservation, the zoning
regulation is very specific. A relatively low bulk
factor and large set back limit the building envelope.
However it is more of a design challenge than a
constraint. (These regulations, however, presented
Combining...
more of a design challenge than a crippling constraint).
With the intent to maximize the views and open up to
the outside, the concept attempts to break away from
the conventional multi-storey design of the area. The
conceptual design is based on an interlocking massing
allowing for a double volume space within each flat,
evocative of Charles Correa’s Kanchanjunga apartments
or Jalan Madge, Malaysia. The plans were designed
such that the wet work was kept to a minimum,
creating fluid open spaces. This not only helps with the
restriction but also gives the possibility to prospective
Building with Horizontal Louvres
Architecture Portfolio 2014
‘Module’
buyers to mould the flat to their taste and needs.
A modular grid, applied to the concept, helps to
create a seamless interlocking system with a clear
circulation core, service coordination and structure.
The system results in a well-proportioned and
clean cubist façade, when applied to the elevation.
Being highly involved in the design and the
presentation of the project, the Camps Street
Residence gave me the unique opportunity to
sell a design intent/idea in a real life scenario.
Building with Timber Screens