High on a hill in the Cape , overlooking Africa ' s most famous mountain , is a rather unusual house ...
PROJECTS
The site was quite a challenge because of the steep slope .
House Jouissance – an exercise in sustainable elegance
High on a hill in the Cape , overlooking Africa ' s most famous mountain , is a rather unusual house ...
By Kelly-Ann Prinsloo
The French word ‘ jouissance ’ means physical or intellectual pleasure , delight or ecstasy . It is a specific type of pleasure though – the pleasure lies in the obstacles to fulfilment – but only if that fulfilment is eventually attained , and only if there are obstacles .
Together with ‘ thrival ’, jouissance takes a different angle on sustainability ; the idea that rather than merely sustaining , we need to work towards thriving with nature , to restore not only balance , but abundance .
The concept of jouissance also has links to feminism which maintains that jouissance is the source of a woman ' s creative power , which was a tongue-in-cheek bonus for the owner . Another view is that jouissance is a transcendent state that represents freedom from oppressive linearities , a point of view that this house certainly embodies .
One obstacle of sustainable living in an urban environment is what to do with one ’ s sanitary waste . The densities in cities means you can ’ t simply bury it . The choice of site for bioprocess engineer Bernelle Verster ’ s new house was guided by the position and function of the toilet .
This serendipitously led her to a location on the steep slopes of the Muizenberg mountains , overlooking the Zandvlei estuary in Cape Town ’ s Lakeside area .
24 APRIL / MAY 2017 //