108 DIGS.NET
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12.13.2019
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P R O F I L E | C H E E TA H P L A I N S
PHOTOGRAPHS:
COURTESY
OF
ADAM
LETCH
O
ur lifestyles are modern; nature is raw and primal,"
says Stefan Antoni, lead architect at Cape Town-
based ARRCC, which designed the new lodge
Cheetah Plains. "It is in that honest contrast that a beautiful
tension occurs. e architecture exists to enhance the experience
of the outdoors—not to mimic it, but to complement it so that
guests may experience the bush more directly, more immediately."
Surrounded by an exceptional panorama where nature reigns,
Cheetah Plains is situated in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve
(where to date 330 tree, 45 fish, 30 amphibian, 110 reptile,
500 bird and 145 mammal species have been noted), at the
southwest corner of the renowned Kruger National Park—one
of the largest wildlife reserves in Africa, covering an area of
19,485 square feet. rough this project, the team at ARRCC
developed an integrated concept where architecture, interiors
and furnishings meet in pursuit of an objective of creating a
new safari experience with nature at its heart. "e buildings
and interiors are symbiotic," says ARRCC Director Jon Case.
"ey are one idea shared in a truly unique location."
Rather than organizing the lodge like a traditional hotel space
based on a public area surrounded by rooms, Cheetah Plains
consists of three separate components, called Plains Houses (with
capacity of four to eight guests per house): Mapogo, Mvula and
Karula are each made up of clusters of buildings comprising a
private arrival courtyard with covered canopy, an expansive open-
plan lounge, a dining and bar space with adjoining air-conditioned
wine room, and a private family-media room. Around them are
four suites that feel like mini-lodges. Each suite has an open-plan
lounge, kitchen with a dedicated chef, and bathroom that opens
up to the exterior, where dwellers find a terrace and a heated pool.
For Cheetah Plains' owner Japie van Niekerk, introducing
sustainability in the project was key, and drove him to partner
with renewable energy experts. As a result, guest accommodations
are off the grid. Made of straight lines and angular forms with
cantilevered roof structures, the architecture of the lodge was
inspired by the area's Acacias. To maintain the natural beauty
of the site, trees were preserved and the lodge was built around
them. e sculptural structures frame the views and enhance the
"
