Our world is already full of pretty houses, and now we have one more to admire. Take a look how famous South African architecture office turned basic construction element into impressive modern home!
Newest masterpiece in residential architecture comes from one of my favorite architects, Nico van der Meulen Architects and their partners, M Square Lifestyle Design. The Concrete House is one one of those pretty houses you just can’t ignore. It is built on the steep face of the hillside in Bedfordview. Bedfordview is an affluent town on the East Rand, situated in Gauteng, South Africa. It borders a serene nature reserve, making it ideal place to build a beautiful house.
Pretty houses are built on beautiful location
The concept for this pretty house was inspired by the location itself. The idea was to make architecture act as an extension to the rocky hillside: “This insertion/extension aims to deliver just that, as it is firmly rooted to the hillside through some impressive engineering, while also protruding out of the hillside as if it were shaped and morphed over time into its current condition”. Good evidence of the idea execution is probably a garage entrance – large, almost 5 m high and 4 m wide 4-ton garage doors designed to mimic the stone and the hillside. House entrance also has some delicate details, like inlayed strip lights depicting the morse code translation of the clients family name.
Materials defining this pretty house
Due to its mass, solidity and firmness, an execution of the initial concept requested concrete to be the primary material used in construction of this pretty house. Raw concrete by itself of course looks way to cold for a family home. The atmosphere was softened by the use of timber, “enhanced with the implementation of marble and contrasted by mild steel elements, malleable ceilings and clear glass for filtering light into the house (into the hillside)” making this pretty house look modern and classy. This interior design magic was done by the M Square Lifestyle Design, just like in other beautiful modern homes designed by this South African architecture office. See this contemporary house in Blair Athol for example, or one of the best houses in the world; Kloof Road House.
So, how do you like the Concrete House? Does it fits in the category of pretty houses? Let me know in the comment section below!
All photos © Nico van der Meulen Architects
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