Chapel of Light_
Location: Botriver, Western Cape Material: Up-cycled glass bottles
Experimenting with upcycled glass bottles as a primary building material, 2018’s Folly in the veld, took the form of a 6m tall glass ‘temple of light’. Designed to act as a landmark from afar and a poetic place of contemplation up close, the proud form intends to both blend in and stand out. It is a strange shape at odds with a context but welcomed by its landscape.
*In collaboration with Justin Davenport
Watch FITV 2018 After video HERE
more after the break ↓
© L Chisholm
As overlapping glass-green abstracts the natural surrounding, orange ochre paintwork mimics the rich clay that exists naturally underneath.
The site, a large flat area covered in fynbos is held by thick bush and forest on both sides, and backed by rolling mountains. It faces due West and catches the evening sunset.
© L Chisholm
Porcupine Hills, the host farm for FITV 2018, manages all its waste on site - all that comes onto the farm does not leave. Waste material is cleaned, sorted and stored into the farm’s ‘recycling treasure trove’ . With a surplus of glass bottles, primarily green wine bottles, the decision to use these as the main building material was easily made.
© L Chisholm
© L Chisholm
Cleaned bottles are arranged in neat rows with their connection to the super structure concealed underneath the preceding row. The bottles read as translucent shingles of the pyramidal facade. Each elevation of the building becomes a textured surfaces through which to catch and play with light. During the day this works with the sun, and at night it is the energy of a fire that dances across the surface to draw one in.
© A Paterson
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