Silver Bay Holiday Home by SAOTA

Spaces are cocooned and layered and have a sense of home,” says Mark Rielly of ANTONI ASSOCIATES. The simple cellular bedrooms have a serrated façade that allows for corner glazing to maximise views. The bay is home to populations of common and endemic Heaviside Dolphins, Southern Right Whales and is an important stopping point for migratory birds. The thatched roof is supported on a perimeter I-beam. The climate is dryer and warmer than that of the Cape Peninsula and is characterised by strong South-Easterly winds in summer which switch to a North-West direction in winter. The second issue is the prevailing South-Easterly wind. The stair connecting the two levels is also made from I-beams with 75mm thick Eucalyptus planks forming the treads. The timber tie beams of the thatched roof are replaced by steel tie rods that allow the open volume of the roof to form the top of the space, the woven thatching grass and the latter forming a counterpoint to the granite floors. The North face of the courtyard is formed by a timber wall. Proportions are over-scaled and inviting. The slabs retain rust marks from the steel that was laid in the slab and the chalk markings of the contractor. The site slopes from the street on the West down to the beach on the East by about 3000. The challenge here is that the views are in this direction and a large set of glazed sliding doors allows the maximum view. Site
The site is positioned at Shelley Point on the West Coast Peninsula which runs from Saldanha Bay in the South, to St Helena Bay in the North. Shelley Point sits on the Northern tip of the Peninsula and is a small spur of land that juts into the Atlantic with West, North and East facing beaches. Approach
The design is largely formed by three contextual conditions. Simple glass walls separate the en-suites from the bedrooms, allowing the two spaces to share a larger volume. SAOTA together with interior designers Antoni Associates completed a holiday home for a young family in Shelley Point, South Africa. A conical flue made from Corten steel forms a visual element around which the spaces pivot, the rusted surface reflecting the coastal environment. St Helena Bay itself is made up of a number of bays and the site faces into one of the first of these, Stompneus Baai. The curtain track was cast into the slab with a radiused corner that creates a cave-like space at night when the curtains are closed. The upper floor has been conceptualised as a single space holding the pool courtyard, an elevated entrance hall, a kitchen with a large table and a dining and living space on the East edge. A curved Corten ‘hat’ sits over the braai flue and watches over the pool courtyard, a playful companion for the Corten cone that sits on the other side of the courtyard. The third major issue is the sun on the North side. “The interior is a sophisticated eclectic mix of easy living, laid-back, comfortable and robust furniture. From SAOTA
Brief
“The brief was to create a holiday home for a young family that could be enjoyed by an extended circle of friends and family.