Gregory Katz merges clashing geometries for South African home

[Celerity]

https://www.dezeen.com/2023/09/12/gregory-katz-great-primary-shapes-house/









A collision of geometric forms in contrasting brick and concrete defines Great Primary Shapes House, a dwelling in South Africa designed by local architect Gregory Katz. Commissioned by a couple with a "distaste for the ordinary", the four-bedroom home in a suburb of Johannesburg is made up of squares, circles, triangles and an octagon.









The concept for the 275-square-metre home came from Euclid's Elements, a book by the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid that Katz was reading while working on the design. "As I delved into the book, I became captivated by the idea of creating a structure where the exterior of each shape is composed of different materials, while the interior materials remained consistent, thereby unifying the spaces," explained Katz.









The entrance to Great Primary Shapes House is a triangular form with exposed concrete walls, circular side windows and a fully-glazed frontage. It is connected to one side of a two-storey octagonal brick form, which is punctured by trapezoidal windows and contains a large dining and kitchen area. The entrance leads to a short corridor where sliding glass doors open onto the garden. It also leads through to a cylindrical concrete volume, where a living space is illuminated by a high-level, semicircular window.









On the west side of the home is a cuboid form built from perforated blockwork. Topped with solar panels, it contains a garage, gym and guest apartment and adjoins a small circular space containing utility areas. To the east, an oval-shaped swimming pool is wrapped by a garden terrace connecting to paved paths that lead around the sides of the home and link its various forms.

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[Chainfire]

1. It looks like a well-to-do dentist's office.

[Srkdqltr]

2. How do they get any privacy? Or keep the bugs out.

Dosen't look comfortable.

[niyad]

3. Thank you. It is a fascinating design. That one photo of the circular section

rather reminds me of a teapot without the lid.

Perfect timing. I had been thinking that I had not seen one of your architectural essays recently, missing them.

[Celerity]

4. I posted one 2 days ago

Mid-century Zero House in London imbued with "Kubrick feel"

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181883485

plus these others last week:

Charred-wood beach house sits among Amagansett's dunes on Long Island

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181881514


Edition Office uses concrete and copper to finish Australian apartment block

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181881507

[niyad]

5. Thank you. I must have missed them somehow. Will check them out.

In the circular structures, is that soil on the roof? Will they be doing rooftop gardening?