Hospitality Design - May 2020 - 171

7
Aiming to give guests a more direct and
immediate experience of the bush, ARRCC
broke the traditional lodge typology into
freestanding clusters. Each of the three
private estates has its own arrival courtyard,
expansive open-plan living areas, and four
standalone bedroom suites with bathrooms
that open to the outdoors.
The fractured arrangement was guided
in part by the site topography-the firm
sought to build around existing trees-but
also to guarantee privacy. "The rear side of
the structures are quite solid and almost
brutal," Case says. "But inside, they all open
up to the view. Nature is literally in your
living room."
The ample glass exposures and terraces
succeeded in bringing the outdoors in, but
also posed a challenge as the structures
needed to withstand extreme weather
conditions during the summer and winter
seasons, not to mention monsoon-style
rain. To mitigate this, Case says the studio
used cross-ventilation and designed large
overhangs on most external areas to ensure
the buildings are continuously in a shaded
pocket, noting that apertures remain open
much of the time.
Traditional game reserves often
emphasize African design through trophy

8

hunts and graphics and skins, but Cheetah
Plains offers such a visceral sense of place
that the studio didn't rely on those tropes to
tell the lodge's design story. "If you have 15
hippos in front of you while eating dinner,
you don't need porcupine quills in the
lampshades," says Case.
Connection to place is instead
achieved through regional materials and
collaborations with local artisans. The
studio chose Corten steel that would age
well in the climate, travertine floors, and
Maca stonework to evoke a handmade feel.
On the terraces, sculptural rusted steel pool
pavilions, inspired by the canopy of the local
Tamboti tree, filter dappled light through
cantilevered, branch-like frames.
The rawness of such materials contrast
the plush interior furnishings, which include
custom leather chairs, rugs by local weavers,
and chandeliers made by area glassblowers.
Meanwhile, a rotating collection of
contemporary African art from the owner's
personal collection further connects the
safari lodge to its location. "We wanted to
sew Africa into the design in the most natural
way possible," Case says. "The artists are
speaking in their own language." hd
arrcc. com; che et ahpl ains. com

5+6. Steel, travertine,
and stone establish a
sense of place, furthered
in the private estates
by glass exposures that
bring in views of the
landscape.

7+8. The raw material
palette contrasts softer
furnishings, which
include custom seating
and rugs by local
weavers.

Owner Japie Van Niekerk Management Company
African Secrets Management Architecture
and Interior Design Firm ARRCC, Cape Town,
South Africa Architecture and Interior Design
Project Team Stefan Antoni, Jon Case, Emanuel
Kuchocha, Wade Nelsen, Tanisha Niell, Mark
Rielly, Ann-Katharina Schoenberger, Nina
Sierra Rubia, and Luke Zanon Lighting Martin
Doller Engineering DG Consulting Engineers
(structural), Wingrove Consulting Engineers
(mechanical), Watson Mattheus Consulting
Engineers (electrical) Landscape A&N
Landscaping Furnishings OKHA
*Designers did not provide sourcing for other
furnishings shown.

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http://www.arrcc.com http://www.cheetahplains.com http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
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