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