Three of SAOTA’s residential projects – Kloof House, Beyond and Le Pine – have been shortlisted as finalists in the WAN Awards 2021 in the House of the Year specialist category.

The global WAN (World Architectural News) Awards acknowledges and celebrates excellent architecture; now in its 13th year, the awards program recognizes the outstanding works of innovative, visionary and imaginative architects worldwide.

Kloof House is a family home positioned below Lion’s Head in Cape Town, South Africa. The strongest gesture is the inverted pyramid roof which creates a clerestory window around the upper level. It allows the building to open up, capturing views of the sky, Table Mountain and Lion’s Head and bringing the sun and moon into the home, heightening the connection to nature and its cycles.

Perched on the shoulders of Lion’s Head, Beyond springs from a steep hillside that drops off to the famous sequence of Clifton’s white beaches to the Twelve Apostles beyond. Entry from the road gives a carefully composed impression of four lower stories with tantalizing glimpses of two more levels towering above. The lower levels play host to six bedrooms and a double-volume entertainment space. Principal living is at the very top of the building – an expansive, double-height open-plan space that houses the kitchen, bar, dining, living and family rooms as well as a winter lounge, study and art studio at a mezzanine level.

Le Pine is a summer home in Saint Tropez, France and is a contemporary interpretation of traditional Mediterranean Riviera architecture. Free from the constraints of the historical vernacular, the project became an opportunity to advance the expression of form, space, and lifestyle associated with the location.