This super skinny off-grid home was designed to disappear into the tree canopy of a South African nature reserve — take a look inside

Melissa WileyJul 29, 2020, 03:03 IST

An architecture studio has designed an off-grid home that appears to float amid the tree canopy of a South African nature reserve.
Called The House of the Big Arch, the home is just 11 feet wide in parts.
Johannesburg-based Frankie Pappas designed the home, at the request of its owners, to leave the surrounding sandstone cliffs and forest intact.
Take a look inside the seriously skinny structure, which comes with a firepit, open-air timber bridges, and an above-ground pool.

Frankie Pappas, an architecture studio based in Johannesburg, has designed a home in South Africa's Bushveld eco-region that's virtually invisible to the untrained eye.

Called The House of the Big Arch, it weaves between the red sandstone cliffs and riverine forest of the Waterberg Reserve about three hours north of the city.

At the owners' request, the studio took care to respect the surrounding environment when building the home.

Before embarking on the project, Frankie Pappas laser-scanned the entire site and used the resulting 3D 'digital forest' to inform the design.

"Any funky bulges and protrusions in the plan of the building were dictated by where trees allowed us to build," the team wrote in their project description, noting that no trees were demolished during construction.

"Any funky bulges and protrusions in the plan of the building were dictated by where trees allowed us to build," the team wrote in their project description, noting that no trees were demolished during construction.

The result is a long, custom, and seriously skinny building that appears to float through the tree canopy.

Past the entrance, the house is just 11 feet wide.

The main level includes a sunlit lounge, dining room, and kitchen.

There is also a kitchen, outdoor deck, and small pool, which is supported by an arch after which the house is named.

Timbered wood bridges connect different sections of the building.

The ground floor includes multiple courtyards plus a study, library, and small swing bench.

Downstairs, a cellar keeps wine and cured meats cool.

Due to its remote location, the home is also off-grid, relying on rainwater collection and solar panels.

"This building is a careful and direct response to this particular portion of this particular riverine forest of this particular portion of the Waterberg of this particular portion of the Bushveld," the studio wrote. "This architecture could exist nowhere else in the world.

"This building is a careful and direct response to this particular portion of this particular riverine forest of this particular portion of the Waterberg of this particular portion of the Bushveld," the studio wrote. "This architecture could exist nowhere else in the world.

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This super skinny off-grid home was designed to disappear into the tree canopy of a South African nature reserve — take a look inside

Frankie Pappas, an architecture studio based in Johannesburg, has designed a home in South Africa's Bushveld eco-region that's virtually invisible to the untrained eye.

Called The House of the Big Arch, it weaves between the red sandstone cliffs and riverine forest of the Waterberg Reserve about three hours north of the city.

At the owners' request, the studio took care to respect the surrounding environment when building the home.

Before embarking on the project, Frankie Pappas laser-scanned the entire site and used the resulting 3D 'digital forest' to inform the design.

"Any funky bulges and protrusions in the plan of the building were dictated by where trees allowed us to build," the team wrote in their project description, noting that no trees were demolished during construction.

The result is a long, custom, and seriously skinny building that appears to float through the tree canopy.

Past the entrance, the house is just 11 feet wide.

The main level includes a sunlit lounge, dining room, and kitchen.

There is also a kitchen, outdoor deck, and small pool, which is supported by an arch after which the house is named.

Timbered wood bridges connect different sections of the building.

The ground floor includes multiple courtyards plus a study, library, and small swing bench.

Downstairs, a cellar keeps wine and cured meats cool.

Due to its remote location, the home is also off-grid, relying on rainwater collection and solar panels.

"This building is a careful and direct response to this particular portion of this particular riverine forest of this particular portion of the Waterberg of this particular portion of the Bushveld," the studio wrote. "This architecture could exist nowhere else in the world.