19/10/2017
The new design by Werner van der Meulen is attached to the older one by means of decorative steel forms that wrap and frame, making this design a clear example of parasitic architecture. As you approach the home, you bear witness to the boldly designed monolithic boundary wall that sparks a sense of curiosity as to what is inside the premises. It is here that you are first introduced to the concept of the design, as the concrete cladded boundary wall has become a host to the blackened morphed steel that lingers overhead. Black steel sliding garage doors in front of the four new garages on top of the existing house create another solid barrier that contains the mystery of the house’s design.
Steel and glass are prominent materials used in Kloof Road House and have been uniquely integrated into the design, from the boundary wall all the way into the interior details. The structure of the entrance hall lurches onto the double volume glass window that lingers over the entrance. The sculptural steel staircase that is on display within the double volume glass tower is framed by one of the many modified steel forms, it connects the first floor to the ground floor, cutting through the vastness of the double volume space. These steel forms are used to blur the borders between the floors, walls and roofs, as is evident in the design of the staircase.
The living room, dining room and kitchen are distinctively situated in an open plan area and coherently merge into one another. The natural timber herringbone cladded entrance wall creates a sense of warmth as it softens the harshness of the steel and concrete interior, while the backlit ceilings create a shadowless interior inside the sculptured 3D forms.
