Constructing A Canopy

The design narrative of this home is inspired by its forest surroundings with a raw, organic material palette and finishes that lighten as you travel higher into the homes’ canopy

Nestled on the western slopes of Lion’s Head in Cape Town, South Africa, this family home is accessed from the windy Kloof Road, in the wind-protected suburb of Clifton. Now a well-developed area that enjoys spectacular views of Cape Towns’ sandy beaches, boulder outcrops, Twelve Apostles Mountains and Atlantic Ocean sunsets, Clifton was once covered by indigenous forest and fynbos. With a naturally steep slope, the project team at SAOTA would face the challenge of excavation and crafting the architecture to appear at one with the mountain side.

“The conceptual approach to the designs was to reinstate the qualities of a natural landscape,” says architect, Phillipe Fouché of SAOTA. Constructed as an arrangement of staggered blocks that rise out of the side of the mountain, the upper, private levels are shielded from visibility and street-level noise while the lower level, independent apartment, acts as “a heavy stone plinth”. Appropriately designed with a gabion-wall exterior and cocooning interior of dark-stained oak and off shutter concrete, the ground floor apartment reflects the strata of the mountainside of which the building emerges, and sets the precedence for the structural and design theme of the home.

Above the lower level apartment is a transitional space that is expressed as a green terrace and braai area. This level is representative of the foliage level of a forests’ landscape; hence colour palettes and interior details reflect those that you would see at this level in the natural environment. “As if you were sitting in the shadow of a large tree”, a vertically slatted box made from a durable, lightweight aluminium, hovers over the terrace. The slatted façade allows the forest Bushwillow trees from below to grow into this level, as well as natural light to filter into the space. The engineered structure mimics the tones of bark that are found in the surrounding forest while also providing a durable solution to weathering Cape Town’s capricious seasons.

Connecting all the levels and setting the tonal palette for each level is a sculptural timber staircase. Like a folded ribbon, the staircase grows like a tree from the home’s foundations, and appropriate to the design narrative, gradually lightens in tone as it rises. This sense of natural materiality continues throughout the home with wooden floors and timber-clad scullery on the living level, which also boasts a concrete ceiling, shuttered with rough-sawn planks.

“The living level is set back considerably to follow the slope of the mountain, resulting in added privacy and acoustic buffering while creating the perception that one is on a platform, connected to the surrounding views,” says Phillippe. “The space is visually extended via the introduction of a courtyard towards the mountainside, which allows for ventilation, light and, again, an opportunity for planting.”

Floating above the treetops, the upper level comprises the master bedroom. As such, the colours and materials at this level include white marble and pale timber, as well as the use of skylights and fold-away glass walls to enhance the openness and the unobstructed views.

The architecture and interior design of this Clifton family home give thought to its surrounding natural environment and use its organic beauty to create a warm, expressive and contemporary home.

Kloof 145

Location
Cape Town, South Africa

Architects
SAOTA Project Team: Phillippe Fouché, Nilene Slabbert, Mias Claassens & Thabiso Nkoane

For more information, visit SAOTA PROJECT TEAM.