Glen 2961 is a project designed by SAOTA and Three 14 Architects in 2012 and is located in Higgovale, Cape Town. Photographs: Adam Letch, Courtesy of SAOTA.

“The clients – who owned and lived in an existing house on the property for nine years – needed to rebuild the house in order to suit the demands of their family with 3 teenage kids.

The site on Glen Avenue in Higgovale faces its long axis generally in a Northerly direction, with its two long boundaries facing the South Easterly as it drives down Table Mountain, and the opposing Westerly boundary facing sunsets over Lion’s Head. The tough wind conditions aside, it is a fantastic site, which due to its moderate slope provided a perfect template for the design to engage with different levels of the garden adjacent to different living areas of the three level lounge.

After informal discussions with Stefan Antoni, the client appointed SAOTA to complete the design of a new home to replace the existing house the family had grown out of. Where clients often battle to agree to demolish an existing home – the clients bravely followed their architects advice to see the bigger picture and re-start on a clean slate as the existing house was poorly positioned and had to be badly altered over time. ‘The new home was to respond to the site and garden closely, to allow enough space for the family’s diverse requirements – whilst create separate private spaces within the house, and respond to the fierce winds which seasonally hurtle down Table Mountain yet provide a relaxed, homely character in the spirit of Higgovale,’ says Project Partner, Philip Olmesdahl. The clients selected to proceed with the Design Development and project construction with Three14 Architects.