Harker Street House, BI Beach Home, South African Residential Building, New Architecture

Harker Street House in Plettenberg Bay

South African Residential Property, Plettenberg Bay home design by Greg Wright Architects

19 + 18 Sep 2014

Harker Street House in South Africa

Design: Greg Wright Architects

Location: Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape Province, South Africa

Sited on an exceptionally steep piece of land on the bluff above BI Beach in Plettenberg Bay, the challenge with the Harker Street House project was always going to be how to make a beach house “live” across a vertically driven program.

As a wonderful counterpoint to the challenges faced by the extreme topography, it was the steepness the site that offered the extensive, uninterrupted, panoramic views that extend beyond 180 degree vistas from Robberg Reserve in the South right around to Keurbooms lagoon in the North, the trick was how we balanced the two.

The program was unpacked in such a way that the living area filled the widest of the vertical platforms that was created so that kitchen, dining and living rooms as well as a guest bedroom could open onto a generous, partially covered terrace that made the most of the panorama described above.

Pergolas, braai area, canopies level changes and the swimming pool offer a variety of “zones” that can be occupied in various manners depending on whether the terrace is used for a quiet spot of lounging or entertaining friends and family.

The ground floor plays home to garages, staff quarters and a timber and stone clad entrance volume and stairwell; an intermediate level houses 2 other bedrooms and a small TV lounge whilst the top floor plays host to the master bedroom suite that completes the program.

Whilst unashamedly contemporary in the architectural language and interior detailing, a palette of timber and natural stone temper the building both inside and out.

The materials are intended to weather into a series of greys and driftwood tones intended to ground the house in its coastal context.

Not only grey though, the house plays host to “green” components as well; the systems of the house are complemented by a series of sustainable features such as rainwater harvesting, PV panels with batteries amongst others.