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Lebone II College - Teachers' Houses
Phokeng, North West

AFRITECTS ARCHITECTS: Architect
ACTIVATE ARCHITECTS: Architect

Date:2010
Type:College
Status:Extant
2011Transvaal Institute of Architects Award of Merit

 


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Coordinates:
25°35'58.49" S 27°07'37.93" E Alt: 1290m

Architect's Notes

towards an African house prototype...

The Client particularly requested that in the conceptualization of a house, we consider the way an African family lives.
A family dwelling today _ African and generally across most cultures _ is centred on the kitchen. The kitchen is the hub of the family. But physically, the kitchen has not yet come out of the ‘back’-yard.

The proposed parti has 2 wings _ public and private wings separated across a semi-open courtyard _ defining the family private realm.
These wings are connected and hinged on a central cooking and family area.

It's the space with the highest volume, fantastic views of the mountains and garden, whilst monitoring the 2 entrances. In the kitchen one is aware of every part of the dwelling.
It has space for the preparation of food, for dining or homework study and a bay-window for reading and relaxing.
The opposite window opens on to a secluded yard for laundry and the killing of the goat… also acting as a separator between the two house entrances.

The public entrance, closest to the street edge, leads on to the public wing _ the visitors receiving room, large enough to hold formal dining.

The family entrance leading on to the family private wing _ containing a wide gallery for book reading, study, hobbies and the various bedrooms leading out of it.
The bedrooms have large sliding doors so that this inner sanctum can become part of the semi-private gallery where the family relaxes.
The bathrooms have small courtyards designed to offer breeze flows across.

The various elements of solid forms and bathroom courtyards are strung to form the compound’s own secure enclosure, minimizing the extent of the fence on the open courtyard garden _ reinforcing the concept of a teacher’s house that is open for any learner to come to.

The photographs on this page were taken by Leon Krige

All truncated references not fully cited below are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.