The Coconut Grove Gatehouse by Rene Gonzalez was conceived as a structure that would not only act as a home for services relating to entering a residential estate in Florida's much-loved neighbourhood facing Biscayne Bay – but one that would also signal entrance to the site, and serve as a beautiful, textured pavilion that blends well within its tropical surroundings. The result does all that and more, designed as a host for security, reception and the management of concierge logistics for the property’s multiple residents, but ultimately becoming the gatehouse for a private Miami house beyond, following the land's sale and acquisition by a single owner and resident.
The Coconut Grove Gatehouse by Rene Gonzalez
The Coconut Grove Gatehouse was crafted as a light, tactile structure, placed among rich foliage of the outstanding natural site it sits on. Miami-based architect Gonzalez and his team at RGA (Rene Gonzalez Architects) plotted the design across 1,300 sq ft. The composition comprises the property's entry wall, gatehouse and concierge pavilion, which ‘are designed specifically to both disappear and yet still retain a stately presence within the landscape’, explain the team.
The architects worked closely with the landscape specialist developing the site's gardens, Raymond Jungles, making sure the structure 'intertwines effortlessly into the lush tropical foliage'. Cladding in silver travertine and rusted Cor-ten steel lends textures that invite the touch and feel harmonious within the greenery.
'The Cor-ten steel defines each programmatic space,' the architects write. 'The use of vertical Cor-ten steel louvres creates a continuous relationship between all elements and allows the façade to become an integral part of the landscape. The silver travertine stone walls encapsulate the various elements of the entry feature. The imaginative combination of these disparate elements provides for lasting impressions of commanding protection and integrated connection within the natural beauty of South Florida.'
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Los Angeles businesses regroup after the 2025 firesIn the third instalment of our Rebuilding LA series, we zoom in on Los Angeles businesses and the architecture and social fabric around them within the impacted Los Angeles neighbourhoods
-
‘Fall Guy’ director David Leitch takes us inside his breathtaking Los Angeles homeFor movie power couple David Leitch and Kelly McCormick, interior designer Vanessa Alexander crafts a home with the ultimate Hollywood ending
-
The Lighthouse draws on Bauhaus principles to create a new-era workspace campusThe Lighthouse, a Los Angeles office space by Warkentin Associates, brings together Bauhaus, brutalism and contemporary workspace design trends
-
This minimalist Wyoming retreat is the perfect place to unplugThis woodland home that espouses the virtues of simplicity, containing barely any furniture and having used only three materials in its construction
-
We explore Franklin Israel’s lesser-known, progressive, deconstructivist architectureFranklin Israel, a progressive Californian architect whose life was cut short in 1996 at the age of 50, is celebrated in a new book that examines his work and legacy
-
A new hilltop California home is rooted in the landscape and celebrates views of natureWOJR's California home House of Horns is a meticulously planned modern villa that seeps into its surrounding landscape through a series of sculptural courtyards
-
The Frick Collection's expansion by Selldorf Architects is both surgical and delicateThe New York cultural institution gets a $220 million glow-up
-
Remembering architect David M Childs (1941-2025) and his New York skyline legacyDavid M Childs, a former chairman of architectural powerhouse SOM, has passed away. We celebrate his professional achievements
