Light Space Life: Houses by SAOTA

South African architecture practice SAOTA is led by Stefan Antoni, Philip Olmesdahl, Greg Truen, Philippe Fouché and Mark Bullivant, and has designed renowned luxury residential and commercial projects on six continents. With reference to South African modernism and a foundation in the International Style, its projects are known for taking advantage of wildly beautiful natural settings and are rooted in place by the relationship between the building and its site. The firm’s signature look - sleek, modern buildings set on dramatic hills and coastlines - are the result of its spirit of enquiry combined with a close examination of function and form, as well as its use of the most current technology, including virtual reality, in their design processes.

Light Space Life features twenty-three recent residential projects from around the world, with a particular focus on Africa, illustrated with vibrant colour photography and including a foreword by Reni Folawiyo, an introduction by Graham Wood and project texts by the practice. Featured properties range from a 20,000 square foot house with 300-degree views over the Los Angeles skyline, to a family holiday home on the dunes that slope down to the beach at Plettenberg Bay in South Africa’s southern coast. Two essays explore the collaboration between the three pillars of the company - architecture, interiors and product design - in relation to the Cheetah Plains project, and the influence of South African modernism on its aesthetic.