The idea of building a house on this site essentially evolved from a round of golf at Simola Country Club, which originally was going to be a round at Pezula Country Club. My brother-in-law suggested I play the Simola course, as he’d heard a lot of good things about it. The course was spectacular and playing a pretty good round of golf did not hurt the high I was experiencing that day. One thing led to another and before my wife and I knew it, we were buying this fabulous piece of property within the Simola Golf and Country Estate.

The intent was to hold onto it as an investment, but my dreams got the better of me and before long I had selected a local architectural firm, Starkey Olivier Architects, to help me design a spec home for this slice of heaven. I had some specific ideas for this particular property and offered them up to Starkey Olivier in a form of a brief. The architect got back to me with the design of a house that gave exactly what I was looking for and then some.

By December 2007, the plans for this home were complete and sitting with the town planning office of Knysna waiting for approval. The intent is to start construction no later than March 2008 with an anticipated completion date of early 2009.

By design, we have taken full advantage of the orientation and elevation of the site, as well as the magnificent views of the Knysna River and the Outeniqua Mountain Range.

Below find the architect, Nick Olivier’s, summary of what is the Edge House.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Introduction
Apart from the obviously advantageous orientation toward the north light and views, another important feature of the site became apparent at the outset of the site analysis. In conjunction with the land surveyor’s site drawing it was realized that not all of the existing man-made platform would be available to us as a developable footprint. The accompanying “platform analysis” indicates how only 58% of the existing platform is usable due to the line of the site boundary and the associated 6m street building line restriction. This reality of being forced closer to the edge of the platform was the most influential characteristic of the site in terms of establishing the origins of the architectural concept for the house.

It became obvious that for the house to fit harmoniously into its location that the new man-made structures were going to have to re-establish a relationship with the hill side. The challenges of the insensitive man-made platform, which created a ‘scar’ in the landscape, needed to be overcome and any future site development had to thoughtfully re-engage the environment. This would include establishing a tangible interaction between the internal and external spaces, and not merely with the distant mountain views, but especially also with the nearby slopes and river below. This would necessitate a 3-dimensional interaction with the platform edge to engage the occupants of the home.

Strategies needed to be developed for establishing a dialogue between the primary building elements and the edge of the platform, as well as integrating the built forms with the hill side to help blur the edges between where the mountain ended and the structures began.

Concept Development
A primary strategy for helping the design reintegrate with the hill side was the introduction of levels. These were envisaged as mountain tiers that progressively transformed the natural organic forms and contours of the mountain into living levels. The irregular angles of the mountain are gradually changed into the regular and ordered built forms and living spaces. The structures become extensions of the tiers with strong earthy planes rising naturally from the site and the pool and its infinite edge acting as a waterfall. This 3 dimensional quality of the development engages the occupant, with it becoming impossible for the viewer to be unaware of the slope and the valley below.

A metamorphosis is in progress between the mountain and the house. A compromise is reached as one imposes in one area while relenting in another and vice versa, resulting in a symbiotic relationship. For example, the ‘viewing bow’ reaches out and imposes itself over the edge, allowing the viewer to engage fully with the mountain ridge and the valley below, while the lowest platform tier breaks its line and allows the mountain slope to reach back up to the house. Naturally rendered (stone and earthy tones) elements are set against contemporary steel and glass forms, highlighting the change and the compromise that has taken place.

Ordering the living spaces along two juxtaposed axes, among other advantages of increased light and views, also serves to emphasize an outward orientation. The visual relationship which is created in the foreground between the two axes of the built forms helps engage the viewer tangibly with the exterior and makes the occupant aware of the external transformation that has taken place as well as the distant views. A three way visual dialogue is intentionally created: the two axes with each other, and each with the edge.

The two axes also allow the arrangement of living spaces with all benefiting from the wonderful light and views that the location provides while affording the necessary privacy from the Simola road to the north-east and the potential over-looking neighbor to the south. The external facades of these axes act as strong, earthy shells that are independent and free-standing planes with only limited penetrability that protect the spaces within. The internal facades, on the other hand, are largely transparent and allow the intended visual interactions to take place.

Spatial Zoning
External access to the home, both vehicular and pedestrian, has been arranged at the point where the two primary axes meet. This is obviously important for ease of circulation and allows us to position the service areas without jeopardizing natural views or light. The ability to achieve this is based on the assumption that an access road, which feeds an additional 3 erven along the ridge, needs to pass along the eastern edge of the property, and is part of the reason that the existing platform is not entirely available to us. This access road needs to climb steadily from existing street level and should allow us to establish the primary living level above the existing platform level. This has advantages with regard to establishing the lower tier and associated bedrooms, since the excavation can be reduced. But this will be discussed later.

The primary living spaces of kitchen, dining room, lounge and covered decks are arranged along the primary axis in an east/west direction, affording wonderful views and north light along the entire length. Secondary spaces such as the media room and guest suite are arranged along the secondary axis, while still enjoying the benefits of light and views.

The main bedroom suite is located on the first floor, above the primary living spaces. This is a spacious and totally private area, which enjoys the same great views and light of the living spaces below. Since the secondary axis is a level below, this main bedroom suite will be the first part of the home to enjoy the morning light from the east.

The secondary bedrooms are located on the lower ground floor level. These two private en-suite spaces enjoy a direct relationship with the lowest tier and also enjoy great views and natural light. This lowest external tier allows the greatest interaction with the edge of the developed area. The excavation for this level will extend the boundary of the edge of the existing platform. Also, since the creation of the existing platform would not have been carried out to the necessary engineering requirements, excavating an additional tier to the front of the existing platform will achieve the necessary founding at a part of the platform where ‘loose’ fill material would have been placed.

Design Features
A dominant feature of the design is the angle which borders the front edge of the primary axis and breaks through the secondary axis to create the entrance. This angle is part of the necessary transformation from the obtuse angled “edge” of the lower tier towards the right-angled living spaces, and represents the metamorphosis that is taking place between mountain and house. Since this change is fundamental to the concept of the home, this angle exerts influence on virtually every space within the home, reminding the occupant of this transformation. Right from the entrance of the home, the viewer is made aware that something is taking place behind the strong guarded entrance façade. This angle then accompanies the viewer along the entire length of the primary living spaces, forming the edge of the covered deck and rim-flow pool, right out to the end of the cantilevered viewing bow. A flying beam from the edge of the covered deck repeats this angle at a higher level, allowing the shadows which it creates to re-emphasize its existence as well as bringing the main first floor suite into contact with itself.

Movement from the entrance onto the primary axis is encouraged by a water-wall and a large glazed roof light, which floods this area with natural light. The eastern end of the axis is terminated with a large viewing window, which snatches a glimpse of this ‘forgotten’ view and provides a focus while moving in this direction along the axis.

The infinite pool and sunken lounge are other features of the primary living spaces. The rim-flow edge represents a small waterfall, pouring from the edge of the hybrid tier, and helps engage the primary living level with the tier and views below. Sinking the lounge, not only increases the volume of the space, but also allows the seated viewer to be in direct contact with the level of the water as it drops away into the spectacular view.

Splitting the covered deck into two separate areas was a deliberate attempt to achieve the best of both worlds. The ‘eating deck’ affords ease of service with its proximity to the kitchen while the sun-downer deck allows relative isolation while experiencing the best of the treetops and distant sunsets.

The spiral staircase located near the sun-downer deck creates an unobtrusive focus at the end of the primary axis. It also breaks through the upper tier, yet again making the viewer aware of the edge of the mountain and allowing external access to the grassed tier below for relaxing and sunbathing. Moving from the spiral staircase to the grassed area takes you dramatically along a cantilevered walkway and passed the water falling from above. Along with the internal staircase, the external spiral staircase also completes the circulation loop between upper and lower tiers.

Guideline Comments
In the development of the design concept, the architectural design guidelines for Simola need to be kept close in mind. Knowledge of the guidelines and experience with the Design Review Committee (DRC) has aided in understanding where they can be bent to our advantage in creating a unique and idiosyncratic house for the property.

One area that is relatively well policed, are the roof forms. Since 17.5 degree minimum dual roof pitches are prescribed, it is difficult to envisage that a more dramatic and arguably more suitable mono-pitch roof form will even be entertained or even achievable without a drastic pitch reduction. Since the concept proposal will already push the DRC’s idea of “contemporary farmhouse” to its limit, the roofs have been developed to exist as simple elegant planes that allow the architectural intrigue to take place below and largely privately within the presence of the occupants.

Surprisingly, the guidelines do not specify a preferred type of post or column, nor do they preclude small thin steel posts, although most applications thus far have been bulky stone or timber interpretations. Thin steel posts are arguably of a more contemporary style than intended but something which we have successfully included before.

The solid external façade planes form relatively minimal and contemporary elements which offset the relatively traditional roof forms. Appropriate use of textures, tones and materials will achieve a desired level of interest that should be in line with the DRC’s requirements.