Nelspruit House

This modest house is located within an Eco-Lifestyle Estate situated on a prominent ridge in Nelspruit. The idea was to design a cost-effective building that could cater to a small family living in the city. The site has splendid views which were incorporated into the design. The steel portal frame structure was used to allow for a time-effective assembly on site and to give an industrial feel to the interior. The open plan of the entertainment spaces was defined by stepping the building with the landscape.

The roof however was kept at a fixed height which allows for volumetric progression as you move through the space. The kitchen spills out onto a raised brick plinth which becomes an outside cooking area overlooking the mountains. The two bedrooms are north facing and share a generous bathroom with an outside shower surrounded by a rock garden and a big tree. All the rainwater is harvested and reused for irrigation and all the hot water is heated by solar geysers. The landscape was left natural and endemic species were planted to reinforce the natural veld.