The Ocean View villa in South Africa

The Ocean View villa has been designed by Van Ringen Architecten and is located on the waterfront in the charming coastal village of Wilderness in South Africa. The northern facade facing the street is one storey high with three storeys on the southern facade running down to the beach. The northern trajectory of the Sun and the casting of shadows to the south is the primary reason that the terraces facing the beach have been projected southward – thereby increasing external exposure to sunlight whilst at the same time increasing interior shade within the villa. The southern facade has been made mostly transparent to enable views of the Indian Ocean from every room. Floor to ceiling windows (up to 4.5 meters) offer panoramic views over the ocean and adds plenty of natural daylight.

The house is separated into three levels made evident by the continuous line through roof, wall and floor. The filling of the façade is made by glass, stone or panga panga. The private functions (bathrooms and storage) are designed as closed boxes on an open floor plan which creates a lot of freedom in the use of the open space. The ground floor is for private use. On the lower floors are six guest rooms each including an ensuite bathroom, there is a central dining room, living room, several terraces and a swimming pool. Private sea-facing decks look out across the bay, where occupants can watch an array of local wildlife including dolphins and whales.

The central courtyard provides the lower floors with northern light. The courtyard connects the different floors visually and physically with each other. Multiple pools are available for use by guests, with a communal space on the seafront and a private pool on the northern side reserved exclusively for occupants of the Honeymoon Suite. You can book a holiday in this luxury guesthouse and find more information on their website here.