PRIVATE RESIDENCE at Beachwood Place, Durban North
Project Architect and Designer: Bharti Vithal
Fairway, Durban North
The siteis located between a quiet residential road and the M4 arterial feeder. Theexisting house is located centrally within the site with the long edge facingnorth. The current house is made up of the main with various ad hoc extensioncompleted at intervals in its fifty-year history which has resulted in a non-cohesive structure that tends to sprawl on the site. The site is largely flat aaccessed on the east side from Fairway.
The briefwas to provide a solution to unify the structure and give it a contemporary modern-day,and spaciousambience that is in keeping with the family’s’lifestyle. In addition the existing accommodationmust be substantially extended to provide a new bedroom wing, as temporaryliving quarters while renovating the existing part of the house.
The conceptis based on a strong east-west spine that lineated the circulation route fromthe entrance gate to the vertical circulation of the stair. This axis isfurther entrenched at the first floor arrangement of functions. Spaces areaccessed off this spine. This allowed all the family’s semi private functionsto be located on the north side of this spine with the service areas on thesouth. The insistence by the Client to locate the garage at the back of thesite rather than near the turning circle negated the creation of a meaningfulshaded courtyard on the south side. The north side also accommodates the mainoutdoor living areas connected directly to the pool areas. The house is locatedclose to the building line on the west side with minimal windows to minimisethis unusable space and provide maximum protection from traffic noise.
The entrance to the house is heralded by a strongstone wall on the circulation spine that also provides the delineation betweenthe public and private parts of the house. The deep veranda on the north sideis anchored by the stone sculptural column that defines and holds the outdoorspace that accommodates the pool and family garden. An extensive sunscreen on the first floorprotects the house from excessive solar gain. The main bedroom windows on theupper level are protected from the east sun with timber screens at the upperlevel.
The siteis located between a quiet residential road and the M4 arterial feeder. Theexisting house is located centrally within the site with the long edge facingnorth. The current house is made up of the main with various ad hoc extensioncompleted at intervals in its fifty-year history which has resulted in a non-cohesive structure that tends to sprawl on the site. The site is largely flat aaccessed on the east side from Fairway.
The briefwas to provide a solution to unify the structure and give it a contemporary modern-day,and spaciousambience that is in keeping with the family’s’lifestyle. In addition the existing accommodationmust be substantially extended to provide a new bedroom wing, as temporaryliving quarters while renovating the existing part of the house.
The conceptis based on a strong east-west spine that lineated the circulation route fromthe entrance gate to the vertical circulation of the stair. This axis isfurther entrenched at the first floor arrangement of functions. Spaces areaccessed off this spine. This allowed all the family’s semi private functionsto be located on the north side of this spine with the service areas on thesouth. The insistence by the Client to locate the garage at the back of thesite rather than near the turning circle negated the creation of a meaningfulshaded courtyard on the south side. The north side also accommodates the mainoutdoor living areas connected directly to the pool areas. The house is locatedclose to the building line on the west side with minimal windows to minimisethis unusable space and provide maximum protection from traffic noise.
The entrance to the house is heralded by a strongstone wall on the circulation spine that also provides the delineation betweenthe public and private parts of the house. The deep veranda on the north sideis anchored by the stone sculptural column that defines and holds the outdoorspace that accommodates the pool and family garden. An extensive sunscreen on the first floorprotects the house from excessive solar gain. The main bedroom windows on theupper level are protected from the east sun with timber screens at the upperlevel.
Concept
Ground Floor Plan
First Floor Plan
