House on a Dune

Harbour Island, Bahamas

Visualization © Oppenheim Architecture + Design LLP

Photo © Oppenheim Architecture + Design

Architects: Oppenheim Architecture

Scope

2500 SF private residence. Architecture/Interior finishes

Location

Harbour Island, Bahamas, West Indies

Harbour Island is a relaxed yet luxurious getaway perched in the surreal cerulean waters of the Atlantic edge of the Great Bahama bank. In this earnest and timeless place, the architecture for this private residence is conceived as simultaneously powerful, yet comfortable; primitive, yet innovative; casual, yet elegant; raw, yet refined. The result is a sensual and sensitive experience, reduced to its essence through the use of elemental forms and sincere materiality and detailing. The most dramatic view of the ocean is obtained towards the crest of the dunes, the location of this modest vacation home.

Located five hundred feet off one of the islands main roadways you meander along a stone driveway overflowing with vegetation and come upon a simple open pavilion. The central space of the house is essentially an open breezeway, allowing visual and pedestrian connectivity across the site. Within this pavilion space there is the living and dining areas that open onto verandahs well protected from the elements by the deep overhangs of the gabled roof. The rest of the living spaces are simply arranged around the central space. To the left are two guest suites with private bathrooms; while to the right are the kitchen area and the master suite. Materials have been selected for their distinctive sincerity, environmental sensitivity, and a resonance with the vernacular. The Bahamas House establishes a delicate, meditative and mediating space that ushers a transition from lush tropic landscape to wide languorous ocean.