Balber Architecture, Inc.

Feb 2015

The clients wanted a home that was cozy and full of charm inspired by a northern cottage. While this concept may sound rather mundane, it is anything but when you consider it is located on a very water-oriented site in Tampa, Florida. The roof line and massing come together to form interesting vignettes from every elevation to give this project a sense of northern style. The procession into the home cascades from an elevated sundeck to a small open-aired porch which leads to a larger front porch. The rear of the home features a very dynamic lanai area with sundeck areas defined by built-in planters. The scale of this home is thrown off on purpose to keep its cozy factor. Meaning that when people look at the home from the street, the thin entry arch seems to be only 8 tallwhen in fact is it closer to 12. While things are larger than they may seem at first, they are proportionate and to scale thus allowing people to instantly feel a sense of home.

Tampa, FL

Aug 2014

The main theme of this modern home was that it would be aesthetically transitionalmeaning it would be more modern than a traditional/beachy/Spanish-Mediterranean or bungalow, but also far less edgy than a home that was designed in the architectural vocabulary of a Streamline Moderne or say a brutalist home might be. We wanted this home to have straight lines yet also be warm and welcoming. This home consists of 6 walkable levels with the external massing of a typical split-level home. The homes elevator stops at 5 of these levels while gaining access to the uppermost roof is via a small set of stairs. Levels two, three, four, five, and six offer views of the water while the roof-top decks (levels five and six) offer glimpses of the downtown Tampa skyline. Level five has an exterior shower so sunbathers can cool off while catching some rays on the roof, or if theyd prefer they can hang out in a designated shaded area. This level also provides plenty of space for exterior furniture and a built-in gas fire pit. The great room on level three faces the water with breathtakingly beautiful views of Seddon Channel through 10 feet of the 12 foot wall that faces the water. It opens via accordion-style NanaWall doors that open up to a front balcony that has a border of artificial grass for pets to feel at home 11 feet off the ground as they watch the boats and people go by. The entire house vertically cascades in such a way that when you are in it all you see are the water views to the east and tree canopies to the west. Many people comment that while on level three, facing west provides a feeling of serenity as if the home was a tree house because all you see is the greenery of the tree tops. Cascading the home was critical to allow the architecture itself act as a privacy barrier between people walking down the sidewalk and the living room. Though the main view to the west is of the channel, it first has to jump over a sidewalk, a street, and then another sidewalk. The concept is that when someone is in the family room, there is a great sense of privacy because the sidewalks are entirely hidden from view. If the owners want to feel more connected to the neighborhood, they can always go people-watching on the balcony. Circulation was a big theme in this house; the concept of how people move around the home both horizontally and vertically. People can easily get to each level with 7 or less stairseven on the exterior. For example: if someone in the rear yard wanted to use the pool bath, they would walk up a small set of stairs and enter the home and the bathroom is right there. If people in the yard wanted to access the kitchen/dining area they would simply go up another half-level. We were pretty vocal in working with the landscape designers in that we wanted the landscape on this project to mimic the modern lines of the building. Plants cascade down the front of the house as any other architectural element until they finally terminate at the ground plane. The more homogenous we can make accessory design elements such as plants, landscaping, pools, etc. the more complete the architecture will be.

Tampa, FL

Jun 2013

The clients for this 5,600 sf Spanish Contemporary home loved the idea of blending Spanish/Mediterranean motives with clean contemporary lines. This aesthetic was achieved via large overhangs that stress the horizontal lines of the building. The strong horizontal elements pay homage to aspects of Streamline Moderne and prairie-style architecture while the squared slate tile roof and long corbels stay within a Spanish architectural vocabulary. This dichotomy gives this home a look that is all its own. The home is built on a canal lot that is literally designed around a large oak tree in the center of the site. The home boasts a very modern wall of glass that will showcase the clients wine collection. Behind the wall of glass is a cable system that allows the wine bottle to seemingly float and become a work of art in their own right. As this home was being built, the owners started stripping away more of the Spanish elements and started leaning more contemporary. The inside marries the two aesthetics in a very chic and stylish way with the Spanish half-round arches adjacent to modern furnishings. The pool design is also quite contemporary and straight-lined. It cascades like the rear lanai and master sundeck to stay in line with the homes architecture. We also try to have the landscape and supporting design elements compliment the architecture and vice versa. We always want the architecture to trickle down into the landscape as much as possible. This can be seen by the front entry courtyard. Before someone can even ring the doorbell the procession to begins by traveling through a charming Spanish contemporary courtyard with its straight pedestals and wrought iron railings. Even the numbers for the address are contemporary which are accentuated by the very Mediterranean coach lamps.

Tampa, FL

Jun 2013

Mediterranean architectural themes are seen everywhere in this impressive yet very casual home. The half-round Spanish arches are seen throughout the interior and exterior and really tie the building together. They define spaces along the rear lanai via a colonnade, they define the main entry, and they even turn to glass on the wall of the office. This idea was born when the building was being built and the client saw what a spectacular water view the office had and how the wall dividing his office to the game room was going to hinder the viewso we decided to bring in arches and treat them like interior windows. This allowed us to share the view with people in the game room while giving the office audible privacy. A major design impetus for this three-story structure was born out of adhering to strict code guidelines set forth from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Act) as well as a definitive program set forth by the clients. This home boasts: a large parking area for level one where up to eight cars can fit comfortably, a large central great room with its main axis running from the entry garden all the way to the open Tampa Bay beyond, cascading mezzanine levels, a pool designed in such as way as to give the effect that the house is actually resting on top of a plinth (the boulders of the pool run right up to the building and contain water-slides accessible from different levels of the home), several exterior stairways, an elevator, and many other spectacular elements. This home was designed to be grand enough to impress, but low-key enough to make people feel at home. The underlying theme of this home was to make it so wonderful that when the clients extended family came to visit they would never want to leave. This home has flowing spaces large enough for over 100 people while maintaining more intimate spaces for 10 people or less all the way down to the entry garden that is meant for only a few people to enjoy. The owners throw a lot of parties and love to entertain so it was important to have spaces for varied group sizes. The rear of the house is particularly great for partiesespecially later in the afternoon. The rear of the house faces due west to allow for unworldly sunsets that can be enjoyed from varied heights along the cascading porch levels. One of the most interesting things about this particular design is how the water just hits you as soon as you open the front doors. All you see is water beyond the great room through 8 Nana walls that fold up accordion- style to allow for a completely open void in the wallit is as though they disappear when theyre open. Since the main level is elevated roughly 12 off the ground, it appears as though the house is actually sitting directly on the water. The kitchen eating area truly feels as though the building is literally built on the water.

Tampa, FL

Jun 2011

The idea behind this 7,300 sf British Colonial home was to create a tasteful marriage of several distinctive design aesthetics; British Colonial, Seaside, Florida Eclectic to name a few. The orthogonal lines of the structure carry into the auto court to create a very clean and crisp design. The highlight of the front elevation is the cantilevered balcony that runs the entire length of the front facade. The 3-car garage will function as a 6-car garage by allowing cars to be lifted via hydraulic lifts to allow cars to park underneath. This will allow the homeowner to house his car collection in a compact space.The rear of the home has a balcony that boasts stunning views of the open Bay as it wraps around the building. At night the coach lights along the balcony coupled with the sconces attached the columns of the lanai below make for dramatic shadow lines nestled behind a 48 grandfather oak tree. The entire plan of this home was derived out of necessity. The owners cam to us with a site that had a major tree located directly in the center of the parcel. Even though this was a challenge, we feel that the more challenging a site is, the more interesting architecture it creates. Every site has its own assets as well as challengesit is just a question of listening to what the site is trying to tell us. In the end the home gently encased the tree. Sometimes in architectural terms historians might refer to this as creating an inner womb where the tree is the child and the home is the mother safely protecting her child. That was the vision: to have the home peacefully protect the owners and bring joy to their lives.

Tampa, FL

Apr 2011

This symmetrical design was inspired by architectural styles seen in plantation homes with perhaps a Key West home twist. The horizontal lines are stressed by creating oversized soffits, a 50 + front porch, and a low pitched standing seam roof. The clients wanted this home to be symmetrical in its design. The main challenge to creating a symmetrical facade for this project was dealing with the garage. We couldnt build a center front stair, so a garage door on one side would weigh down the left portion of the home. We ended up camouflaging the 16 garage opening on the left side of the front elevation by mimicking how we treated the right side. The garage door basically hides an entire parking level in excess of 4,000 sf. This parking level can park roughly 7-8 cars. The clients also wanted to create a sense of open-flow with airy spaces, so we created a double-height foyer that acts as the homes main axis or spine that goes from the front door, through the foyer, through the central gallery, through the great room, and terminating at the lanai. The rear of the home keeps the symmetrical theme going with the lanai flanked by two pavilions: the master suite and the game room. The stair taking people from the lanai to the rear yard is completely symmetrical and cascades in a fun way as to allow people to experience the stairs as either a single stair or a double stair. The house is basically an elevated 1-story home; meaning that all of the air-conditioned square footage is on one level that happens to be approximately 12 off the ground. The clients thought that one day they might want an elevator so we designed that into the plan. It would be relatively simple to retrofit the home at any time with a residential elevator. This would be practical because it would allow the owners to park their car(s) in the garage level (which is effectively level one), and then simply hop in the elevator with their groceries that will let them off close to the kitchen. Another great thing about elevators is that they make the home more accessible for people with disabilities. Most homes that we design that are 2 stories or more either have elevators or have the potential to easily retrofit an elevator into the existing structure. All of this is easy to do if it is done in the planning period.

Tampa, FL

Jul 2010

The biggest challenge in any addition is to make the final product look like it was never altered, as opposed to a home that was added on to (unless of course that is the look the client is going for). In this particular case, it will be impossible to tell the old from the new. The aesthetic for this home draws inspiration from Italianate architecture. We played off of the fact that we were building onto an existing home and instead of trying to hide the ins and outs of the existing walls, we wanted to accentuate them by creating varied pavilions. These pavilions vary in terms of their fenestration, and yet are all linked by coloration and materiality. The pale stucco will accentuate the blue Floridian sky and the lush green of the foliage. The brownish red of the windows and doors echo the tint of the tile roof and are reminiscent of wood elements the villagers would find from their surrounding landscapes. We wanted to continually break down the scale of this rather large home until it spoke more to a human/charming scale.

Tampa, FL