MENNELL PAVILION

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.