African Design Magazine September 2016 | Page 54

African project Port Elizabeth house – South Africa elevated in nature DMV Architecture recently tackled a home on a sloping site in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Sarah Lucas explains to African Design Magazine how they succeeded in meeting the brief as well as keeping within the tight budget. Can you tell us more about DMV Architecture? DMV Architecture aims for continuous development within the office through the exploration of space making, we take great pride in the buildings we produce. Our architecture is rooted in modernist planning principles but which is expressed in a timeless aesthetic. We believe Architecture is a part of the environment and needs to be developed through the careful design and consideration of the surrounding context, this is achieved by understanding, exploring and implementing the fundamental principles that result in good design. We believe that a successful building will evoke a sense of emotion upon the user, that will automatically showcase the hierarchy of the space, thereby creating a feeling of fulfilment, not only for the architect, but even more so for our clients. What was the brief for this particular project? A house for a retiring couple who wished to be elevated with nature and for the house to comprise of a single main bedroom with living and kitchen amenities. A guest suite also needed to be incorporated for their visiting children. Other than these specifics they were happy to leave the brief open for interpretation, however, the budget was non-negotiable at R1.5 million. What work did DMV Architecture perform? Due to budget constraints, especially with a sloping site of such magnitude, DMV Architecture was appointed not only as Architect, but were responsible to oversee all construction works which included project management together with the task of contractor. DMV separated all works into manageable packages which were put out to tender and managed in house. The site was part of a larger residential erf which had been subdivided. 54 africandesignmagazine.com