Designed by John van Wyk from Craft of Architecture (COA), OceanDune is designed to pay homage to its unique coastal location while creating a resort-like atmosphere within a community-centric estate.
As the first residential estate developed within the Sibaya Coastal Precinct, OceanDune is a dream made real. Developed on wild land, this estate set the benchmark for future development within Sibaya and played a part in creating market confidence in the precinct.
One of the challenges faced by the architect was to develop an estate with over 200 apartments while retaining an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity which emanates from the surrounding natural beauty. Aside from the scale of the estate, one of the challenges was to orientate the building so that every unit would benefit from the coastal vistas.
John van Wyk says it was a case of balancing the hard building elements while honouring the ocean and coastal forest. He adds further, “The views from your unit are unbelievable; forest in the immediate foreground and as the eye moves further ahead, the ocean and virtually every apartment has a sea view. You don’t find this in too many other places in the world. It is truly unique, and the design of the estate had to pay homage to this. The inherent natural beauty was the jumping off point for the layout and design of OceanDune.”
The tranquil atmosphere of the estate is further enhanced by the corridors and solar screens on the west side which provide a sound buffer against any noise from the M4. Using the natural elements to its advantage, each unit at OceanDune has expansive openings on both sides to allow air to flow through and cool your apartment. Security has also been considered in the design, and the opening on the corridor-side of each apartment is fitted with a screen. You can sleep with your sliding doors open in perfect safety.
The overarching goal with the communal facilities is to bring people out of their apartments and create a sense of community. The facilities themselves are very much centred around KZN’s warm climate and the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors at almost any time of the year. At OceanDune, families can enjoy life within the safety of the estate with 2 dedicated splash pools for kids, each with a slide which are located close to the 2 ‘adult ’pools. Kids have their very own play area set up with climbing apparatus and other equipment while adults can keep active in the estate gym. The piece de resistance is undoubtably the elevated sun deck, which offers the perfect vantage point to enjoy the Indian Ocean in all its splendour. The ocean is the hero of OceanDune, and the design of the estate endeavours to give every apartment the best ocean views possible. Many of the roofs of the buildings are planted to create ‘living roofs’. The philosophy behind this is to give anyone at OceanDune the opportunity to enjoy the best views whether from the sun deck, on top of a roof or from their private balcony.
The sun deck offers simple pleasures – spend time on the sun deck gazing at the green forest or crystalline ocean while lounging comfortably in one of the suspended cocoon chairs. The sun deck has a pool and sun loungers, perfect for long warm summer days. Get-togethers are had around the braai pods or fire which are set under a pergola, or around the fire pit.
The beautiful ocean vistas and serene coastal forest are what truly make OceanDune unique, while communal facilities only add its desirability. Positioned along KZN’s best stretch of coastline, OceanDune pays homage to KZN’s warm climate and the breath-taking ocean views.