location: Atlantic Seaboard, Cape Town | architecture: Jenny Mills Architects | interior design: by client with Roche Bobois | photography: Adam Letch | styling: Kate Boswell | contractor: Innes Projects

On this site there was an existing holiday home, in regular use by the client, which required ongoing maintenance due to deterioration from harsh coastal weather conditions. Yet, the location was perfect and the original property provided valuable lessons for the new design and construction. This resulted in an undercover space of 823 square metres on a stand of just 357 square metres.

Says architect Jenny Mills: ‘This new home was planned for the clients, their children and grandchildren; safety and convenience for all generations was therefore paramount. The brief included the need for generous and relaxed living and kitchen spaces with an emphasis on the main bedroom suite. In addition: five high echelon bedrooms with full bathrooms, two housekeepers’ suites, a back-of-house kitchenette as well as ample parking were to be included. Utility spaces comprise of a security room, generator room, separate plumbing and electrical plant rooms, cold room, laundry and good storage space.

‘The client’s experience of their previous lifestyle on the site led to the decision to locate the pool on the roof. This is the best position to take  advantage of the coastal sun and to create a rooftop destination with a fully equipped outdoor kitchen and barbecue. A lightweight pergola structure with retractable awnings completes this outdoor living room and pool terrace, which succeeds in maximising the amount of external living space.’

The structure is designed to accommodate large family gatherings, while allowing for smaller groups to have privacy as there are options for interactions in different areas: varied spaces and sizes, none of which are overly sized.

Jenny Mills: ‘The brief was essentially to accommodate a much larger Johannesburg-style home into a compact, practical and livable Bantry Bay getaway. Although by no means a small home, it was important that if only a few people were using it, that it did not feel empty. This meant that customised cabinetry was designed for each specific space with multifunctional usage. It also required that the spatial planning had to be right. Unoccupied rooms were not to be noticeable and the home was to function easily with zones full or empty.

For the full article see Habitat #263 January / February 2018

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