A resort’s newly envisioned guest amenities building, The Landing, visually links the new lagoon with existing golf while establishing a distinct and enduring identity based on a more tropical, yet modernist esthetic focused on “owning the night” after a day at Orlando’s theme parks.

The Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, Florida was for decades a golf destination, known for its Jack Nicklaus–designed courses and private villas. With the rise of Disney, Universal, and other resorts, the property was reimagined as Evermore, a family-focused alternative to traditional park lodging. Unlike typical vacation rentals, Evermore offers a hybrid experience that blends the comforts of private homes with the amenities of a resort. Bordering Disney World, it provides access to all major attractions; however, its defining feature is a new eight-acre freshwater lagoon bordered by beaches and framed by a new “town” anchored by a new Conrad hotel to the north, with flats and homes flanking the east and west.

The Landing—one of four projects—serves as the resort’s social and operational heart. It welcomes guests upon arrival, providing market, dining, fitness, gaming, and bar experiences while acting as the gateway between beach and golf. Every aspect is organized to maximize views, comfort, and connection. Our challenge was to avoid the overt theming common to nearby attractions and instead create an authentic tropical modernism inspired by Florida and Caribbean waterfront architecture. Beauty and character emerge through the honest expression of materials, structure, and a pavilion-like relationship to the water. The Landing’s seemingly unconventional malleable form responds directly to site constraints, key views, and a cherished mature landscape. Originally conceived as a modest food pavilion, it evolved into a sophisticated culinary and operational hub supporting a 3,000-guest resort. Guest Services, Market, Food Hall, and Fitness wrap around an extensive two-level back-of-house operation, creating an intuitive streetscape and vibrant Community Porch overlooking the beach.

Repeating clerestories and rhythmic wood screens establish order along the Market’s curving glass façade while filtering western light into the Food Hall and Fitness Center above. As the building widens, the clerestories lengthen, reinforcing geometry established by the existing street and future town-center lawn. Exposed structure and expansive glazing dissolve boundaries between indoors and outdoors, making the beach-facing porch as vital as the Food Hall itself. The bar extends seamlessly across both environments.

Natural light is the theme. A clear circulation path links Guest Services, Market, Food Hall, and beach as a continuous sequence, while open stairs and lofts keep movement visible and reconnecting effortless for families. Intimate gathering spaces balance communal dining, and four food stations energize the hall. Resort artifacts like nautical lighting, historic signage, and a dramatic driftwood sculpture reinforce a strong sense of place. Above, games, dining, balconies, and viewing platforms wrap around food operations, strengthening visual and social connectivity.

A sculpted zinc elevator tower acts as a hinge between two distinct buildings and a beacon visible across the lagoon. Adjacent, the elevated Twin View Restaurant & Bar bridges a restored dune and The Landing, capturing panoramic views of both beach and golf. Below, a portal links the two landscapes while providing day-visitor lockers and restrooms. Filling the wedge between the structures, a grand stair frames the dynamic structure above and draws guests upward.
Originally envisioned as a post-golf bar overlooking the 18th hole, Twin View evolved into a destination restaurant and a literal bridge—structurally and metaphorically—between the tranquility of golf and the energy of the beach. With the kitchen housed in The Landing, dining occupies a glass bridge with nearly 360-degree views. Repeating inverted “twin” wood trusses reinforce the bridge typology, while a chain light shaped like the lagoon floats above the bar as a beacon at the crossroads of golf and beach. Dining extends onto the dune, where the bustle of the beach yields to peaceful views of the 18th hole.

The Landing navigates the balance between service and experience through an authentic architecture that creates the framework for lasting memories, balancing respite and activity as the vibrant heartbeat of Evermore.