Architecture around the World: Random House Review #1- Africa

Howzit

It's been quite a long time (actually weeks) since I posted some drawings on the blog, I think it was because people wanted to spend their Friday afternoon snuggling in their bed trying to hibernate from the cold winter. For the past week hail (yes hail,not snow) has been hailing down the cape which was unpleasant, for working people and even kids, as they realized hailmen does not look as cool as snowmen.

Like last year, people has been posting the 'White Cape' around the internet, seriously people, hail is not snow, if hail was snow, then kids would be running around this field which was taken Monday yesterday (photo courtesy of Life is Savage) throwing snowballs at each other.

But no, they stayed indoors.

So just now I was checking my views statistics and wow I just want to have a minute of thanks for the people who have time to read my blog.

Thank you fellow human.

I'll be posting this Friday but for now I decided to do something weird and new: I'll be doing a casual random house review every week or so. I would just google image 'house in so and so' click the image I find interesting, research the name and overview and do a review. I'll be doing from every continent so this one will be in Africa. Here.Here we go

House Wright
Elmo Swart Architects, Durban

(photo courtesy of Inhabitat.com)

Well, I did not want to post a review of a mud hut after seeing one whole page of it ( I could, but I decided not to) so I chose this significantly modern and vernacular house instead.

Just stop what you are doing and take a minute to praise on such a beautiful home. The idea of renovating a simple locally thatched house to an exquisite modern thatched house is just wonderful!

The smooth lines really captures the surrounding landscape, creating a peaceful synergy with the b-e-a-utiful views outside. Drinking a cup of rooibos with rusks while enjoying the morning sunrise view- such amaze.

It rally does have a good contrast of the old with the new. This is mainly because of the use of simple materials that does well with the old thatch and the nature.

Imagine waking up to see the perfect view of Durban landscape, having that said breakfast, getting ready for work and again seeing the beautiful piece of art (and science) while walking out to the car to drive away and stopping to see passerbys looking at your house and say 'hot dang' followed by a barrage of photo snaps for them to keep so that one day they can ask their architect to do the same thing. Well the Wright family did the 'right' thing.