yinjispace

SUPPORT
SAOTA
Tiaan Meyer
Dylan Lewis
PHOTOGRAPHY
BIJISPACE边界人
WORDS
Chao Zhang
EDITOR
Gina
Collection

Organized by YIJINSPACE, in collaboration with the 17 international top designers of the Chinese high-end interior design delegation—‘Shang She Hui’, we embarked on an art journey to South Africa luxury homes. Special thanks to the global visionary brands accompanying and supporting this exchange: SLEEK slim frame windows, M77 Aesthetic Woodwork, Techsize by Neolith Spanish ceramic slabs, and Antroni windows. During this study trip, we deeply immersed ourselves in the design philosophy and artistic atmosphere of South Africa, drawing inspiration and broadening our perspectives. This is not only an exploration of a foreign land but also a deep collision and fusion of global creativity.

After enduring the fatigue of a 24-hour flight, we arrived in Cape Town under the starry night. In the early morning, the hotel staff woke us up with their unrestrained and passionate dance steps. At that moment, in the slightly cool morning light of a foreign land, a primitive yet vigorous vitality suddenly met me - the vividness of "algorithms far from the city" struck my heart so vividly for the first time. This journey, from the very first step, demonstrated its extraordinariness.

The first stop was the headquarters of SAOTA. As one of the most renowned architectural firms in Africa, its works have long been active on the coasts and skylines around the world. We met Stefan Antoni - one of the founders of SAOTA and also the main creator of the latest project of Aman Hotel. He doesn't have the sense of distance of a "master", nor does he sell any "value system". Instead, he is like an enthusiastic observer. Although the company had prepared detailed presentation documents, he kept stopping and digging out the pictures he had casually taken on his mobile phone: a beam of light, a wisp of wind, and a crack in a rock. He said, "Those are the starting points of design."

"Architecture is not about shelter. It's about framing experience." After saying this, he fell into a moment of silence. At that moment, I realized that what he designed was not the space itself, but a way of perception. It is not about expressing style, but about making architecture a container of nature - accommodating light, wind, gravity and the rhythm of life.

Greg Truen's private residence is the embodiment of SAOTA's concept. The wall made of mountain stones is rough and asymmetrical, as if the building was not newly constructed but the result of natural growth of cracks in the mountain. An inverted pyramid-shaped roof is supported by glass, floating lightly, providing shelter from wind and rain without any oppression. The interior is minimalist and restrained, with all gazes directed towards the distance: Table Mountain, the Twelve Apostles Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Here, the building never attempts to seize the attention of nature; instead, it gives way and assists it in unfolding. There is no design "highlight", yet it is awakened everywhere by light, air flow and the texture of materials. Greg made it very clear: "We don't try to define life, but build a framework that can support life."

Kenmore House is a rare "bottom-up" residential development in SAOTA. The main entrance is on the ground floor. As you ascend the steps, the space unfolds layer by layer. The core is a staircase with a strong sense of structure. It introduces natural light like a funnel and also serves as the backbone of the entire building. The building is constructed along the mountain, with its south side leaning against the mountain and its north side cantilevered, overlooking Cape Town. The wind flows through the stairs and the sunlight pours through the eaves. At night, the natural light reflected from Table Mountain becomes soft illumination, and almost no artificial light source is needed. The greatest inspiration is that they do not insist on "designing flow lines", but let wind, light and movement lines jointly determine the spatial form. When the sliding door is fully open, the space seems to spread its wings, blending seamlessly with nature.

Philip Olmesdahl's own house is more like a material experiment. The wall is cast with concrete and mixed with the color paste of the local soil, presenting a naturally weathered reddish-ochre color. Copper-containing stone particles are mixed into the ground concrete. Over time, they oxidize and give off a green luster, as if they were a giant ore breathing slowly. The roof is made of warm wood to neutralize the hardness of the concrete. The space is not deliberately decorated, yet there are subtle judgments everywhere. Plants grow into buildings in an "invasive" manner - not as embellishments, but as a natural "invasion". This is not a simulation of wild charm, but an attitude: let nature determine the boundaries and let architecture be its extension.

Beyond is Stefan Antoni's own residence and also the accumulation of SAOTA's methodology. There are no show-off skills and no deliberate highlights. The roof extends as the terrain undulates. The opening and closing of the window is determined by which side the wind blows. The wall doesn't have to be complete, but the light is always precise. We arrived at dusk. The wind swept over the eaves and the light streamed into the atrium. Everything was so quiet that it seemed to be free from human desire to express oneself. Architecture is not "designed", but "expressed by the environment". At this moment, we finally understand that the core of SAOTA is not a formal language, but rather the transfer and trust in the natural order.

Leaving the city, we drove inland. The deeper one goes, the fewer buildings there are and the greater the scenery becomes. The power of nature transcends design language. Here, architecture no longer dominates everything but emerges with the trend."BOSJES" means "bushes". This white church designed by Tiaan Meyer is like light waves, responding to the undulating terrain of the valley. It doesn't promote religion, but it inherently carries a sense of solemnity, making people subconsciously lower their voices. The core of the church is not its shape but the path: the brick path extending from the 18th-century manor, passing through the water and tree arrays, slowly leads people into this white ripple. As the rhythm progresses, the sense of sanctity emerges naturally - without emphasis or interpretation. This is an Oriental attitude of architecture: restrained, reserved, latent, silent but awe-inspiring.

This sculpture garden has no path planning and no commentary. Wandering through it, one would sometimes come across broken statues of humans and beasts, and sometimes be struck by black Outlines among the hills. These sculptures never seek to be understood. They exist like landforms, exposed to wind, rain and sun, remaining unchanged.This made me re-understand "materiality" : the significance of space does not lie in visual comfort or functional efficiency, but in activating the deep relationship between people and materials. What you truly feel is the magnification of your own mental state.

The trip to South Africa was more like an update of the judgment method. We were not moved by grand forms but found clues in "restraint". See thinking where there is "no design"; In the crevices and boundaries, one can see the deepest design capabilities. SAOTA repeatedly uses similar vocabularies - eaves, glass, bare concrete, wooden ceilings - but never repeats itself. What they judge is not the style, but the light, the climate and the terrain. They solve changing problems in the same way.

I write down three reminders for this journey: Architecture is rhythm, not form. What you design is a way in which a state occurs. Materials are judgment, not decoration. Behind it is not "aesthetics", but sincerity and time. Nature is the protagonist, not the background. All the "locality" is not an additional totem, but the root of the relationship between structure and climate.May I also become such an architect: Not starting from style, but from light, landform and air flow; It is not for "leaving memories", but to enable people to remember themselves in the space. Just as Stefan Antoni said:“We don’t design spaces to be remembered. We design them so you can forget where you are — and remember who you are.”

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