journal
30 / 01 / 2019
Located in Miami Beach, close to the ocean, this residence was conceived by Rene Gonzalez as a vacation home for a client living most of the year in a colder climate.
Starting with sustainability as a fundamental premise, the need to elevate the house to be at higher ground, due to the serious challenge of sea-level, became a priority. As a result, everything was done to adapt traditional precedents to contemporary living. Elevated on columns, on the ground level of the residence one finds the gardens, areas for parking and storage, “providing a safe haven for the inhabitants during hurricanes and flooding”, explained the studio.
The fluidity between the ground areas and the upper level is established through a retractable bronze stair that lifts into the belly of the house when not in use. On the elevated floor, a sculptural garden provides drainage and becomes a changing element viewed differently depending on the fluctuating levels of the water below.
Responding directly to the surrounding environment, to the owner’s needs and to a timeless approach, this home offers a dynamic dialogue between the landscape and the materials, and, as Rene Gonzalez believes, “one has the sensation of being inside a sequence of floating planes elevated from the ground and oriented to the sky”.
Starting with sustainability as a fundamental premise, the need to elevate the house to be at higher ground, due to the serious challenge of sea-level, became a priority. As a result, everything was done to adapt traditional precedents to contemporary living. Elevated on columns, on the ground level of the residence one finds the gardens, areas for parking and storage, “providing a safe haven for the inhabitants during hurricanes and flooding”, explained the studio.
The fluidity between the ground areas and the upper level is established through a retractable bronze stair that lifts into the belly of the house when not in use. On the elevated floor, a sculptural garden provides drainage and becomes a changing element viewed differently depending on the fluctuating levels of the water below.
Responding directly to the surrounding environment, to the owner’s needs and to a timeless approach, this home offers a dynamic dialogue between the landscape and the materials, and, as Rene Gonzalez believes, “one has the sensation of being inside a sequence of floating planes elevated from the ground and oriented to the sky”.














For more information, visit Rene Gonzalez Architects website.
This article is only available in English.
This article is only available in English.