KOI House is situated on a relative mall stand in a leafy suburb in Pretoria and the brief was quite a challenge.
Design a four-bedroom house with large living areas, a study, a studio unit for the maid and three garages.
Furthermore, the structure must not overpower the site and a feeling of space must be created.
O yes, there must also be a large Koi dam as well as a swimming pool!
The main feature is indeed the Koi dam along the full length of the open living areas with a curved precast concrete wall on the southern boundary encapsulating the central core of the house.
Stackable and sliding glass panels interconnect the external and interior spaces on both sides.
Another main feature is the double volume precast concrete wall slicing at an angle between the living area and the kitchen/main bedroom suite on ground floor and guest suite/studio unit on first floor. It also provides a backdrop for the staircase to the first-floor bedrooms.
A skylight along the full length of the living area from the lobby to the angular concrete wall visually opened up this internal space almost into a third dimension. Natural light flowing in from all directions and the two main axes meet at the focal point that is the stair.
Lastly, the solution to separate access for the studio above the kitchen, resulting in a circular tower detached from the main structure housing a spiral stair. It also became a surprising design element at the ‘back’ of the house.
NEO accepted the challenge and photographs illustrate the result.