The evolution of Bosjes

Photography Dave Southwood

Bosjes Estate, in the scenic Breede River valley near Worcester in the Western Cape, has completed the next phase in its evolution, following the launch of the award-winning chapel in 2017 (featured in the April/May edition of Leading Architecture + Design that year).

The visually arresting design of the chapel, with its swooping, ethereal, winglike arches, helped establish Bosjes as a destination, precipitating something of a ‘Bilbao effect’ and effectively putting this part of the Western Cape on the map. Bosjes successfully established itself as a popular destination for weddings and events, as well as for other visitors who wished to dine at the restaurant or stay over at the guesthouse.

Its success, however, necessitated further development and additional elements to extend the experience and accommodate day visitors with a more varied and comprehensive hospitality offering. Carlen Vorster, CEO of hospitality and marketing, explains that the estate wished to provide additional facilities for incidental visitors – particularly on weekends when the restaurant and guesthouse are often booked for private functions – so that they can linger and explore the estate.

Intricate trellis structures emerge from the ovoid interiors of the submerged ‘pods’, formalising the landscape and providing a visual prompt towards the café/restaurant.

The new additions at Bosjes include a new pantry-style coffee shop and farm shop set in beautifully landscaped indigenous gardens. The Winkel is Bosjes’ contemporary interpretation of a country store, curated by interior designer Liam Mooney, while the Spens blends the best elements of a café, coffee shop and well-stocked country pantry.

The additions were conceptualised by London-based, South African-born architect Coetzee Steyn of Steyn Studio, who also designed the chapel. He worked closely with Meyer & Associates Architects – who were appointed to assist Steyn as project architects and principal agent – and Square One Landscape Architects.

The conical timber structures tie the buildings back into the landscape, defining the space around them and bringing an intimate human scale to the outside seating areas.

Tiaan Meyer of Meyer & Associates Architects, who designed the nearby Botes Halte School (featured in December/ January 2019 edition of Leading Architecture + Design) explains that, while the chapel remains the most prominent architectural feature on the estate, and the manor house remains an anchor, the new additions are designed to function as “discoveries” that visitors would make while exploring a “magical garden”.

This approach allowed for the new buildings to explore a distinct brand of architectural intrigue while remaining deferential to the chapel and manor house. Rather than standing out, Meyer says that the Winkel and Spens have been conceptualised as “pods embedded in the landscape”.

He points out that the gardens have been designed in a “processional fashion”, leading from the parking area to the chapel and formalising the axis between the manor house and chapel. “There’s also a meandering path through the gardens as an alternative, where visitors ‘discover’ these two architectural events, the shop and the deli,” explains Meyer.

The buildings fuse with the landscape, integrating the gardens and architecture “with gardens that wrap over new buildings, which in turn are woven back into the landscape with intricate trellis structures”, as the Steyn Studio’s official description puts it.

The way in which the architecture is buried or embedded into the landscape also helps to make the addition of a substantial banqueting kitchen and other services all but invisible.

“The two carefully burrowed buildings draw inspiration from the ways of the San, as well as the early Dutch settlers who first inhabited the valley,” explains Steyn.

The simple architectural forms of the buildings were inspired by the San huts called a ‘Matjieshuis’ (Mat House) as well as the first dwellings of the Dutch settlers, called ‘KapHuis’ (Truss House), which in turn are said to have been influenced by San building techniques and materials. “TheMatjieshuiswas a portable, curved, slat-framed structure covered with woven mats, used by San herders as they migrated seasonally with their cattle during precolonial and early colonial times,” explains Steyn Studio’s rationale. “The KapHuiswas a series of A-frame trusses covered with thatch, with the interior lowered to allow for more headroom. Both structures were part of this historic landscape and blended subtly with their surroundings.”

The curved oak trellises that emerge from the ovoid interiors of the submerged “pods”, formalising the landscape and providing a visual prompt towards the café/ restaurant and gift shop, are inspired by the lattice and weaving structures drawn from these historical precedents, albeit in a refined, abstracted interpretation. Meyer points out the way in which they help anchor the buildings and define the space around them, bringing an intimate human scale to the outside seating areas while noting that they will eventually be covered with climbing plants, like large pergolas. More than a dozen species of climbing plants – from bougainvillea to honeysuckle, star jasmine and wisteria – will add seasonal colour, texture and aroma to these striking architectural creations.

He notes that these finely wrought conical timber structures were a feat of engineering and construction, necessitating close consultation with specialist engineers throughout, first Arup and later Henry Fagan once the subcontractor was appointed.

“The timber selection was very important, having to balance durability and strength, and still being pliable enough to be bent into shape,” he says. “It’s a structural unit that pulls together four layers bound together by stainless steel pins at the intersection of all four.”

“We were brought in to specifically address complex geometry of the timber design intent, which involved doubly curving the timber laths.” says Tessa Brunette, associate at Arup.

The glazed façades were designed in a zig-zag formation so that they would not interrupt the pattern of the trellis as it extends between the interior and exterior.

Circular sandpits for children reference South Africa’s traditional farm dams and reservoirs.

Arup provided assistance, she explains, not only in understanding the qualities and capabilities of the timber itself, but also in the parametric modelling used for the structural analysis and feasibility studies. “It’s quite complicated because the timber is not only curved in one direction, it’s actually doubly curved,” she says.

The parametric modelling, Brunette explains, was used to create a structural system that would meet Steyn’s design requirements within the constraints of the technical ability of the materials, fabrication rules like “how long and thick can a piece of the timber be to allow you to twist it”. These modelling techniques speed up the process and find practical design solutions. In the end, oak was selected for its combination of flexibility and durability.

“Kudos to the construction team for making it work,” she adds.

The glazed façades were specially designed so they would not interrupt the “wonderful shape” of the trellis, as Brunette puts it, and for the trellis pattern to appear continuous as it extends between the interior and exterior. The zig-zag arrangement of the glazing imitates the pattern of the trellis, and also makes possible the vertical structural spans of glass.

“We worked closely with Square One to not only position the built structures in the landscape as curiosities, but also as anchors around which the landscape was eventually designed. The seamless integration of the landscaping elements with the built structures was an essential design objective from the start of the project,” explains Steyn.

The landscaped gardens are spread across three sloping terraces, connected by a curving pathway that provides universal access while creating a visual link between the woodland landscape, forested play areas, spacious lawns and conservation garden planted with endangered renosterveld.

“The concept for the gardens was around incorporating ecology into the cultural landscape,” explains Mark Saint Põl, director of Square One Landscape Architects. “How do we tell the tale of cultural heritage, and the tradition of living off the land, and turn that into something accessible and enjoyable?”

The low profile and embedded character of the new interventions is subtly stitched back into the surrounding landscape, leaving the panoramic mountain views unobscured.

Across the site there are visual cues that remind visitors of the cultural heritage of the valley. A series of water furrows and channels speak to the ingenuity of farmers in taming this drought-prone wilderness. The fragrant citrus groves in front of the Winkel and Spens are a reminder of the region’s rich agricultural tradition. Circular sandpits for children reference South Africa’s traditional farm dams and reservoirs, while in the dedicated children’s play area, equipment includes kid-friendly farming implements, sandpits and splash-pads.

A series of water furrows and channels speak to the ingenuity of farmers in taming this droughtprone wilderness.

“Using stone from the farm in drypacked walls, and the narrative of farming implements to create play equipment, we wanted kids to engage with natural play using raw materials,” adds Saint Põl.

The woodland merges subtly into beds planted with a wide array of indigenous grasses, succulents and bulbs, each carefully chosen to ensure a planting palette of seasonal interest that celebrates the colourful diversity of Cape flora.

Together, landscape and architecture effectively mediate the way in which visitors to Bosjes Estate appreciate and understand not just the architectural heritage of the estate, but also the broader social, historical and geographic context. The interventions not only provide a rich experience of place, but help draw together the historical tapestry of the region, representing its layers and drawing threads of the past into the present. The economic activation brought about by the estate’s developments have also reinvigorated region, facilitating the development of a school and creating wider ripples of economic opportunity, paving the way to the future.

Professional Team:

Design Architect: Steyn Studio Project Architect: Meyer & Associates Architects, Urban Designers Project Team: Coetzee Steyn, Tiaan Meyer, Callum Semple, Wayne Hattingh Structural Engineer: Grobler & Associates Consulting Engineers Electrical Engineering: Buhrmann Consulting Engineers Quantity Surveyor: 2ii Consulting Quantity Surveyors Planning Consultants: Tommy Brummer Town Planners Landscape Architect: Square One Landscape Architects Furniture & Fitout Design: Liam Mooney Studio Gridshell Structural Engineer: Henry Fagan & Partners Gridshell Concept Structural Engineer: Arup Main Contractor: Gvk-Siya Zama Construction Façade System: Arup Civil Engineer: Avdm Consulting Engineers Mechanical Engineering: Ekcon Consulting Engineers Heritage Consultants: Graham Jacobs

Team cohesion: the secret to success!

Complex projects, such as Bosjes Spens and Winkel, are successfully completed by teams and not individuals. The contractor, employer and whole professional team must work together towards one goal.

In a team, no one is more important than anyone else. Serving the common goal becomes the team’s main focus. Strong leadership keeps all team members focused on their individual tasks. We need to ask ourselves: “Am I a team player or do I only want to boost my own ambitions?”

Choose your team members wisely. The fact that a potential team member has previous experience of a specific task should not be the only requirement for the job. Character outweighs experience in tough situations. To be successful, you need gutsy members with character to persuade those with ‘experience’ that a job can be done, rather than simply to agree that it cannot. David knew what he was capable of and did not listen to the negativity when he decided to face Goliath.

A balanced team has a far greater chance of success than one that is unbalanced. In the same way, a super-talented individual doesn’t make a winning soccer team, but teamwork does. All members of the team need to pull together.

Working as a team may also mean that fellow team members have to pick up the weakest link for all to succeed. Rather than leaning on someone else, we all should uplift each other.

Strong leadership, character and equal effort can only function well with proper communication. In this age of more connectivity and less connection, team members must go the extra mile to communicate efficiently. It is the responsibility of the communicator to ensure they communicate effectively. It is no use shouting at a teammate to pass the ball when he is too far away and can’t hear you. Get closer so he can hear you, and he will pass the ball.

Teams that work well together, stay together and are more successful. It is important to keep winning teams intact. Individual members learn to understand each other over time and you don't want to loose that cohesion that was built. Having that special “glue” that keeps a team together is key to success.

At 2iiConsulting, we focus on the project and work alongside fellow team members to one common goal. We are team players and are always passionately involved in all our projects. The size of a project does not matter when you put your heart into it.

Put us to the test. • www.2iiqs.com