House La Lucia

Judge's Citation:

The house is a traditional open veranda ‘concrete structure’, facing only the sea to ensure privacy.  

Founding the structure on a primary dune required continuous-flight auger reinforced concrete grout piles. The structural system comprises a reinforced concrete framework with precise in-situ cast roof slabs, walls and floors, with close attention being paid to surface details to ensure concrete finishes of an extremely high standard.

The external finish was conceived as a ‘distress concrete’ finish, purposely displaying a honeycombed, pitted travertine–like concrete skin. This 70-mm in-situ cast skin required a special concrete mix and complex shuttering applied onto the structural concrete wall behind, over insulated bond breaking layers and with stainless steel mesh reinforcement.

The end result and high standard and consistency of concrete achieved allows this project to be a worthy Fulton Award winner in the ‘Architectural Concrete’ category.    

Location:  Durban (KwaZulu-Natal)

Submitted By:  Designworkshop 

Client:  The African Sky Trust

Principal Agent:  Designworkshop

Engineer:  Young + Satharia

Main Contractors:  Capston Construction CC

Specialist Sub-Contractors:  A-Light Electrical