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Greenside House Johannesburg, Gauteng MARTIENSSEN, FASSLER and COOKE: Architect

Date: 1940 Type: Homestead Style: International Style : Modern Status: Extant

Martienssen considered four separate sites around Johannesburg before settling on a gently sloping lot along Cruden Bay Road for his home. The plan of this modest structure exhibits the linear clarity of a Corbusien villa. Interconnected living spaces occupy the ground level while the bedrooms and a spacious study enjoy the private upper floor. The striking street facade is an exercise in classical geometric composition. Meticulously considered interrelationships of colour, texture, solid, and void elevate the structure from a mere building to an abstract architectural collage. A protruding linear frame wraps the house, like a painting — floating, elegant, and weightless above the earth. Source: Mod squad: Six marvellous South African buildings to know about by Brian McKechnie in Business Day, 14 September 2020.