Bosjes wins international Architizer A+Awards
Bosjes Farm in the Breedekloof Valley of the Western Cape is synonymous with bold architectural statements. It is immediately identifiable by the hyperbolic paraboloid lines of its Kapel roof structure. Now, Architizer, the world’s largest awards programme focused on promoting and celebrating the year’s best architecture and products, has announced that the recently opened BOSJES Farm Spens Garden Café and Winkel gift shop has won the A+ Popular Award and Jury vote in the category Hospitality (Restaurants L>1,000 sq ft).
The Architect
The London-based, South African born architect Coetzee Steyn of Steyn Studio designed both buildings. The firm won the same accolade in 2019 when the Bosjes Kapel received recognition as a Special Honouree.
Said Coetzee Steyn, “We are truly honoured to receive this recognition for our work, especially given this years’ awards theme. Where given the opportunity, we look for the connections between man and nature. Not just how to bring man closer to nature, but also how nature can inspire our architecture. To recognise and be sympathetic to place and to delight the eye. This award is also a testament to the importance of patronage, as projects of the standard and vision submitted for the A+Awards would not exist if not for clients like Bosjes who demand it, and we are grateful for that.”
Bosjes Spens and Bosjes Winkel, the two newest visitor offerings at the Breede Valley farm, fit Architizer’s focus perfectly. They blend effortlessly into the landscape and environment. They complement the existing architectural features on the property and harmoniously connect with nature and the region.
The innovative design of the burrowed buildings also speaks to the area’s rich cultural history. They draw inspiration from the grass mat huts of the San, a meshing of timber slats bent to form dome-like lattice structures. This type of intricate trelliswork, which in time will be overgrown, invites people into corral-type forecourts before twisting to form the enclosures of the café and the shop. The functional back-of-house spaces are all hidden underground – thus also naturally insulated. The partly-sunken front-of-house spaces emphasise the magnificent views of the surrounding mountains.
The Architizer A+Awards
The A+Awards is in its 9th consecutive year and attracts a high standard of submissions from around the world. Submissions are subject to a public vote as well as a vote by an esteemed jury panel. Competition in the category was fierce, with submissions by known practices including Heatherwick Studio, Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, Studio Gang and MAD Architects. Winning both the Popular and Jury vote is an especially coveted accolade. This marks another achievement for the architect Coetzee Steyn of Steyn Studio and his associates on the project, Meyer & Associates, Square One Landscape Architects and Liam Mooney Studio. The A+Award also identifies the recipients as industry leaders for architecture and design worldwide and validates their superior work.
Feature image credit: Dave Southwood Photography
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