DESIGN PROFILE
Opening page, clockwise from top right Richard Townsend of TAARCH; these four ultramodern townhouses in an exclusive Fresnaye development are appropriate in scale and form to the built environment (TAARCH); Voelklip, Hermanus (SAOTA); Montrose, Bishopscourt (SAOTA); a contemporary take on Cape vernacular in the Winelands region (TAARCH/SAOTA). Opposite Two strikingly modern homes on a subdivision on the slopes above Green Point with views over the stadium and Table Bay (TAARCH). This page This small block of duplexes on Bantry Bay’s seaside strip offer stylish living and a timeless contemporary architectural aesthetic (TAARCH).
design. This can inform, say, the structural references to the landscape and climate, or material, using those from the region of the proposed structure.’ The basis of this theory is to give a building a sense of place and identity, something that Richard believes is critical to modern architecture. It’s also a quality that’s more apparent in residential architecture than in commercial developments. ‘I’ve recently been approached by a patron client to consult on a shopping centre project, which is something I haven’t done a lot of in my career. The reason he has come to me is because I’ve convinced him that these projects need to have architectural merit, need to be works of art and need to have identity and a sense of place in the community in which they are being built. Too many commercial retail developments don’t have this quality and are uninspired. This is a great pity, because the spin-off is that the community will treat it as a social space, one that they relate to, interact with, are proud of and subsequently look after,’ he explains. You might not think ‘Critical Regionalism’ when you marvel at an exceptional building, but for architects who subscribe to that theory, it’s crucial, and explains Richard’s strong views on the notion of a homogenous South African architectural style.
‘I’m not really sure why people want to define a South African architectural style; it doesn’t make sense to me. If you look at Europe, for example, there isn’t a singular European architectural style. There are many, but they are referred to as specific contextual styles that not only hint at particular regions in Europe but also to their cultures, such as Mediterranean or Scandinavian architectural styles. Here in South Africa, it’s the same: it’s critically regionalist in that we have such varying landscapes and climates, such as the highveld, Cape, tropical and bushveld, each one of these with its characteristic architecture, not to mention various cultures and people. All of these are inspiring and make the case against having a singular defining South African style,’ he says conclusively. But, even though someone might have walls of tertiary institution certificates and libraries of academic theory behind him, end-users doesn’t particularly care for theory – they want to see its application. It is here that Richard comes into his own: he stays true to disciplinary theory, which allows for creative expression and, ultimately, architectural beauty. A clear example of this is a project that he has been busy with since 2008 and that his team has now joined – a Franschhoek homestead for a family
of three generations within a secure residential estate with communal vineyards. Inspired by the Cape Dutch farm homestead concept endemic to the area’s colonial wine-farming history, Richard and his team have created a super-contemporary collective of pods – kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms – that pivot on a communal living area for the whole family. ‘The estate guidelines were very restrictive, but we pushed the boundaries, the result being that the controlling estate architects who drew them up were very surprised and impressed at what we did,’ he says. ‘It’s a project due for completion next year and our clients are very excited about it.’ And rightly so.What’s amazing about this project is that Richard’s strong subscription to Critical Regionalism shines through: the homestead’s unwavering contemporariness fits comfortably into an area steeped in the historical traditions of viniculture and colonialism. If the 3D renderings of TAARCH’s current projects are anything to go by, then, upon their completion, they will make the case for life imitating art. For Richard, starting his own firm has provided him the ultimate freedom – to create works of art inspired by disciplinary theory. +27 (0)83 448 1331, taarch.com
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