Cove 6 Residence, Pezula House, Modern South African property, Western Cape home photos
Cove 6, Western Cape
Knysna Property: Pezula Residence, South Africa design by SAOTA – Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects
10 Jun 2014
Updated photos of this luxury contemporary residence in the Western Cape:
Cove 6 House
Photography by SAOTA
20 Mar 2012
Location: Knysna, Western Cape Province, South Africa
Design: SAOTA – Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects
Cove 6 House – Knysna Residence
Situated on the cliff edges of “The Cove” in Pezula, Knysna, this home allows one to experience a magnificent setting. The tactile and warm quality of the materials – rough, honed stone and timber enhance the overall experience.
Pezula House
The owner’s brief was to design a house inspired by its indigenous fynbos surroundings, which is part of the recently established The Cove, a Private Estate, with the Pezula Golf Estate as backdrop. The site, located on an exposed cliff edge overlooking a rocky peninsula, is perched above a dramatic seascape with spectacular views.
The site is 1 of 6 exclusive use areas permitted on this reserve. Its owner’s, a well-traveled couple who live in the United Kingdom, wanted a house with seamless indoor-outdoor living for summer holiday retreats. The house had to take maximum advantage of the spectacular views and surrounding landscape.
Great care has been taken to promote the natural attributes of the site with the use of materials to complement the natural colour pallet and textures of the site to provide the least impact both during cons
truction and after completion. The approach has therefore been a pavilion that blends with and does not overpower nature with a cohesive architectural character where it comes to scale, proportion and the articulation of the building form. It is airy, yet firmly anchored into the landscape by means of heavy stone clad walls.
Externally the natural fynbos was brought up to the house achieving a feeling that the house is set in nature and does not disturb the natural beauty. The building fits comfortably into the natural contours of the orientation of the site.
Cantilevered structures such as the pool and elevated timber decks where allowed to protrude beyond the building lines and demarcated destructive zone to allow indigenous planting to grow below.
The location of the site invited large glazed areas and extensive use of outdoor spaces, with each aspect of the house having a private terrace or deck. The open plan linear composition of the interior spaces allows views from every room.
To take advantage of the sea and surrounding golf course views and to provide protection from the extreme Cape Coastal climate, the living spaces were designed with Southwest/Northeast orientations, resulting in an open flowing space with both uninterrupted sea facing terraces and protected courtyards. This allows the house to ‘live’ on both sides with the main living spaces forming the link between inside and outside.
The orientation gives the owners the option of sheltered courtyards on the leeward side in poor weather conditions or the use of extensive terraces on the windward side on sunny and wind free days. The through-views also ensure that one always experiences the sea and adjacent rolling landscapes taking opportunity of the site.
The key to this retreat is its simplicity in terms of the relationship between spaces. Its floor plan is structured, sparse and uncluttered.
Cove 6 House – Building Information
Project Name: Cove 6
Location: The Cove, Pezula Estate, Knysna
Architects: SAOTA – Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects
Project Team: Stefan Antoni, Greg Truen & Johann van der Merwe
Interior Design: Client
Completion Date: 2006
Photographs: SAOTA
Cove 6 House images / information from SAOTA – Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects
Location: Knysna, South Africa
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