African Design Magazine October 2015 | Page 60

Winner Residential Category: Zinkwazi Beach House Located on the steep eastward facing slopes above the Zinkwazi beach, the judges said that this gem, using glass window walls framed by an exposed structural steel structure, has unimpeded views from the living spaces. “It was an absolute pleasure judging this home. Even more of a pleasure was to see first-hand the innovative, yet functional use of steel finished off by some skilled and very neat fabrication,” they said. The expression of this building is derived directly from the usage requirements – enclosed spaces are built in concrete and masonry and open or transparent spaces are constructed from steel and glass. “These structural systems define the aesthetic language of the building and speak directly to the functional aspects of the spaces that they enclose,” the project team noted. The proximity to the coast required careful attention to the coating of the steel. Steel with a high specification duplex paint coating system was therefore used. The balustrades ar B