This house, buried in the fynbos between the mountains and the sea, exemplifies a fulfilling a design philosophy, namely to create new relationships between architecture and landscape.

It is like a poem which mediates between humankind and earth and seems to make less violent our invasion of the land to create shelter. Two powerful concrete ramps, carpeted with indigenous planting, rise out of the landscape at the angle of natural repose of soil to form the upper floor slabs. These support two glass pavilions which punctuate and dance above the dense green fynbos, whereas the ground floor, partially buried under the ramps, is subsumed in and engages with the fynbos world, yet simultaneously drenched with light.

The layout here is clear and the spaces are handsome. The lasting impression is of walls, slabs and glass planes that are meritoriously become more than space-making devices.