Dam House

DAM HOUSE

2019, Drakensberg, South Africa

This house is a test in true sustainability. Set into the breath-taking landscapes of the Drakensberg’s Lost Valley the DAM House has been designed to tread lightly on an ecologically sensitive site, be completely off-grid and create an architecture that will be used to teach the local community to build.

Taking into account the limited accessibility to the site, it uses short modular elements that can be easily assembled on site as a series of spaces that can be built in phases. The house sits on the southern edge of the dam and faces north. The doors of the living spaces and the bedrooms stack away, allowing access to the deck floating above the dam and draw the landscape into the home.

Large roof overhangs shade the glazed areas in summer and allow sun in, in winter. Large insulated gutters sit above wide, double-skinned cavity stone walls and exit into the dam. Clerestory windows face east and allow the warm morning sun into the living spaces.