The project requirement requested that a gymnasium pavilion be added to the existing surroundings of a large family estate in Constantia.

The architects were involved in the estate’s master planning and various buildings, and the goal was to minimize the impact of a new structure on the well-established gardens, informing the decision to build the gym pavilion onto the existing concrete slab roof of an older guest cottage and storage area.

Interior Design Area: 180 m2 Architect: Malan Vorster Architecture

The chosen location inside the estate offered interesting possibilities: mature trees gave protection, and siting precariously on the brink of an existing retaining wall produced a feeling of dynamic equilibrium. The location, which is between the main top lawn of the garden and the parking werf below it, would allow the building to engage with a variety of distinct view aspects while also connecting to the many terraced levels that surround it. Because of its location, the gymnasium may potentially be linked to the guest apartment below through an internal stairway. The guest suite was modernized with a new open-plan layout, finishes, and furniture.

The gymnasium is placed beneath a pavilion-style and floating canopy. The roof is designed as a folding and floating copper canopy, with two opposing corners pushed upwards to provide views into the surrounding oak trees. The roof seems to float over frameless windows, which is achieved by sculpting the steel roof supports to blade-thin slivers.

Steel and timber construction methods were used to reduce the impact of concrete and other wet works since the majority of the components could be built off-site, lowering the environmental impact of the building process. The tree home provided as inspiration for material selection, building process, and details.

The interior material palette of the gym continues the materiality of the structure, with cedar ceilings, rough sawn timber flooring, and hints of hand turned brass fixtures. The same materials are used to renovate the existing guest unit below, which is accessible from the gym through a cedar-clad stairs lighted from above by a spherical skylight gazing up into the tree branches.

The guest apartment has a living/dining area with a kitchenette that connects to a bedroom suite with privacy pocket-doors on both sides of a floating central tv-unit and headboard wall. The architects created the kitchen and all other cabinetry from scratch.