location: Abaco, Bahamas
completion date: 2000
project team:
Frank Harmon
Vincent Petrarca
Quan Bahn

problem statement

Our clients wanted a dramatic, modern home-away-from-home in the Bahamas that would celebrate the beauty of the environment, accommodate the Bahaman law that homeowners provide their own drinking water (there are no freshwater wells in the coral reef islands), and withstand hurricanes, which are not an uncommon occurrence in this tropical location.  Their site overlooked the Atlantic Ocean and the Sea of Abaco.

our design response

We designed the house as a cube sheltered by a large, inverted-umbrella-style roof to shade the interior on hot days and to create a cooling, venturi effect with the ocean breezes.  The roof also functions as a rain-collecting “dish” with a drain at its center.  Rainwater flows down the drain through a steel column to collection cisterns below.  After a few Bahaman downpours, the cisterns are full.  To allow the clients’ family and friends to enjoy the breeze and 360-degree views of the ocean, sea, and sky, we located the living room and kitchen at the highest level.  Bedrooms are tucked below and open onto outdoor seating areas.  To secure the house from adverse weather, we devised a system of sliding doors and folding panels so that the house can be “zipped up” tight.  Consequently, this normally open, airy home is well-prepared for storms.  In fact, in September of 1999, it sustained winds exceeding 140 mph.