Rise Up! Residential Design for Sea Level Rise:
Located within Miami’s most extreme flood zone (VE) – where projects must have their first floor raised on stilts 12’ above sea level (an entire story) - this project was designed specifically torespond to hurricanes, storm surges, flooding and sea-level rise.With the Stewart Avenue Residence, Brillhart Architecture sought to fundamentally re-think how to make elevated residential structures look more natural and aesthetically pleasing by:

• embracing the understory space as a fundamental and celebrated aspect of the architecture;
• reconstituting a new groundplane 12’ in the sky;
• breaking up the massing so as to make the building seem less imposing;
• creating narrow footprints to allow for cross breezes and penetration of natural light.

The Understory Space: Given that the understory is the first point of arrival, the firm took a systematic approach to enhance and define the experiential quality of the space – incorporating:

• A preserved historic coral rock wall surrounding the propertywhich lends a necessary sense of enclosure between the street and house and creates a connection at the ground level upon approach.
• Three curvilinear sculptural forms–which house storage and a garage enclosure. Designed to withstand flooding, these concrete sculptural enclosures organically root the project to the ground but also transition the eye up to the first floor. Another curved cut-out - adjacent the stairwell - allows people to orient themselves as they ascend to the first floor. The forms mimic those in nature and serve as a juxtaposition to the rectilinear architecture above.
• Slender galvanized steel pipe columns or “stilts,” set at varying angles, which provide additional structural support. Their irregularity and slenderness reference nature and make the building feel as if it is resting lightly on the land.
• Beautiful, natural materials and detailingthat elevate the tactile quality of the space. Walls are board-formed concrete, creating texture and material presence. A staircase, inset within the space, features perforated treads and stainless steel mesh. The ceiling is exposed tongue and groove cypress and ipe decking. Pockets of river rock punctuate poured concrete floors.
• Meaningful programmatic spaces, including a covered soccer area, garage and storage integrated within the curvilinear forms.
• Salt tolerant, resilient plantings, which reduce the sense of transparency below.

A Reconstituted Groundplane: The firm also had to conceive of a new groundplane on the first floor – where the clients would feel as if they were living in an otherwise “normal” condition. An expansive 3000 sf deck, complete with an elevated pool (and 500 sf of additional porch space) creates a seamless indoor/outdoor experience. Raising the pool 12’ above ground - at the same level as the living space rather than relegated as a secondary experience below - cemented the idea of the new groundplane. A reflecting pool and a large curvilinear planter were incorporated at the same level.The existing palms were also saved, so the living space feels nestled within the old canopy of trees.

Breaking up the Massing and Natural Materials: The elevated habitable space consists of two volumes. The two structures are connected by a covered breezeway, which serves as the main point of arrival from the ground floor.  The separate structures, totaling 4,500 sf under AC, make the home feel less imposing. It is also more tropical: the main structure is only 25’ wide and the one-story volume is 18’ wide. The natural material palette also allows the structure to quietly blend within the landscape.

Team:
Architect of Record: Jacob Brillhart, Andrew Aquart – Brillhart Architecture 
Structural Engineer: ASD Consulting Engineers
Landscape Architect: Christopher Cawley Landscape Architecture
General Contractor: Martin Rodriguez – iBuild, Inc.

Material Used:
1. Railings/Stairs: Toledo Iron Works
2. Windows/Doors: ES Windows
3. Board-formed Concrete/ All Exterior Cladding: Martin Rodriguez, iBuild Inc.
4. Flooring: Northern Wide Plank
5. Copper Roofing: Heights Roofing