Pick of the Week - Mountain House

I truly admire architects who are considerate about the natural habitat they are working with, as well as incorporating the indigenous lush greenery together with the architectural design. Van der Merwe Miszewski Architects do just that with many of their works, especially with Mountain House, which I am excited to review today. Showing off the infamous Table Mountain as a stunning backdrop and panoramic scopes of the Mother City, this home is definitely one with picturesque views, being situated on a steep sloping site.

Architects: Van der Merwe Miszewski 
Location: Oranjezicht, Cape Town; South Africa
Structural Engineers: Hulme & Associates
Contractor: DDC Construction 
Landscape Architect: Room to Grow
Year: 2011

In order to achieve the least amount of impact of the site, the house had to be comprised of five pavilions, which are incorporated and tucked into the sloping terrain, surrounded by existing natural fybos - which stretch from the mountain slopes above the site, all the way to the road below. The five pavilions mimic the slope of land in a sense that leaves have fallen down the mountain. Which proves that the pavilions are in sympathy with the site and the surrounding context, in order to achieve as little impact as possible on the existing natural landscape and indigenous habitat. 

"Organic architecture seeks superior sense of use and a finer sense of comfort, expressed in organic simplicity".  
- Frank Lloyd Wright


The wavy roof also comes across as one of the pieces lifted off from the ground, settling over the habitable spaces and platforms. The concrete roof curves in both directions and is influenced by the curved nature of the cliff faces of Table Mountain above, as well as the contouring slope of the site below. The roof therefore expresses the continuity of the curve, together with the mountain faces and the curved slope of the site.  

Spaces have been made habitable using the traditional old-age manner of inserting walls into the landscape, thereby creating usable platforms and exterior terraces. The colours of these stone walls also mimic the look and feel to the cliffs of Table Mountain above, as its presence anchors and expresses the design into the landscape. Glass is also used to enclose these platforms, to create habitable spaces within the indigenous natural surroundings. 

Photography: Van der Merwe Miszewski Architects