The existing residence, a 1957 single-family home designed by Paul Rudolph and Ralph Twitchell, founders of the Sarasota School of Architecture, is located on an exclusive island with several structures of historical or architectural significance. To honor this tradition, the home's 1,350-square-foot, two-story addition had to follow the overall modernist style of the house, with its open flow. It also, according to the clients' needs, had to be maintenance-free.
The project's scope includes a first-floor dining area and kitchen, a powder room, and a storage space; the second floor has a master bedroom and bath, library, full walk-in closet, and exercise room. To best fit the modernist and maintenance-free themes, the architect gave the master suite an exterior staircase only. A covered breezeway connects the detached suite to the existing structure.
“The architect took advantage of the private location to do something unique,” said the judges, who noted how the addition repeats the existing module “but is playful.”
Not only is the addition “dramatic” and “inventive,” it complies with Florida's strict building codes in case of hurricanes. The addition uses impact-resistant window walls and glass doors, a marine-grade stainless steel structural system, stainless steel tube framing, and cast-in-place concrete floors.
Category: Additions, over $250,000
Location: Sarasota, Fla.
Contractor: Michael K. Walker, Michael K. Walker & Associates, Sarasota
Designer: Toshiko Mori, Toshiko Mori Architect, New York City
