>>THE BLUEPRINT

14 LEADINGARCHITECTURE&DESIGN DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015

Now you see it, now you don’t

estled in the heart of Johannesburg, forming part

of a 1000ha residential estate, the Steyn City Golf

Clubhouse has turned the idea of clubhouse design in South

Africa, on its head.

The site for the clubhouse was previously an abandoned

quarry and the brief was to have as little impact on the site

as possible.

Says project architect Jean Grobler: “Our brief was

to integrate the building with its surroundings and the

indigenous landscape, as well as to create architecture that

was responsive and sensitive while still being functional

and sustainable. Our goal as architects was to explore the

boundaries of what is currently perceived as clubhouse

architecture and to re-establish the benchmark.”

The conceptual point of departure for the Steyn City Golf

Clubhouse has its roots in nature’s potential for the abrasive

and the unrelenting: The establishment of architecture

where once there was nothing, and using the fissures in the

landscape to create life, shelter and space.

“We set out to blur the boundaries between interior

and exterior, to achieve a constant connection with

nature and to create a harmonious tension between the

manufactured and the natural,” says Jean.

In the resulting design, the Highveld grassland

sweeps right over the architecture, which in turn merges

with its surroundings by exploiting the slope of the land

to intentionally reduce its scale. The fragmentation of

the building components enhances its connection with

nature by juxtaposing the buildings’ organic shapes with

the landscape.

“We have been given the opportunity to set the

benchmark in clubhouse design, not only in the

sustainability aspects that form a key part of the design,

but also in how the design was influenced by nature. These

aspects were highlighted by the judges as a key factor in

their decision to award us top honours,” said Grobler.

The highlight of the structure is the roof garden that

allows the building to ‘melt’ into the landscape, blending

into nature on multiple levels. “This creates an almost

magical illusion of ‘now you see it, now you don’t,”

says Wessel van Dyk, the architect responsible for the

innovative design of the building.

“While most golf clubhouses do their best to stand out

in the most ostentatious way possible and dominate their

This isn’t going to be the last time we hear about Steyn City – the largest single residential development ever undertaken in South Africa and situated north west of Sandton in Johannesburg. Boogertman and Partners is already in the spotlight for their work there, boasting two prestigious awards for the Steyn City Golf Clubhouse. They form part of the collective known as Steyn City Architecture and Design (SCAD) that oversees all the

architectural work undertaken at the lifestyle resort.

Our goal as architects was to explore the boundaries of what is currently perceived as clubhouse architecture and to re-establish the benchmark

N

Continued next page

PROJECT#2 STEYN CITY CLUBHOUSE<<

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DESIGN ARCHITECT: Wessel van Dyk | PROJECT ARCHITECT: Jean Grobler | ARCHITECT: Ridhwaan Essa

SCAD TEAM

>>THE BLUEPRINT

16 LEADINGARCHITECTURE&DESIGN DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015

environment, the Steyn City Golf Clubhouse goes out of

its way to do the opposite. We actually adopted an almost

‘non-architectural’ approach to the design of the building,

which allowed us to reinvent clubhouse design in a fresh,

sustainable way.”

The clubhouse achieves this magic in several ways:

Great care has been given to utilise local materials

and labour, recycling of excavated material and the

implementation of water conservation to further enhance

the building’s sustainability. However, the green roof,

created primarily to conceal the building and make it as

one with the landscape, is used to reduce heat gain and

shifts heat load at night when the external loads are not

present. This allows the passive ventilation system to

function optimally and allow for the building’s heating

and cooling to be drastically reduced and evolve from

traditional HVAC systems.

Not only was the building built on green principles to

ensure the least possible impact on the environment, but

it is also built from the environment itself. Using a rather

unconventional cladding of Gabion Baskets filled with the

rocks from the excavation, the exterior of the building

mimics giant rocks pulled apart to create fissures that

reveal the functionality of the building.

With its almost ‘non-architecture’ approach, the Steyn

City Clubhouse is reinventing clubhouse design in a fresh,

sustainable way.

Emphasis was placed on the latest technologies

regarding lighting, heat reclaim and distribution, grey

water utilisation, recycling and reuse of building material,

greening of the architectural facades as well as the use of

façade shading systems and performance glazing.

The interior reflects the connection with the landscape

through its rich and natural approach of using different

layers in texture, a natural toned colour palette and use of

natural materials.

“The building is a constant reminder of the relationship

with nature. It takes the user to the edge where the

connection with nature is apparent and unavoidable,” says

architect Jean Grobler.

PROJECT#2 STEYN CITY CLUBHOUSE<<

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THE AWARDS• Emirates Glass LEAF Awards: Category ‘Hospitality

Building of the Year’ is an annual international architectural prize recognising innovative architectural design that sets the benchmark for the international architectural community of the next generation. The LEAF Awards programme is operated by the Leading European Architects Forum (LEAF), founded in 2001. LEAF brings together leading international architects and designers operating in Europe and beyond to share knowledge, to network and to develop new partnerships.

• LOERIE Awards: Category ‘Communication Design – Architecture’: The LOERIES is an annual recognition of the best work produced in the brand communication industry in our region – including the whole of Africa and the Middle East. The awards were judged by over 140 local and international experts in their fi elds, including four international jury chairmen from Hamburg, Melbourne, NYC and San Francisco, as well as regional judges from Accra, Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam.

Size of project (m2): 3 000 front

of house 12 000 including parking

Start and completion date: Start

December 2011, end Nov 2013