Organic Interior
The Building was conceived in the early nineties. Originally a trailer park, at a small lake called Dunmark Lake. The first visit to the site, I noticed a Heron bird at the edge of the lake.
After a while, it took off in flight. Impressed by the forces expressed by the wings, I decided that the form was a great inspiration to create the golf clubhouse of about 26,000. sf.
With the creative involvement of the Golf Course Designer Thomas Mc Broom, the integration of the course and the building became a reality.
The lower level housed the golf carts and change rooms and walk-out pub.
The lower level placed on the terrain as we found it. The entire lower level was bermed into the course. The upper level was the main level, and housed the banquet rooms, bar, reception, and Golf Pro Sales Centre. A higher level created beautiful vistas to the 18th. Hole.
Although constructed in the early nineties, the building expresses a modern and clean look today. The impression walking around in the building is of naturally guided routes, with surprising vistas to the outside.
The tension created by the roof surfaces, created manipulated vision, and space corridors, turning and twisting everywhere. This is where philosophy and realty meet. The expression of the wings, and the vision corridors meet philosophically. That is the true art in Architecture. Input into a design of a building must be meaning full!
The more the Architect reaches out to the impossibility to construct, how harder it is to create, and construct the building. A three-dimensional computer model had to be constructed in order to assist the steel manufacturer calculating the lengths and angles of beams of the organically shaped roof. It did add considerably to the total time estimated to design and construct this edifice (about double).
A large banquet hall was designed as a future expansion, but was never build,
Also estate housing was part of the original design, but no approval was originally obtained.
In view that there were no services, a large septic system was constructed under the driving range. Also, surprisingly, a sprinkler system was installed. A pump station at the lake, once triggered by the fire alarm, would automatically pump water into the sprinkler system.
At the opening of the building the sauna heater was activated by mistake. Also a wrong low temperature sprinkler head was installed in the sauna. Just about immediately, the sprinkler head burst, and water flowed from the lake.
The good thing was that we knew the protection system worked well, even if the building was not occupied at night time!
The Clubhouse was designed by Hendrik Op ‘t Root Architect Ltd.
