CocoReef

A new Caymanian vernacular

A radial beach house addition shaped around the natural heritage of its seagrape setting.

Developed for clients with backgrounds in art and product design, CocoReef introduces a 1,737-square-foot addition to an existing 1,560-square-foot beach house built in the 1970s. The project explores a new Caymanian vernacular through a close relationship between architecture, landscape, material and the character of the original home.

Dense seagrape foliage surrounds the house, and the clients requested that no trees be removed. Detailed surveys documented the site’s natural heritage and directly informed the placement and form of the addition. Its curved volumes and radial structural grid respond to the existing vegetation, allowing the building to settle within the landscape rather than displace it.

The geometry of the proposed addition is deliberately distinct from the orthogonal grid of the existing house. The transition between the two creates a dialogue between new and old while retaining and complementing the 1970s character of the original beach house throughout the interior design.

Exterior walls are conceived in cast-in-place white Portland cement with local aggregates introduced to create subtle variations in color and texture. The resulting sandy hues recall Cayman’s geology and beachscape, giving the new architecture a material identity rooted in place.