Walking Dunes

Sand dunes are an ever-moving and evolving natural feature. Along with their beauty and dynamism, they serve the important functions of dissipating the wave action of coastal storms and minimizing erosion further inland. The typical solution for building in these sensitive areas is to elevate the home on 12” diameter timber piles, with cross bracing that stabilizes the structure and allows waves and storm debris to pass under it. Though they protect the home from flood damage and minimize the impact on the land, the large piles and braces render the space below the home uninhabitable and unpleasant. Additionally, wind and wave action can scour the sand from around the piles over time, undermining their structural integrity. This home addresses the challenges of building in such a dynamic coastal environment with a structural system that is based on a common feature of dune landscapes: the sand fence.

The home is elevated 9’ above the grade, both for flood protection and to provide ample height below it for outdoor living areas, on a grid of slender metal columns. Steel bars in radial arrays between the columns provide lateral support, while the density of their pattern is calibrated to collect sand in the manner of a typical sand fence. The lattice of braces slows the wind, causing sand to accumulate in front of the braces and in the wind vortices behind them. The braces are arranged to collect sand in strategic areas to protect the structure while leaving other areas open for outdoor living spaces. These covered boardwalk-like spaces are thus set among the undulating dune scape that extends below the house. The scale and density of the braces is increased to create privacy walls around the outdoor shower, mechanical chases, and a car port. By locating these functions under the house, the area of disturbance on the site is minimized.

The home above is arranged in 4 volumes, each with its own covered outdoor deck. This arrangement provides privacy between the entertaining areas and the more intimate family spaces. The glass connections between the volumes, set well back from the facades, reduce the perceived size of the home and allow more daylight to reach the outdoor spaces below. The grid of columns established on the ground level does not terminate at the floor structure above, as traditional pile construction would, but continues into the primary living spaces as an organizing and aesthetic feature. The columns support cabinetry, custom lighting details, and delicate tambour screens that, like the braces below, are both decorative and functional dividers of the space. The columns also support the broad entry stairs and the the beach access stairs to the rear, which include bleacher-like steps on which to gather and admire the coastal views.

With its innovative adaptation of a common structural system, the home turns the necessities of coastal building into advantages. It allows the structure to be elevated above the flood threat and to maximize the views, while at the same time creating both useful and pleasant spaces below amidst the landscape. Beyond that, the structure establishes an architectural language for the home that creates unique experiences for the inhabitants.