Wilderness House

Category: Residential

Client: Private

Location: Wildernis

This holiday cabin was designed for a filmmaker and set builder. The brief was to create a place where the client and his family can get away from the fast paced life of the city. The cabin is located on a fynbos dune in Wilderness, George.  It overlooks the Serpentine Lake to the north.

 

The idea was to create an architecture which is sensitive to the site and respects the existing fynbos vegetation. We slightly elevated the buildings creating the illusion that it floats above the landscape. The building furthermore follows the natural typography of the site. The material palette was kept as natural as possible.  This was achieved by allowing the Garapa timber cladding to age naturally. The grey patina of the aged timber melts in with the landscape and creates the illusion that the building has been there for a while. The buildings were designed to optimize the surrounding views without compromising privacy. The interior and exterior spaces were planned to accommodate for the volatile weather changes the area is renowned for and to give flexibility to the user. The complex was designed to allow the client to Airbnb the cabins separately when not in private use.