A lantern-like light box and inverted pyramidal roof draws light into the interior of the Kloof 119A home, dramatically sited overlooking Table Mountain and Cape Town.

Dug into a sloping site, the house, designed by Cape Town-based firm SAOTA for director Greg Truen, is a cluster of spaces arranged to maximise the visual connection with its setting.
"The architecture is shaped to take in as much of the surroundings as is possible," said the architecture studio.

The house meets the street with a stone wall, revealing little of its interior spaces. Nestled between this wall and the house proper is the entrance, connected to a small courtyard that creates a "restrained and quiet" space before the dramatic views of the living areas. "The house presents a stone wall to the busy street that it sits on, revealing very little about its interior", said SAOTA. "At night, the inverted pyramid roof glows, adding to the intrigue".

The sequence of spaces is arranged over three levels. On the uppermost storey, surrounded by glass and topped with a sloping timber roof, are the living, kitchen and dining areas, with panoramic views of the city that stretch the entire length of the elevations.
Below this sit the family's work and bedroom spaces, finished in heavier concrete and at the lowest level is the garage, gym, cinema and guest room.
Photo is by Micky Hoyle

Every level has its own set of garden spaces, which extend from the mountain surface ...