Shoar Residence Punta Gorda, Florida

Architect
Suzanne Martinson

Consulting Engineer
Steve Surman, Structural
Engineer

Owner
Mr. and Mrs. Melville Shoar

Photographer
Steven Brooke

 This program called for a
two-bedroom house with a
raised living area to capture
the trade winds and to maxi- -
mize the views of an estuary. It
further required a large cistern
for maintaining a lush garden
in a region often plagued with
drought and water rationing.
Inexpensive construction and
ease of maintenance were also
priorities.
 The house is organized in
layers oriented to the southern
water view. Intersecting these
layers is a strong linear axis
created by the masonry exter- _s ...
nal stairs passing through the
bilaterally symmetrical mass-" '
ing of the house. The resultant
form is, in the Southern tradi- '
tion, the prototypical "dog trot"
house with a hip roof.
 The interior spaces are or-
ganized in a linear arrange-
ment. A circulation spine runs
the entire length of the house,
on both levels, and is expressed
in the side elevations by the
two-story slot windows.
 The five-foot roof over-
 hangs protect the house from
 summer heat and provide shel-
 ter for the balconies. The
 overhangs also serve as the
 water collecting device for the
 cistern.



 Jury: "This simple house deals
 with real world issues in an
 elegant, straightforward man-
 ner. The house is well-sited
 and outstanding in its simplic-
 ity and clarity."


Photos by Steven Brooke


FLORIDA ARCHITECT September/October 1989


AWARDS