Albizia House

ALBIZIA HOUSE

 Metropole Architects

Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher

ARCHITECTS
Metropole Architects

PROJECT YEAR
2013

DESIGN ARCHITECT
Nigel Tarboton

PROJECT ARCHITECT
Tyrone Reardon

PROJECT TECHNICIAN
Chris Laird

AREA
1000.0 sqm

LOACTION
Simbithi Eco Estate, South Africa

PHOTOGRAPHS
Grant Pitcher

DESIGN ENGINEER
Rob Young

STRUCTURAL TECHNICIAN
Terry Schubach

INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Union 3

MAIN CONTRACTOR
East Coast Construction

PRINCIPAL
Justin Rosewarne

PROJECT MANAGER
Benno Terblanche

SITE FOREMAN
Tony Moodley

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
Young & Satharia

Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher

Text description provided by architect.

We were commissioned to design a contemporary family home on a one acre site, situated at the end of a spur, in Simbithi Eco-Estate.

The client’s brief called for a home with an overriding sense of simplicity but with a high degree of sophistication.

Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher

All the living areas and bedroom suites face onto a panoramic vista, which includes a dense forest down-slope from the house.

The palette of natural materials including timber screens, decking and cladding, off-shutter concrete and stone cladding juxtapose with the aggressive architectural form making, creating a home that is not only visually and spatially exciting, but also comfortable and intimate.

Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher

The extensive use of water in the design of the home includes a 25 metre lap pool with a glass panel between the water and the basement cinema room,

A shallow but expansive reflective pond on the approach side, which mirrors the building day and night, and evokes a sense of tranquility.

Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher

The architectural style of the home is heavily influenced by the ‘Googie’ architecture of the American architect John Lautner.

The origin of the name ‘Googie’ dates to 1949, when architect John Lautner designed the West Hollywood coffee shop, ‘Googies’, which had distinct architectural characteristics.

Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher

‘Googie’ architecture is a form of modern architecture and a subdivision of futurist architecture with stylistic conventions influenced by, and representing 50’s

American society’s fascination and marketing emphasis on futuristic design, car culture, jets, the Space Age, and the Atomic Age.

Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher

‘Googie’ was also characterized by design forms symbolic of motion, including upswept roofs, curvaceous geometric shapes, and the bold use of glass, steel and neon, the spirit of which is embodied in Albizia House.


Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher


Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher


Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher


Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher
Albizia House
© Grant Pitcher


Albizia House
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Albizia House
Elevation
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