Built of board-formed concrete and structural steel, this Palm Beach residence is organized as two distinct volumes joined by a glass walkway. One side holds the public rooms and the other the private ones, and the transparent link between them keeps the garden and pool in view as you move through the house.
The living, dining, and entertaining spaces sit beneath a sweeping curved roof carried on exposed steel arches and tension rods. The form is sculptural, but it also does practical work: the arch sheds hurricane-force winds, an important consideration on the Florida coast. Beneath its canopy, a shaded outdoor deck protects occupants from the sun while letting the prevailing breezes pass freely through. Floor-to-ceiling glass dissolves the boundary between the great room, the covered outdoor kitchen and dining terrace, and the tropical landscape beyond.
Bedrooms are gathered in a quieter, low-slung wing with a flat roof, a deliberate contrast to the arch. The flat roof provides an ideal surface for solar panels, so the more discreet side of the house also supplies much of its energy. Louvered screens and deep steel-framed overhangs filter light and preserve privacy while keeping each bedroom open to the garden.
Two pools anchor the site. A long, narrow lap pool runs alongside the bedroom wing, built for daily exercise, while a second pool beside the great room is made for lounging and entertaining. Board-formed concrete planters, native palms, cycads, agaves, and succulents tie the architecture to its subtropical setting and keep maintenance and water use modest.
Raw concrete, blackened steel, warm wood ceilings, and glass make up a restrained palette. The materials are durable enough for the coastal climate and weather gracefully over time.
