Opposite Effect

An extensive renovation marrying contrasting materials opens an Atlantic Seaboard home to mesmerizing views

- Natalie Boruvka

‘One would never guess that anything of the original structure remained,’ says Lauren Bolus of Make architects, reflecting on the remarkable renovation of this Camps Bay house built 30 years ago. ‘The beauty of the site, and the desire to embrace it drove our intention to establish a design with a deliberate sense of transparency. We also wanted to juxtapose the concepts of heavy versus light in the use of materials.’

The house’s facade was entirely transformed. Previously a conventional affair punctuated by meagre windows, it is now an animated canvas of reflective glass contained within a framework of exposed concrete, I-beams and plastered surfaces in shades of grey. ‘In contrast to the geometry of the facade, the sea-facing north elevation is softly staggered to allow the landscaped garden to creep into the build,’ explains Lauren, who led the commission as principal architect together with the project architect, ruvimbo Moyo-Majapa.