Best house in Africa

Cape Town studio Kritzinger Architects have won an African Property Award for best architecture for a single residence for their Makana House. The project has also been shortlisted for the “World’s Best” at the International Property Awards to be held in December.

Best known for their work on the Cape Town International Airport, Kritzinger Architects is led by Jed Kritzinger and Julia Abell. Julia and Jed met while working for Norman Foster in London, and had a hand in projects including the British Museum, Imperial College and Trafalgar Square. After moving back to South Africa in 2007 to work on the airport, they established Kritzinger Architects in 2010.

Designed for a young Cape Town family, the Makana House is a three-bedroom weekend home on a farm in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Situated high on a ridge, the house overlooks the Bushman’s River and its valley beyond.

The house is named after the legendary Chief Makana who is credited with attempting to unite the Xhosa people in their struggle against the British Empire in the late 1800s. It was the client’s wish that Makana House be designed as a bold architectural statement to reflect the chief’s heroic nature.

The brief called for a contemporary building that broke down the barriers between inside and outside living, maximised the view and, more than just a palette of natural materials, colours and textures, was environmentally-friendly and off-grid.

Kritzinger Architects’s design raises the first floor bedrooms and bathrooms in a concrete envelope supported by shear walls on one side and a structural stair case on the other side. Large double-glazed sliding doors and timber screens form the facade, and can slide open to allow the building to open up to the elements. The raised first floor also allows the ground floor living areas to open up completely to the outside, offering a seamless transition between interior and exterior.

The lily pond and pool will form key feature elements around the living areas and provide cool air flow during the hot summer months when the house is occupied most. A large outdoor relaxing area will be located next to the pool and covered with a wattle roof to provide shade against the African sun.

“Ultimately,” says Jed, “the design sets out to play on the senses – the smell of the indigenous vegetation, the sound of birds and the visual enjoyment of textured, natural building elements that make up the building.”

Construction is expected to commence in May/June 2013.

kritzingerarchitects.com