Peter Rich:
Rogan Rich:
+27 83 725 0665
+27 72 477 4555
MENNELL PAVILION
Illovo, Johannesburg, South Africa
The concept of outdoor living and the sequential build-up of space is implicit in
the African spatial model. The building is a fusion of the ideals of modernism with
local traditions and culture, rooting the building in its climate and landscape. The
pavilion is refined and rigorously detailed, a sophisticated yet understated use of steel
and glass, establishing a sense of place and a hierarchy of spaces in this otherwise
mundane backyard.
Two overlapping roof planes structure the building in space. This defines and
ritualizes the entrance walkway as an architectural promenade, with the separate
volume of the main building housing a bar and wine cellar. Sliding glass doors, fixed
glazing and planar curvilinear walls allow for the integration of inside and outside
space, connecting and screening one outdoor room from the other.
The pavilion is far more than a refined modernist artefact. It becomes a cultural
statement by combining modernism with local traditions and endeavours to further
strengthen a uniquely South African Architecture.


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