The house in Zeerust was initially to be an extension project, but became a fully equipped house in its own right. It belongs to a lovely young family of four and really illustrates that a site with many constraints produces the most exciting architecture. The house is situated on a remarkably small site and it was challenging to both orientate it correctly - a priority in Zeerust's harsh climate and accommodate the sizeable brief. The house is designed to be self cooling and wraps around a courtyard housing the family swimming pool, creating an airy, flowing living area. Rain, being a rare commodity, is celebrated rather than discarded as waste and is channelled off the roof using attractive rain-chains and into subterranean water storage tanks for household use. This really was a special project as the end result seems to respond so delightfully to the family's lifestyle needs and to the environment. As an unforeseen benefit, once the first floor was erected, the house revealed beautiful views into the mountains surrounding the town - a true example of Regionalist architecture.
