Pine Tree is SAOTA?s first project to be completed in Miami. SAOTA?s design DNA is derived from the South African way of living which places an emphasis on the outdoors as people live both in and through their homes. Captivated by the Miami climate and landscape potential the design embodies these principles; creating a landscape of experiences.

With the challenges of a strongly linear proportioned site, SAOTA sought to spread the program across the site as much as possible. In direct contrast to a typical approach of a singular building element on the property, the design is porous, bringing the landscape into the interior of the house. Through the introduction of a collection of introverted and extroverted courtyards, all aspects of the program have an immediate relationship to the outdoors.
On a practical level; the property is located between a busy road and a waterway; the waterway itself fronting onto a road.

The design is as much about containment as it is about the views through it. The multi-purpose basketball court creates a buffer to Pine Tree Drive, while creating a suspensive arrival experience as the user enters into the grand, serene forecourt. The bookmark in the rear of the property is a pool pavilion, a structure that provides a space for people to enjoy the immediacy of the water, both the pool and the waterway.

Visually it?s a privacy device from the waterway, and restricts views into the pool area.

The concept o...