Architect：Metropole Architects

Location：Palm Avenue, Zimbali Coastal Estate, KwaZulu Natal North Coast, South Africa; | ;

Project Year：2018

Category：Private Houses

The location is Palm Avenue, Zimbali Coastal Estate, KwaZulu Natal North Coast, South Africa.

The Design Architect was Nigel Tarboton who is a partner at Durban based firm Metropole Architects. The project was carried out as a team including Partner Tyrone Reardon as Project Architect and Chris Laird as Project Technician. Metropole's current projects include work both locally in Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria, and internationally in Israel, Cyprus and Rwanda.

The clients were very clear about the expectations of achieving a home that presented itself as dynamic and exciting externally, yet addressed all the specific internal requirements in terms of space planning and room allocation.

The design is based on three rectangular forms arranged in such a way so as to create the sense of opposing movement. The first rectangular form is grounded in the site and orientated on an east west axis. The 2nd and 3rd rectangular forms are elevated above and positioned side by side one another in a north south axis - one heading with purpose towards the ocean, with the other having its sight set on the golf course fairway in the opposite direction. The sense of movement on the upper level is created by intentional horizontal lines and cantilevers projected towards their respective targets.

The point at which the 3 rectangular forms intersect in a transparent double volume space, provide the perfect position for the sculptural staircase. This curved vertical element forms the heart of the design and is intended to be the primary focus on approach.

The particular orientation and characteristics of the site presented a challenge in that there was no ”back-end” to the site, leaving all four elevations vying for center stage. Hence the “back of house” services had to be tastefully camouflaged behind curved stone walls and exciting structural acrobatics unfolding above.

With the location being a Coastal Forest Residential Estate, the potential views from the home would always be competing with existing foliage and neighboring houses. This contest was ultimately won by rotating the axis of the home at 45 degrees to both the road frontage and adjacent properties resulting in unobstructed views of both the ocean and golf course.

The design process started in June 2014 with construction commencing in April 2016 and completing in August 2018.

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