Traction Architecture

Jun 2014

The Bougainvillea House is situated on an infill lot in a residential neighborhood of Sarasota. We were interested in the changing character of the neighborhood and were inspired by the history of the lot, which originally housed a 1940s Art Moderne home that could not be saved. In addition, the lot contained a two-story detached studio, which we preserved and renovated as part of the project. We wanted the home to contain traces of the demolished building’s character as a clue to the site’s past. The asymmetrical geometry of the original floor plan became a catalyst for generating a sequence of solids and voids through the interior and exterior spaces of the home and throughout the lot. Openings in the front and rear facades enable unobstructed views of the backyard, where a lap pool separates the home from the detached studio. A dynamic interplay between the two structures carves the exterior space into distinct three-dimensional zones. Inside the main house, the double height living area opens to a second story den where a dramatic glass corner filters northern light into the home and contains a window seat with treetop views. Details were inspired by the Art Moderne style, with its streamlined forms, glass corners, smooth surfaces and porthole windows. Upstairs, a deeply inset window is positioned at eye level to serve as an oculus to focus the view. The exterior head, sill and jambs of the oculus are painted a vivid blue that casts a calming glow into the den, suggesting the sky and nearby sea. Because the home was built for a developer, it was particularly important to create a functional and flexible layout that could accommodate a range of potential homeowners. Cost efficiencies were achieved by maintaining a simple material palette and paring down the design to its essentials. Ultimately, this project was about crafting sustainable, thoughtful, livable spaces that could evoke the spirit of the site’s past while looking toward its future.

Sarasota, FL

Mar 2013

The Seagrape House is a weekend retreat on the Gulf of Mexico. Situated on a barrier island, the shape of the site shifts with each passing storm. During the course of the project, dunes emerged and multiplied, and the distance between the house and the coastline more than doubled. We conceived of the house as a physical anchor along the blurred edge between land and sea, a tool to understand the landscape and one’s place within it. Permanence is expressed by selectively exposing the home’s poured concrete construction which resists hurricane forces and enables dramatic cantilevers. Livable spaces are elevated on concrete columns to protect the home from storm surge and to allow the dune vegetation to meander below. A megaphone-shaped deck is subtracted from the volume of the building to amplify the sound of crashing waves. Small details, such as an aluminum line inlaid into the concrete floor orient you due West, and carvings in the cypress wall cladding triangulate your position across the Gulf of Mexico to Tulum and Veracruz, a nod to distant civilizations. A time capsule containing family mementos was cast into the concrete shear wall, reinforcing the notion of the house as a constant as time passes and children grow. The home’s wedge-shaped form was derived from the desire to achieve both volumetric and thermal efficiency while maximizing views of the Gulf. Bedrooms were envisioned as spaces of quiet respite with cypress built-ins that frame the sea to promote contemplative study. Photovoltaic panels provide the bulk of the home’s energy needs. The Seagrape House is the first LEED Platinum certified home on Anna Maria Island.

Anna Maria, FL