Industrial revolution

This off-the-grid suburban family home in Johannesburg, designed by Veld Architects, explores the potential of architecture to nurture the environment and the local craft economy.

PHOTOGRAPHY ELSKE KRITZINGER

Although this Johannesburg family home embraces industrial aesthetics and materials, it is, on closer examination, a sustained experiment in the ability of architecture to embrace nature in a context removed from a pristine natural setting. In fact, explains architect Gillian Holl of Veld Architects, her design for this house became an attempt to explore how, in a suburban setting, architecture could not only connect a home’s inhabitants with nature, but even reverse environmental damage and restore natural characteristics to the landscape.

The home’s industrial appearance chimes well with its energy efficiency: it is a machine for living designed to reduce energy consumption. But Holl explains that, particularly in the bespoke detailing, she found opportunities to collaborate with local crafters, so key elements in the detailing also celebrate the human touch.

The bold, modern industrial style of the house signals its character as a machine for living designed to reduce energy consumption

Large openings embrace the outdoors, creating calm, relaxing spaces attuned to South Africa’s climate and indoor-outdoor lifestyle.

On one level, the house is a fine example of regionally appropriate design. The fragmented cluster of industrial barn-like buildings have been designed around a central landscaped courtyard – blurring the lines between the natural environment and the internal living space, and integrating it sensitively with its setting. Passive design elements, such as its orientation, are attuned to factors such as warmth and natural light – the first step to reducing its energy requirements.

Large openings embrace the environment and landscaped surrounds, creating calm, relaxing spaces attuned to South Africa’s climate and indoor-outdoor lifestyle and offering curated glimpses of the gardens and courtyards. In this way, the design is not only environmentally friendly, but also supports a living experience in harmony with the climate and environment.

The building materials have been selected with their environmental impact and performance in mind. Clay bricks, for example, have been employed extensively because they are organic, recyclable and have a low impact on the natural resource consumption, as well as providing excellent insulation. Building with bricks is also a relatively labour-intensive attempt to have a positive socioeconomic impact by creating employment.

The bespoke ceramic tiling in the kitchen was a collaboration between Veld Architects and Wolkberg Casting Studio.

The staircase was designed with renowned Johannesburg-based furniture designer and manufacturer David Krynauw.

Where relatively carbon-heavy materials such as steel and concrete have been used, they have been selected for their durability and low maintenance. The energyefficient performance of the house and its anticipated extended lifespan (as a result of constructing with these materials) will offset their carbon footprint in time.

Double-glazed windows, as well as extensive insulation beneath the cladding, reduce heating and cooling requirements. Solar panels for power and water heating further cut energy consumption, and an intelligent building management system reduces unnecessary lighting and other associated costs.

The bold, modern industrial style of the house contrasts dramatically with its finely crafted interior details, elements of which were designed in collaboration with a number of local craftsmen, artists and designers. The staircase, for example, was designed with renowned Johannesburg-based furniture designer and manufacturer David Krynauw. The bespoke ceramic tiling in the kitchen was a collaboration between Holl and Wolkberg Casting Studio.

The fragmented cluster of industrial barn-like buildings have been designed around a central landscaped courtyard.

These collaborations result not only in the kind of unique detailing that enhances the quality of the spaces in the house, but also, by creating a platform for various design disciplines to collaborate, enables new synergies to emerge and fuels new possibilities in the local design community.

Seen holistically, this house unlocks the remarkable potential of residential architecture not just to recalibrate environmental imperatives, but to demonstrate how the design and lifestyle choices we make in the private domestic realm have ripple effects throughout the wider ecological, social, economic and creative realms.

Roof gardens integrate elements of the landscaping and architecture, reintroducing plant diversity to the suburban setting.