Nestled into the edge of a cliff in a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, the Westcliff Pavilion residence is built from steel, glass and stone and appears to hover above the ground. Designed by GASS Architecture Studio to make the most of the city views, the steel framed house comes complete with one side that’s mostly glass and a floating stone wall.
By constructing the house in steel, the architects were able to leave much of the land intact by only having the footings disturb the ground.
The massive stone wall that’s suspended in the steel frame was meant to show that a wall doesn’t have to “rely on the ground at all for its solidity.”
The rooms open up and corners disappear to allow the separation of indoor/outdoor to dissipate.
The structure truly feels like it was made for the land it was built on.
The view side isn’t the only area that completely opens up, the other side does as well making the living areas feel expansive.
The two-bedrooms are on either end giving each room privacy, while the center is the shared, public space.
Check out the outdoor shower there on the stone wall!
Photos by Bernard Viljoen.

5 Comments
Frank Form on 10.19.2012 at 18:00 PM
Housing design has become a very competitive market. This projects shows creativity in design by adding steel beams for the support of the main structure. Glass in wall and a rocky finish is all you need in a modern house!!
http://www.solidform.co.uk/blog/category/passivhaus
Thomas G on 04.13.2015 at 00:50 AM
Do you by chance have an approximation on what the cost was to build this home?
Thanks
Matt on 07.03.2016 at 03:45 AM
Did we ever get a price on what it
Might cost?
Thomas G on 07.17.2016 at 19:13 PM
We have not…
David on 11.04.2015 at 00:46 AM
Beautiful design detail. The floating elements give a sense of balance and elegance. We have used similar concepts for a more demanding environment in a New Zealand rainforest area. The temperature variations are probably more variable. The essence of the Japanese pavilion inspires. We will take inspiration in the final designs of our resort. Welcome all feedback on our designs so see http://www.safehaven.nz
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