Palana House

Conceived as a minimalist crisply detailed sculpted form this building sits high in an urban setting in City Beach. Seen from afar its exquisitely fine horizontal roof punctuates the urban landscape. The lightness of the slender cantilevering roof is in contrast to the buildings masculine base. Fronting the street, the massive cantilevered swimming pool with its structural glass is a daring architectural feat. Despite the awkward shaped corner block with its cross fall and hollow the clients objective of achieving ocean views from indoor and outdoor living areas has been achieved. A north facing wrap around balcony with the above ground swimming pool to the west alleviated the necessity to provide extensive privacy screening and afforded a panorama outlook to the Indian Ocean.

Open living with large retractable glass sliding doors to the north facing sheltered balcony works well for both summer and winter conditions. Passive heating and cooling are accommodated with large roof overhangs allowing shading in summer and deep penetration of sunlight into living areas in winter.

Photography: Dmax