Located at the foot of a nature reserve in Bedfordview, Johannesburg,Kloof Road House is the latest project by Nico van der Meulen Architects. The client’s brief called for a family orientated home suitable for indoor/outdoor entertainment that maximizes the views to the north. The result is a 1100m² sculptural piece of architecture that is an extreme transformation from the previously modest single story.

With every room in the house opening outdoors, linking the home with the landscaped garden, indoor/outdoor living is guaranteed. Werner van der Meulen used morphed steels forms that wrap around and frame the structure by the use of parasitic architecture. From the street, the boldly designed off-shutter boundary wall with black steel shapes creeping over predicts that this is no ordinary piece of architecture.

The black steel sliding garage doors of the four new garages that were added on top of the existing house, combine with the sculptural steel forms of the guard house and porte cochere. Diagonal strip lights featured within the wall of the entrance create an abstract pattern at night that guides visitors to the entrance gate.

Steel, glass and concrete are prominently used in Kloof Road House and have been integrated into the design, from the boundary wall all the way to the interior. The angled steel roof of the entrance hall overhangs the double volume window and glass front door at the entrance, while the sculptural steel staircase is visible behind the window.

The wall of the entrance is clad with natural timber in a herringbone pattern to soften the harshness of the steel, glass and concrete interior, while the backlit ceilings create a shadowless interior inside the sculptured 3D forms.

M Square Lifestyle Design translated the architectural concept of Kloof Road House into the interior design. Steel perforated panels and off-shutter concrete were amongst the elements used for the interior, whilethe design of the lighting compliments the bold forms of the home and defines the angles. Concrete, glass and steel visually link the interior and exterior, smoothly integrating architecture and interior design. The furniture, decor and feature lights that complement this are sourced from M Square Lifestyle Necessities.