-
Uncontained View -
A bird’s-eye view over Karoo Uitkyk towards the south. -
A steel walkway leads to the deck of the first unit. -
Lunawood Thermowood cladding soft ens the design, and conceals all the plumbing, drainage and gas services. -
The deck features chairs from James Mudge’s Hardwood range, and a table from Pedersen + Lennard’s KPA range. -
The decking and pergola slats are made from Finnish Lunawood Thermowood. Foldout decks cantilever over the cliff edge. -
The decks and pergolas are connected by a small catwalk. -
The positioning of the containers allows glimpses of the view. -
“Super Black Matt” PG board on the kitchen ceilings and walls creates a contrast to the lighter cladding in the living space. -
The bedrooms have double-glazed sliding doors, and include fi ttings such as Pedersen + Lennard’s Stockholm wall hooks, Hoi P’loy’s Signature Swivel wall sconce, and Mungo’s bed linen and throws. -
The bedrooms have double-glazed sliding doors, and include fi ttings such as Pedersen + Lennard’s Stockholm wall hooks, Hoi P’loy’s Signature Swivel wall sconce, and Mungo’s bed linen and throws. -
The bedrooms have double-glazed sliding doors, and include fi ttings such as Pedersen + Lennard’s Stockholm wall hooks, Hoi P’loy’s Signature Swivel wall sconce, and Mungo’s bed linen and throws.
Called Karoo Uitkyk and situated on a ridge with breathtaking views, this spectacular container-based weekend cabin was designed by Anthrop Abbott Architects to meet a very specific client brief.
WORDS Steve Smith PHOTOS Leon van der Westhuizen
If you want a cabin with a view, and you want it now, the folks you should be speaking to are Anthrop Abbott Architects. This project on a private farm northeast of Graaff – Reinet came from a client brief to design and build on a favourite family lookout spot in as short a time as possible.
Fortunately, founding architect Leon van der Westhuizen and his team had recently completed a project with a similarly short lead time. Pretoria-based radio station Groot FM was looking for an attention-grabbing “treehouse” satellite studio to broadcast from in the vibey Old East Precinct of the city.
Called the Boomhuis, it needed a small patio where impromptu shows could be held, or where guests could be featured with a visual link to the village and onlookers. Anthrop Abbott Architects’ solution was to use a six-metre container, placed on stilts in an existing walnut tree. Excellent practice, then, for Karoo Uitkyk – a weekend retreat that would be a rather more complex design and build, and one that would require the full use of the skills embodied in the firm’s name. Derived from the Greek word ánthrōpos, meaning “human being”, Anthrop’s name describes a design philosophy of having an anthropological understanding of how people live, meet and relax in a space.
We spoke to Leon about how Karoo Uitkyk came about, and how he and his team conceptualised and built this functional – and beautiful – piece of architecture.
The Location
“The client had one or two ‘uitkyk punte’ that they enjoyed on the farm. They’d pack a lunch and drive out to these spots, and spend time there. The initial brief was that they wanted to ‘formalise’ one of them and add some creature comforts.
“Our discussions quickly moved along, and we ended up designing a very cool ‘lookout’, in which you
could easily spend two or three nights. We eventually ended up choosing this specific location because it was near one of the farm roads, which made getting there easier. And, of course, the view is spectacular.”
The Design Brief
“The brief for the accommodation evolved into what can be described as a ‘cabin for four people’, with a central social or gathering space and all the modern conveniences we could think of. We spent a lot of time on the site, walking the contours and observing wildlife paths so as not to disturb anything. We were lucky to find a flattish rock bed, which we utilised for the structural footings.”
The Containers
“The client didn’t want to waste time, so a key part of the brief called for a solution that could be erected in a short timeframe. We had recently completed the unique satellite studio for Groot FM in Pretoria and, with this fresh in our minds, we suggested the use of containers to the client, who bought into the concept. With the site being so remote – and our office being in Pretoria – we could monitor work on the units, as they were being built in Joburg. “Some of the work obviously had to be completed on site, but about 80% of the fitout and manufacturing was done prior to taking the units to the site. We designed them in such a way that they basically folded open on site.”
The Challenges
“We had done several interesting container projects prior to this one, so we were adequately geared for the work, and had learnt some lessons. Interestingly, not all container brands are exactly the same in terms of internal dimensions. The differences are pretty marginal – but we needed them to be as close to identical as possible. “This prompted us to advise the client to use new containers from a single supplier (Big Box), which helped during the fitout. The tricky part was linking the two six-metre containers side to side – but the team we worked with had plenty of previous experience with container conversions.”
The Interiors
“We conceptualised the interiors in-house as well – everything from softs to appliances. It helped that the client has great taste and informed the direction. The brief called for a warm yet clean and calm interior, in colours that complemented the landscape. The floors, for instance, are a terracotta ‘rubberised’ surface that can cope with the extreme climatic changes. You can sometimes experience four seasons in one day on that ridge, so we wanted a floor that you could walk on without feeling you have to clean it constantly.
“We are huge fans of local design, so we sourced most of the furniture and fittings from brands such as Dokter and Misses (custom kitchen unit), Pedersen + Lennard (bathroom accessories, bedside pedestals, shelving and medicine cabinets), Hoi P’loy (lighting), Spazio (lighting), Douglas & Douglas (drinks cabinet), Mungo (linen and bedding) and James Mudge (dining furniture). Walls and ceilings were clad with birch plywood panels, which allowed us to incorporate comprehensive thermal insulation, and hide all the plumbing and electrical reticulation.” | anthrop.co.za
Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.
