INTRODUCTION
“The main concept for this 4,380 square-foot Shorecrest residence evolved around a 2-level stair atrium, open to the sky and flanked on all sides by the main living space and guest bedrooms.”

There is a privileged view too which organizes the building, that is the waterfront which organized the main living space in the house.

Located in the Shorecrest neighborhood of Miami, the owner recognized three examples from Jan Hochstim’s 2005 Rizzoli publication titled Florida Modern. Jan, having recently passed away, was a friend and neighbor of my grandfather, to whom I dedicate the design of the house. The house follows simple design principals and features several large cantilevered surfaces intended to provide both presence and shading in a previously vacant lot. It was important to the owner that the home be both simple and iconic in nature, and reflects the vernacular to the South Florida environment as well.

With the Shorecrest residence, I highlighted the ideals of mid-century thinking learned from the Florida Modern book, except using today’s technology and materials. As the home is located among several Alfred Browning Parker Homes, we also used their presence to influence some of the home’s design features.

The most distinctive element of the Shorecrest residence is a 14ft reinforced concrete cantilever at the roof , hovering 25ft above. In between, a full-length, cantilevered balcony (10′ projection x 53′ wide) accessed from the main house by a large panoramic window system having (3) openings. When opened, the balcony creates an outdoor living space analogous to a loggia, absent of any columns.

The rear elevation rendered a more intimate backyard space afforded by implementing aluminum privacy louvers and landscaping. This lower patio was designed to accommodate a future pool. Natural plantings were added during construction to increase the level of outdoor privacy.

CONSTRUCTION
The aluminum railing for the Shorecrest residence was custom designed, fabricated specifically for this residence in an exploration of how to reduce the amount of material and waste produced by traditional products. Even the method in which the railing is fastened to the structure, using epoxy grout, was an effort to reduce the overall number of fasteners used.

The entry to the Shorecrest residence is through a two-level, open-air atrium at the rear, in which the floor plan is centered. Parking below the Shorecrest residence, occupants enter this home by ascending an open-riser stair turning back to a concealed door; a technique borrowed from the houses that I studied in Cuba from 2008-2011.

DESIGNED FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Today the owner elects to keep the panorama window system open to allow the breezes to enter & cool the living space in lieu of air-conditioning. The images presented here were taken in early summer. The home functions so that even during summer months, the home is comfortable enough to keep the windows and doors open without the use of air-conditioning. This is mostly possible by raising the home above the heated ground surface & allowing the prevailing wind to flow both above & below the inhabitable floor.

“The construction of the Shorecrest residence is considered unibodied… that is, the primary frame of the home is constructed with heavy slabs and walls that work as a single unit to insulate and protect the home from wind-borne debris.”

There are no wooden trusses or fascias used in this Miami Modern Residence. This technique works to reduce the home’s property insurance risks, as well as further reduce energy consumption. Without wood, the home neither susceptible to insect attack or decay.

SPECIFICATIONS
8240 NE 12th Avenue
Miami, Florida 33138

Size: 4,380 sq ft (including covered balconies, loggias and 50% of the covered carport below).

Builder: Seacoast Enterprises Group, Inc. (305) 233-9445

Cost: $162 per sq ft

Construction costs were approximately $562,201 USD, equaling approximately $162 per square foot in 2011 dollars. This price does not include lighting or plumbing fixtures, furnishings or land costs (This compares on the low side with the mean cost of $215.23 for similar luxury residences constructed in 2011).

As featured in Tropic Magazine, Summer 2013 ©
Click HERE to see the Issue.