The house in Park Drive, Port Elizabeth, is a building
of merit but needed cosmetic repair and expansion. The brief called for the
addition of two new bedrooms and the addressing of the related spaces to be
affected by the additions and alteration. Given the scale and junction challenges, the
decision was taken to clearly articulate the new structure from the existing
house and to articulate the original ‘stoep’ as a clip-on to the original
house. The light-weight timber and steel box was necessitated by the structural
parameters of the existing ‘stoep’. The box was pushed forward to aid in the
creation of a transitional threshold between the rear of the building and the
garden. A check was added to extend the claustrophobic lounge into the garden.
Given the steep change in topographical level at this point, a feeling of
floating in the trees is created when standing on the deck. The existing courtyard
and adjacent basement were also amended and the connection between the two
improved.