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THE FACADE OF A HERITAGE PROTECTED VICTORIAN COTTAGE IN THE HEART OF CAPE TOWN BELIES THE CONTEMPORARY EXTENSION THAT'S TRANSFORMED IT INTO A DUAL DWELLING.

- ANNETTE KLINGER

IF EVER YOU'RE ASKED TO ILLUSTRATE THE CHINESE CONCEPT of balanced dualism, you could do worse than to drop them a pin at 250 Buitengracht in Cape Town. Approach it from the front, and you're met with a textbook Victorian cottage facade, replete with wraparound veranda shaded by a sweeping corrugated-iron roof- but walk around the corner and up towards Signal Hill, and the house spills over into a set of contemporary sheds. To the left, it's flanked by the moneyed suburb of Tamboerskloof, with the historically Cape Malay area of the Bo-Kaap to the right. Inside, the house is split neatly down the middle into two almost identical, self-contained double-storey residences - one with a view of Table Mountain, which can be seen through a bespoke conservatory; the other looking out onto Carisbrook Street, and the Bo-Kaap and CBD beyond it.

"Our clients, Fred Durow and Ben Schoeman, are city planners, and bought the property with the idea of creating a double dwelling and work-from-home opportunity, as well as the option to generate rental income," says Antony Abate, director at Team Architects. "We wanted to maximise the site's potential, while being true to our ethics and beliefs in terms of urban design, contextual fit, scale and interaction with the streets," adds Fred.