Post on 23-Dec-2015
description
transcript
Magriet Steynberg, 2014
SAREL MARAIS HOMESTEADKlipriviersberg Nature ReserveBuilding as Object
ARPL4004 UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRANDHannah Le RouxPaul KotzeDiaan van der Westhuizen
Section A
Elevation Plan
Section B
meters
Sarel Marais and his family were one of the first settlers in the
Witwatersrand Area. Like the Tswana who had previously lived in
the area, Marais had acquired land with ample grazing, fertile soil,
plenty of water and an abundance of game. Sarel Marais
constructed the farm house around 1850's. The ruins of the
residence can still be seen in the southern part of the
Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve.
The bricks used to construct the homestead were made from clay
that was found locally. The roof was thatched and supported by
yellow wood timbers and the ceiling was also constructed of reed
and mud. The floors were made of the traditional mixture of mud
and cow dung. In the store room the mud floor was marked off in
1foot squares.
0 1 2 3 4 5 10
Built Form
B
A
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.5
kilometers
The site that Sarel and his wife selected for their homestead faced
west and had an unobstructed view of the Bloubossspruit. The back of
the homestead snuggled into the base of a 'koppie.' While the ground
to the south, being lush grassland, was ideal for cultivation and
grazing.
To the west of the homestead was a wagon shed and walled orchard.
Most of the trees in the orchard were peach trees. Apart from the fruit
that was either dried or preserved a large portion was also used to
produce brandy. The orchard was irrigated from a weir that was
erected across the spruit. Water was channelled to an earth dam and
then into the orchard. It is believed that Marais also planted a vineyard
but it no longer exists.
Site Plan
Movement Structure
Primary PathSecondary Path
River
Landforms
Building In The Urban Context
Grain
0 1 2 3 4 5 10
meters
Circulation to use Geometry
HierarchyUnit to Whole
The house can be described as an I-plan house which was common
with the early settlers. The I-plan also had an kitchen which is the room
behind the “voorkamer” with a hearth. Even though the rooms left and
right of the “voorkamer” were usually dedicated as bedrooms they in
the boer settler culture these rooms were not particularly private. The
I-type, which was used from early Dutch settlers in the Cape, was
initially a small house and as the family or fortune grew, rooms like
kitchens and “agterkamers” could be added which is probably what
happened in this case. This homestead does not fully comply with the
alphabet plans in terms of it’s proportions but it has a definite
geometry. This is probably because the the trekboers were forced to
become their own architects and builders and built with the knowledge
passed between them during the Groot Trek.Building As Form