Arguably the most difficult project for an architect is his own home. To complicate this further, it was built during the pandemic lockdown, starting in February 2020 and completed by October of the same erratic year. It was built for a family of 4 in a small forest ravine estate called Bamboo Lane in Hout Bay.

The house was built using the existing structure of an old cottage and the design maintained historic guidelines of face-brick and slate, albeit in a new contemporary style. The interior was influenced by the families love for the ocean with a coral aquarium in the entrance.

Bamboo Lane is a small estate with just 5 houses in forested Scott Estate, Hout Bay. It was developed in the 70s with a few ‘Design Guidelines’ which the City has upheld, one of which is this charcoal overburnt face-brick. While most would be disappointed with having to accommodate an old-fashioned brick, we saw it as an opportunity to create contemporary forms with charcoal blue overburnt textures