The Mountain House, designed by Chris van Niekerk, received an award of excellence from the Cape Institute for Architecture.

What an element of surprise, the architect was given a brief by a couple to design a holiday home. As one enters the house, the building opens to welcome you, with its U-shaped form, nestled within the landscape. One would be convinced that the walls are all made of concrete, however, that wasn’t the case. A lot of attention to detail was considered in the most subtle of ways, the two-story building has a play of tectonics using similar tones and textures of materiality.

The play between sand-blasted reinforced concrete with a combination of lime-plastered brickwork finish makes up the main structure of the house, which wraps from the inside out. The floors continue the same tone as the walls with a sandstone floor finish, that is caved within most parts of the house’s finishes, easily linking back to its outdoor textures from the site’s slope.

As one walks in, the spaces flow into each other effortlessly opening onto their unique views, with careful thought towards passive design. It was clear to move around the houses, from public, served, and shared spaces. The structural interlocking form of the building sits so well onto the site, embraced by its landscaping. The different heights in response to the slope of the site relate well to the capturing of view, the flow from one space to another, and the organic link between the house and its landscape.

Many sweet moments of great thought to detail.

(The text above is the official jury citation, published by the Cape Institute for Architecture.)

Above

Mountain House photographed by Greg Cox