SAOTA has completed a new project in Miami, on the southern coast of the island of Dilido. The house spills out onto the longer, waterfront elevation and draws on the jet-set lifestyle of Biscayne Bay, to evoke the experience of being on the deck of a super yacht. Multiple events unfold on this versatile terrace whose defining characteristic - the harmonious merging of internal and external living spaces - is a theme carried throughout the house.
Entrance from the street, via the Venetian Causeway, is more restrained; lush planting skirts a generous in-out driveway, and a series of wall planes and volumes, held together by a curved screen of etched glass, signal a grand, double-volume entrance hall. Once inside, the splayed nature of the site becomes apparent as masses of programme pull apart to form a dramatic canyon whose volume frames the view out into the bay. This central void is animated with deliberately sculptural elements and artworks - including a bold spiral staircase, and a series of bronze screens which hang from the ceiling to create a double height dining room, and separate kitchen and family space from the more formal entertainment areas to the East.
SAOTA is responsible for the architectural and interior architecture, working with KKAID as the on-the-ground architect of record and Brodson as the construction company. Lux Populi from Mexico has been brought in as lighting experts while Miami celebrity landscaper Raymond Jungles has created another landscape masterpiece. Lynda Murray is the interior designer who has seamlessly merged the architectural features bringing the palettes and textures into the interior decor.
Photography: Adam Letch