Contact Artefacts please if you have any comments or more information regarding this record.	Menu Home Upfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon		House Mitchell Newlands, Cape Town, Western Cape Gabriël Theron (Gawie) FAGAN: Design Architect GABRIËL FAGAN ARCHITECTS: Architect

Date: 2005 Type: Homestead Status: Extant   Click to view map Coordinates: 33°58'17.48" S 18°27'05.02" E Alt: 79m

Fagan's knowledge of boat building and the compromises that need to be reached between weight and durability versus speed has played a significant role in his material choices. He often employs the flitch beam where larger spans would make the size of timber uneconomical and bulky, as at House Mitchell (2005). Here he combines timber with plate steel to form rafters. He also employs cross beams to limit the size of rafters. The positions of these cross beams also help to define and demarcate spaces. 'Machine' type technologies, allied with those of yacht building, can be seen in the detailing of column junctions. Fagan exploits the possibilities of large glass planes to form bigger openings that were not possible in the past. (Arthur Barker on UPSpace. Accessed 2020 10 07)