Fabulous renovation of a villa in South Africa by SAOTA

In Cape Town, South Africa, a famous villa built by architect Gilbert Colyn in 1969 is restored and embellished by the SAOTA office, under the direction of the project architects Stefan Antoni and Leah Johnson.

Located in the leafy suburb of Higgovale, below Table Mountain, the mansion overlooks the city and harbor of Cape Town, South Africa. Originally designed for his own use by respected south african architect Gilbert Colyn in 1969, the residence is inspired by two iconic homes, namely Phillip Johnson’s Glass House, built in 1949, and Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe, in 1951. In 2013, the house was bought by the architect Stefan Antoni, director of the SAOTA office. By this time it had reached a disturbing state of disrepair and suffered from the inappropriate alterations and out of character additions to the language of the building that had grafted into it. Without Antoni’s intervention, this could have resulted in the building being demolished and its heritage status as a fine example of modern architecture would not have been recognized. Fortunately, the careful and sensitive changes and contributions of the SAOTA team, under the leadership of Stefan Antoni and Leah Johnson, return the threatened property to its original state, improve its overall makeup and refine its interior. Updated with the contemporary world, today it offers a wonderful and new life experience.