Tree House - Slee & Co Architects

The Tree House which was designed by Johann Slee is situated in Westcliff, Gauteng. It was designed for the architect himself. 

The house replaces the sites original building which was believed by the architect to be badly designed. Although the old house was replaces some of it was retained and integrated into the new design which also boasts stone which originates from the site.  The Oregon Pine roof timber and timber strip flooring from the previous house was also integrated.

The house is built on a difficult slope and surrounded by trees, it has quite a significant entrance way which creates an awareness of the slope and appreciation of the nature surrounding the building as well as the design.

What I like about this design is the use of the sites own materials, giving the house a feel of integration with  its surroundings, I also like the fact that its a sloped slight, I've always liked sloped sites and the architect does not try to cover it up he embraces the site and even boasts it as a feature to the design making the slope the focal point of the entrance experience and complementing the sight with its double volume windows and view over the surrounding veritable ravine.    

9-14 July 2012: Not a Good Week

This was not a week...

Apart from me being sick, my grandfather is not doing well at all, so I've been off a lot this week being there for my family, but it did not come at a good time, we have so much work and my boss is stressed out and is not happy about me not being at work. But at times you just have to know whats more important, and my grandfather wont be here much longer.

So next week will probably be titled the catch up, And I can see myself having to be extra nice next week. But in the mean time I've done some reading, and the house I'm about to post about caught my eye...

Back Online

So I haven't blogged or uploaded any of my work in a very long time! Or given any updates as to what has been going on in and out of office. So from today I'm going to be blogging every second day until I've made up for my past weeks that I have missed.

Anyway the best thing to do is to start right now. So this blog is titled differently just so that it symbolizes a new beginning for my blog.

Because you cannot try to improve something without change I have thought of some new additions other than office work to blog about. A few changes I am planning on integrating into by block is:

• A weekly review on my architectural readings (10+ years 100 Buildings and other interesting reads)
• A weekly review on my office work as I had previously done
• A weekly review on my progressing tech work
• Random reviews on my own personal improvements
• AND I've given myself a pricing project which me and my boss is working through to help me come to terms with building materials, labour, costs and how the building process works.

So now that I've sold myself to my blog, just a few hi-lights of my last two weeks, I'm almost done with all my reworks, I'm not sure if they still acceptable I think the date was the 26th, but I haven't heard anything about it again, hope I can hand them in, my first office design has finally been completed and I have been invited to my first Roof wetting hahaha I was scared when I heard this, but apparently it's just a braai... I hope. I had a previous private job I was working on a church foyer, and the clients got back to me finally so it's a go ahead yeah! and I designed a carport for my uncle, I get paid so I'm looking forward to finishing that. Oh and I almost know how to finish a whole Energy Efficiency Calculation. And I discovered I love slopped sights!

:) and that's it for today