Elphick Proome Architecture

Rooiels Beach House

ROOIELS BEACH HOUSE

Elphick Proome Architects

Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard

LOCATION
Cape Town, South Africa

CATEGORY
Houses

PHOTOGRAPHS
Dennis Guichard

AREA
885.0 m2

MANUFACTURERS
Caesarstone, smeg usa, Escenium HAUS, Cover Frameless Glass

PROJECT YEAR
2013

Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard

Text description provided by architect.

This vacation beach house located near Cape Town, South Africa, is carefully crafted to respond directly to the brief from the client, a maverick businessman from Johannesburg.

Primary requirements were to create an extraordinary living experience, conceptually capture the client’s brief to create a single space vacation house and fully embrace the remarkable seaside location.

Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard

Capitalizing on its unique context with panoramic views across the Atlantic Ocean, the house is thus conceived as a minimal steel framed glass box with a hull shaped hardwood clad roof to facilitate distant views to the surrounding mountains.

All the external walls are frameless sliding folding glass doors and are filtered by slatted hardwood shutters which open hydraulically to become verandas when open and a continuous secure screen when closed.

Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard

To ensure minimum environmental intrusion to the sensitive fynbos vegetation and dunes that form the site, the house is elevated to allow the fynbos to be extended under its footprint.

All interior walls dividing living and sleeping spaces are sliding ash clad doors which slide away during daytime hours to create a single large living space which flows out on all four edges on to broad cantilevered decks made of Garapa hardwood.

Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard

The effect created is thus an umbrella, connecting isotropically to the amazing environment that cradles the house. 

This building significantly evolves the seaside vacation house typology by dematerializing the notion of cellular space, burring the traditional regime of private and semi-private space and offering variant connection and refuge.

Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard

The house is counterpointed by a freestanding elevated pool and subterranean entry court and garage clad in unhewn beach stone and Garapa.

The elongated pavilion with a floating curvilinear roof displays a minimal architectural language rendered in steel, glass, raw concrete and all powerfully juxtaposed with warm hardwoods deployed in the ceilings, furniture and all joinery to deliver an extraordinary outcome.

Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard


Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard
Rooiels Beach House
© Dennis Guichard


Rooiels Beach House
Basement Floor Plan
Rooiels Beach House
Floor Plan


Rooiels Beach House
Sections
Rooiels Beach House
Site Plan


Rooiels Beach House
Location

Elphick Proome Architecture
T +27 31 2755800 F +27 31 2755855
Elphick Proome Architecture
16 The Blvd, Dawncliffe, Westville, 3629, South Africa