AIA 45 RHEBOKSKLOOF ESTATE Video1

A vein of granite boulders splits the site in half and it is this challenge which was used to create a a pool court in the heart of the house linking the boulders into a central feature. Floating in the southern part of the pool one looks up at the rising Paarlberg Mountain Reserve above the house and to the South. The Northern part of the pool has an infinity pool edge abve the valley stretching into the distance and the mountains on the horizon of the Berg River valley.
This pool court acts as an organizing focal feature while also serving as a heat sink and source of cool convection air flows in the predominantly hot Paarl climate. The stairway and glazed lift shaft rise “through” the pool to the main floor.
The bedroom wing, study/studio/office as well as the wine vault are located to the East of the pool court, with the living area, kitchen, dining and patio on the Western side of the pool court. An access gallery circumnavigates the pool. The Northern link of this gallery is a bridge over the pool linkiong the foyer to the study and bedrooms wing.
The main roofs orient optimally to receive solar PV panels and the balance of the roofs are green roofs topped with water wise fynbos and endemic plants. This garuantees temperature stability and sustainable access to solar power.
A large and optimally oriented home is achieved on a single main level on this apprently challenging site. “Challenges transformed into features” is the driving principal in both of these AiA designs.