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Architects: Alejandro Landes
- Year: 2015
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Photographs:Joe Fletcher and Claudia Uribe
Text description provided by the architects. Casa Bahia is a tropical retreat in the heart of Miami. It is a framework for living, with a design philosophy that prioritizes our humanity and wellbeing. The house serves as a solid, restorative sanctuary where the connection to the elements accentuates everyday life. There is beauty in simplicity; luxury in restraint.
Nature and contemporary architecture coexist in this modernist structure that appears to float above water and lush greenery. Demarcations between outside and inside are purposefully blurred, encouraging a connection with nature even in the smallest of everyday gestures.
Spaces invite you to be present. Earth toned living areas framed by ocean-facing floor-to-ceiling windows, expansive wrap around balconies that provide every bedroom with its own outdoor oasis open to the sky, a patio for balmy afternoons beneath the cantilevered building, and a rooftop deck for evenings immersed in stargazing allow you to focus on the moments, to simply be.
Casa Bahia is a timeless house with a profound sense of permanence and place. The raw, concrete exterior frame gives a sense of solidity tempered with elements of lightness and grace. It is a ‘Modern Ruin’ where urban, contemporary living reconnects with ancient rituals and wisdom. The aesthetics of the home are a result of this meticulous balance.
An appreciation of subtle details – heights, depths, lighting, and the use of real materials characterizes the aesthetic of this home where every feature reveals an ongoing story. There is a narrative woven through Casa Bahia in the way each stone has been laid, each artisanal fabric has been sewn, each piece of reclaimed wood has been carved.
Only things made well can be laid bare to reveal their essence. They tell stories of integrity, skill and care. The result is something that feels profoundly real.
