A M O D E R N I S T G E M L O C K E D I N T I M E A N D S P A C E.
`This residence nestled between lush green vegetation surrounded by beautiful beaches is a true reflection of timeless architecture locked in a pristine contextual setting. The cigar smoke building forms a stark, yet cultivated, setting from which a viewer is captivated by spectacular sunsets over the Mzingazi Lake and the bordering green belt.
The local architects Chris and Louise Boshoff, who passed away
in 2004 before the completion of their personal residence, display a magnificent understanding of design principles through the depiction of space, order and transformation. The depiction of immaculate spatial understanding becomes a true reflection of authentic placemaking in the small town of Richards Bay once inhabited by the owners and their guests.
S P A C E A S A B R E A T H O F ART.
In this residence, the understanding of the so-called third space comes into being through the spectacular merger of interior and exterior thresholds. These thresholds become physically and visually distorted once the user/visitor moves between the various rooms into the well-designed ‘third spaces’ or semi-public thresholds. These spaces are framed with views into the context and become memorable once it is shared with guests and family.
In contemporary usage, “genius loci” usually refers to a location’s distinctive atmosphere, or a “spirit of place”, rather than necessarily a guardian spirit. Norberg-Schulz (1982) re-introduced this topic in the modern context, but the attempts of the postmodernists to reintroduce it into actually built architecture did not go beyond a naive and formalistic repetition of long surpassed historical concepts. History can never be revived, it can only be understood and be taken as a base of knowledge for future developments.