Kunshuis

CLIENT’S BRIEF
 
Our clients are art enthusiasts, who over many years, built up a notable collection of South African Art. The pair originally lived in Gqeberha but have been based abroad for several years. This resulted in much of the collection being kept in storage in South Africa. It was their dream to build a home in South Africa where they could display their art.

The idea came to them after visiting the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal in Venice. It was once the private residence of Peggy Guggenheim, where for limited hours, the public could come and view her priceless art collection displayed amongst her pets and ordinary everyday possessions. Today, it still serves as a gallery showcasing the collection.

Their brief was simple: design a live-in art gallery. First and foremost, it was to be an art gallery and secondly, a home. The setting for their vision - the quaint ‘dorpie’ of Riebeek Kasteel. The couple fell in love with the town itself and the thriving local art community, who host the annual Solo Studios Art Festival. Intimate events, and the erf location on the main road would make it possible for the public to enjoy the collection on occasion. In 2022, Kunshuis was opened to the public for the first time at the festival and will again form part of the roster this year.

The clients only intended to occupy the house for 3 months of a year, accordingly they required the home to be low maintenance and secure. They also knew that they didn’t want to over capitalize on the project and wanted local contractors and subcontractors to be part of the construction process.

PROCESS
 
As per the brief, the art came first. We started by cataloguing all the art, building a library of over 400 pieces of art, which we sized and scaled to the exact measurements so that key pieces could be included in our design process. The site posed several constraints and informatives, an area of 852 sqm with an allowable coverage of 50% and a height limit of 6m.

We were left with 426 sqm for the building footprint, and therefore needed to use the full extent of the site, building line to building line in order to make the programme fit. This brought about the concept to create a pure mass, extruded to the full limitations of the site, and then carving spaces from it to achieve the 50% coverage. The limitation of height restriction forced us to extend the mass into the earth to make room for a second bedroom. The scale we tried to control by breaking the building up into a base, a middle and a top.

The plan was formed by juxtaposing two sets of planes, the one turned to true north, making it possible for us to manage the natural light as well as emphasizing the view to Kasteelberg. The other is of course created by the restrictions of the site boundaries, creating a well-defined street edge.

As part of the conceptual development, we were faced with the role the architecture needed to play. Not only did the art need to come to the forefront but there were magnificent views of the Riebeek Valley that also needed to be celebrated. The design became elemental by maintaining basic materials, such as large panes of white walls to house the art but also used to frame significant views, becoming works of art in themselves.

The design process was a practice of balance. While the space primarily needed to be a gallery, it still had to be a home. We had to ensure there would be enough wall space for the art, and enough openings to stream in warm light, whilst considering the preservation of the art. Further, we had to conceal any unsightly services within serviceable ducts in the mass elements.

EXTERIOR
 
The building comes across as monolithic, fort-like when the screens are closed. However, it still provokes interest by showing glimpses of the beautiful pieces inside. When the screens slide open, it gives the feeling of a flower blooming as it transforms into something contrary. A space that is open and approachable. There is a strong visual connection between the street and the living room, which extends an invitation to passers-by when exhibitions or viewings of the space take place.

Throughout the design process, there was the need to negotiate the needs of the gallery with the traditional ideas of what a home needs to offer. One such example are the conventional boundary walls used as a security measure. Instead, we suggested combining the high perimeter walls with the sliding screens to secure the property. Furthermore, the landscaping design and the elevated stoep set at a well-considered height, doesn’t allow movement freely from the street.

ENTRANCE
 
As you approach the entrance of the home you get a fleeting moment of the magnificent Mahatma Gandhi sculpture by Anton Momberg. Enter the home through a full height steel door that leads you into the entrance courtyard. Here the sculpture greets you. The courtyard acts as a safe space and the flowing water which cloaks the plinth, calms the senses entering the home - a concept borrowed from BV Doshi’s Sangath.

ENTER HOME
 
Enter the home and approach the juxtaposed planes. Focus is drawn to the left as the walls open to the views of the vineyard across the road.

THE LIVING SPACE
 
The living space and the formal gallery on the southern side of the site were demarcated as the primary gallery spaces. As you enter the living space your eye is drawn to the framed view of Kasteelberg to the west. Once orientated, enjoy the contemporary works housed in the living space, and move on to the older pieces in the formal gallery space.

We gave these two spaces hierarchy through volume, allowing for larger art pieces to be hung. In these spaces we also transitioned the ceiling from concrete to timber to create warmth, we changed the aggregate of the concrete, and allowed for clerestory windows for soft natural light to flow into the space. These additions were impactful, but budget conscious.
 
Sitting at the dining table with all the doors and sliding screens open, you experience a sense of sitting under a large canopy, well protected from the elements. From the dining space you are led out onto the stoep. The traditional stoep is a recreational space that is synonymous with the vernacular homes in the area. The expansive stoep, canopies and sliding screens are measures introduced to diffuse the harsh summer suns.

The kitchen to the east extends to a private courtyard at the back and allows for the morning sun to stretch into the space. Serviced by a scullery that can be opened when the family occupies the home and easily be closed off when the family hosts guests.

COURTYARD
 
The courtyard which leads out from the kitchen has become one of client’s favourite spaces, it is a well protected, tranquil space. The wall with openings creates a retreat whilst enjoying the sunbathed pool, but still allows for the surrounding greenery to be enjoyed.

BEDROOMS
 
The bedrooms you will find privately positioned off the living spaces. A staircase that scissors, leads up to the main bedroom above, or the guest bedroom below. The rooms were positioned on the north, allowing for ample natural sunlight and magnificent views. As you enter the rooms the scale dramatically changes, making them feel almost cave-like. These are not ostentatious spaces, but function purely as a place to rest, as the clients wanted to use as much space as possible to exhibit art.

THE BASEMENT 

As you find your way down to the guest bedroom, the staircase leads further down to a basement. The basement was a last-minute decision by our client as construction started and we had to move quickly to find a way for the basement and staircase to seamlessly become part of the design and meet the required approvals. The wish for the basement came about requiring ‘storage’ space for the ever-growing art collection. The choice was made to balance the functional requirements with a seamless addition to the gallery’s programme.

The basement became the third gallery space, an intimate space for public screenings and a wine cellar.

THE FORMAL GALLERY

At the entrance of the home, you will notice that there is no garage, a clear instruction from the client that one was not required. Instead, they wanted a space to house all their older works. However, the space had to be flexible, adapting to host community exhibitions or act as a studio for an artist doing a residency. We created a space that could form part of the home or be separated from it with a sliding door at the entrance hall of the home. We also allowed for a study in the space and ensured that it could also double up as a third bedroom, if ever needed. The space has its own entrance from the street, so that it can function as a standalone space.

PROJECT CLOSE-OUT

The project translated into two and half years of walking a truly gratifying road with our clients, who have become friends. Much of the process was accommodated over three hour long zoom sessions and at any chance possible (covid and travelling permitting) over dinners and wine. From being entrusted with the conceptual design and construction to the interior design and further curating the spaces and art, we were commissioned as artists, in our own field, and were allowed to bloom. We are grateful for our clients entrusting us with their (and our) dream project.