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The glazed north-facing front of the home uses fixed and sliding glass for light and temperature control. -
Narrow windows on the east and west facades allow additional light to access the spaces. -
Designer Peter Steere with Cleo the dog, taking a moment under a painting of the pianist Vladimir Horowitz. -
The facade connects the interior to the outdoors where Henry, the current owner and a keen gardener, likes to tinker with the greenery. -
Peter’s wife Charlotte watches while Henry plays the piano. -
Vertical and horizontal planes partially divide the interior volume of the barn, creating generous communal living spaces that cover half the footprint of the house, with spaces for contemplation, art, and composing and performing music. -
The open-plan, rather utilitarian kitchen offers views over the living spaces and into the garden. Laminated iron-bark work surfaces are illuminated by a purpose-made light fitted by Peter. -
The dining table was made by Peter, as was the ceramic bowl reminiscent of African baskets. The dining chairs were inspired by decorative ear plugs, and also made by Peter from ash wood and buffalo hide. -
A floating shelf in the kitchen/dining area showcases family photographs and mementos. -
Laminated iron-bark treads on the staircase connect the iron-bark upper floor to the slate below. The staircase and balustrades were assembled on site by the family and craftsmen. The bent handrails were painted in primary colours to direct access to and around the upper floor’s walkways and bridges. -
A staircase leads to a mezzanine that looks out over the living areas. -
A replica of the Red and Blue chair by Gerrit Rietveld sits beneath a mobile designed by Peter, which references the three Forms identified by Plato. -
The main bedroom benefits from views over the treetops, which can be observed from the replica Marcel Breuer chairs. -
Brick floors and an exposed vanity continue the overall theme of simplicity in the light-filled main bathroom. -
The main bedroom features red accents – a hand-printed fabric throw from West Africa, a lacquered desk and a vintage stool. The artwork above the bed is a Matisse print.
WORDS Kerryn Fischer PHOTOS Elsa Young/Frank Features
A home in Johannesburg challenges the norms, values and expectations of urban dwellings – and what it means to be a family.
When James and Kate Steere bought a dilapidated bungalow in Parkhurst, Johannesburg a decade ago, they had little idea of the importance the home would come to have in their greater family dynamic. Built in 1948 for World War II servicemen, the original dwelling on a south-facing plot was not just cold, dark and damp, but also littered with asbestos, and mould-inducing melamine and linoleum. And a three-degree lean, thanks to an unbraced A-frame that was holding up two tonnes of concrete tiles.
The couple’s vision for a four-bedroom home that used sustainable, natural materials with enhanced energy efficiency was a priority, as was their desire for a central voluminous living area that would allow for expansive views of the surrounding treetops and garden. It was a tough call, considering the 495m2 plot and the couple’s limited budget. But in keeping with their family motto – Cogitare Audere; to think, to dare – they took their vision to James’s father Peter, a prolific designer, artist and creator, who immediately saw opportunity amid the chaos.
“The story begins in Zimbabwe,” says Peter. “As a child, I was fascinated by the steel barns I’d see when I accompanied my father on field trips into the farmlands, and how these barns’ functions would change according to the seasons and over time. As an adult, I realised that conventional urban dwellings tended to lack this freedom.”
And so the idea for “Bauhaus Joburg”, as the house has come to be known, was born, with Peter taking on the role of designer and supervising contractor, while his wife Charlotte became the project manager. Tradesmen and family members provided the labour. Peter’s design was inspired by rural farm structures that enclose space efficiently and provide freedom within, creating private and communal areas according to the needs of the occupants. “Conceptually, my idea was to build a kind of workshop for a family, for life and for the arts,” he says. “Functionality, essentiality, cost optimisation, openness to the outside, sustainability and prefabrication were among the principles that guided this design.”
Peter’s proposal to remove the A-frame, certain internal walls and the entire north face, to allow sunlight deep into the interior and to connect with the garden and the view, was inspired; and the addition of four 6.5-metre steel portal frames lowered onto the original footprint to create an uninterrupted space through much of the interior was genius. Communal and private living spaces were created by inserting vertical and horizontal planes of wood and gypsum, so as not to detract from the overall volume of the barn.
The north facade is a glass curtain with expansive sliding doors that create a seamless indoor-outdoor transition from slate to timber decking and into the garden, where flowers, trees and birdlife abound. Captured through narrower windows on the east and west facades, the north sun traces patterns between platforms, walkways and spaces throughout the day and into the evening. Accessed off the street from an understated pedestrian entrance to the south, the interconnected volumes and platforms of the central living space are an invitation to explore. While the steel frames remain exposed throughout the interior, the connecting steel is concealed by flush-plastered gypsum panels that house the insulation and services.
“African vernacular, with its use of local materials, its basic simplicity and its economy, had a strong influence in the design,” says Peter. “The idea of a steel barn as an urban dwelling seemed to fit this, challenging the conventions of laymen and architects who are often constrained by professional practices and norms.” The building appears to respond intuitively to the climate, to light, to noise and to privacy – but what’s most impressive is that the spaces are flexible, allowing for interactive engagements or privacy when working, relaxing or sleeping.
“In modern multicultural urban settings, lifestyle needs are rapidly changing – and domestic dwellings commonly fall short of meeting these needs,” says Peter. With its cube-like form wrapped in corrugated sheeting, a central glazed incision and a pivot door drawing you in, the house feels like an adventurous journey – one that makes a compelling case for this argument.
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