CAPE ESCAPE
On South Africa’s West Coast, a partner in an awardwinning architectural firm designs a site-specific home
獲獎無數的國際建築師以自然美學打造南非西岸的海濱別墅
“It all came together very easily; things naturally fitted into place,” explains architect Greg Truen (of the acclaimed firm SAOTA Architecture and Design) about the process behind his and wife Liz’s holiday home at Silver Bay along South Africa’s West Coast. “It was dictated firstly by the site itself, which drops down towards the sea. Choosing to locate the living area on the upper level to maximise the views and to see the shoreline, and placing the bedrooms and a playroom downstairs for a walk-to-the-beach connection, was almost automatic.”
More than that, the couple wanted the entire upstairs area (indoors and out) to enjoy as close a relationship as possible with the unsurpassable ocean views and the natural surroundings of beach, sea, dunes and fynbos. This extended to creating wind-free outdoor living spaces that communicate directly with the internal environment and are also connected to the greater natural context. “We wanted to treat the entire space as a single room, so the effect on entering was of walking into one large space, with the sea dominating everything,” explains Greg. “Many of the design decisions were made purely to expand the magnificent views and to bring in light and the natural surroundings as far as we could.”
Another consideration was no less important: to refer back to traditional West Coast vernacular architecture without compromising the contemporary aesthetics and modernist lines. And from the protected pool courtyard on the northern side of the house to the stepped glazing of the downstairs bedrooms, and to the rustic thatched roof, all of this has been has been achieved and more.
Bleached poplar beams support the open roof, softening the flamed granite flooring that echoes the natural boulders so typical of this stretch of unspoilt coastline. By using steel tie beams instead of horizontal timber beams to support the roof, Greg has created a generous double-volume space flooded by light from roof-height triangular windows. Lime-washed oak walls further the
坐落於南非西岸銀灣的度假別墅優美宜人，是建築師Greg Truen和妻子Liz的美好家園。來自知名建築事務所SAOTA Architecture and Design的負責人向我們分享設計背後的基本概念：「誠言，創作根據實際的環境因素而定，自然和諧的風格隨即應運而生。由於建築本身沿斜坡而建，設計團隊將客廳配置到上層，而睡房和遊戲室則位處下層。如此一來，巧妙安排的空間規劃既能引進海景和海岸線，也能完美連接通往海灘的小道。」
氣派昂然的大海實在引人矚目，連同環繞四周的海灘、海岸、沙丘和凡波斯天然灌木林，構成一幅令人愉快的畫作。為把這片海天一色的畫像盡收眼底，Greg在上層的戶外空間安裝避風裝置，成就最佳的視覺效果。內部空間則以各式自然元素點綴，與屋外美境互相呼應。他解釋：「整個宅舍的設計靈感源以大海為主題，我希望能室內裝潢散發著豐富的海洋魅力。因此，設計決策都是以強調海景而出發，打造出滿載柔和光線和動人美景的空間。」
為保留西岸傳統建築特色和現代美學風格，設計師為度假屋混入各樣出眾的元素，展
organic, softening effect of the thatch, while steel and wrought-iron elements keep the house firmly within the modern idiom.
Spaces are expansive yet distinct; the palette is uncomplicated, drawn from the natural environment; simple furnishings are oversized, tactile and chosen to enhance absolute relaxation. But it’s the connection with the landscape that is the house’s most striking, dominant feature. At any turn, it’s impossible to forget for a moment that despite being just a two-hour drive from Cape Town, this is an entirely different world.
It’s one of huge, empty landscapes and of pungent sea air, with a soundtrack of crashing waves, gentle breezes, rustling grasses and the occasional deep, dark notes of a dramatic foghorn. It’s a world where tortoises plod along sandy tracks, where small antelope wander into the indigenous garden to forage for tasty
現精心佈置的生活空間。不論是北向設計的含泳池庭院、下層睡房的玻璃門窗，又或是茅廬編成的中空屋頂均配合得宜，帶來更有質感的層次。
開放式屋頂由漂白楊木橫樑作支撐，設計柔化地面鋪砌的花崗石地板，兩者與完美無瑕的海岸線互相響應。屋頂底部承托棄用普遍的木材橫樑，改以懸空的鋼拉樑支持，連同引入明亮光線的三角形窗戶，時尚實用的設計令空間變得更加遼闊。石灰蓋面的橡木牆壁和茅草裝置原始自然，鋼材和鍛鐵元素極具質感，呈現渾然一體的氛圍。
生活區域開闊明亮，卻與眾不同。和諧色調為主的家園中有著各款不同的超大型傢具，風格簡樸的裝置成就無比舒適。最值得一提的還是風光如畫的景色，從開普敦出發需兩小時車程就能享受夢幻的海天盛宴，放遂美好心情。
succulents, and where uninterrupted views offer sightings of endemic Heaviside’s dolphins, southern right whales and several bird species. And it’s no less remarkable that the house so easily blends into and becomes a part of that same world.
Off-shutter concrete ceilings echo the textures of sand and rock on the beach below, while open glassed gables in the roof-ends provide a moving-picture show of clouds and sky. Sisal carpets, the tent-like thatch and timber (such as the lime-washed oak walls and doors) bring in the softer natural fauna elements of the surrounding reeds and grasses. A large conical mass of corten
踏上這片淨土，你會感受到濃濃海風吹拂著你的面頰。放開懷抱，在此享受由海浪、微風、植物和船隻號角組成的大自然樂曲吧。生氣勃勃的小動物足跡遍佈每個角落，海龜在沙灘上徐徐走動、羚羊更會不時走到後花園偷吃一口多肉植物。你更可觀賞到赫氏海豚、南露脊鯨和多不勝數的鳥類，飽覽多樣化的生態系統。這間度假屋猶如大自然的一員，散發著與綺麗無比的光芒。
steel forms the pivot of the upstairs space; with its rusted surface, it wouldn’t look out of place on one of the weathered ocean-going trawlers that languidly pass along the horizon.
“It doesn’t happen often,” muses Greg, “that a house so quickly and easily, so straightforwardly, falls into place – when everything just fits and feels right.” Looking around, one knows exactly what he means. //
屋頂外部的混凝土天花板臨摹海灘沙石，配置落地玻璃享受藍天白雲美景。劍麻地毯、編草和木材帳幕屋頂、石灰牆壁和大門正好就是蒼翠密林等自然景觀的寫照。在客廳中，你可看到漂浮在壁爐上方的圓錐形通風管，鋼面材質被海洋氣候腐化，粗獷鏽痕極具質感。
Greg細想：「實際上，能夠如此得心應手地處理設計項目並不常發生。我感到非常驕傲。」只要你置身在此，就會頓然明白他的意思。//