By Chris Hayes
If you were scouring the globe for a place to live off-grid, South Africa’s Tulbagh Valley would surely be on the list. A few hours’ drive from Cape Town, the area is surrounded by mountains in all directions and its basin boasts a Mediterranean-style climate, with one of the world’s smallest but richest floral regions providing ideal conditions for booming fruit farms and vineyards.
Alto Bio Reserve, currently on the market for just over £2.95mn, looks out over the valley from its mountainous perch and is designed as an off-grid, sustainable sanctuary that is sensitive to the beauty of its surroundings.
The remoteness and sloping terrain of the site were “a formidable and intimidating combination” according to owners Charné Le Roux and Lance de Willers, particularly for the construction process. But off-grid living promises its own luxuries: the quiet of an undisturbed landscape, the romantic thrill of isolation.
Having constructed and renovated several homes in the past — and learnt from those successes and failures — for this project the couple were intent on integrating the new building as much as possible into the surrounding landscape, ensuring it responded to “nature’s systems and rhythms”. They worked with André Eksteen of Earthworld Architects, won over by the practice’s sustainability credentials and willingness to embrace the technical hurdles posed by the location.
Throughout the five-bedroom house, large glass windows frame expansive views. The mountainous surroundings are reflected by the interiors, a mixture of natural materials such as timber and stone along with steel and glass. Concrete columns that echo the surrounding cliffs raise the building above the ground.
In the living room, a distinctive counterweighted glass and steel wall seamlessly blends the interior with the exterior, opening up to a patio and pool with a striking view up to the mountain amphitheatre. Despite weighing a mighty three tonnes, the glass wall is cunningly counterbalanced, making it effortless to open.
Passive cooling strategies reduce the building’s energy demands. Additional design features control temperature and lighting, while high ceilings rise towards the north, allowing warm air to accumulate and escape through tilting windows. These practical design approaches are “priceless”, say Le Roux and De Willers, as they not only contribute to very low running costs but also help raise awareness about the benefits of a sustainable lifestyle.
Louvre vents along the shaded southern walls can be manually opened in summer to draw in cooler air, or closed in winter to retain warmth. The stone floor in the living area acts as a heat sink, retaining heat during colder months, while gravity-fed spring water reduces the need for high-tech water systems. Carefully positioned glazing and roof overhangs provide shading throughout the year. After sunset, light spill is virtually eliminated, with fixtures placed to preserve the night’s darkness.
A timber-built structure set apart from the main house, referred to as “The Shed” by Le Roux and De Willers, is a hybrid building that functions as an office and workshop. Solar panels provide electricity for the entire site at present and all fixtures have been selected for their high energy efficiency.
The building’s five-year construction came with many logistical challenges — tricky access, for example, and a responsibility to safeguard the surrounding area. Rubble, toxic chemicals and general site pollution were minimised to protect nature. Building work was carefully scheduled in several phases, beginning with the laying of concrete and finishing with the final installation of glass — this allowed specialists to focus on and complete their own tasks, rather than a general contractor doing an entire turnkey project.
Through its dramatic location and thoughtful details, Alto offers a quiet example of how responsiveness to place points towards more considered ways of sustainable living.
Photography: Savills
