Key Biscayne Penthouse
Key Biscayne, Florida
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
2016 Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects Design Award Winning Project.
2018 Architecture MaterPrize™ Award Winning Project
Breathtaking ocean views accentuated with shimmering city lights and ocean air serve as the main attraction for this Key Biscayne penthouse terrace. The 1,500 square-foot terrace wraps around the penthouse apartment with panoramic views of the ocean to the east, downtown Miami to the north and Biscayne Bay to the west.
The terrace is divided into two primary zones using a teak wood gate. One area is for entertaining with access from either the main living room or the library and the second area is private with access from the master bedroom.
The entertaining area is organized using horizontal and vertical hardscape elements. The built-in benches were overlaid with porcelain wood tiles and the area around the benches was defined using the same wood tiles as a paving material. The travertine stone paving field in between the two porcelain wood areas is accented with stone border using a contrasting color. The built-in planters were covered with a sand stone veneer and finished with a travertine stone cap. The paving for the private courtyard is kept simple using only travertine stone.
Shoreline planting selection is never easy, shoreline planting 12 stories high can be quite a challenge. Given the location, the plant material must be highly salt and wind tolerant. For this project we imposed one more requirement, planting also had to be sculptural and fluid, not formal or manicured. We researched different plant material and visited a number of specialty nurseries before arriving at the final plant list.
The lighting scheme for the space is simple, using soft LED up-lights for the specimen palms and linear LED for the benches. The benches with the linear light underneath appear to be floating over the porcelain wood floor.
In this project Landscape Design Workshop fused together planting and hardscape to create an intimate garden terrace framing the magnificent views.
