Architecture studio KLG Architects designed a house nestled in a special natural environment characterized by an undulating landscape of beach dunes. The house named Casa Dune establishes an interesting dialogue with the existing landscape between the sea and the city of Bettysbaai, in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

The environmental conditions of the natural environment determined the implementation and construction of the house, especially the need to accommodate itself in the sand dunes seeking protection from the winds in the area. The habitability of the house adapts to the terrain and weather conditions, blending in as if it were another natural element.

KLG Architects the house in the opposite direction to what is usual, from top to bottom, proposing a distinctive roof as a singular element to respond to wind conditions, proposing a slightly curved surface at one end to allow the wind to pass over and stay protected. The structure was raised from the ground on rubber poles, making it appear to float over the dunes. It has an added volume of guests.

Wood is the main construction element thanks to its sustainable properties, which are used with a greyish finish to favor its adaptation to the colors of the environment, highlighting its visual and tactile properties. This reduced construction time minimized disruption to the site and offers flexibility to add a potential expansion.


Dune House by KLG Architects. Photograph by Paris Brummer.

Description of project by KLG Architects

The brief was for a home that sat comfortably within its windswept, natural environment. The undulating dunescape of this locale was the datum upon which this house grew, a project of section.

Building is the creation or addition of a new horizon. It may be situated within the landscape and ‘be on the hill, however it is always going to be a matter of inhabiting a previously natural environment. It is from this viewpoint that the decision was made in the beginning to create a building with two defining moments.

Firstly, a distinctive roofscape was conceived to provide protection from the prevailing wind conditions which during the summer months arrive strongly from the seaward aspect (SE). While the curved apex of the roofscape was designed to allow the wind to pass overhead and shelter the outdoor living space on the mountain-facing aspect. At the same time, it’s an extension of the undulating dunescape which encompasses the site and its surrounds.


Dune House by KLG Architects. Photograph by Paris Brummer.

Secondly, the entire structure was raised off the terrain on gum-pole posts. This elevates the spaces off the sensitive dune environment, which allowed the ground conditions to rejuvenate after construction, and enables small indigenous fauna such as mice and moles a conserved thoroughfare that would have been impeded had this been a solid wall-to-ground condition. For the post’s foundations, an innovative methodology was implemented, whereby all of the excavated soil was reused. No soil was removed from the site, instead, it was employed to stabilize the fill around the posts, alongside its use within the footings’ concrete mix. The footings employed an unusual foundation with the use of barrels as permanent shuttering, thereby minimizing concrete spillage and contamination of the surroundings.    

Embodied by these defining moments, the volumes for inhabitation and the guest pod grew from the dunes. The living spaces within are open and extend out to the views beyond, offering a space of refuge from the oftentimes volatile weather conditions beyond. These inhabitable zones are bisected by an elevated walkway hovering above the ground plane, a typology synonymous with the boardwalks of the local coastline. Creating a continuation of the axis from the mountain to the ocean.

Timber was chosen as the primary structural and finishing element for its sustainable properties, which was a continued reflection of the sensitive approach we took from the conceptual stage influenced by the found conditions on-site. The occasional gabion elements provide a tactile grounding to the land and form a means of anchoring defining moments, namely along the walkway axis and the outward-facing deck. The timber was left unfinished to allow it to grey and recede tonally into the landscape. In addition to the visual and tactile properties timber contains, it also reduces building time, thereby minimizing disruptions to the sensitive site; and offering the flexibility required to readily accept any potential extensions over time.

More information

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Architects
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KLG Architects. Lead architects.- Geoff George.
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Collaborators
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Land Surveyor.- Diesel & Munns Inc.
Engineer.- Karl Hvidsten.
Energy Efficiency.- GreenXA Consulting.
Timber Work, Carpentry, & Joinery.- Herbert Robinson.
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Contractor
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Quali Projects.- Martin Helmbold.
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Area
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Built Area.- 166 m².
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Dates
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2022.
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Location
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Betty’s Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.
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Photography
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KLG Architects was founded out of the architectural firm Köper Levin George, originally started by Glennie McIntosh and John Egan in Cape Town in the 1930s and joined by Henk Sikkel in the 1940s (then called Glennie, Egan and sikkel). The practice is currently led by directors Geoff George, Jan Douglas, and Tyrone Bloch.

The firm's involvement ranges in scale from residential to hospitality, educational, institutional, and master planning projects. The essence of the firm is an affinity for the qualities of vernacular building traditions combined with a taste for simplicity expressed in a contemporary way.

Awards;
2022. Corobrik SAIA Award of Merit: Herschel Atrium Extension.
2022. Corobrik SAIA Award of Merit - Commendation: Watson Cottage.
2021. CIfA Award for Architecture: Herschel Atrium Extension.
2021. CIfA Award for Architecture: Watson Cottage.
2021. CIfA Award for Architecture: Kogelberg Tourist Accommodation.
2019. CIfA Award for Architecture: !Khwa Ttu San Heritage Centre.
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Published on: June 30, 2023
Cite: "House caressed by the wind in an undulating landscape. Dune House by KLG Architects" METALOCUS. Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/house-caressed-wind-undulating-landscape-dune-house-klg-architects> ISSN 1139-6415
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