A residence in Cape Town that’s organized around a central courtyard while also open to the landscape of a national park
Cape Town is a tourist destination that many vacationing foreigners fall in love with and then end up moving permanently to South Africa. This is what happened to this home’s owner, a Swiss citizen who’s chosen to retire here. Designed by Peerutin Karol, this home stands in the shadow of Table Mountain, one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. The house, in a hilly area in the suburb of Bishopscourt, overlooks a lush national park and, especially, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Its most unusual feature is that, despite being organized around a central patio that’s closed off on three sides, it offers 180-degree views of the surrounding natural landscape with all its remarkable biodiversity.
The house occupies a single level, except for the basement-level garage, with total floorspace of 1200 m2, including its covered outdoor areas. The rooms occupy three wings, with the central wing, the largest, comprising a large open-plan kitchen space, a dining room, a living room, a study, a library, a gym, and staff accommodation. The other two sections are perpendicular to the first and house the bedrooms. The right wing has the master bedroom and a second bedroom, while the left is a guest area, with two more bedrooms and a living area.
The patio therefore plays a fundamental role in the way the spaces have been organized and in defining the underlying architectural concept. But it also contributes to keeping the home cool. Equipped with a photovoltaic system and heat pump, the home is energy self-sufficient.
The project centers on the dialogue between indoors and out created by the large windows, which have been supplied by 3Emmegi. Comprising a full height sliding glass window that measures around 10 m in length and both divides and unites the living and patio spaces, the main façade is completely transparent. 3Emmegi supplied a panoramic sliding system with essential retractable windows and minimal profiles for the least possible visual impact. The system was ideal, underscoring the strengths of this project in which unobstructed views and an all-glass effect were essential.
The courtyard itself comprises a covered area in which rectangular openings have been created to offer glimpses of the flowerbeds, and an open barbecue area for entertaining guests. A long, narrow semi-Olympic swimming pool, designed for training, runs along the entire length of the patio.
Continuity between the outdoor areas and the main rooms of the living area is underscored by a chromatic uniformity created using whites and beiges and using the same porcelain stoneware flooring. The more private rooms, such as the bedrooms, have parquet floors and wood slat paneling. The paneling also covers the two external walls that intersect at the front door, then continues into the house on one side for around 50 m.
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Completion: 2022
Site Area: 6313 m²
Gross Floor Area: internal 850m², external 450m²
Architect: Peerutin Karol Architects
Design Director: David Peerutin
Design Associate: Giovanni Pivetta
Consultants
Landscape: Alan Dawson Landscape
Electrical: Ian McWilliam
MEP: De Villiers Sheard
Structures: Poise Consulting Engineers
Quantity Surveyor: SBDS
Home Automation: 4ward
Pool: DesigningAqua
Main Contractor: Gossow & Harding Construction
All images courtesy of the owner