Homage to the right angle : an exploration of house_derick

Abstract

This paper explores Derick de Bruyn’s most recent project, house_derick. It tracks the architectural influences that inform his particular design approach to residential architecture, using his own home as the explanatory device. For the purposes of this paper, his approach is called his autograph (the architectural design signature that is evident in all his projects) and consists of three themes. It considers in particular the influence of Charles Swanepoel on his architectural training at the University of Pretoria, as well as his relationship with Jack van Rensburg, as being formative in developing his own approach to site, context, infrastructure and services in architectural design. The paper is structured in four parts. The first is a description of what is put forward as the autograph; those processes that inform practice. The second is an introduction to Derick de Bruyn and house_derick, with the third taking the form of his design process or autograph. The last part looks at his autograph, as it plays out in house_derick.