PEAK CARIBBEAN RESIDENCE

The established Caymanian neighbourhood of Vista del Mar has a rich architectural vocabulary and culture that draws upon a Mediterranean vernacular. The VDM architectural standards achieve this aesthetic by requiring sloped roofs with terracotta tiles, light stucco exterior walls, and front facades with window types that accentuate individual room layouts. While the homeowners, a young family with three children, loved the neighbourhood and its aesthetic, they also desired something of modern sensibilities, thus challenging the designers to create a home that spatially and aesthetically reflected their informal family lifestyle while blending harmoniously with the neighbourhood.

To make a larger home appear more humble, the design breaks down the space needs of the client into separate volumes. By offsetting these volumes as if they were blocks being stacked and pulled apart, covered outdoor terraces were created below and between the blocks. For example, by separating the volume holding the family’s living and kitchen areas and the volume housing a garage and games room, a covered outdoor terrace is created. Similarly, rather than adding a “portico” entryway, the bedroom volume above creates a modest, recessed entry to the home.

The PEAK Residence manages to adhere to VDM’s architectural standards while achieving the homeowner’s desire for a modern sensitivity: the sloped terracotta roof that was originally seen to be the greatest challenge ended up being the most striking design component of the structure. Unlike traditional Mediterranean roofs with numerous, discontinuous slope lines, we developed a simple, sculptural roof that is reduced to 2 slopes with a single ridge that runs the length of the home.