ON THE BOARDS: SUMMER 2023

This project sets two historic Florida beach cottages on either side of a new gabled pavilion, housing kitchen and great room functions for a couple in need of an adaptable future retirement home. The pavilion, which faces the Gulf of Mexico, is outfitted with layered systems to control the summer heat – folding glass doors, recessed pull across screens, and an operable bris soleil. It anchors a home that functioned as a collection of detached or semi-detached bungalows, each able to operate individually or as part of a whole as the couple welcomes family and guests to their beachfront home.

This alley-bound carriage house is being retooled as an urban introvert’s oasis. Two loggias at alley level allow daylight to permeate without compromising the historic masonry. Two terraces at the upper level are open to the sky, inserting access to planting and fresh air unsullied by the everyday services that use the alley. A shaded roof deck provides reprieve from the summer heat and space for outdoor activities – grilling, lounging, gathering – typically found in a back yard.