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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Glass House in Johannesburg, South Africa by Nico van der meuelen ArchitectsMarch 20th, 2012 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Nico van der meuelen Architects In Johannesburg, South Africa, Nico Van Der Meulen Architects designed this spectacular 26,000 square foot home. The owner’s only criteria were an open, light filled plan, and views of the garden from all rooms. The architects devised a massive complex of living spaces, arranged in a semi-circular pattern to envelope the garden. Monolithic concrete framework is arranged in a radial pattern, emanating from the center of the home. The framework complements outdoor living spaces, including decks, patios, pools, and fountains.  North Elevation towards garden
 Formal lounge Extravagant touches abound throughout the home, including a 12 car underground garage, indoor pool, naturally ventilated atrium, art gallery, and an elegant entry staircase hovering above an indoor pond. These features are tied together with a rich, cohesive palette of rare stone and wood paired with extensive integrated lighting. The house is situated on a 4000 sq.m site, with a total floor area of 2500sq.m. An existing house was demolished to construct the new house. The owner requested a modern, glamorous, open plan, light-filled house with views from all rooms into the garden. The shape on the south side is a half circle, forming a horseshoe on the north side. Approaching the house form the gate the driveway is elevated to allow glimpses thru’ the house to the garden and raised water feature on the other side of the house.  Family room Interior design by M Square Lifestyle design The porte cochere is a suspended glass and stainless steel structure, with view into the house and a stainless steel and glass staircase, suspended over a heated pond, (which in summer acts as a temperature stabilizer, and in winter as a giant heater) with a circular, raised glass water feature in the background, framed by a beam two storeys high. To the right is a small sunken formal lounge, and to the left a timber-clad lift tower. The dining room is raised a couple of steps above the family room. The window to the dining room is a 6m high curved glass enclosure, where each sheet of glass leans over further than the previous sheet, with glass fins holding it in position. The frameless glass folding doors starts at the dining room, and stretches for nearly 70m around the dining room, atrium, family room, lanai, indoor pool and gym. The family room is partially double volume, flowing seamlessly into the lanai and heated indoor pool, with a bar, pizza oven, gas and wood braai.  Indoor pool The kitchen leads off the family room and dining room, with a pair of automatic, frameless sandblasted doors leading from the dining room to the kitchen. A breakfast area and playroom are adjacent to the kitchen, allowing the younger kids to be supervised from the kitchen and family room, and allowing direct access to the bar and barbeque area from the kitchen. An atrium between the family room and the kitchen allows the family to ventilate and cool the house naturally, without compromising their security, while a roller shutter door drops down automatically when the alarm is activated, cutting the top floor off from the ground floor.  Bar at indoor pool The walls to the family room and bar are clad with marble strips, with glass inlays and LED strip lights. You can jump from the main bedroom into the pool, swim to the gym, swim back and use the steel spiral staircase to go back to the main bedroom, or tip a tipsy friend into the pool from his barstool! The lanai opens up totally to the outdoor pool with a deck, spilling into a kid’s splash pool at the bottom. A basement under the house has parking for about 12 cars, with a view into the pool, and a top-lit art gallery which forms the passage between the garages and the lift.  Family room looking towards bar A feature wall opposite the living areas is clad in stone from Jerusalem, with a tree aloe growing in front of it. The stone comes from buildings hundreds of years old, being demolished in Israel to make space for development. The same stone is used in the dining room, flowing thru’ the glass wall to the outside. The study is a glass box at the top of the staircase, with a view over the pools at the bottom. A large playroom is situated next to it, with an intimate home theater and kitchenette, leading to a large balcony with a shaded porch. The main bedroom on the other side of the hall is reached via a gallery looking down into the dining room and out to the garden. The main suite has a small lounge and built-in kitchenette, with a drop-down screen and projector built into the bulkhead.  Penthouse for koi The main bathroom is a study in glass and transparency: The North and east walls are glass and slides open, even if privacy is required, the doors can be left open and the automatic blinds can be lowered, still allowing views and ventilation, but looking translucent from outside.  Courtyard area A large balcony off the main bedroom is partially covered, granting respite from the summer sun, or allowing all fresco early morning coffee or late afternoon drinks, while a staircase to the roof allows views over the surrounding suburb and towards Midrand. The double volume glass enclosure over the pool can be opened from the balcony outside the children’s bedrooms, allowing a cooling updraft over the pool. From another balcony the door overlooking the double volume in the family room can be opened, again resulting in a cooling chimney effect to the living areas.  Dining room from hall towards family room  Master bathroom  Kid’s playroom between kitchen & bar  Glass House
Contact Nico van der meuelen Architects
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