And While We're On An Architectural Bender
This South African home obviously owes more than a little something to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and some of the same things that were said in the post about his Villa Tugendhat (1930) in Brno in the Czech Republic could be reiterated here.
Now, while I'm more than a bit interested in security at 'The Nest', the almost tricksy closing up / folding in box effect here, while a rather neat feat of engineering, ...
... seems slight overkill, if security is the intent.
Does anyone know anything about this structure?
Talk about a split personality! Incredibly appealing with opened up, quite the opposite when closed up. Hummmm, much like human beings, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteIs that you standing in front of it in the pix 7 from the top?
hi paul
ReplyDeleteyes, the house is quite schizophrenic in design - running the gamut from airy open light filled flowing spaces to a high security prison - but intriguing nevertheless
best
I like the cubist look with equal amounts of solid wall and glass wall. The security features are very interesting but extreme. The owners must be away much of the time and that's their solution for peace of mine.
ReplyDeleteI think they are hiding E.T. in there.
ReplyDeleteInsolente
ReplyDeleteCongratulations and thank you very much. It is a beautiful post. I totally agree about the Barcelona pavillion. :)
XXX
hi Insolente
ReplyDeletegood to hear fro, you
the house is beautiful if a bit as though under siege - so perfect when all opened up - i'm very happy to have had the chance to experience the barcelona german pavilion
by the way, just saw your blog - very hot guys - i'll be going back!
XXX
hey greg
ReplyDeleteLOL - and enough room for a whole bunch of his colleagues from outer space!
cya
hey rick
ReplyDeletei wondered if the security wasn't a response to the political situation in south africa where it's located - no judgement, just observation
and yes the contrast is SO extreme between it's fort knox look and its totally opened out one - bizarre but in the end i like it overall - glad you do too
What is amazing to me is the attention to reveals when every thing is closed. The technical feat of getting elements as large and thick as the panels in motion to work over time is phenomenal. Kudos to the mechanical engineer. Paticularly love the long traveling wall on the left side which slots in to frame the drive when open and conceals the terrace with closed. Nice touch and the tracking must have been quite a challenge to fit into the structure since that entire side of the structure would need to be cantilievered to make that possible.
ReplyDeleteThe only think I don't understand... all that attention to mechanical complexity yet the eight CCTV cameras remain very vulnerable and clumsy at every corner. That detail did not get enough attention. Odd.
I believe this home appeared in Dwell magazine, a previous HGTV series called Extreme Homes, or perhaps both.
ReplyDeletehi anon
ReplyDeleteyes, the mechanical feat is amazing and momentarily reminds me of a C19 heath robinson contraption.
i did also momentarily think about how you could be quite boxed up inside, so to speak, with a power failure - though i guess this home would have its own power generator
loved the long traveling wall too and its concealed terrace - and the engineering feat of it - quite special
you make a very interesting point about the vulnerability of the eight CCTV cameras - certainly one of its Achilles' heels
i have a slight mania for security - i suspect this is what caught my eye in the first place
cheers
hi anon
ReplyDeletethis house is so startling i'm sure it has done the rounds of the new architecture mags - and appropriate it appeared on 'Extreme Homes'!
i only know that it's in south africa - did you happen to notice the name of the house/architect?
thanks for sharing that - just checked http://www.dwell.com following your pointer to 'Dwell' - makes me want to do another architecture post!
best, nick