the site sits in a conservative residential suburb in Johannesburg with amazing street trees
where walls and electric fences occupy the front facade of every house
and banality is the order of the day

a home that disrupts the everyday
that offers life and beauty to the street
but protects the privacy of the site
that creates spaces for entertaining and living at different scales
and that secures the safety of sleep for the family

the originating idea was to separate the living spaces from the family’s sleeping spaces
this would allow us to fly the sleeping spaces in the air
– and give the rest of the site over to living and entertaining
the front facade of the ground floor is positioned in such a way as to secure the privacy of the site whilst offering a facade and garden to the street
the rest of the ground floor is designed to allow for inside and outside living
with each room being given its own landscaped courtyard

the building makes use of a very simple palette of materials and colours
the walls are all bagged brickwork, simply painted white
while the window frames, roofing, guttering and the like are painted charcoal grey
the exterior floors are either paved with a charcoal concrete paver or landscape with indigenous vegetation

towards the front, the ground floor offers the user garages, services spaces and staff accommodation,
the back of the site provides the user lounges, a kitchen and dining area, multiple courtyards and terraces, a swimming pool and garden
the first floor is completely separated from the ground floor; only accessible through a single security door
the decision to design the house this way guarantees the security of the bedroom wing
the bedroom wing offers a masters suite, pajama lounge and two children’s bedrooms with bathrooms

to be irreplaceable is to be different