Fluidity and flare

PHOTOGRAPHY ADAM LETCH

The R870-million, 180-room Houghton Hotel in Johannesburg, designed by Boogertman + Partners, is a five-star luxury destination hotel to rival the best in the world (an ambition borne out in its recent Hosco-Audi Luxury Tourism Award). It is situated at the apex of a phased residential development, which over the past decade has developed into two “wings” hugging the perimeter of the Jack Nicklaus signature Houghton Golf Course. The hotel includes a restaurant, deli and Sky Bar positioned to optimise the views over the picturesque green lung, as well as conference and business facilities, a spa, shared swimming pool and recreational areas.

In keeping with its world-class status, a design was required that would go beyond functional requirements and achieve not just a level of refinement and “wow factor”, but an authentic concept that would engender a unique experience of place for visitors and guests. Boogertman + Partners’ design concept has its origins in the idea of fluidity, inspired by the natural subterranean aqueduct below the site. The sweeping curves of the design not only soften the hotel’s exterior appearance and hint subtly at the area’s Art Deco architectural heritage, but also signify the water channel below the site. At the same time, the highveld setting has been drawn into the design by integrating architecture and landscaping to fuse the natural and the manmade elements in a symbiotic statement.

A distinctive metal screen at the entrance softens the exterior of the building, while remaining light and permeable. Right: The entrance lobby interior introduces a circular motif, which is sustained throughout the interior design.

The cantilevers and curves of the front entrance of the Houghton Hotel not only refer to the Art Deco heritage of the area, but also introduce the concept of fluidity that runs like a golden thread through the project.

The design includes a series of water features throughout the site, carefully positioned to create the impression that water is flowing continuously as the site slopes from the southern end falling towards the north, and down on to golf course. The water features draw guests through the premises and acts as a subtle directional device. The curves throughout the architecture add to the sense of continuity.

While the Sky Bar, which overlooks the golf course, functions as the interior gem of the design, and is perhaps the single most defining aspect of the design, out from which the rest of the architecture flows, the meandering piazza, with its swimming pools, paths and lush planting is at the heart of the experience of the building. Perhaps as a result of the scale and complexity of the design, the landscaping and vegetation provide private nooks and pockets of space that add greatly to the personal experience of the building when you find them. Subtle changes in level help to ensure the privacy of the residential units without necessitating obtrusive physical barriers such as walls or screens, while enabling their views of the piazza and golf course beyond. As a result, a sense of coherence and openness is ensured.

The hotel spa opens onto a lushly planted private courtyard with two concentric pools - one chlorinated and the other an eco pool. The planting ensures pockets of privacy without the need for stark divisions.

The height of the Sky Bar was crucial to the design of the hotel, optimising views of the Houghton Golf Course and creating a destination for guests. The bar floor is sunken so as not to obscure the view.

The cantilevered concrete overhang at the hotel entrance includes cut-outs that allow in natural light and vertical visual connections. The organic curves riff on the juxtaposition of constructed and natural landscape throughout the design.

The hotel includes residential units with views back towards Linksfield Ridge.

From the vantage point of the piazza, it is clear how the design language of the hotel represents an evolution through the various phases of the residential development. The way in which each level of the hotel itself has its own distinct identity cleverly breaks down the scale of the building. Devices such as the transparent canopy above the outside dining areas bring human scale to the experience adjacent to the building. The pool bar, too, acts as a transitional indoor-outdoor area between the more formal interior and the almost resort-style ambience of the piazza.

Inside, a similar or related sense of scale and continuity is created with an emphasis on visual connections between levels. In the dining areas, especially, it is evident how the sense of fluidity is created with differentiated but continuous spaces. The deli, for example, spills into the restaurant which in turn culminates in the Sky Bar. In the entrance lobby, the dramatic spiral staircase not only enables vertical connections, but the circular motifs also ensure that one never encounters endless passages or dead ends while navigating the hotel.

The interior design, by DSGN, uses a circular motif, as seen here in the individual hotel rooms and the entrance lobby, with its spectacular spiral stair to draw through the fluid lines of the architecture and create a sense of continuity.

The juxtaposition of refined, high-tech materials such as glass, steel and concrete with lush vegetation is explored in another way through the use of colour and materiality. The exterior at the hotel entrance is softened by a striking metal screen, which adds to the sense of an inviting, permeable space with an emphasis on seamless continuity. The columns that support the sweeping overhangs are clustered rather than spaced evenly to create a more organic impression, perhaps like tree trunks rather than mechanistic columns, hiding the structure within the building. The application of dark colours helps to set these elements in the background, further breaking the solidity of the building’s exterior. A mesh curtain in the entrance hall reprises the concept of the metal screen for the interiors.

Ultimately, Houghton Hotel presents a powerfully integrated experience of place, maximising both the identity of its highveld setting, and becoming a destination in its own right, while expressing the hidden waterway beneath its setting to create a meaningful connection with the golf course and the residential wings surrounding it.

Seen from the golf course, the Houghton Hotel forms the apex of the phased residential developments that flank the golf course.

A meandering piazza with integrated landscaping and vegetation forms the heart of the exterior space.