Innovative architectural concept offers South Africans affordable luxury homes

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An idea stemming out of the pandemic, Openhouse is a collaboration between Louise O Architects and construction group, W3O, offering pre-designed architectural options, adjustable to all types of sites and land orientations.

“Everyone dreams of owning a home that is thoughtfully designed and architecturally congruent to not only fit their needs, but to add joy to their lives. All too often the important aspect of getting professional skilled architects onboard is neglected due to the fees seeming financially inaccessible,” says Louise van der Walt of Louise O Architects.

“Openhouse was born from the desire to change this and to make intelligent residential-architecture accessible and affordable.”

Streamlined home solutions

The Openhouse Collection comprises a selection of packaged designs with pre-selected materials, significantly reducing the overall process from start to finish and furnishing clients with a clear idea of how their home will come together aesthetically from day one.

Each package also includes a Bill of Quantities (BOQ) drafted by W3O.

“Openhouse is completely transparent. Clients can look through our collection and choose which design suits them best with the assurance that they are going to get the home for which they pay,” notes Gavin Morrow, chief executive officer of W3O.

In addition, most of Openhouse’s designs naturally conform within an estate’s building requirements except for one to two minor alterations such as colour scheme.

“From purchasing a piece of land within an estate, to the final approval of the house design, it can take up to six months. Openhouse affords its clients the opportunity to start building within a few weeks instead. With a pre-designed home and a comprehensive BOQ, our clients have the exact visuals and costs of their home from the outset,” notes Louise.

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Openhouse recently won four out of six awards for one of its designs in Helderfontein Estate at the recent Century Home Show Expo in Midrand including ‘Best Build’ and ‘Best Architectural Design’.

Going back to 2012, Century Properties launched Phase 2 of its Waterfall Estate with Louise O Architects designing and developing the showhouse, one of 15 commissioned for Century Properties’ Home Show, which was the first to be sold, winning ‘Best Architecture’ and ‘House of the Century’.

Twelve years later, Louise took a different approach by showcasing Openhouse with the design and development of the smallest and most affordable home.

“Affordability is a big part of Openhouse’s offering. The key is in the good design by skilled professionals who have insights into creating a home from scratch that is elevated and not your typical design.

"There is an underlying understanding of how to manage overall costs with intelligent decisions that have been made upfront on our clients’ behalf,” she says.

Openhouse’s recent showcase also won ‘Best Interior Design’, and ‘Best Landscaping Design’.

“We plan on offering our clients these options as additional costs to our basic packages whereby an interior designer or landscape architect will provide a similar list to a BOQ in the form of a furniture- or landscape package. This will provide our clients with the opportunity for high-end design solutions at a fraction of the cost, and as part of a simple and easy-to-manage process.”

While Openhouse is initially targeting the South African market, its ultimate target market is Africa.

“In Zimbabwe, for example, there is a lot of building going on and we have numerous clients who have spent a lot of money on terrible plans. Openhouse steps in by providing them with a new and improved design at a fraction of the cost that the previous plans were. Africa is a large part of our audience because there is less access to a large pool of architects from which to choose.

“Good design can significantly enhance everyday life. Openhouse is about simplifying and packaging the home-design process and reducing risk in one of the most open-ended creative processes, without compromising on the quality of the final product,” van der Walt concludes.