Bigger is not better when it comes to sustainable architecture and the growing “tiny house” trend was celebrated recently at the SA Institute of Architects Eastern Cape Awards.
The Regional Commendation for Architecture Award went to NOH Architects in Gqeberha for its Leopard Trail Huts in the Baviaanskloof.
The Leopard Trail is privately operated by Go Baviaans, under the direction of Linden Booth, and funded and owned by the East Cape Parks and Tourism Agency.
It is situated at the western end of the Baviaanskloof, the Eastern Cape’s premier wilderness area, and is part of the agency’s programme to make the protected area more accessible to tourists.
NOH founding director Tim Hewitt-Coleman said the project consisted of 12 timber huts divided equally between three remote camps along the Leopard Trail.
He said each camp consisted of three four-bed sleeper-huts and one communal hut with a 12-seater table.
“It’s all off-grid so we included solar panels powering LED lighting and Wi-Fi, wood-burning stoves and gas cookers, pit latrines, outdoor showers and stone swimming pools fed with spring water.”
He said the biggest challenge had been the need to minimise pressure on the environment, which was necessary because of its fragility and the World Heritage Site status of the Baviaanskloof.
“To achieve that we needed to minimise our time on site, so the trick was to do as much of the construction as possible off-site, and then just do the assembling and installation at the camps.”
He was pleasantly surprised that the humble huts were even considered by the judging panel against other projects with much bigger budgets.
“They are a symbol I feel of the real possibilities that come with downsizing.
“They show what can be done when there is a confluence of technology and a change in mindset.
“For me, the huts point to the possibilities for a reruralised future where we do more with less.
“This award is an illustration of the growing realisation that bigger is not always better and that the time is now to begin designing for a future that touches the environment lightly and draws less heavily on finite natural resources.”
The huts are now fully operational and serve as sleepover stops on the moderately difficult slack-packing Leopard Trail.
HeraldLIVE
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