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| SAIA Commendation Award 2014 Award Citation Contexts such as Silver Lakes Golf Estate do not hold much promise for authentic and innovative architectural expression. The architectural rules that govern such environments mostly endeavour to ensure an acceptable 'average' but, more often than not, it excludes the exceptional. Yet this is precisely what House Gauche, designed by Andre Eksteen of Earthworld Architects, is - a particularly brave exception. Apparently, the site where the house was built was one of the last open pieces of land in the suburb because it was somewhat difficult to build on.The site is characterised by two rocky outcrops and an abundance of mature indigenous trees. The architects decided to disturb the site as little as possible - in the manner of 'treading lightly' on this earth. The clients, in turn, wanted the house to be constructed out of concrete.These requirements, and the functional brief, largely gave form to the building. The house was raised from the earth to float amongst the trees - a device that has been used by many architects before. Entry into the house is by means of two staircases that barely touch the ground. A large deck, for outdoor living, has been created on the level of the house. The majority of the window openings are in close proximity to the trees, and it is as if the trees form a material extension of the interior of the house. In a way, there is no better poetic manner to celebrate this wonderful proximity. The dominant materials used for the building are glass, steel, and the aforementioned concrete. Yet, despite the apparent machine-like and 'cold' qualities that such materials can create, the interior of the house exudes a wonderfully 'warm', humane and domestic lived-in quality. All details and material usage speak of careful attention and much forethought. This is a brave and courageous building, giving testimony to both the client and the architects, who were not afraid to push some boundaries to achieve the exceptional and the unique. (Paul Kotze - 2014) 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. Books and articles that reference House Gauché
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