Inspired by the closed loop cycle concept of Ecopolis and the breath-taking Garden Route forests of Knysna, South Africa. The concept of the design mimics the forest anatomy, that of an ecosystem that has survived in symbiosis for thousands of years. The word Ecopolis means a closed-loop system, where there is no waste in the settlement as a whole, all materials and substances are derived from one type of activity, used as a raw material in other activities. The Ecopolis house embodies the meaning of autonomy and self-sufficiency by utilising the abundance of all necessary resources in the surrounding area. It encompasses a set of systems that utilises all resources at its disposal to produce quantity and sufficiently in order to maintain a steady balance.A river breathes live into the forest, it is the life source for both fauna and flora, which in turn is no different when it comes to the sustainability of a living house in the forest. By locating the Ecopolis house on the river, it provides the house with an almost endless source of water.

The programme of the house in the forest is distributed alongside the edge of the cliff connected with a single suspended bridge structure. The spaces (living room, bedroom and kitchen ) are arranged according to their hierarchy, placing each function independently next to each other, optimizing views and indoor-outdoor flow. These spaces incapsulate the forest vantage point from each corner. These independent spaces/rooms can also be used as pavilions or sanctuaries. The architecture not only mimics the forest anatomy but also respects the site by touching the ground as lightly as possible, creating mass from a small footprint upwards. The result; a structure that anchors itself alongside the rest of the forest, nestling among the canopy of the trees. The materials are mostly timber from the surrounding area, with a concrete base submerged below the water level, supporting the structure as it ‘’tip-toes’’ across the water adjacent to the river banks.

The entire design functions in a loop cycle whereby various methods of energy harvesting, water collecting and waste treatment is implemented. Energy is harvested through turbines located at the base of the structure that harnesses the currents flow in the river. The open air nature of the river in conjunction with the large roof design, allows the cabin to make full use of solar panels positioned on the roof. Plumbing and water purification are done by means of gravity whereby purifying containers located just below the floor level, slowly decompose and run through various layers of substrate (silica and charcoal). The result, clean water that can be reused within the system of the Ecopolis house in the woods.

SOURCE: HOUSE IN THE FOREST

House Morkel is a contemporary farm style house designed according to the clients brief to be true to its use of different raw materials and provides different open spaces for entertainment and comfortable living. Set in between dated Tuscan “styled” houses this house speaks the language of the vernacular climate with a central roof garden over a covered patio, protected from the weather yet opening up towards the garden and swimming pool.

The roof garden provides a well-insulated entertainment area and softens the structure with landscaping elevated from ground level to the floor above. The bedrooms overlook this roof garden for a tranquil bushveld effect. Throughout the design internal vistas were created to experience the landscaping and external areas to give the house an airy and light feel. The front door is on an axis defined by a wooden deck that extends from the front door straight though the house to a green wall outside. The open plan kitchen and dining room have views to both the entertainment patio with swimming pool and the boma, a client request for socializing around a campfire. The high rock cladded wall at the boma is a reoccurring detail on the street elevation. In this case the rock wall provides privacy to the main entertainment area from the street as privacy was also an important factor in the design.

The entrance courtyard, privately tucked away from the street view, is a play area for the kids and creates a covered approach, by means of the extended roof garden, to the foyer. This design proofs that contextual and vernacular architecture is achievable and a greater success for comfortable living even in estates where the norm is to conform to inappropriate adapted foreign styles of architecture.

SOURCE: ARCHDAILY.COM

Built on a peaceful family estate in the middle of residential Potchefstroom, House Van der Walt offers a private retreat that’s intrinsically connected to nature.

The first new house on the plot was built some five years ago for Van der Walt’s brother Stefan, establishing a new era of contemporary architecture on the estate. Its success set the tone and palette for future houses. But Van der Walt wanted his own take on the design to distinguish it from the other homes. ‘I wanted something with the same feel – contemporary, clean-lined and functional, a bit industrial but still a bit “bushveldy”, with some stone and timber,’ he says. ‘And I knew exactly how many rooms I wanted and where. Four bedrooms upstairs, for a family someday and guests, and a big open-plan downstairs area for entertaining, with views of the estate with our little dam and the impala.’

The brief suited Verbeek. ‘It was comprehensive … right down to the total square metres for the house, storage space requirements and specific amenities. And it was welcomed as it gave me a clear directive for the design. It was also challenging, as design flexibility was limited to the brief requirements. But apart from these, the client allowed me a lot of freedom with regards to the architectural language and finishes of the building.’

One of the challenges was the orientation of the house – the rooms had to be designed to avoid as far as possible looking into the surrounding properties outside the estate. ‘These are now very densely populated with little greenery, and I wanted the client to feel connected with the “sanctuary” inside the estate at all times,’ says Verbeek. Tied in with this awareness of the importance of nature and interacting with it sensitively, one of the primary requirements of Van der Walt’s brief was a ‘green’, energy-saving design. ‘He wanted the house to function as the solar power hub on the estate,’ says Verbeek. ‘The roof had to be designed to accommodate photovoltaic panels, coupled with a utility room to house a UPS unit, which can be used to store power that can be distributed to the rest of the house and the estate.’

SOURCE: GARDEN & HOME

WORLD ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL FINALIST.

PEMBI Conservation Area Mozambique. Rugged indigenous architecture meets precision contemporary architecture with minimum intervention in the environment almost echoing the concept that drives the PEMBI conservation initiative. The remoteness of the sites posed a particular challenge and the design principle should combine the expectation of a formal dwelling at a certain luxury standard, with elements of indigenous structures that can be constructed by local labor.

Each structure must be self-sustainable with regards to electrical supply (solar panels), groundwater supply, gray water treatment and septic tank sewage treatment systems. Apart from air strips and access roads, no services reticulation would be provided to these sites.

The structures should touch the ground lightly with access walkways and main structures floating on the natural topography and can be disassembled and removed from site at any point, leaving possibly only the interred foundations.

The structures are pre-manufactured at an off-site location from 6 meter and 12 meter shipping containers, transported to, and assembled on site. The traditional wooden pole structures are constructed on site as screens and patio coverings, using local palm tree branches for the roof. The top part of which houses the (almost concealed) solar panels, overhanging the main structure, creating a service space enclosed with louvre panels for ventilation and allowing accessibility.

Walling that is not cladded with wood externally and well-insulated against the hot and mostly humid climate, will consist of large, openable glass panels to dispel the boundary between internal spaces and the vast African surroundings, also allowing for maximum airflow.

To protect against tropical downpours as well as the harsh African sun, proper overhangs are provided with stackable wooden louvre screens, subtlety cladded inside with an insect repellent screen, doubling up as a security barrier.

Two different layout configurations provide for varying accommodation requirements. Contrary to basic architectural design principles, the design must fit any topography from a flat savannah plains site, a rocky outcrop, a Miombo forest, a riverine setting or a mountain retreat. The surroundings are left untouched, providing each site with a unique indigenous landscape. The architecture must be subservient to the topography and respect nature but not be an unassertive architectural statement.

SOURCE: WAF 2018 FINALIST

House Morkel is a contemporary farm style house designed according to the clients brief to be true to its use of different raw materials and provides different open spaces for entertainment and comfortable living. Set in between dated Tuscan “styled” houses this house speaks the language of the vernacular climate with a central roof garden over a covered patio, protected from the weather yet opening up towards the garden and swimming pool.

The roof garden provides a well-insulated entertainment area and softens the structure with landscaping elevated from ground level to the floor above. The bedrooms overlook this roof garden for a tranquil bushveld effect. Throughout the design internal vistas were created to experience the landscaping and external areas to give the house an airy and light feel. The front door is on an axis defined by a wooden deck that extends from the front door straight though the house to a green wall outside. The open plan kitchen and dining room have views to both the entertainment patio with swimming pool and the boma, a client request for socializing around a campfire. The high rock cladded wall at the boma is a reoccurring detail on the street elevation. In this case the rock wall provides privacy to the main entertainment area from the street as privacy was also an important factor in the design.

The entrance courtyard, privately tucked away from the street view, is a play area for the kids and creates a covered approach, by means of the extended roof garden, to the foyer. This design proofs that contextual and vernacular architecture is achievable and a greater success for comfortable living even in estates where the norm is to conform to inappropriate adapted foreign styles of architecture.

SOURCE: GARDEN & HOME

Leonhard and Nicolette Jonas’s home displays an unexpected harmony between contemporary and classical features. From raw concrete ceilings to ornate French-style furnishings, every element reveals the creative courage that comes from experience. But this is not surprising as it’s not the first house the couple have worked on. “In fact, this is the fourth house we’ve built here,” says Nicolette referring to Val de Vie, a polo estate in the heart of the Paarl-Franschhoek valley.

“Leonhard is in construction and I have my own decor business, so we have a great partnership. We love designing homes together and the surroundings here provide constant inspiration.”

While the Jonases had to take into account the estate’s architectural style, a mix of French Provençal and Cape vernacular, they didn’t want a house that was too strongly either. Working with Dries Verbeek of Neo Dimensions Architects, they came up with a design that marries the two. “It’s an honest,
unfussy structure that we feel places the traditional farmhouse in
a modern context,” says Leonhard.

A generous open-plan dining and living area extending onto a covered patio provides the ideal space for entertaining. “In winter, we open or close the patio’s sliding doors depending on whether we want something intimate, or need more space for friends. In summer, the entire area is opened up onto the deck,” says Nicolette.

The finishes they chose play an important role. Porcelain-look polished-concrete tiles cover the floors in the entrance, living area and covered patio but stop at the double-volume dining area where polished concrete and stone takes over. “This was Leonhard’s clever idea,” says Nicolette. “He wanted to emphasise the dining table and chairs so he framed them with a red brick
inlay.” Face brick walls define the entrance and this rustic aesthetic is carried through to the covered patio with a wall clad in slate.

The combination of traditional and modern is most dramatic in the dining area, over which a granite and steel staircase towers. The mezzanine level features oak veneered shelving supported by steel tubing and high-tensile steel cables. “We went for a sleek, modern look in our kitchen as well and even though it’s right next to the dining area, the mix of styles works because they’re
in equal proportions.”

Nicolette combined modern and country-inspired pieces with period French furniture in the rest of the house. In the entrance, modern wood and mild steel console act as a base for a Baroque-style mirror. Romantic glamour in the form of rattan beds, elaborately carved headboards and gilt-edged commodes features in the bedrooms. “I mix styles because it results in exciting spaces that always surprise,” she says, adding that the decor scheme needs a binding element. In this case, it’s a striking charcoal that catches the eye at every turn.

SOURCE: GARDEN & HOME

The new University of Pretoria (UP)/Cricket SA (CSA) Indoor Centre of Excellence is unique in its brief, being the first cricket indoor training facility in South Africa that complies with international standards in terms of its finishes and equipment, in both the training area and the supporting administrative component that includes offices, a boardroom, lecture facilities with a video analysis and biomechanical facility.

The building is on the edge of the sport campus cricket oval, next to the High Performance Centre. The glass south facade creates the impression of the oval extending into the building training facility. A robust free standing steel fence structure was designed to act as a ball screen to this façade. The translucency strengthens the integration between the oval and the internal training lanes.

The steel roof (WRT), has the ability to span 7500mm, without the need for purlins. This resulted in far less roof trusses as in normal steel roof construction.  All netting, HVAC systems, lighting, cameras and other electronic equipment are suspended from the steel trusses and the roofing.  The shape of the roof was determined by the internal functionality of the training area, reflecting the movement of the cricket ball during the training and testing.  The water run-off from the steel roof is collected in water tanks, recessed below the natural ground level on the west side of the building and the water is recycled for irrigation.

The north facade is a lightweight composite wall system called Etics by Saint Gobain. The external façade cladding is a SAGEX product used to achieve the required R-values.  Jutting from this façade is a solar collector box that is part of the mechanical installation that generates solar heat to be utilized to heat up the interior spaces in winter, which is a substantial energy saving element.

All national, provincial as well as female-, junior- and disabled teams are using the facility.  It is also specifically intended for development programs for underprivileged sportsmen.

SOURCE: STEEL CONSTRUCTION

The TuksSport High School campus is situated on the boundary between the UP Sport Campus and the Proefplaas. It is an academic institution combined with specialist sports training, where school learners, some from distant rural areas, could safely be educated and live on a University Campus: A home-away-from-home.

The school campus consists of separate buildings, influenced by the various functions, and incorporates a sense of openness to the landscaping as well as echoing the adjacent experimental farm. A very valuable and historical Arboretum collection also had to be accommodated. Robust red face bricks were used throughout to acknowledge the farm structures. Off-shutter concrete to all soffits, columns and walkways to be robust and maintenance free. Plastered walls were painted bright colors.

The late Prof. Karel Bakker was consulted regarding the heritage value of the site and it was decided to maintain the animal drinking trough as a water feature as well as paving lines in the landscape, which mimics the foundation walls of the animal pens, since demolished.

Environmental concerns were important in the design. The façade design of the residence ensures critical sun control. The hot water is generated by a heat pump with a water storage vessel. All sanitary ware was specified and supplied as water-saving elements.

The ideal solution to the level difference between the classroom buildings and the residence was to produce an amphitheater for the school assembly space. Subtle red paving bricks combined with concrete pavers, imitating athletics tracks, guides the visitor into the atrium between the school hall and administration building which creates an open air Foyer space.

The structural steel design covering the open space is a continuation of the main school hall enclosure profile. The school logo built into the steel design casts a shadow on the paving floor throughout the day.

This open air foyer space is the focal point of the school campus as one can easily observe the rest of the buildings and being naturally guided through visual links and walkways.

SOURCE: CONCRETE TRENDS

The new University of Pretoria (UP)/Cricket SA (CSA) Indoor Centre of Excellence is unique in its brief, being the first cricket indoor training facility in South Africa that complies with international standards in terms of its finishes and equipment, in both the training area and the supporting administrative component that includes offices, a boardroom, lecture facilities with a video analysis and biomechanical facility.

The building is on the edge of the sport campus cricket oval, next to the High Performance Centre. The glass south facade creates the impression of the oval extending into the building training facility. A robust free standing steel fence structure was designed to act as a ball screen to this façade. The translucency strengthens the integration between the oval and the internal training lanes.

The steel roof (WRT), has the ability to span 7500mm, without the need for purlins. This resulted in far less roof trusses as in normal steel roof construction.  All netting, HVAC systems, lighting, cameras and other electronic equipment are suspended from the steel trusses and the roofing.  The shape of the roof was determined by the internal functionality of the training area, reflecting the movement of the cricket ball during the training and testing.  The water run-off from the steel roof is collected in water tanks, recessed below the natural ground level on the west side of the building and the water is recycled for irrigation.

The north facade is a lightweight composite wall system called Etics by Saint Gobain. The external façade cladding is a SAGEX product used to achieve the required R-values.  Jutting from this façade is a solar collector box that is part of the mechanical installation that generates solar heat to be utilized to heat up the interior spaces in winter, which is a substantial energy saving element.

All national, provincial as well as female-, junior- and disabled teams are using the facility.  It is also specifically intended for development programs for underprivileged sportsmen.