architecture

architecturally, the studio’s work is minimalist, creating places of our time. Movement of people and functionality in space are design generators. Responses to light, air and water establish the studio’s architectural response, expressed in form, space and proportion. Architecture defines the quality of the built environment and our culture.

La Chaumiere 1863

Conservation and adaptive reuse of a Cape Dutch workers cottage, Franschoek, Cape Province

Colin Polwarth Architect was commissioned by international banker to convert a neglected Cape Dutch worker’s cottage and outbuildings into to a luxury residence for the entertainment of family and friends in the picturesque Franschoek winelands. Set in ~2 hectares of land. Franschoek, some 180km from Cape Town is famous for its French Huguenot heritage with accompanying Provençal styled culture.

The project included extensive heritage research into the Cape Dutch building, including social, cultural, pre- European histories, which informed the Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the buildings and property.