A psychiatrist with no architectural expertise thoughtfully restored a small wooden house near Plettenberg Bay – a reminder of the importance of our surroundings to the wellbeing of our spirit.

Any visit to the Cape coast, I must confess, is always accompanied by a sense of apprehension. I doubt I will ever be able to identify with the relentless, stylistically suspect large-scale developments that squat in one of the most unique and ecologically sensitive biospheres in the world. Instead, I’m left speechless at the copious design opportunities being passed up to make way for conventional, up-country architectural schemes. 

So, I was pleasantly surprised to happen on a modest beach house in a Robberg hamlet, a stone’s throw from Plettenberg Bay. Not only is it a manifestation of its seaside setting but, more unexpectedly, it represents the design flair of psychiatrist Dr Pieter Cilliers in the form of a little wooden house! Perhaps his occupation has given him greater insight? 

The history of this sunken little bungalow, Houthuisie (wooden cabin), literally just a few strides from the snow-white beach, dates back to the 50s. Along with its neighbours, a few unobtrusive holiday units, it forms part of an agriculturally zoned property of five hectares, right next to the sea. Over the years their various owners – and their children and grandchildren – have resisted the temptation to either plough or develop the land. 

Coincidentally, I spent a Christmas holiday with my own family, some 40 years previously, in this same Robberg hamlet, in another little house that, I remember, was held together with spit and God’s grace. Now, four decades on, resisting wind and weather, it still looks almost exactly the same! Around here, you see, renovation means replacing a plank or two each year, or perhaps applying a lick of paint when the swollen wooden doors just cannot open or close anymore, or possibly installing another rainwater tank.

Over time Houthuisie’s wooden construction, like most things, became worse for wear and, just like the fable of The Three Little Pigs, structurally dangerous. So much so that a year or three ago, Pieter finally decided to fix things up once and for all, and replace the “shack” under the existing roof. And, in line with the modus operandi of ’n boer maak ’n plan (a farmer makes a plan), this psychiatrist did not obtain expert – read: professional architectural – advice. Instead, he contemplated the way the wind blew and the position of the sea, and thought about the lifestyle and needs of his family of four (and relations) and their annual Christmas holiday, with sand between their toes, and damp costumes and wet spots on the rugs and furniture. 

All this mulling and musing finally led to establishing a central room, as wide as the roof span allowed, for preparing food, washing dishes, eating, sleeping, lazing about, chatting and more eating. This spacious area, like three of the five bedrooms, opens onto the broadest stoep that the rafters could cover. 

The tiny bedrooms are kept simple, with a loose cupboard and double bed as the only furniture. But they all have the added luxury of en-suite bathrooms (although not much larger than the inside of an airplane cabin), kitted out with a warm shower and a just-above-chest sea view. There’s also an extra bathroom with a bath, just next to the multipurpose living area, for when granny visits, as well as a low-slung loft space for the grandchildren – one day. 

Do not, however, assume that the seeming informality was not planned or isn’t tasteful. Quite the contrary. Well-considered graphic artworks adorn the walls and comfortable, stylish furnishings fill the interior.

Apart from this careful and innovative holiday planning, Houthuisie’s architectural merit lies in its pragmatic, honest structure, without pretence, frills and formalities. Low-key is the mantra as, along with its minimal carbon footprint, this sustainably ecofriendly cabin disappears in the lush, pristine beauty of its natural surrounds.

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“Rescripting Architecture” is the theme for this year’s event, which follows the success of the 2010 festival in Newtown that attracted over 1 000 visitors. Festival convener Daniel van der Merwe explains the theme: “In the past, architecture has played an important role in shaping our landscape, but now, with the world population shifting to cities and increased pressure on resources, we need to start thinking of architecture as a provocateur of change,” says van der Merwe.

“More than ever, architects must play their role in creating better environments for the future. This festival, with its collaboration of architectural and cultural minds, is not about creating pretty things, but is about asking serious questions and pondering our collective future.”

Besides the conference with numerous international and local speakers, AZA also includes debates, masterclasses, exhibitions, a film festival and city tours. This year’s festival also runs in conjunction with the annual Student Architect Congress, and serves as the setting for the announcement of the SAIA Corobrik Awards of Merit and for Excellence, the “Oscars” of the local architecture industry.

Other international speakers are Rahul Mehrotra, an Indian architect and urban designer who is currently leading the masterplan for the Taj Mahal and its surroundings; UK architect and filmmaker Kibwe Tavares of Factory Fifteen, a creative studio specialising in animation, film and architectural representation; and Ghanaian Joe Osae-Addo, whose people-focussed site-specific eco-housing designs have won praise from Los Angeles to Accra.

Some of the speakers representing South Africa are Ora Joubert, the multiple award-winning architect and convener of a seminal reference book on architecture in democratic South Africa; Andrew Makin of Durban-based architectural firm designworkshop:sa; and Thorsten Deckler, co-founder of 26’10 Architects in Johannesburg.

Joubert and Makin, along with Elena Rocchi from Spain, will also present ‘A Piece of the City’ masterclass on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 September. Conducted in the historical quarters of Cape Town’s inner city through guided tours with a temporary residential design studio as a base, the class will revolve around the larger context of the city and sites chosen as the focus of a design intervention.

For further information, festival programme and registration, go to www.architectureza.org

The winner of our AZA2012 Conference ticket giveaway was Boipelo Tlhalerwa.

More news from AZA2012

• AZA2012 comes to Cape Town
  The Architecture ZA 2012 Biennial Festival comes to the Cape Town City Hall from Thursday 13 to Sunday 16 September. Kicking off the official Creative Week Cape Town with international speakers including David Adjaye (UK) and Atelier Bow-Wow founders Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kajima (Japan), it is clear that Cape Town is not waiting for 2014 to unroll its design capital status.

• The architect as entrepreneur
  Day 1 of AZA2012: James du Plessis is impressed by Thorsten Deckler and Joe Osae-Addo who demand that architects push beyond obvious financial limitations.

• The puppetry of architecture
  Day 1 of AZA2012: Marine Leblond is blown away by Handspring Puppet Company’s presentation on the connections between puppetry and architecture.

• Architecture as a mirror
  Day 2 of AZA2012: Kibwe Tavares’s multi-disciplinary animations and Rahul Mehrotra’s work in urban India stand out for James du Plessis.

• Architecture for everyone, and elephants
  Day 2 of AZA2012: Marine Leblond is enchanted by Indian architect Rahul Mehrotra’s humility, ingenuity and endurance, and just can’t contain her monsoon of praise…

• Bow-Wow and Adjaye
  Day 3 of AZA2012: James du Plessis was most impressed with Studio Bow-Wow’s work in fishing villages and David Adjaye’s slave museum in Washington.

• From minimalist to monumental
  Day 3 of AZA2012: The day of starchitects went from Bow-Wow’s minimalism to David Adjaye’s monumental, but what about the ‘majority world’, asks Marine Leblond.

More news from Creative Week

• What’s on in Cape Town
  Cape Town is a veritable creative maelstrom kicking off with the ArchitectureZA Biennial Festival, which leads into Creative Week and culminates in the Loeries Awards weekend. Here’s our highlights.

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