House Neethling, Durbanville

Abstract

House Neethling (1983) is organized in an amorphous linear manner to straddle the concerns of view, site orientation and northern sun. The edge of the projecting garage and garden wall define the entry route. The house has a bi-nuclear planning arrangement, with plans stepping down to create privacy. The bedrooms have a direct relationship with the garden, and the passage contains useable spaces. The chimney takes on a new role as structural support for the roof, with roof planes drawn towards it. The plasticity of the column chimney is innovatively explored, as the chimney twists to accept the tapering roof beams. A volumetric interaction between room and roof space occurs and boundaries are seemingly blurred in a continuously flowing interior space. The chimney becomes both the physical and functional hearth of the home and provides both an internal and external focus point.