auxiliary bishop's house
Mulbarton, Johannesburg
In this renovation and extension, a second-storey was built above the garage and former lounge of this compact house dating from the 1980’s.
Because of a limited budget, it was decided to retain all existing steel arched windows with their Spanish-style burglar bars and work in unison with the existing forms. Thus, new arched windows and external doors echo the old, and similar mono-pitched gable forms were utilized to unite the old and the new.
An intentional move away from the original style of the house was made at the entrance, where a narrow portico with its corner column is squeezed between the driveway and the chapel. This space serves to highlight the entrance with its verticality, whilst a contrasting horizontality is achieved above this with a narrow but wide corner slit-window that slices the bulk of the volume of the upper walls. This window is a reflection of the interior function: it is located at eye-level when one is seated at a continuous built-in workstation located in the new upstairs living room. From here, a view of the South Hills is framed and revealed once a person sits down. These two simple elements, used within a tight budget, in a meaningful place (the entrance) give the home a face, whilst welcoming the inhabitant and visitor inside.
Project:
Alterations & additions to existing house, Mulbarton
Client:
Archdiocese of Johannesburg
Area:
290m²
Completed:
2017