Purist Theory

A new lodge in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve pushes the boundaries between interior and exterior to pioneer an audacious, architectural form of Afro-minimalism.

- Liz Morris

Architecturally, there are a lot of tropes that inform the luxury game lodge. But it’s fair to say that they all want to provide context for an elemental experience of exposure, particularly at the modern end of the spectrum.

At Cheetah Plains, explains architect and ARRCC co-director Stefan Antoni, the architecture doesn’t mimic the outdoors but complements it, so the man-made and the natural are in an equally weighted dialogue. The architecture introduces an unexpected geometry to the landscape in forms inspired by Acacia tree thorns. Rough stone walls and off-shutter concrete provide resolute, vertical axes, while floating beams stretch weightlessly through the length of the structures, introducing an element of weathered patina. ‘In a brutal climate that can see intense heat, cold and rain in a single day, it was important that the materials be resilient, while allowing themselves to be shaped and aged by the environment,’ says ARRCC co-director Jon Case.