New-build apartments, brand-new glazing — and the same wind everyone else on this coast gets

A younger coastline than Bloubergstrand next door

Big Bay is the newer development immediately north of Bloubergstrand, built out largely as apartment blocks and beachfront complexes rather than older freehold houses — most of it has gone up on what was, within living memory, an open stretch of beach with little more than a picnic and braai area. That building stock skews toward lock-up-and-go apartment ownership rather than restoring an old beach cottage. Buildings here are consistently designed around outdoor balcony living and uninterrupted ocean or dune views, with the balcony functioning as genuine living space rather than an afterthought — which puts real pressure on getting the exterior shading right, not just the interior blinds.

How we specify for Big Bay

Because Big Bay sits on the same open, low-lying stretch of coast as Bloubergstrand, it takes the same direct run of the Cape Doctor south-easter through summer — the wind that makes this whole corridor a kitesurfing destination is the same wind an unrated balcony awning or zip screen won't survive for long. Given how many Big Bay apartments are recent builds with standardised floorplans, we specify wind-rated zip screens and awnings as the default for balcony shading here, with a wind sensor on any motorised system, rather than treating it as an optional upgrade. Interior glazing is almost always aluminium-framed and floor-to-ceiling, so sunscreen roller and day/night blinds handle the bulk of the interior brief, sized to the handful of standard door and window dimensions most blocks repeat unit to unit.