INTO THE WILD
An architectural challenge that called for minimal interference with its forested site was answered by Frankie Pappas with vision, innovation and a reverence for nature
It’s often out of adverse circumstances that the most enterprising results arise. A puzzle or a problem has the power to prompt clever solutions and innovative thinking. The House of the Big Arch by Frankie Pappas, an architectural and creative collective defined by a unique ethos and a fictional persona representative of the whole, took the challenge of a tricky site and made magic. The practice’s motto “wonderfully similar, beautifully different” proposes collaboration and pooling skills and talents to solve problems for a new world — an approach which led them to be named one of Wallpaper magazine’s top 20 emerging architects globally.
A project fitting for a group of like-minded multidisciplinary mavericks that believes in the power of the team over individual ego, this intriguing space advocates for solution-oriented architecture that engages with its context.
Situated in the Waterberg mountains in Limpopo province, the location is home to a remarkable spectrum of wildlife and plant species. As such, the objective for the project was not to compete with or try to stand out from the landscape, but rather to merge with it — disappear into it even, as a sign of respect for the setting.
“A unique and direct response to this particular portion of this particular riverine forest of this particular part of the Waterberg means that the architecture of this house could exist nowhere else in the world,” explains Frankie.
Bridging the landscape between a sandstone cliff and the riverine forest below was the goal, a feat that involved navigating a forested slope — and here’s the catch — without removing any of the trees. A challenge to be sure, and one answered by the team with a brilliant and engaging series of forms.
“We laser scanned the site and then converted this data into a digital 3-D model so that we could see every tree and branch when making critical decisions,” says Frankie.
By creating three separate solid structures (hubs for the lounge, cellar/library/kitchen and outdoor entertaining areas respectively), grounded by a dramatic ramped entrance — where gaps in the trees allowed — and then linked with sustainably grown timber and glass “bridges”, Frankie Pappas achieved what reads as one long, slim structure (330cm wide) that slots neatly and unobtrusively between the trees. The bridges offer breathing room and create gaps underneath the structure’s length — allowing for wildlife to move unhindered across the site.
“We wanted to offer animals and humans equal opportunity to find shelter and treat the bushveld with its deserved respect,” says Frankie.
At every level the house blends in. From the colour and texture of the rough stock brick, which was selected to match the weathered sandstone of the site, to the upper-level rooms that sit at tree-canopy height, and the easy thoroughfare for forest creatures. This idea of working with — rather than against — the landscape goes further than its physical structure, and extends to a practical level. The entire house is off the grid (from solar panels to grey-water processing and passive heating and cooling) and a roof planted with endemic grasses, succulents and shrubs merges with the greenery of the forest. It’s a holistic, living, breathing organism that exists within the greater ecosystem of the setting.
“We cannot divide architecture, landscape and gardening: they are one,” says Frankie.