A Restaurateur's Mythical Home in Miami Follows the Path of the Sun

Titled the Sun Path House, Prisinzano's 1930s dwelling looks like something out of a futuristic fairytale, thanks to an extension with a unique shape that allows the dining room, bedroom, and sundeck to be in-line with the movement of the sun during the summer solstice—the longest day in the northern hemisphere (which falls on June 21 each year). 

Designed by Studio Christian Wassmann, the house is centered around a spiraling, board-formed concrete wall. 

Located in the garden of the main house, the spiraling concrete wall encases a staircase that leads from the ground floor, and up to the bedroom on the first floor and a sundeck on the roof. 

The curving wall that surrounds the staircase follows the sun path diagram, and serves as the spine of the structure. This wall supports a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom that's built around the wall on the first floor and sundeck on the roof. 

The square-shaped, first-level bedroom extends from the spiral wall, creating a canopy for an outdoor dining space on the ground floor. It includes a sink, wood-fire pizza oven, and barbecue area. 

Guests can gather around a marble table with curved seats that extend from the inner side of the wall while enjoying meals outdoors. 

On the first level, the bedroom is separated from the bathroom by the spiral stairs. The entire bedroom and bathroom volume is encased in floor-to-ceiling glazing. 

Surrounding the glazing is a series of cables that form a trellis with climbing vines. This vine-covered metal trellis provides privacy while still keeping the bedroom and bathroom connected to the outdoors and open to plenty of sunshine during the day. 

Wooden floors and ceilings provide an interesting contrast to the concrete surface of the central column, and create a warm and cozy atmosphere in the bedroom. A zebra-patterned armchair and a round bed with a vibrant butterfly-print bedspread add a bohemian feel to the bedroom space. 

The cable trellis facade that's covered in vines on the first level extends beyond the roof-deck, creating a green parapet around the deck. 

Project Credits: 

- Design: Studio Christian Wassmann

 -Architect of record: Armando Rizo of Rizo Carreno & Partners, Inc. 

 -Builder/general contractor: Alex Cobo of Cobo Construction Corp. 

 -Structural engineering: De Los Reyes Engineering, Inc. 

-Civil engineering: Project Caine