- Project: Dune House
- Architect: KLG Architects
- Location: South Africa, Betty’s Bay
- Year: 2022
- Area: 164 m2
- Photography: Paris Brummer
A Dialogue Between Wind, Sand, and Shelter
In Betty’s Bay, a coastal enclave between mountain and sea on South Africa’s Western Cape, KLG Architects has crafted a home that listens deeply to its environment. The Dune House is not imposed upon the land — it floats above it, its architecture shaped by the wind, the dunes, and the delicate ecosystems that define this windswept terrain.
Emerging from a philosophy of ecological sensitivity and minimal intervention, the Dune House exemplifies how contemporary architecture can coexist with, rather than conquer, nature.
“Our goal was to let the building be of the dune — not on it,” explains the architects. “It had to respect the shifting sands and embrace the elements, not resist them.”
The Roofscape: Architecture in the Wind
The design begins and ends with the roofscape — a distinctive, sculptural form that simultaneously defines the home’s silhouette and its environmental logic.
Betty’s Bay experiences strong seasonal winds: southeasterly gusts from the ocean in summer and northwesterly flows from the mountains in winter. In response, KLG Architects conceived a curved, aerodynamic roof profile that deflects wind over the house, reducing pressure on the structure while shaping comfortable outdoor zones throughout the year.
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During summer, the roof shelters the mountain-facing terrace, creating a calm, shaded living area open to breezes.
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In winter, the built form itself becomes a windbreak, protecting interior spaces from cold mountain air.
This dynamic roofscape also echoes the natural rhythm of the surrounding dunes, allowing the house to feel like a continuation of the landscape’s topography — a sculpted form drawn from sand, wind, and motion.
Elevated Living: Protecting the Dunes
The second defining gesture of the project is its elevated structure. The house sits entirely raised on timber posts, avoiding direct contact with the sensitive dune surface.
This decision serves several ecological and practical purposes:
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It preserves the dune vegetation and allows natural regeneration after construction.
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It enables the migration of sand over time, ensuring the landscape can continue its natural evolution.
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It provides safe passage for small native fauna, such as field mice and moles, maintaining the area’s biological continuity.
Even the foundations embody an experimental sustainability. KLG Architects developed a closed-loop soil system, reusing all excavated earth on-site to stabilize fill and reduce waste. Recycled barrels were used as permanent shuttering for concrete footings, minimizing material use and preventing spillage into the surrounding ecosystem.
This inventive foundation strategy reinforces the home’s light touch, ensuring that every construction process aligns with the principles of ecological stewardship.
Timber and Gabion: Material as Landscape
Timber was chosen as both structural and finishing material, honoring its renewable and low-impact properties. Locally sourced larch was left unfinished, allowing it to weather naturally — turning silver-grey over time to blend seamlessly with the coastal palette of dunes, shrubs, and sea mist.
This patina of age not only enhances the home’s visual harmony with its surroundings but also embodies the architects’ vision of architecture that evolves with place.
To ground the design, gabion elements — wire baskets filled with locally gathered stones — punctuate key points such as the central walkway and seaward deck. These tactile interventions anchor the light timber structure to the earth, forming a textural dialogue between weight and lightness, permanence and impermanence.
Interior Experience: A Refuge Between Elements
Inside, the Dune House maintains its lightweight and elemental ethos. Open-plan living spaces frame shifting views of ocean, mountain, and sky, while sliding glass walls dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior.
An elevated boardwalk, inspired by the wooden pathways of the local coastline, connects the main dwelling to the guest pod, echoing the natural axis between mountain and sea.
Every space is defined by natural light, tactility, and texture. Timber walls and ceilings provide warmth, while restrained furnishings allow the dramatic landscape to remain the focus. The result is a home that offers both refuge and exposure — a sanctuary that breathes with the environment around it.
Stewardship Through Design
In an age of overdevelopment and ecological neglect, Dune House stands as a manifesto for responsible architecture. It demonstrates that comfort and sustainability are not opposing forces but can exist in elegant, symbiotic balance.
By raising itself above the land, curving with the wind, and aging gracefully with the sea air, the house transforms into a living participant in the coastal ecosystem.
KLG Architects’ thoughtful design ensures that the residents are not just observers of the landscape — they are custodians of its continued vitality.
