The outbuilding that is referred to as the wynk-elder in reference to a time when grapes were<\/p>\n
grown on the farm, is a small flat-roofed structure that has restored and converted into a living<\/p>\n
unit. It was badly damaged and had been clumsily altered. An incongruous timber pergola and<\/p>\n
a brick fireplace had been added to the exterior. The fireplace, however, had delaminated from
\nthe wall and was collapsing. The walls were also badly damaged by termites and the floors and
\nceiling rotted. When repairs began, it was discovered that the wine store had originally been a single-level building, and its parapet was raised in the 1970s to allow for another level so that it could be used as a house. \u201cWhen we repaired the plaster, we could see that the bottom part of the building was made out of poured mud, and then as you go up, there are some sundried bricks, and then more contemporary bricks right at the top,\u201d says Truen. A somewhat clunky staircase has also been added. The repairs and restoration of the wine store
\ninvolved reorganizing the ground level so that it could function as a living area and kitchen, and
\nlocating the bedroom and bathroom on the mezzanine above. The ground floor was levelled
\nand paved in stone harvested from the surrounding veld. The rotted upper floor was replaced with SA pine, which was limewashed.
\nThe roof upstairs was finished with poplar beams and a rietdak ceiling. \u201cWe had to create a new stair between the levels,\u201d says Truen. \u201cOf course, that raised the
\nquestion of how you insert new fabric into old fabric.\u201d<\/p>\n
Booyens designed a new self-supporting steel staircase as a contrasting contemporary insertion. \u201cThe staircase doesn\u2019t touch the original structure of the building,\u201d he says. It floats above
\nthe floor and is set slightly apart from the walls, connecting at a single point on the floor and at<\/p>\n
just one point on the mezzanine level. Its contemporary unichannel frame and intricately<\/p>\n
detailed American Oak treads, suspended by a system of cables, make for a subtle intervention.
\nThe modern decorative timber screen is similarly light, but clearly expressed as a contemporary
\naddition, respecting the historical fabric of the building through contrast and a lightness of
\ntouch. The two stone treads at the base of the staircase are also offset from the walls and the staircase, so that they and the staircase appear as \u201ctwo loose elements inside the original building\u201d as Booyens puts it. The mezzanine level has a long, narrow en suite
\nbathroom running the length of the front wall, which also contrasts with the historical fabric. It
\nis accessed via a large cut-out between the bedroom and bathroom to facilitate the views to<\/p>\n
the orchard beyond. \u201cAnd of course take advantage of the breeze and the natural light,\u201d adds<\/p>\n
Truen. A curtain provides privacy when necessary.<\/p>\n
The bathroom combines contemporary materials such as terrazzo cladding and a laser-cut<\/p>\n
metal ceiling with a long poplar table that runs the length of the wall in front of the windows,
\nand poplar shutters. The contemporary materials are natural and honestly expressed, as Truen
\nputs it, \u201cnesting in quite nicely\u201d, and engaging with the building\u2019s heritage by expressing time<\/p>\n
as a continuum acknowledging the contemporary moment.<\/p>\n
The exterior of the wine store has been painted pink partly in reference to the historical practice in the karoo of mixing lime to make a light red or pink colour, and partly in an exploration of some of the historical connections between Cape and Mexican architecture. This avenue of architectural dialogue was prompted by a number of trips Truen had made to Mexico as a result of international commissions there. He visited various traditional Mexican buildings, as well as some famous examples of Mexican modernist architecture such as Luis Barragan\u2019s famous Cuadra San Cristobal.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlot of the historical buildings in both countries are made in quite similar ways, using mud and
\nstone and materials that were immediately available to them,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd, actually, they
\nhave quite similar landscapes.\u201d
\nHe was also interested by what he perceived as similarities between Cape and Mexican
\nmodernism. The work of the Cape and of Mexican modernists were both rooted in their
\nrespective vernacular architectures, and fused local materials and construction techniques
\nwith modernist approaches to forge a rich, sensual regionalist approach to modernist
\nprinciples.
\nBoth Mexican and Cape modernism were particularly sensitive to the climate and quality
\nof light, which lent itself to the use of bright colours. Cuadra san Cristobal was painted shades of pink. Truen also draws a connection between the shutter door of the main house and Barragan\u2019s modernist redeployment of similar doors and window shutters to moderate heat, light, and privacy.<\/p>\n
This dialogue between Cape and Mexican architecture is also evident in parts of the landscaping throughout the rest of the restoration project. The pool above the main house and the water channel that runs to the dam, for example, also take cues from Barragan\u2019s use of water features.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The outbuilding that is referred to as the wynk-elder in reference to a time when grapes were grown on the farm, is a small flat-roofed structure that has restored and converted into a living unit. It was badly damaged and had been clumsily altered. An incongruous timber pergola and a brick fireplace had been added […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[21,17,20],"class_list":["post-165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trends","tag-rea-estate-trends","tag-real-estate-magazine","tag-the-wine-store"],"yoast_head":"\n