Beach Shack is a stunning beach-side residential retreat in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Inspired by both it’s tropical location and industrial design, the home is a 900sqm home fitted with concrete interiors, high-tech interventions and sustainable elements.
The concept of the design is a continuation of similar architectural themes explored in a previous scheme in Germany, built for the same client.
The project is an international affair and typifies the unifying nature of architecture across borders with a British practice working in Florida with American contractors and designers, Structural Engineer based in Hawaii and all for a German client.
Beach Shack’s form is a bold, linear structure with dominant facades of two symmetrical wings extend from a central foyer and entrance. This allows for 360° degree views of the sea and flowing movement and connectivity through internal areas.
The western street facing exterior is built as a stand-alone layer from the main house using large precast panels dominated by a pattern of portholes. Sheltering the interior from the afternoon sun and generating ideal temperatures and lighting to house a semi-interior garden that serves as a calm, private space for contemplation. In contrast, the eastern facade is fully glazed with composite aluminium-timber sliding doors and windows that embrace the beach landscape it faces.
Inside is minimalistic and high-tech with guests greeted by a retractable hydraulic powered staircase and three stainless steel, glass and timber platforms. The interior architecture is inspired by the industrial background of the owners, and all metalwork on the house was built by a specialist nautical engineer and fabricator.
The open foyer links the kitchen, living room and library as a single, continuous space. This is surrounded by a combination of exposed vertical structural concrete surfaces and polished concrete floor that forms the structure, softened by the deep timber mullions of the glazed façade, white walls, fun colourful furniture and art.
Bryden Wood have being delivering commercial buildings for the client in Europe for many years and the design for their private house in America is similarly industrial in look and feel to reference this as a celebration to the longevity of their relationship and previous built work.
A home built to last, Beach Shack can withstand winds up to 140mph - critical to a beachfront home in Florida. Landscaping and exterior lighting ensure harmony with indigenous vegetation and animal inhabitants and due to energy efficient engineering the home is close to zero-emissions.
Features of the house include:
- Hydraulic-powered retractable stairs, constructed with teak, aluminium and stainless steel materials
- Exposed cast-in-place concrete walls and structural beams
- Sliding aluminium and naturally weathering alaskan yellow cedar louvred shutters
- Yacht-inspired ships ladders, and landing bridge and nautical skydeck
- Semi-interior subtropical garden shaded by porthole panels
- Elements adapting Florida climate throughout from wind-resistant structure to lighting sympathetic to local fauna
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