Green Light District

This cast in place concrete home is located on a very busy thoroughfare on the south end of Wrightsville Beach.  The site is one of the smallest buildable lots on the island, with alley access in the rear, and a boat dock across the street.

The owner’s first prerequisite was for the house to withstand the most powerful hurricane possible.  This idea alone forced the logic of using a cast in place concrete structural system from top to bottom, and impact resistant glazing on all levels.  The house is built upon concrete pilings driven to twenty feet, all connected by a grid of concrete grade beams to resist the possible scouring away of the land by a strong hurricane.

Accessed through an 8’ x 8’ aluminum pivot door, a three story atrium, partially open to the sky and planted with bamboo is the primary entrance to the stairwell serving all three levels of the house.  Boardwalks in the entry foyer on axis with the dock across the street create a connection between the water and the house.  Balconies are hung from the house using epoxy painted stainless steel rods and shackles.

The upper level of the house is the main living and cooking spaces.  Views to the water are preserved by organizing standing spaces to the rear, then table seating, then couch seating as the room progresses toward the view.

A white lacquer painted tonsu cabinet descends along the south wall of the building as it become lighter and more filled with glass.

An epoxy painted aluminum stair provides access to the roof-top petanque court and seating area.  A view down to the ground can be seen through the partially open air atrium.