This magnificent home by GASS Architecture is located in Swellendam, South Africa. It is surrounded by breathtaking landscape and valleys of Langeberg Mountains – a place so amazing that the locals refer to it as “God’s Window.”
[quote]It was because of this exquisite setting that simple forms and materials were chosen for the architecture, in order to facilitate a subtle intervention – to “lie gently” on the landscape. The buildings were constructed using largely local textures and materials reminiscent of its distinctly Southern African origins. In addition to the architecture itself, efforts were made to make the house and the land itself more sustainable. For example, the land was cleared of non-native invading species, like the black wattle. Also, all the water used in the house is harvested from the site itself, and as a result there is no connection to the municipal water supply line, making the house self-sustaining from a water perspective.[/quote]
