Photo: Lukas Wassmann / totalworld.com, courtesy of Studio Christian Wassmann.

A monumental spiraling concrete wall takes on structural, functional, and sculptural purposes in a three-story Brutalist addition to a 1930s bungalow in Miami Beach.

Designed for chef Frank Prisinzano by architects Studio Christian Wassmann, the curve of Sun Path House has its conceptual origin in the site's sun path diagram.

"To face north, the top edge of the curved wall has been rotated 11.25º in relation to the property lines," explains the project description. "In the middle of the wall, running along the square master bedroom, the curvature is parallel to the existing house. On the ground floor, the wall turns 11.25º toward the middle of the garden."

"The rotation axis of this twist lies at the center of a spiral staircase, which wraps around the chimney of a wood-fired pizza oven. On the roof of the building is a solarium, where the wall maps the path of the sun on the summer solstice. At that time, the sun’s rays reflect off of the wall onto the surface of the deck."

"The wall blocks the wind, creating a sense of calm. Solitude can be found under the open sky in this space, which is free of the incursions of everyday life. Time spent in this contemplative space slowly reveals the house’s interactions with the sun."

Find photos of the plaster model, floor plans, a section, and the all-important sun path diagram in the image gallery below.