A South African Home that Maximizes Nature Reserve Views

When you have a home perched atop a hill in South Africa, chances are you may get some truly spectacular views. But in this home, from the team at Nico van der Meulen Architects, the views are nothing short of amazing. The Johannesburg home was designed for a family and is located at the foot of a local nature preserve. In order to maximize the views of this stunning landscape, attention was placed on opening up the North side of the home with plenty of glass of outdoor entertaining areas. The resulting home is a testament to its architects, with its unique exterior and open, welcoming interior the best of what a home can really be.

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The house’s exterior has been described as “sculptural” and for good reason. Contained within these morphed steel forms is 1100 square meters (11840 square feet) that is anything but modest while still maintaining a sense of open simplicity.

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|In a climate like South Africa, both heating and cooling are essential, but sustainability was also highly desired. The result was a water-based system that runs through the polishedconcrete floors. This system provides both heating and cooling with minimal environmental impact.


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The architects of this home are particularly well known for their ability to merge indoor and outdoor spaces, which was an essential requirement from the client as well. The living room and lanai become one space by virtue of frameless folding glass doors. When open, moving inside and out is simple and when closed, the view is still lovely. Outside, a floating pavilion and sloping garden create a serene space for entertaining, only made more inviting by a cantilevered koi pond and its north facing views.


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The entryway of the house is also quite interesting. Natural timber in a herringbone pattern softens the look of the steel exterior, making the house a bit more warm and welcoming. Meanwhile, diagonal strips of light toward the entrance actually serve to guide guests to the gate.


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