Beach house architecture

Designed in direct response to its coastal setting on Long Island’s eastern shore, this beach house is composed of two volumes—a main living area and a separate recreation pavilion—set on a base that extends into the dunes. The northern approach presents a solid, stone-clad façade with carefully placed openings, while the southern elevation opens fully to the ocean with floor-to-ceiling glazing. At the heart of the home, a double-height gathering space anchors the interior, with private family areas positioned along the edges for a balance of openness and retreat. Nikolas Koenig Nikolas Koenig Nikolas Koenig Nikolas Koenig Nikolas Koenig Nikolas Koenig Nikolas Koenig Nikolas Koe... More

Idyllically located in a Sunshine Coast hamlet wedged between nature reserves, Currimundi Lake and the surf beach, Veil + Co. House is a multigenerational co-living coastal residence. With an atypical entry and a deeply setback main dwelling, the project reinterprets traditional Queensland housing for contemporary living, showcasing flexible accommodation and high levels of privacy. Alanna Jayne McTiernan This new home needed to flexibly accommodate grandparents or Airbnb guests while also providing adaptable long term family living along with work-from-home requirements for both parents. Visual and acoustic privacy required particular attention to suit a multigenerational or shared accommodation arrangement with the clients’ yo... More

Nestled along the coast of Oaxaca, this house is designed to blend seamlessly with its natural surroundings. The focus is on creating informal, open spaces with warm textures that evoke a simple, local way of life—uncomplicated and in tune with the environment. LGM Studio LGM Studio LGM Studio LGM Studio The house takes advantage of panoramic views, carefully planned pathways, and practical protection from the elements. A large, expressive roof, inspired by the traditional palapa, serves as the key architectural feature. Light and airy, the roof provides shade from the sun and shelter from the rain while allowing for natural airflow, keeping the spaces cool and comfortable. LGM Studio LGM Studio LGM S... More

The renovation and expansion project of this beach house was based on the perception of existing potentialities that could be preserved in order to propose new spaces and ways of use. Rafael Schimidt Rafael Schimidt Rafael Schimidt Rafael Schimidt Rafael Schimidt Rafael Schimidt Rafael Schimidt Rafael Schimidt Rafael Schimidt The perimeter of the house and some walls were maintained. The roof, with two uneven pitched sections, was rebuilt to create a skylight. Walls were removed from the upper floor, forming the large open space that combines the living room, dining room, and kitchen. These areas integrate with the large veranda that runs along the house, designed to connect the garden with the... More

A short barefoot walk to Clovelly Beach, Alba embraces its beachside location through warm and natural materials, and bright generous spaces open to the outdoors. Tom Ferguson Tom Ferguson Facing the sunrise from which the project draws its name, the project renews a home for a family enthusiastic about surfing at the nearby bay. A material palette of pale masonry and timber echoes the project’s coastal site, whilst a robust expression of elements recalls the essential simplicity of visits to the beach. Tom Ferguson Tom Ferguson Tom Ferguson The project draws on the tradition of sheltered portico spaces; open to the outdoors but offering shade and respite from the elements. Echoing Jay Appleton’s conce... More

A carefully crafted home for a couple and their family looking to slow down on Long Beach Island. Located on a particularly narrow stretch of the barrier island, the house responds to the site’s unique positioning to maximize expansive views towards both the bay and the ocean. The site is situated three lots back from the oceanfront and bound directly to the west by the historic Long Beach Island Fishing Club -- whose facilities and parking area occupy the entire depth of the block along the site’s western boundary. The Fishing Club building is set back from the street front, exposing the entire western facade of the Gap House to views of the bay that would otherwise typically be restricte... More

Located in Praia do Forte, Bahia, the project was planned based on a proposal of earth tones so that the house would blend in with the colors of the surrounding nature. The facade is composed of large panels of frames, pergolas, and decorative panels, all in wood. Manuel Sá Manuel Sá Manuel Sá Manuel Sá As wood is the predominant material, natural wood is a present element in almost every room of the house, whether in the frames, slatted ceilings, decks, or through the furniture. Manuel Sá Manuel Sá Manuel Sá Manuel Sá This project is characterized not only by the parametric wooden facade elements but also by innovative window solutions, such a... More

As a practice, we firmly believe in the importance of a profound analysis of all the factors that surround each new project we face. In that sense, we understand inspiration as a creative interpretation of the client’s requirements and the particular conditions of the site. Undoubtedly, this creative response is highly conditioned by our understanding of dwelling and modes of inhabiting a living space; a striving to create unexpected conditions; and of course, our aesthetic preferences and inclinations.  Pablo Casals Aguirre Pablo Casals Aguirre Pablo Casals Aguirre In the case of Casa Morla, where the brief called for maximizing the efficiency of the space, the driving force behind the layout of the program was c... More

Casa Kuvo was commissioned to us in 2021 for the coastal locality of Matanzas in Chile, known for its weather conditions that favor the practice of water and wind sports. The brief called for a small unit of only 70 m2, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, suited for a younger population and preferably spread across two stories to make the most of the views towards the ocean. Manu Granados Manu Granados Manu Granados Volumetrically and chromatically reduced to a white prism of 6 x 6 x 6 m, the outward expression of the house is rather abstract and barren. The compact form has to do with extreme rationalization of the layout in order to maximize the available floor space, while the chromatics enters into a dynamic interplay w... More

Primeriza House is located on a small clearing of an otherwise heavily sloped terrain with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean to the front and a strong backdrop of almost vertical slope densely populated by cypress trees. Marcos Zegers Marcos Zegers Our clients wanted to make the most of outdoor living, and one of their key requirements was to create many opportunities to inhabit the exterior. Another was to create various different environments, nooks and crannies, and moods inside the house. These two, combined with the plot and weather conditions, shaped the volume of the house and its many transitional spaces.  Marcos Zegers Marcos Zegers The house conquers the slope and inserts firmly into the terrain by mea... More

A rickety 50’s beach shack is renovated to provide a deceptively simple, modern retreat and gardens overlooking the ocean. This project was undertaken when Anne Hindley was at Allan Powell Architects. Robert Blakburn Robert Blakburn Robert Blakburn Robert Blakburn Robert Blakburn Robert Blakburn More

The story of this project began when the customer, having seen some of our work, decided to simply buy a ready-made project, but we offered to create his own dream home. This is how we started working together on the project, and the result was that modern house. Fedorova Architects Fedorova Architects The main criterion for its timelessness and harmony is that 7 years after its creation, and all the way through, neither I nor the customer has ever had the slightest desire to change a single detail. The plot with the house is located not far from Taganrog, in a picturesque place on the bank of the estuary, which flows into the Azov Sea. The secluded location and lack of neighbors made it possible to maximize the views from... More

A remodel of a white detached villa with a sea view in Algarve. Casa Vale da Lapa is a project which remodels and extends a 1980s detached villa with sea views and is located in the Algarve, Southern Portugal.  The concept transformed the existing architecture and internal layout into a contemporary and open plan style.  The creation of a vast double-height entrance space with a ‘floating’ staircase adds drama to the previously uninspiring house.  The removal of several internal walls produced a series of flexible and fluid spaces which have strong physical connections to the beautiful garden and sea views beyond. Ultramarino, the in-house interior design element of the studio designed the interior concept: d... More