Courtyards on Oxford, consists of six landscaped courtyards, five slender long houses and a communal garden just minutes away from the Johannesburg inner city and one step off a major highway. The project tackles housing delivery issues in South Africa by combining live and work units in one property, responding to a juxtaposition of urban and suburban space in Johannesburg. The concept addresses how cities function on a large scale by using densification and mixed use as viable options. It draws inspiration from indigenous precedents of courtyard living while still maintaining its contemporary identity. The design has been inspired by Ndebele housing typologies of the eastern Highveld, which employ buildings and connecting walls to define spaces. The courtyards are formed by the façades of adjacent buildings and turn into outdoor rooms. via
