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House of the Cape Robin

House of the Cape Robin

South Africa

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House of the Coromandel Legacy

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House of the Cape Robin

South Africa

Firm

FrankiePappas

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2023

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

BUDGET

$100K - 500K

TAGLINE
elevated living
private architecture as a social act

THE SITE
the site is steeply sloping
facing towards the outeniqua mountains
with street access from the highest portion of the slope

THE BRIEF
the brief was to craft a compact home
which creates privacy from the south whilst opening up to northern views
a connected kitchen, scullery, lounge, and studio
- with a dining room opening out onto a verandah -
potential for a completely separate apartment to be built out in the future

THE IDEA
two small houses one on top of the other
a main house above
a future apartment below
both units opening up towards the northern views
while sheltering from southerly winds
designed to sit low into the landscape so as to avoid blocking the pedestrians’ views towards the outeniqua mountains
whilst still maintaining absolute privacy for the owners

MATERIALS
the house is built from a very simple set of materials
with concrete brick bagged inside and out
and off-shutter concrete floors and soffits
exterior doors and windows are manufactured from powder-coated aluminium
whilst all furniture, ceilings and interior doors are built from local plywood

PROGRAMME
the main floor provides
outside parking space and garages towards the south
a central dining room
is flanked by a kitchen and scullery to the west and a lounge and study to the east
whilst the bedrooms occupy the most northern portions of the main level
the lower ground floor is given over to
a future small two-bedroom apartment

SOLUTIONS
two long sloping wings sit at 60 degrees to one another
this configuration creates a triangular space between the two wings which opens up to the views
a bridge spans between these two wings
the bridge - and its intersections with the wings - creates the public living spaces of the house
while the wings accommodate the bedrooms and bathrooms towards the north
and the garages towards the south

CLIENTS
the clients are a retired couple
whose children and grandchildren come for extended stays
they are avid environmentalists and nature-lovers
who wish to demonstrate how one can live very comfortably in a 70-odd sqm home
with a very low impact on its environment

A HUMAN STORY
oom phil has made coffee for tannie susan every morning since they’ve been married
and every morning they sit with their coffee and chat about the day ahead
susan with her back against the head board and phil next to her on a chair
we designed a seat into the 4500mm-high bedroom window
so phil and susan could carry on their lifelong tradition
but now with a magical morning view

HOW IS THE BUILDING UNIQUE?
the building is designed to sit low in the landscape in comparison to the street
this allows people walking along the street to have wonderful views towards to nature reserve
without their sightlines being disrupted by a building

SUSTAINABILITY
an indigenously planted landscape requires minimal maintenance and no additional water usage
the use of locally sourced materials dramatically reduces the imbedded energy of the building
the building is naturally lit and passively ventilated
resulting in a home with very low-energy demands
rainwater is harvested from the roof and stored below ground
the building is designed to accommodate solar installations
allowing for an entirely off-grid household

CLOSING THOUGHT
all architecture - even a modest home - can be a generous social act

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House of the Cape Robin

South Africa

Other Projects by FrankiePappas

House of the Flying Bowtie

House of the Cape Robin

House of the Coromandel Legacy

House of the Pink Spot

House of the Rosebank Health Village

House of the Tall Chimneys

House of the Big Arch

House of the Cape Robin

South Africa

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team

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House of the Cape Robin

South Africa

Other Projects by FrankiePappas

House of the Flying Bowtie

House of the Cape Robin

House of the Coromandel Legacy

House of the Pink Spot

House of the Rosebank Health Village

House of the Tall Chimneys

House of the Big Arch

House of the Cape Robin

South Africa

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team