Capturing The Spirit of Place in A House Called Amani

Capturing The Spirit of Place in A House Called Amani

Is it possible for a building to have genius loci, aka ‘spirit’? Absolutely. But this ‘spirit’ isn’t exactly the same as the ancient Roman belief that a guardian or god protects and watches over a place. In architecture, the spirit of place is about the character or personality of a building and the atmosphere one can experience there. And yes, perhaps there can be sanctity involved…

The spirit of place has been around forever. It echoes through the ages and is a tangible feeling one can experience when walking through the streets of Rome or Athens. Places with rich historic and cultural contexts often evoke genius loci.

A spirit of place can also be shaped over time by many things like weather, the surrounding landscapes, design, and art.

Capturing The Spirit of Place in A House Called Amani

“A Tsunami of Poetic Loss”

How can architects today design buildings that are not only good but also meaningful?

There isn’t a simple or short answer to this question because every project is different. It has to be. Homogenization is where all meaning gets lost because there isn’t a place for uniform, mass-produced elements when one is trying to create a place of significance.

Architect Travis Price says it best in an excerpt from The Mythic Modern: Architectural Expeditions into the Spirit of Place: “The flow of cultural homogenization is creeping rapidly across the built world. The speed of today’s industrial growth is blanketing a tsunami of poetic loss.

“Walk in architecture that sings mankind’s tales; find awe in unimaginable shapes that celebrate true character. Rest your soul in a renewed modern sacred space that finds a deeper you—and others—again and again and again.”

Designing modern buildings with meaning asks of an architect to take several steps back. First consider the context of the local community, observe and truly absorb the local cues from the natural landscape, surroundings, wildlife, and more. 

Designers need to tap into the senses to create sensory experiences for occupants and visitors for years, and years to come.

Capturing The Spirit of Place in A House Called Amani

A house called Amani

Nestled in the peaceful rolling hills of a modern eco-farm estate, lies a house called Amani. In Swahili, the name means ‘peace’ and in Arabic, it translates into ‘wishes’. In other languages, the word also means bold, yet humble, beautiful, and independent.

When we designed this home, the vision was clear: To instill a spirit of place. We spent a lot of time on the site exploring the natural vistas and getting to know what the local surroundings were all about. We invited local crafters, artists, and landscapers to join in and design and create bespoke fixtures, fittings, and gardens that could help bring about inside-outside harmony that could stretch all the way into the connecting landscape.

Building materials were hand selected for their raw authenticity, and even the smallest of detail chosen with immense care and consideration.

Capturing The Spirit of Place in A House Called Amani

This project gave life to a home with incredible character. A home that literally became a peaceful place in which to wish and dream – just like its name suggests. Added to this, it also realised our architectural studious dreams. A dream to collaborate with so many artists and crafters in a single project. And a dream to be recognised for it. Amani is a finalist at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards in Lisbon, which takes place later this month. We couldn’t be more proud and humbled at the same time.

At Veld Architects it is our deepest desire to join forces with homeowners to design good architecture with meaning

Join the VELD Lifestyle.

Make your next home a VELD home.

Love,

XXX

Gill

1 thought on “Capturing The Spirit of Place in A House Called Amani”

  1. Lemogang Molebatsi

    great designs. do you have one bedroomed cottage for the farm? I have an 8-hectare farm outside Gaborone Botswana.

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