Text description provided by the architects. The house is designed as a long main bar, running East-West, positioned on the North side of the property. This bar is intersected by two other elements, thus forming a series of three courtyards - each with its own separate and unique character. The street-side of the property contains a number of mature live oaks which helped inform the character of the first court.
This court, the “Tree Court” is bound by the Florida keystone-clad wall of the Guest Quarters volume and the ficusripiens covered volume of the garage. The court is sheltered by the natural canopy of the oak trees. The first perpendicular element, a glass-clad bridge that contains the children’s bedrooms, extends from the main bar and rests on the Guest Quarters volume. It shields the entry to the house and frames the entry to the second court.
This court, the “Rain Court” is bound on three sides by the circulation spine of the main bar, the Guest Quarters volume, and the two-story living room and opens onto a dense garden wall. The third court, the “Water court” faces the Bay, and contains the pool and spa and was designed to create an exterior environment that encouraged full access and enjoyment of the Bay and its long vistas and sunsets. The second canopy to shield a court is the concrete “parasol” that extends above the living room volume.
It is positioned so as to offer solar and rain protection. By being lifted above the roof, it allows the Bay breezes to flow through the site, keeping both the Water Court and Rain Court cool. It also acts as a solar reflector, blocking direct sun through most of the day but allowing the light that is reflected off the single membrane roof of the living room roof to bounce off its underside.
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