Prestige issue 263, June 2015
«House on a Dune», a window on the sky
© Karen Fuchs
«House on a Dune», bears the signature of Chad Oppenheim, the visionary architect who recently completed a spectacular private residence, elegant, minimalist and comfortable on the sea, in Bahamas. Located on Harbour Island, in a breathtaking environmental landscape, it occupies a space of about 300m2 (3,000 feet). With Oppenheim representative style, who creates a conscious architecture that takes into account the social and environmental components, the residence aims to reconnect its inhabitants with nature. A refined space inviting to meditation, which marks a transition between the luxurious tropical landscape and the wide and languid ocean.
© Karen Fuchs
House on a Dune attracts by its simplicity. Its architecture is away from litter to allow better and stronger connection with the environment. Inspired by the artist James Turrell, the retractable glass walls on the East and West sides of the house, overlooking the ocean, jungle and sky, allow air and light to diffuse inside the house and create maximum comfort. The central area is composed mainly of an open passage facilitating visual and pedestrian connection with the site. Inside the pavilion are the bedrooms and the dining room overlooking wide verandas protected from the weather by the projections of the gable roof on, while the kitchen and four bedrooms surround the central space. The materials used for construction are concrete blocks, recycled cedar wood and a milky paint, selected according to their quality and sensitivity to the environment, with a vernacular echo. While the recessed sliding doors are in resistant glass, the roof is decorated with palm leaves and cedar cracking, a style found in most homes on the island for hundreds of years. But modern technology inventions abound to hide the lighting accessories, electrical outlets, radiators and others. Whether it’s a single family home or a large-scale urban project, or a hotel, Chad Oppenheim is an architect who can transform the mundane into a real poetic site. His inherent strength lies in his passion and sensitivity towards man and nature.
© Karen Fuchs
