Montrose House by SAOTA

Architects: SAOTA
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Year: 2010
Photos: Wieland Gleich
Description:

High on the edge of Bishopscourt in Cape Town, this remarkable site came about because of the destruction of a current house.

The site was isolated by the current garage, which climbed steeply from the cul’s end de-sac underneath. The new building’s structure, roosted as it is in a summoning position, was seen from the beginning to be a structure sitting above the yards and the forested valley underneath.

The customers’ brief had a couple of particular necessities; introduction towards the Constantia Valley and far off False Bay, and the emotional perspectives up the mountains above Kirstenbosch were vital, just like the accentuation on adding to the site to augment the greenery enclosure and grass range. Taking after the brief the carport was migrated toward the southern limit of the site to permit this and open up the yards and the greenhouses towards the sun and mountain sees. There are all encompassing vistas towards the south and west from the rooms and front rooms; while the pool and patios are situated on the north-east side, in a yard shielded from the Southeaster hurricanes by the crossing direct types of the house.

The triangular state of the site, and its rise over the road and steep slope, required broad exhuming and holding, with a specific end goal to give a garage of adequate inclination, and broad building stage on one level, and garden porches all round.

The twofold winged rooftop, gliding over the room wing, and practically glass box-encased front rooms, are the fundamental engineering components. These are supplemented by auxiliary design components, for example, the cantilevered end of the primary passage highlight divider, the gliding stone-clad chimney, ceaseless edge cantilever patios to the rooms and the wrap-around cantilever eyebrow.

Completions include: cleaned stone floors, no covers, no window ornaments and the skimming highlight rooftop with clerestory lighting. The customers’ inclination was towards a smooth innovator environment with a complete northern European energy. The foreign made light dark stone floor pieces set the tone for a shading palette of cool grays instead of characteristic tans, a reviving change from winning patterns.