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.'
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