A Professor and Designer Tests a New Hybrid Material on His Miami Beach Home

There’s a saying, according to Nick Gelpi, that architects don’t design details in Miami, they shop for them. That’s because strict product-approval guidelines can leave designers with a limited palette of materials to choose from in this hurricane-prone region. While the challenge would discourage some, Gelpi embraced it head-on when he traded a post at Steven Holl’s internationally recognized firm in New York City for his own practice in Miami Beach.