ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
The Elegant Solution How sustainability shaped Modernism in Tarpon Bend
Text John T. O’Connor
Exceptional architecture is hard to come by in South Florida. So when we encounter a wellconceived building that works harder, goes farther and aesthetically reflects its location, ISLAND does its best to tap our audience on the shoulder and say, “Look at this one!” This is especially important in South Florida where domestic architecture seems stuck in the era of the “white box”. Make no mistake; we generally like minimalist, white stucco assemblages. We like their simplicity and timelessness, but like say, a Warhol painting of an electric chair from his Disasters series, while one big canvas with a single image has profound impact, printing the same image 15 times on one canvas makes it far less impactful. “I like boring things,” said Warhol, “I like things to be exactly the same over and over again, I don’t want it to be essentially the same I want it to be exactly the same. Because the more you look at the same exact thing the more meaning goes away and the better and emptier you feel.” The white stucco box of great architects like Adolph Loos and Le Corbusier was new and reactionary… in 1925. Today’s Florida versions are simply easy solutions, and while they may 12
ISLAND MAGAZINE
Located in Tarpon Bend, the home is the work of Strang Design, and was built to specification by general contractor, Gulf Building.
Photo Calder Wilson
