Studio ST&AR: House Duval, Cape St. Francis

Building description

The house designed for a family of six, is situated on a constrained triangular shaped beach front plot. The site is protected from the shifting beach sand by Fyn-bos covered dunes. Raising the living areas for sea views over these dunes became the guiding design challenge.

House Approach

To maintain its connection to the main living areas, the pool was therefore elevated on the north side by building it above ground and wrapping water storage tanks and service rooms around it. Reflecting this at first floor level, the pool court is enclosed by the house and veranda, protecting it from the prevailing onshore winds. From here one has views through the living room to the sea and lighthouse.

Ground Floor Plan

1st Floor Plan

The house itself is split into three parts at angles to one another other with the staircases locating at the junctions. The roofs are flat at these points with mono-pitches over the three main volumes lifting to the north, allowing the rooms to focus on bay views to the South while keeping warm and well lit. The interrupted roofscape and wood cladding control the scale of the house from the approach as do the various decks and pergolas from the beach. Ground floor decking covers a second rain water storage tank and connects the games room and surf wet room to the garden, dunes and surf beyond.

Main Decks

Views Through

The kitchen, open in part to the living room, anchors the layout and communicates with all sides of the house. Next to this the main stair draws one up through a sun screened double volume entrance hall onto the main landing - where one is greeted by the living room and views in all directions.

The hardwood decking, pergolas, balustrades and cladding, untreated and exposed, are all left to fade. Crisp white plastered forms are held between wood clad facades. The garages and landscaped terraces around the elevated pool are finished in a bagged red brick forming a rusticated plinth to the street facade.

Section A-A

Section B-B

Water wise and energy efficient the house harvests rain water, recycles grey water and runs on solar hot water. An inverter with back up power manages the electrical loading and is ready for the future addition of photovoltaic panels. Solid fuel fireplaces on both levels warm the well insulated house from their central positions.