SEAGRAPE HOUSE

The Seagrape House is a weekend retreat on the Gulf of Mexico. Situated on a barrier island, the site continually shifts with each passing storm. During the course of the project, dunes emerged and multiplied, and the distance between the house and the coastline more than doubled. The house was conceived as a physical anchor along the blurred edge between land and sea, a way to understand the landscape and one’s place within it.

 

Permanence is expressed through selectively exposed poured concrete construction, which resists hurricane forces and enables dramatic cantilevers. Livable spaces are elevated on concrete columns to protect the home from storm surge while allowing dune vegetation to meander below. A megaphone-shaped deck is carved from the building volume to amplify the sound of crashing waves.

 

Small details reinforce orientation and place. An aluminum line inlaid into the concrete floor points due west, while carvings in the cypress wall cladding triangulate the home’s position across the Gulf of Mexico to Tulum and Veracruz — a nod to distant civilizations. A time capsule containing family mementos was cast into a concrete shear wall, reinforcing the idea of the house as a constant as time passes and children grow.

 

The home’s wedge-shaped form was developed to maximize Gulf views while achieving both volumetric and thermal efficiency. Bedrooms are conceived as spaces of quiet respite, with cypress built-ins that frame the sea and encourage contemplative study. Photovoltaic panels provide the majority of the home’s energy needs, and the Seagrape House is the first LEED Platinum–certified residence on Anna Maria Island.