House Louw

—

Midlands in Midstream Estate, Midrand
2011

—

New 4 bedroom house.

—

An exciting and challenging brief for an architect is when a client with fresh ideas and the courage to experiment asks to have a house designed, which is big enough for their young, yet, growing family on a shoe-string budget, without compromising on beauty and comfort. They wanted to express their individual style that is characterised by a young and innovative approach.

—

The project’s success owes itself to the clever identification of elements and structural components that could be left unfinished and in their raw state, or simply applying a rough texture and then contrasting that with sleek and refined components. This was achieved as result of heavily involved clients with a hands-on approach, who decided on finishes and applied textures after the skills of the builder and his team were assessed, and appointed them to tasks where they were most suited.

—

Creativity and innovation is often the result of first accepting the limited resources available and then to explore on how to utilise those resources wisely and creatively. This house that was completed in 2011 is a clear example of how this can be achieved, by using the design process to explore options and then using the final set of building plans to serve as an understanding of the structure and building shell, which allows for creative manipulation through the building process.

—