Design Signature

A dynamically activated architectural practice.
Serious about architecture, the NOW . the NEW . the NEXT.
Seeking to combine vigour, imagination and flair.

MOUNTAIN HOUSE

This project was conceived and programmatically developed with particular inspiration drawn from its extensive, indigenous habitat. The proposed residence, intended for singular/exclusive use of the client, responded to a clear, fresh and confident directive for a home encompassing a simple sophistication, inspired by its natural context. The design language is accordingly vernacular, contemporary, sustainable and “proudly South African”.

An extreme slope overlooking a protea clad valley provided a guiding undertone. Accentuating its impressive setting, the house was lodged/nestled into the steep mountainside, supported by I-beam, to celebrate the uninterrupted viewscapes. Equally, the increasing height generated an incremental gradient of privacy and security along its length. Seemingly hovering above the landscape, yet also at one with the slope of the mountainside.

Upon approach to the site, one is “drawn-in” by an organic shaped, ribbon-like rock wall. In its construction and formulation, the wall wraps around, containing and defining the parameters of the courtyard as it follows the natural contours of the landscape. The soft rounded curves of the wall offer a playful contrast with the clear lines and linear design formulation of the house.

Creating a sustainable off-the-grid contemporary courtyard house on a mountainside.

ADAMJEE PAVILION

Integrating context, landscape and architecture into an entertainment pavilion.

The project encompassed the design of a pavilion
as a point of accessible entertainment convergence,
maximizing the park and dam context.

The structure sits lightly and unobstructedly, creating lively reflections of the surrounding trees
and blurring the division between “in” and “out”.

Exploring appropriate relationships of communal living in contemporary suburban contexts.

The project amounted to the company’s first “debut” into the greater Southern African context and was complemented by the immediate transition from the concept and design stage development into building implementation.

#HouseMSM #ResidentialArchitecture #ThreeHousesOneProperty #Collaboration

HOUSE MSM

MOUSE MSM

Transforming and extending an existing heritage house into a high-end suburban family residence.

The project amounted to a carefully considered architectural intervention within the footprint of a Heritage home. The existing structure was in a state of decay, lacking the potential marketability sought by the client.

The duality of existing vs proposed, a spatial reconfiguration and the generation of curated, contemporary lifestyle nodes guided the programmatic formulation.

#HouseWillis #HeritageHouse #AdditionsAndAlterations

ADD+ALT HOUSE WILLIS

THIS IS MY WORK

the LOCAL

Adapting and extending an existing building into a mixed-use, neighbourhood-type, “grow/sell/buy” market. Exploring the relationship between surfaces / the in-between and agricultural productivity.

The architectural undertaking was for a multi-layered design response to a range of locally-based enterprises. Its operation was within an existing building located on the popular Gleneagles arterial road in the suburb of Greenside. The architectural challenge was to provide a functional, pragmatic composition of space, an aesthetically attractive forum for community working and trading interactions and a design presence in an otherwise disparate and distracted shopping precinct.

#TheLocal #SustainableMarket #GoingGreenConcept #InsideOutsideConnections

the LOCAL

M-BLOCK

PHILADELPHIA HOUSE

THIS IS MY WORK

Updating and extending commercial capacity within an existing highrise building. Exploring the atrium as a forum of connectivity/convergence.

The existing structure targeted for redevelopment is situated within the Johannesburg inner city, framed by a busy, overcrowded and loosely regulated commercial and residential context. High pedestrian traffic volumes compounded the intensity of the operation.

The existing 12 storey building was reconfigured such that its capacity as a shopping forum was extended, while simultaneously maintaining its residential capacity.

Considerations of cohesion at a multi-level scale and the access to the fluidity of human circulation were prioritized to ensure optimum utilization of the street context.

The project presented a dynamic scale requiring a vertical interpretation of commercial space for 3-storeys, the revitalization/reuse of an unused courtyard and basement, the sustained operations of existing shop owners and the uninterrupted use of the residential components of the building.

Working with the existing paradigm and responding to the brief for the generation of a fluid, dynamic, commercial hub with due consideration to the structural integrity of the existing framework, characterized the architectural approach to the project.

The complexity of operations was compounded by the existence of split levels within the formalized multiple levels accommodating various shopping alternatives. Ensuring fluidity and cohesion within its context required particular emphasis within the design evolution.

PHILADELPHIA HOUSE

THIS IS MY WORK

[Intro: Samoria Green & Natalie Green]

THIS IS MY WORK

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus augue mi, mattis at posuere eu, posuere ac risus. Fusce dignissim massa id libero luctus fermentum. Duis commodo semper porta. Fusce vestibulum odio commodo, aliquam arcu eget, vulputate felis. Donec risus sem, consequat quis enim in, porta tincidunt magna. Aenean blandit urna a enim varius, vel imperdiet libero lacinia.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus augue mi, mattis at posuere eu, posuere ac risus. Fusce dignissim massa id libero luctus fermentum. Duis commodo semper porta. Fusce vestibulum odio commodo, aliquam arcu eget, vulputate felis. Donec risus sem, consequat quis enim in, porta tincidunt magna. Aenean blandit urna a enim varius, vel imperdiet libero lacinia. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus augue mi, mattis at posuere eu, posuere ac risus. Fusce dignissim massa id libero luctus fermentum. Duis commodo semper porta. Fusce vestibulum odio commodo, aliquam arcu eget, vulputate felis. Donec risus sem, consequat quis enim in, porta tincidunt magna. Aenean blandit urna a enim varius, vel imperdiet libero lacinia.