Contact Artefacts please if you have any comments or more information regarding this record.	Menu Home Upfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon		Holiday House St James, Western Cape MUNNIK VISSER BLACK FISH and PARTNERS: Architect

Date: 1960s Type: Homestead Status: Unknown

See more photographs THIS house is situated on a spectacular site overlooking Kalk Bay Harbour and the whole of False Bay as far as Cape Hangklip. Due to the steep nature of the site and regulations regarding the relation of buildings to the scenic road, Boyes Drive, it was decided to let the house interfere with the natural ground as little as possible. As it is a holiday house for a Johannesburg family with three children, the architects tried to embrace the holiday spirit in the design. As a result of the nature of the site and the holiday character, the outcome is a house on columns at ground level with a series of "decks" cantilevered above. The "yacht" theme is carried further in the approach to the house which is down a flight of steps cantilevered from a retaining wall and the nautical hand rails which surround the outdoor areas. Exposed laminated beams and cedar ceilings add to the nautical character and were it possible, caulked teak boards would have been used for the decks. Accommodation at ground floor level consists of a master bedroom suite with bathroom and separate w.c., a guest room with bathroom, living/dining combined and kitchen. The facade facing the sea and leading on to the decks consists entirely of sliding doors making as much use of the deck as a living area as possible. At night the sliding doors can be opened giving the bedrooms the illusion of being large balconies looking out to sea. The lower ground floor is entirely for the children and consists of three small rooms and bathroom and a caretaker's bed/sitting room and bathroom. A cellar and stores occupy the space created by excavations and retaining walls. Access from all lower ground floor bedrooms on to the lower deck is provided. The structure is of reinforced concrete columns and beams at 10 ft. [3 m] centres crossbraced by the floor slabs. To achieve minimum obstruction of the view from the living room level it was decided to support the timber roof on a 12 in. [305 mm] x 3 in. [76 mm] laminated beam spanning between small T-section steel columns. The 9 in. [228 mm] x 2 5/8 in. [68 mm] laminated rafters at 5 ft. [1,5 m] centres support 3 in. x 3 in. purlins at centres to suit woodwool slabs which are screeded to take the roofing felt roof covering. The ceiling, which is 4 in. [102 mm] x 7/8 in. [20 mm] cedar boarding is nailed directly to the underside of the purlins. In order to capture as much of the north and north-west sun as possible, clerestorey windows were introduced along the entire length of the building giving afternoon sun to the bedrooms and living rooms. A small entrance court paved in brick provides an intimate space sheltered from the wind as a foil to the limitless view across False Bay. The interior has been sympathetically furnished by the owners with Scandinavian furniture and handwoven fabrics achieving a unity of conception rarely seen in contemporary building. [Wale 1962:151-152,154]