1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:06,000 Time, Caroline, to go and see how the other half live.Talk about, "Welcome to my humble abode." 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,016 Cor! That is a whole lot of house. 3 00:00:11,092 --> 00:00:15,032 He's Piers Taylor, an award-winning architect. 4 00:00:15,032 --> 00:00:19,016 I mean, the depth of this wall, it's four foot thick. 5 00:00:19,016 --> 00:00:21,024 After you, My Lord. 6 00:00:21,024 --> 00:00:23,016 And she is Caroline Quentin, 7 00:00:23,016 --> 00:00:26,020 acclaimed actress and passionate property developer. 8 00:00:26,020 --> 00:00:32,028 This house has the perfect ratio of bedrooms to swimming pools. 9 00:00:32,028 --> 00:00:37,016 We've been given the keys to some of the most incredible houses in the world. 10 00:00:37,016 --> 00:00:40,048 If we were left alone here for any amount of time, I have a feeling... 11 00:00:40,048 --> 00:00:42,052 We would ruin this house. THEY LAUGH 12 00:00:42,052 --> 00:00:44,080 To discover the design innovation, 13 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:49,016 passion and endurance needed to transform architectural vision 14 00:00:49,016 --> 00:00:51,036 into an extraordinary home. 15 00:00:51,036 --> 00:00:53,088 Look! I'm dumbstruck. 16 00:00:53,088 --> 00:00:56,032 We're travelling the globe. 17 00:00:56,032 --> 00:01:00,076 Oh-ho!Meeting architects and owners to explore how their daring homes 18 00:01:00,076 --> 00:01:05,072 respond uniquely to local landscape, climate and culture. 19 00:01:05,072 --> 00:01:08,088 I think this is probably the greatest house I've ever been in. 20 00:01:08,088 --> 00:01:12,040 Whether it is battling the elements to construct a dream home 21 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,044 on dramatic Scandinavian terrain... 22 00:01:15,044 --> 00:01:18,048 The architect was nervous that things would go wrong. 23 00:01:18,048 --> 00:01:20,032 He couldn't bear to look at it. 24 00:01:20,032 --> 00:01:24,020 ..pushing the boundaries of European experimentation... 25 00:01:24,020 --> 00:01:26,036 I think that's it.I think it is. 26 00:01:26,036 --> 00:01:30,028 When I looked at the proposal, at the beginning I was almost shocked. 27 00:01:30,028 --> 00:01:34,072 ..celebrating craftsmanship and beauty in Asia... 28 00:01:34,072 --> 00:01:37,048 We've likened this house to dripping chocolate sauce 29 00:01:37,048 --> 00:01:39,072 over vanilla ice cream. 30 00:01:39,072 --> 00:01:42,044 ..or going all out for glamour in America... 31 00:01:42,044 --> 00:01:46,076 You just do what you do best, which is to create a masterpiece. 32 00:01:46,076 --> 00:01:49,052 IN US ACCENT:Piers! Is this too Miami? 33 00:01:53,004 --> 00:01:54,080 # Tone, get the plane! 34 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:56,076 # Uh, uh 35 00:01:56,076 --> 00:01:58,044 # Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, uh 36 00:01:58,044 --> 00:02:01,096 # Miami, uh, uh South Beach... # 37 00:02:01,096 --> 00:02:05,048 In our search for the world's most extraordinary homes, 38 00:02:05,048 --> 00:02:09,036 we've come to the USA and headed straight for the Sunshine State. 39 00:02:09,036 --> 00:02:11,072 # Jig it out, uh... # 40 00:02:11,072 --> 00:02:15,020 Give me a word that describes Miami, Florida? 41 00:02:15,020 --> 00:02:17,080 Heat.Sunshine. 42 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,068 Water.Money. 43 00:02:21,032 --> 00:02:23,072 I've got to say it... BOTH: Glamour! 44 00:02:25,044 --> 00:02:28,064 But we are looking for more than a bit of bling. 45 00:02:28,064 --> 00:02:30,064 I feel like I'm in a painting. 46 00:02:30,064 --> 00:02:33,040 We've been given the keys to four Florida homes 47 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,052 and in a place with a celebrated architectural heritage, 48 00:02:36,052 --> 00:02:41,008 we will discover how some of the world's greatest architects can deliver the glitz... 49 00:02:41,008 --> 00:02:44,092 Oh!This is my quiet Miami. 50 00:02:44,092 --> 00:02:47,000 ..with high-end design. 51 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,004 This is a house that opens up like no house I've ever seen. 52 00:02:50,004 --> 00:02:53,072 We'll explore how Florida's modernist history 53 00:02:53,072 --> 00:02:57,028 is now influencing a new generation of architects. 54 00:02:57,028 --> 00:02:59,032 It's the perfect house. 55 00:03:00,032 --> 00:03:02,012 For this part of the world. 56 00:03:02,012 --> 00:03:04,092 Large or small, there's no doubt we're in the right place 57 00:03:04,092 --> 00:03:07,080 to see how high culture mixes with popular culture, 58 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:10,072 to see houses opulent and down-to-earth. 59 00:03:10,072 --> 00:03:14,028 It's extraordinarily beautiful and very, very enticing. 60 00:03:15,060 --> 00:03:19,072 Our first home overlooks Indian Creek and the Atlantic Ocean. 61 00:03:21,060 --> 00:03:24,076 Built on a waterfront plot the locals refer to as... 62 00:03:24,076 --> 00:03:26,084 IN US ACCENT:"Prime real estate". 63 00:03:28,084 --> 00:03:32,020 I don't know about you, but I feel well out of my comfort zone. 64 00:03:32,020 --> 00:03:34,084 You and I, we're welly boots people, aren't we? 65 00:03:34,084 --> 00:03:37,040 Very much. We live in boggy parts of the south-west of England. 66 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,044 Judging by the amount of incredibly smart boats and glamorous houses, 67 00:03:41,044 --> 00:03:44,052 if you've got it, flaunt it - I think that's what happens in Miami. 68 00:03:44,052 --> 00:03:46,004 What's curious about these houses 69 00:03:46,004 --> 00:03:47,096 is that they're quite traditional houses. 70 00:03:47,096 --> 00:03:50,008 They're quite ordinary, architecturally. 71 00:03:50,008 --> 00:03:52,084 I haven't seen anything that's kind of really out there. 72 00:03:52,084 --> 00:03:56,012 Where's the flamboyance?Exactly. Something sort of cutting-edge. 73 00:03:56,012 --> 00:03:59,096 I think the question then is, if you can do anything you want... 74 00:03:59,096 --> 00:04:03,048 What do you do with all those dollars? 75 00:04:06,028 --> 00:04:10,044 What you do is aim high and seek out an exceptional architect. 76 00:04:11,056 --> 00:04:15,008 Canal House is the result of a developer willing to value design 77 00:04:15,008 --> 00:04:18,088 more than cost-cutting, to create a remarkable waterside house. 78 00:04:20,072 --> 00:04:23,068 It's time to go and see how the other half live. 79 00:04:23,068 --> 00:04:26,056 Rooted in an understanding of traditional modernism, 80 00:04:26,056 --> 00:04:30,064 there's also something cinematic about its main elevation. 81 00:04:30,064 --> 00:04:35,008 If you've got 30 million to spare, you could buy this place. 82 00:04:35,008 --> 00:04:39,032 But does that sort of price tag guarantee you good design? 83 00:04:39,032 --> 00:04:42,072 Cor! It's a big place. 84 00:04:42,072 --> 00:04:45,008 Oh, I like what I can see through there. 85 00:04:45,008 --> 00:04:47,044 There's another world through there. 86 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,064 The facade does make a big impact. 87 00:04:53,060 --> 00:04:57,044 But what really sets this house apart is how just as much attention 88 00:04:57,044 --> 00:04:59,028 has been paid to what's behind. 89 00:05:00,068 --> 00:05:04,084 Where the designers have created an informal tropical garden with soft 90 00:05:04,084 --> 00:05:08,060 curves and rich planting around a natural swimming pool. 91 00:05:10,012 --> 00:05:12,004 You're sort of almost in nature, 92 00:05:12,004 --> 00:05:14,072 even though we're very much in the city. 93 00:05:14,072 --> 00:05:18,040 And a sun trap, I mean, it's incredibly bright here. 94 00:05:22,028 --> 00:05:25,056 Anything? I think that's the bedrooms. 95 00:05:25,056 --> 00:05:29,036 OK.So, all of this will open up and out you come in the morning 96 00:05:29,036 --> 00:05:31,028 and swim in your natural pool. 97 00:05:31,028 --> 00:05:33,088 How lovely. It's got fish in it, too. 98 00:05:35,084 --> 00:05:37,088 I'm not sure I would really fancy a dip in there, 99 00:05:37,088 --> 00:05:39,016 but it's a picture to look at. 100 00:05:40,056 --> 00:05:44,064 And this looks like an ancient, decaying, dinosaur spine. 101 00:05:46,020 --> 00:05:49,080 This snaking walkway is the primary entrance to the house. 102 00:05:51,012 --> 00:05:54,008 Coming from the street, you're swept up over the garden 103 00:05:54,008 --> 00:05:56,016 towards the main living spaces 104 00:05:56,016 --> 00:05:59,096 which are concealed behind a striking perforated wall. 105 00:05:59,096 --> 00:06:03,072 Presumably that is all living space up there, front to back. 106 00:06:03,072 --> 00:06:08,024 We can see through it, and this is one big shade on the west side, 107 00:06:08,024 --> 00:06:12,020 because the sun will set here, the afternoon sun is the really hot sun. 108 00:06:12,020 --> 00:06:15,096 What's nice here is that instead of it being a blank wall, 109 00:06:15,096 --> 00:06:17,004 it has texture. 110 00:06:17,004 --> 00:06:19,068 Also that shaded area underneath must be lovely when it gets hot, 111 00:06:19,068 --> 00:06:22,044 which it really does here in Miami, doesn't it?Yeah. 112 00:06:22,044 --> 00:06:24,036 This is the Sunshine State. 113 00:06:26,044 --> 00:06:28,064 This house has to deal with the heat of the tropics 114 00:06:28,064 --> 00:06:31,024 as well as providing a range of living spaces, 115 00:06:31,024 --> 00:06:33,064 with completely contrasting qualities. 116 00:06:33,064 --> 00:06:37,004 Intimate and private, open and extrovert. 117 00:06:38,032 --> 00:06:42,024 But in essence it's quite simple - two stacked rectangular blocks, 118 00:06:42,024 --> 00:06:44,072 set at right angles. 119 00:06:44,072 --> 00:06:48,064 The 60-metre-long ground floor contains all the private spaces, 120 00:06:48,064 --> 00:06:51,004 four bedrooms that open onto the garden, 121 00:06:51,004 --> 00:06:54,004 a living room and a master bedroom as well as a garage. 122 00:06:55,056 --> 00:06:58,052 The block above contains the main public spaces, 123 00:06:58,052 --> 00:07:02,040 a kitchen and a massive 21-metre-long entertaining room. 124 00:07:03,068 --> 00:07:07,020 Enclosing the garden is a huge multipurpose exhibition space 125 00:07:07,020 --> 00:07:10,032 or sports hall and for a dramatic entrance, 126 00:07:10,032 --> 00:07:13,060 the curved walkway rises above the garden to the front door. 127 00:07:19,004 --> 00:07:23,012 It's even bigger when you get inside than it looks from the outside. 128 00:07:23,012 --> 00:07:25,084 Do you know why that is?No. 129 00:07:25,084 --> 00:07:29,040 I think it's the proportion of these pieces of teak that are only 130 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,028 three quarters of an inch wide, 131 00:07:31,028 --> 00:07:34,020 that wrap up all the way over the top and down. 132 00:07:34,020 --> 00:07:37,004 They are very, very small, in a very big space, 133 00:07:37,004 --> 00:07:40,036 so it exaggerates the sense of space, plus, 134 00:07:40,036 --> 00:07:44,064 there is no structure in that entire opening and that's a big span, 135 00:07:44,064 --> 00:07:48,052 there's nothing that brings it down to a domestic scale. 136 00:07:49,072 --> 00:07:53,048 It feels like a film set where, you know, 137 00:07:53,048 --> 00:07:58,000 you could easily have 30 extras in here, playing, I don't know, 138 00:07:58,000 --> 00:07:59,088 people from...Scarface. 139 00:07:59,088 --> 00:08:03,028 From Scarface, yeah. Something really glamorous and dramatic. 140 00:08:03,028 --> 00:08:05,056 PANEL RATTLES 141 00:08:08,004 --> 00:08:10,060 Mmm! Hello. 142 00:08:10,060 --> 00:08:12,044 Shall we?Yes. 143 00:08:16,016 --> 00:08:18,036 Gorgeous kitchen. 144 00:08:18,036 --> 00:08:22,012 With its seven-metre-long island, it's certainly impressive. 145 00:08:22,012 --> 00:08:24,076 But will it ever be used? 146 00:08:24,076 --> 00:08:26,088 I didn't think people in Miami had kitchens, 147 00:08:26,088 --> 00:08:29,000 I thought they just sent out for everything. 148 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,008 I don't think it's ever going to see a chopping board. 149 00:08:32,008 --> 00:08:34,008 Oh, I tell a lie. 150 00:08:34,008 --> 00:08:36,092 This is a box within a box, I guess. 151 00:08:36,092 --> 00:08:39,032 I'm going to have a look at how it's made. 152 00:08:44,016 --> 00:08:46,072 Yes, it is a box within a box, which is curious, 153 00:08:46,072 --> 00:08:48,048 because it gives it a sense of scale, 154 00:08:48,048 --> 00:08:51,008 but it's also people who have a sense of scale within this space, 155 00:08:51,008 --> 00:08:54,064 because as a person diminishes, you will find the space increases. 156 00:08:54,064 --> 00:08:56,076 That's brilliant! 157 00:08:56,076 --> 00:08:58,040 How did you do that? 158 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:01,056 That's so g... I've never seen anyone do it better than that. 159 00:09:01,056 --> 00:09:04,040 Oh, it's really stairs! LAUGHS 160 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,040 CLAPS HER HANDS 161 00:09:07,052 --> 00:09:09,016 It's good, isn't it? 162 00:09:09,016 --> 00:09:11,060 You come round. Come here and I'll do it.I'll watch you do it. 163 00:09:11,060 --> 00:09:14,028 Come on then.OK. I'm just going to go down to the cellar. 164 00:09:14,028 --> 00:09:16,052 Look at you! Ha-ha! 165 00:09:16,052 --> 00:09:18,068 Do you think this is actually an architect's joke? 166 00:09:18,068 --> 00:09:21,020 Do you think they've done this on purpose?Yeah, I'm sure. 167 00:09:21,020 --> 00:09:24,024 This whole house, in terms of how you move through it, is a piece of theatre. 168 00:09:24,024 --> 00:09:26,036 That's been set up to do that. 169 00:09:26,036 --> 00:09:28,008 Very pleasing. 170 00:09:30,036 --> 00:09:33,072 It's a real piece of theatre, but it is, or at least will be, 171 00:09:33,072 --> 00:09:36,012 someone's home and exploring downstairs, 172 00:09:36,012 --> 00:09:38,064 I want to know how it feels to live in. 173 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:44,076 There's such a sparse palette of materials in this house. 174 00:09:44,076 --> 00:09:48,060 On the interior, everything is either white, stone or timber. 175 00:09:51,012 --> 00:09:55,056 But instead of being some sort of punishment, some world of denial, 176 00:09:55,056 --> 00:09:58,092 it's actually incredibly rich and interesting. 177 00:09:58,092 --> 00:10:01,012 I think, for two reasons. 178 00:10:01,012 --> 00:10:05,012 The first is that natural light comes in through the screens, 179 00:10:05,012 --> 00:10:07,072 into the bedrooms, in a really beautiful way. 180 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:11,032 The other reason is that all of these bedrooms... 181 00:10:13,032 --> 00:10:16,000 ..are connected to nature. 182 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,036 And however beautiful materials are, 183 00:10:18,036 --> 00:10:21,056 they are never as beautiful as natural light and nature. 184 00:10:25,064 --> 00:10:31,000 The five ground floor bedrooms are linked by a 30-metre-long corridor. 185 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:32,044 This place is huge. 186 00:10:32,044 --> 00:10:34,080 I need roller-skates to get from one end to the other. 187 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:37,088 There's a large private living room. 188 00:10:37,088 --> 00:10:40,044 Which, compared to upstairs, is relatively snug. 189 00:10:44,052 --> 00:10:47,008 The main bedroom is enormous. 190 00:10:48,068 --> 00:10:51,052 And the bath is pretty impressive, too. 191 00:10:51,052 --> 00:10:53,060 But it seems you can't please everyone. 192 00:10:55,056 --> 00:10:58,032 Call me old-fashioned and maybe call me the country cousin, 193 00:10:58,032 --> 00:11:02,000 but I think I preferred the poetry of those very intimate, smaller 194 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,032 bedrooms that face out onto that leafy courtyard. 195 00:11:08,044 --> 00:11:10,068 If you did run out of space in the house, 196 00:11:10,068 --> 00:11:13,044 there's a completely separate block at the end of the garden. 197 00:11:16,004 --> 00:11:18,052 This house feels so big, I mean, there's so much space 198 00:11:18,052 --> 00:11:20,068 you don't quite know what to do with it. 199 00:11:20,068 --> 00:11:23,060 But there's even more. There's an exhibition space or a space for a 200 00:11:23,060 --> 00:11:26,096 classic car collection, that the architect has designed here. 201 00:11:30,060 --> 00:11:33,084 # Oh, what a feeling... # 202 00:11:33,084 --> 00:11:36,016 It could even be a dance studio. 203 00:11:36,016 --> 00:11:38,056 If that's what you want to call it. 204 00:11:40,064 --> 00:11:43,040 You've got to dance like there's nobody watching. 205 00:11:49,064 --> 00:11:55,036 Canal House has been built to cater for your average superstar's daily needs. 206 00:11:55,036 --> 00:11:59,052 It's the work of Brazilian Marcio Kogan. 207 00:11:59,052 --> 00:12:03,092 Formerly a film director, now one of the word's top 100 architects, 208 00:12:03,092 --> 00:12:07,056 his characteristic rectilinear designs are recognised 209 00:12:07,056 --> 00:12:09,012 around the world. 210 00:12:10,036 --> 00:12:12,036 Having the shadow lines coming in... 211 00:12:12,036 --> 00:12:15,076 Convincing such a renowned and busy architect to accept this project 212 00:12:15,076 --> 00:12:19,000 took some persuasion from developer, Barry Brodsky. 213 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,004 What was your brief to Marcio? What did you ask him to do? 214 00:12:22,004 --> 00:12:25,076 Well, asking an architect like that to come to Miami 215 00:12:25,076 --> 00:12:29,060 to do a specific home is a lot to ask. 216 00:12:29,060 --> 00:12:34,088 And we kind of negotiated budgets and details and ability to give freedom, creative freedom, 217 00:12:34,088 --> 00:12:38,024 to him, in order to entice him to come down and do this. 218 00:12:38,024 --> 00:12:41,012 But the way he describes things and the romance and the beauty that 219 00:12:41,012 --> 00:12:42,064 he conveys to you, all of a sudden, 220 00:12:42,064 --> 00:12:45,080 you just fall under a spell and you start following his vision. 221 00:12:47,004 --> 00:12:48,096 Making something as complex as this 222 00:12:48,096 --> 00:12:51,040 would have been impossible on a small budget. 223 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,048 There's been considerable expense, 224 00:12:53,048 --> 00:12:57,024 from ordering over 1,700 hardwood pieces for the bridge, 225 00:12:57,024 --> 00:12:59,068 to getting bespoke masonry for the facade. 226 00:12:59,068 --> 00:13:01,088 Marcio loves this and he designed 227 00:13:01,088 --> 00:13:05,048 this and to get this artistic brick was very difficult. 228 00:13:05,048 --> 00:13:07,088 As you can see, it looks seamless, like one piece, 229 00:13:07,088 --> 00:13:11,032 but all this stuff has to be done by hand and levelled, 230 00:13:11,032 --> 00:13:14,040 but the masons here, it was incredibly difficult to do. 231 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:16,088 But everything is about a moment for Marcio. 232 00:13:20,068 --> 00:13:24,020 It's interesting to see how the architect's earlier life in film 233 00:13:24,020 --> 00:13:26,016 has influenced the design. 234 00:13:28,048 --> 00:13:34,064 This front elevation has a very particular ratio. 235 00:13:34,064 --> 00:13:38,004 Marcio explained to me that this was like the way movies are shot, 236 00:13:38,004 --> 00:13:39,048 they're very horizontal. 237 00:13:39,048 --> 00:13:42,064 So, everything was set to create a very cinematic feel 238 00:13:42,064 --> 00:13:44,008 when you're sat inside, 239 00:13:44,008 --> 00:13:46,000 looking outside to the ocean. 240 00:13:46,096 --> 00:13:49,024 It was an enormous engineering challenge. 241 00:13:49,024 --> 00:13:52,000 The span is almost 70 feet across, without a column, 242 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,096 and most people thought it couldn't be done. 243 00:13:53,096 --> 00:13:56,012 That was another big financial commitment. 244 00:13:56,012 --> 00:13:58,084 So, there's been a lot of those pills to swallow, but in 245 00:13:58,084 --> 00:14:02,012 all fairness, I agreed to doing that as part of embracing his... 246 00:14:03,016 --> 00:14:05,000 ..creativity. 247 00:14:06,016 --> 00:14:09,020 It's rare for a developer to encourage design 248 00:14:09,020 --> 00:14:11,048 and not budget to lead decisions. 249 00:14:11,048 --> 00:14:14,028 But Barry's willingness to spend the extra dollar 250 00:14:14,028 --> 00:14:16,044 extended to the outdoor spaces, too. 251 00:14:17,088 --> 00:14:20,048 He commissioned renowned landscape designer, 252 00:14:20,048 --> 00:14:24,000 the superbly named Raymond Jungles, to create the garden. 253 00:14:25,056 --> 00:14:29,068 I think this garden has a huge sense of energy. 254 00:14:29,068 --> 00:14:33,004 Well, I would say that probably everything is in harmony here. 255 00:14:33,004 --> 00:14:36,044 There's a really good sense of proportion and scale with the spaces. 256 00:14:36,044 --> 00:14:39,044 There's a really good yin yang relationship between 257 00:14:39,044 --> 00:14:41,036 the architecture and the garden 258 00:14:41,036 --> 00:14:44,020 and I think that's the energy that you feel. 259 00:14:44,020 --> 00:14:46,064 It is a good positive energy, there's nothing jarring 260 00:14:46,064 --> 00:14:50,008 and I do think the architecture creates wonderful spaces 261 00:14:50,008 --> 00:14:52,036 and beautiful drama in the garden. 262 00:14:52,036 --> 00:14:54,040 The use of water is exceptional here, 263 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,088 was that an important element for you? 264 00:14:56,088 --> 00:15:00,084 Well, I'll have to say, like Luis Barragan always said, 265 00:15:00,084 --> 00:15:03,004 "Water is the heart and soul of a garden." 266 00:15:03,004 --> 00:15:08,032 So, once again, that was part of the genius of Marcio's concept, 267 00:15:08,032 --> 00:15:12,036 a bridge over the water, through the garden and into the architecture. 268 00:15:12,036 --> 00:15:15,060 It's this processional movement through the gardens, 269 00:15:15,060 --> 00:15:18,060 because gardens really are more about movement 270 00:15:18,060 --> 00:15:20,084 than they are about a fixed perspective. 271 00:15:22,036 --> 00:15:26,056 I often feel that the landscaping is neglected 272 00:15:26,056 --> 00:15:29,040 or left too late in the process. 273 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,084 Do you think it is important that they go hand in hand, those things? 274 00:15:32,084 --> 00:15:34,076 Absolutely. 275 00:15:34,076 --> 00:15:37,056 And the architects that I normally work with 276 00:15:37,056 --> 00:15:40,052 really understand the importance of the garden. 277 00:15:40,052 --> 00:15:43,012 And the overall environment. 278 00:15:43,012 --> 00:15:46,072 And what the garden can give to the interior spaces and to the setting, 279 00:15:46,072 --> 00:15:51,076 but it's easy for me to do my gardens when the architecture is this spectacular. 280 00:15:56,032 --> 00:15:58,032 It's fabulous. 281 00:15:58,032 --> 00:16:02,004 But what this place really needs is someone to live here. 282 00:16:02,004 --> 00:16:04,088 And Barry is not short of superstar house-hunters. 283 00:16:07,024 --> 00:16:10,084 Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, I was here with them a couple of weeks ago. 284 00:16:10,084 --> 00:16:12,088 Drake was just here. 285 00:16:12,088 --> 00:16:17,012 Vera Wang. You're not tempted to move in?I am, at times, yes. 286 00:16:17,012 --> 00:16:19,036 Every I come here. I never want to leave. 287 00:16:24,012 --> 00:16:28,028 In supporting a renowned architect to work with creative freedom, 288 00:16:28,028 --> 00:16:31,044 Barry has elevated something that could have been a simple piece of 289 00:16:31,044 --> 00:16:35,012 commercial real estate into a piece of high architecture. 290 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:45,044 Even by the standards of Miami, this house is incredibly grand. 291 00:16:45,044 --> 00:16:47,088 But I think despite all that opulence, 292 00:16:47,088 --> 00:16:51,084 what makes it really special is that you're only ever one step away 293 00:16:51,084 --> 00:16:54,016 from nature, it's always there. 294 00:16:54,016 --> 00:16:57,092 Yes, the garden is beautiful, isn't it? With that water there, 295 00:16:57,092 --> 00:17:01,016 just pulling nature in and again, when you look out, 296 00:17:01,016 --> 00:17:04,068 you've got this wonderful canal and, of course, 297 00:17:04,068 --> 00:17:06,064 just beyond that is Miami! 298 00:17:06,064 --> 00:17:10,068 You know, the hottest place to go out clubbing in the world. 299 00:17:11,084 --> 00:17:15,012 But with a house like this, why would you ever want to go out? 300 00:17:16,008 --> 00:17:19,088 We could just finish our cup of tea and have a nice night in. 301 00:17:19,088 --> 00:17:21,076 That sounds much nicer. 302 00:17:32,092 --> 00:17:35,024 Changing scales completely, 303 00:17:35,024 --> 00:17:39,048 our second home is proof that you don't need millions to build an architectural gem. 304 00:17:40,084 --> 00:17:44,052 We've ditched the boat for something a little less showy to head for one 305 00:17:44,052 --> 00:17:48,088 of Miami's oldest and more modest districts, Spring Garden. 306 00:17:50,004 --> 00:17:52,016 Gosh, really nice. We're going over the river. 307 00:17:52,016 --> 00:17:55,052 We're going on to another little island. 308 00:17:55,052 --> 00:17:59,056 It's changed completely, the atmosphere, this is old Florida, really. 309 00:17:59,056 --> 00:18:01,032 We've gone back in time. 310 00:18:01,032 --> 00:18:04,020 We've crossed a bridge and gone back in time. 311 00:18:10,056 --> 00:18:12,056 So tropical, this street. 312 00:18:12,056 --> 00:18:14,092 So tropical, isn't it? 313 00:18:14,092 --> 00:18:16,096 Beautiful mature trees. 314 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,020 This neighbourhood goes back to the mid-19th century, 315 00:18:22,020 --> 00:18:25,064 but some of these mature trees were here long before the buildings. 316 00:18:27,028 --> 00:18:29,028 Here we are in the jungle. 317 00:18:30,036 --> 00:18:32,088 A suburban jungle, it's extraordinary, 318 00:18:32,088 --> 00:18:36,044 to walk to your house through a tropical rainforest 319 00:18:36,044 --> 00:18:40,004 and yet be minutes away from downtown Miami. 320 00:18:40,004 --> 00:18:42,008 It's so peaceful. 321 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:47,000 Here we are. 322 00:18:52,048 --> 00:18:54,060 It's the perfect house... 323 00:18:55,072 --> 00:18:58,000 ..for this part of the world. 324 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,048 Self-built by the two architects who live here, 325 00:19:05,048 --> 00:19:08,068 Brillhart House may be one of the more modest homes we've seen, 326 00:19:08,068 --> 00:19:11,044 but it's an architectural heavyweight that sits lightly 327 00:19:11,044 --> 00:19:14,032 in its landscape and draws upon a rich heritage. 328 00:19:15,076 --> 00:19:19,024 I think it's absolutely adorable and I love the fact 329 00:19:19,024 --> 00:19:22,044 that you can see all the tropical trees behind it. 330 00:19:22,044 --> 00:19:25,048 It's like a sort of tea plantation house, isn't it?It is. 331 00:19:25,048 --> 00:19:29,060 I think that's because they are also simple buildings that deal 332 00:19:29,060 --> 00:19:32,044 with climate in the most straightforward way. 333 00:19:32,044 --> 00:19:35,048 It's also very archetypal, I can tell that this is an architect's house, 334 00:19:35,048 --> 00:19:40,072 because I think they are playing with this notion of a simple pavilion, 335 00:19:40,072 --> 00:19:44,024 that architects have been playing with for 70 or 80 years, which... 336 00:19:45,028 --> 00:19:47,068 ..looked at the houses that existed and said, 337 00:19:47,068 --> 00:19:49,044 "We don't really need all that stuff, 338 00:19:49,044 --> 00:19:51,060 "we don't need conventional front doors and porches 339 00:19:51,060 --> 00:19:54,052 "and all the trappings of houses that we're so used to." 340 00:19:54,052 --> 00:19:58,000 It's all veranda, this house.Don't you live in a house a bit like this? 341 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,000 I do live in a house a bit like this. 342 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,052 I mean there's a sort of architectural story here about 343 00:20:02,052 --> 00:20:05,056 architects designing things then realising they've got to build them. 344 00:20:05,056 --> 00:20:08,096 So it's materials put together in the most straightforward way 345 00:20:08,096 --> 00:20:12,028 which dimwits like me can understand how to do. 346 00:20:12,028 --> 00:20:17,064 And, you know, it's a sort of way of making building accessible for everybody, really. 347 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:22,052 The architect's real desire here was 348 00:20:22,052 --> 00:20:25,072 to build a home that felt connected to its surroundings. 349 00:20:25,072 --> 00:20:28,000 The house is single-storey, 350 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,080 raised on a platform 1.5 metres above the ground. 351 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,004 Full-width glazing front and back 352 00:20:34,004 --> 00:20:38,000 enclose a large open plan living area to one side 353 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,020 with two bedrooms to the other. 354 00:20:40,020 --> 00:20:42,060 A central corridor, or breezeway, 355 00:20:42,060 --> 00:20:45,056 separates the shared and private spaces, 356 00:20:45,056 --> 00:20:49,088 containing the open plan kitchen and linking the two verandas. 357 00:20:49,088 --> 00:20:53,096 The back is open, to overlook the lush, verdant garden. 358 00:20:53,096 --> 00:20:57,036 But for privacy and cooling, the front is louvered. 359 00:21:02,028 --> 00:21:04,036 And Piers is right - this is all 360 00:21:04,036 --> 00:21:07,064 about the veranda and coming straight in here, 361 00:21:07,064 --> 00:21:10,032 this wonderful area is lit by the sunlight 362 00:21:10,032 --> 00:21:13,092 just coming through these lovely shutters. 363 00:21:13,092 --> 00:21:16,036 And the light falling on the floor is really beautiful 364 00:21:16,036 --> 00:21:18,020 and I can feel the breeze 365 00:21:18,020 --> 00:21:21,008 that's being brought through the house, drawn in here. 366 00:21:24,044 --> 00:21:27,008 And when you open it, you get the wonderful view of the palm trees 367 00:21:27,008 --> 00:21:29,076 and the fabulous tropical garden. 368 00:21:37,060 --> 00:21:40,040 Behind those shutters is a transparent glass home 369 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:43,036 with large spaces that are light and adaptable. 370 00:21:43,036 --> 00:21:46,040 The whole house is less than 150 metres square 371 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:51,036 but the deep verandas add half as much outdoor living space again 372 00:21:51,036 --> 00:21:54,044 and because your eye is drawn to the landscape beyond, 373 00:21:54,044 --> 00:21:56,056 this home feels more than generous. 374 00:22:02,024 --> 00:22:06,020 Isn't it wonderful to be able to walk straight in from the outside 375 00:22:06,020 --> 00:22:09,048 through the veranda and into this space? 376 00:22:09,048 --> 00:22:13,092 This has no boundary or definition, which a room typically has, 377 00:22:13,092 --> 00:22:17,028 but I'd say it's far better for it because of course this feels 378 00:22:17,028 --> 00:22:20,048 like a piece of landscape with the air rushing through it. 379 00:22:20,048 --> 00:22:23,012 It does, it's wonderful that you look out into the garden 380 00:22:23,012 --> 00:22:27,032 and you're sort of floating above the surface, above the planting. 381 00:22:27,032 --> 00:22:30,008 I mean, it's almost like being on board a ship isn't it? 382 00:22:30,008 --> 00:22:32,044 I very much enjoy that sense 383 00:22:32,044 --> 00:22:36,028 of touching the ground very lightly indeed. 384 00:22:36,028 --> 00:22:40,032 This sense of floating with just a platform and some shelter. 385 00:22:40,032 --> 00:22:43,052 So you've got a base and a top and I suppose you and I are sort of... 386 00:22:44,052 --> 00:22:48,080 ..just a sort of yummy filling in the middle of a sandwich. 387 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:50,060 Egg and cress or cucumber? 388 00:22:50,060 --> 00:22:53,072 Oh, cucumber, I think. Don't you? On a veranda? 389 00:23:03,052 --> 00:23:06,032 Hey, you must be Jacob. Indeed. Piers. 390 00:23:06,032 --> 00:23:09,020 The owners are architects Jacob and Melissa Brillhart 391 00:23:09,020 --> 00:23:13,008 who live here with their baby daughter, Sims. 392 00:23:13,008 --> 00:23:15,004 BLOWS RASPBERRY 393 00:23:15,004 --> 00:23:17,016 Everyone's a critic. 394 00:23:17,016 --> 00:23:22,000 As architects, merely designing a house was never going to test them too much, 395 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:24,060 their challenge here was to build it as well. 396 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:28,020 It seems like it was a house that was designed 397 00:23:28,020 --> 00:23:31,004 so you could construct it yourself? Absolutely. 398 00:23:31,004 --> 00:23:35,056 Everything that we built was thought about in design vis-a-vis construction. 399 00:23:35,056 --> 00:23:37,092 For example, the beams are 50 feet long, 400 00:23:37,092 --> 00:23:40,056 there are six of them that run the base of the floor here and I knew 401 00:23:40,056 --> 00:23:42,072 that's what would fit on an 18-wheeler 402 00:23:42,072 --> 00:23:45,044 and we could get to the site without too much hassle. 403 00:23:45,044 --> 00:23:50,028 And when you as an architect bought this land and designed this house, 404 00:23:50,028 --> 00:23:53,092 was it a complex process to arrive at something so simple? 405 00:23:53,092 --> 00:23:55,072 Yes. It was... 406 00:23:55,072 --> 00:23:59,032 I mean, the house is 1,500 square feet interior space 407 00:23:59,032 --> 00:24:01,024 and my wife is an architect too, 408 00:24:01,024 --> 00:24:03,060 Melissa, and to get both of us to agree, 409 00:24:03,060 --> 00:24:08,084 and to boil down the essence into what we really needed was very difficult. 410 00:24:08,084 --> 00:24:10,092 And what did Melissa bring? 411 00:24:10,092 --> 00:24:13,028 Sensibility. Reality. 412 00:24:14,076 --> 00:24:16,064 You know, I was almost designing a house 413 00:24:16,064 --> 00:24:19,084 that we almost couldn't live in and she said, "You know, we're going to live here, 414 00:24:19,084 --> 00:24:21,048 "we're going to have a family, 415 00:24:21,048 --> 00:24:23,092 "and you have a budget and we have to get real 416 00:24:23,092 --> 00:24:28,068 "and you claim that you could build this thing so don't design something we can't do." 417 00:24:28,068 --> 00:24:31,060 To root the house in its context, 418 00:24:31,060 --> 00:24:35,056 Jacob and Melissa looked to an architectural style that developed 419 00:24:35,056 --> 00:24:37,000 in Florida 70 years ago. 420 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,052 We were interested in this idea of living in a landscape and looking at glass pavilions 421 00:24:40,052 --> 00:24:45,016 so we turned to tropical modernism as kind of a point of reference, for sure. 422 00:24:45,016 --> 00:24:49,060 Oh, what is that?So, the South Florida architects from the '50s 423 00:24:49,060 --> 00:24:52,068 and '60s looked at the international style and sort of the 424 00:24:52,068 --> 00:24:54,064 glass pavilion concepts and really 425 00:24:54,064 --> 00:24:57,068 sort of made their own regional interpretations of that, 426 00:24:57,068 --> 00:25:00,048 but they really didn't sustain the test of time 427 00:25:00,048 --> 00:25:03,060 because they were built before the advent of air conditioning. 428 00:25:03,060 --> 00:25:07,012 And so a lot of them just became weekend retreats that, 429 00:25:07,012 --> 00:25:11,036 you know, just weren't livable in the end but because now we have 430 00:25:11,036 --> 00:25:12,072 insulated glass and better 431 00:25:12,072 --> 00:25:16,036 insulation we could kind of revisit that idea... Yeah. 432 00:25:16,036 --> 00:25:20,032 ..in a modern context and kind of bring back this sort of old model 433 00:25:20,032 --> 00:25:22,040 for today's glass pavilion. 434 00:25:25,044 --> 00:25:27,016 It might look simple, 435 00:25:27,016 --> 00:25:30,060 but it took Jacob and Melissa two years to complete. 436 00:25:30,060 --> 00:25:35,032 Did that test you and Melissa, or... Yes. Yeah. It does. 437 00:25:35,032 --> 00:25:37,016 The thing that tests... 438 00:25:38,036 --> 00:25:40,088 I think tested us the most is 439 00:25:40,088 --> 00:25:44,048 the time it takes to get it the way it needs to be. 440 00:25:45,072 --> 00:25:48,036 And making a real pure, lightweight box is actually much harder 441 00:25:48,036 --> 00:25:51,068 than it looks and you have to take into account where things line up 442 00:25:51,068 --> 00:25:53,076 and the thickness of structural members 443 00:25:53,076 --> 00:25:57,088 and if the bolts are going to protrude and all these things start to become real. 444 00:25:57,088 --> 00:26:00,032 It seems simple but it's really... 445 00:26:00,032 --> 00:26:02,064 It doesn't seem simple to me. 446 00:26:02,064 --> 00:26:06,040 There was a point where I was just, you know, ready to be done with it. 447 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:10,004 "Can't we just buy a condo?" Yes, exactly. 448 00:26:10,004 --> 00:26:11,088 You learn so much, 449 00:26:11,088 --> 00:26:17,000 I've made so many mistakes and had great successes with this project. 450 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,004 But my gosh, it's the time. It just takes time. 451 00:26:21,056 --> 00:26:24,024 What's your overwhelming sort of emotion about it? 452 00:26:24,024 --> 00:26:26,080 Cos it's...a lot of love's gone into it, hasn't it? 453 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:30,040 A lot of love has gone into it and it feels like a home now 454 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:33,032 and on the few occasions when it gets cold enough in Miami 455 00:26:33,032 --> 00:26:39,060 we light a fire and otherwise it's nice to sit outside on the front porch and now it's just... 456 00:26:40,088 --> 00:26:44,016 ..all we want to do is just enjoy it. 457 00:26:53,044 --> 00:26:56,028 And I think that Melissa and Jacob have certainly earned the right 458 00:26:56,028 --> 00:26:58,060 to enjoy the fruits of their labour. 459 00:26:58,060 --> 00:27:01,080 There are very few buildings this good that are both designed 460 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,000 and built by same architects. 461 00:27:06,020 --> 00:27:09,032 On the ground, there are these two... 462 00:27:10,028 --> 00:27:15,000 ..enormous concrete ground beams and what they serve to do 463 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:20,008 is to move the entire house out of really what was once a swamp. 464 00:27:21,048 --> 00:27:24,072 And buildings here are out of the ground because the ground is boggy and wet. 465 00:27:24,072 --> 00:27:31,004 But on top of those ground beams are then these large eye beams 466 00:27:31,004 --> 00:27:35,060 that are the largest that you can transport on a public highway 467 00:27:35,060 --> 00:27:40,048 here in Florida and so there's a parallel between the depth 468 00:27:40,048 --> 00:27:43,064 of the house and how the material got here, 469 00:27:43,064 --> 00:27:45,072 which I think is really lovely. 470 00:27:45,072 --> 00:27:53,008 And then on each one of these beams is a column at the front. 471 00:27:53,008 --> 00:27:56,036 These columns run along the back of the house. 472 00:27:56,036 --> 00:28:01,044 In fact, there's only one at either end and then the roof beam 473 00:28:01,044 --> 00:28:03,020 spans between them. 474 00:28:03,020 --> 00:28:06,064 So there's nothing in my line of vision here. It's all open. 475 00:28:06,064 --> 00:28:09,024 But I think what's fantastic about the house 476 00:28:09,024 --> 00:28:14,024 is that you can sense when you arrive the way this house is made. 477 00:28:14,024 --> 00:28:18,060 And instead of that being a thing of practical straightforwardness... 478 00:28:19,068 --> 00:28:22,044 ..the making of it was the real passion. 479 00:28:22,044 --> 00:28:25,080 The real joy from Melissa and Jacob who made this building 480 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,084 with their own hands. 481 00:28:30,096 --> 00:28:34,032 Brillhart House is in some ways an homage 482 00:28:34,032 --> 00:28:36,096 to the idea of an American Modernist home. 483 00:28:36,096 --> 00:28:38,072 Regardless of who built it, 484 00:28:38,072 --> 00:28:42,048 it's also extraordinary for its purity and apparent simplicity. 485 00:28:49,032 --> 00:28:52,068 Hello. You've found a spot, haven't you? 486 00:28:52,068 --> 00:28:54,088 I have, this lovely old rattan chair. 487 00:28:54,088 --> 00:28:58,012 I was just admiring the fact that those curtains 488 00:28:58,012 --> 00:29:01,028 are made out of sacking, of sackcloth. 489 00:29:01,028 --> 00:29:03,072 Whether it's sackcloth, whether it's plywood, 490 00:29:03,072 --> 00:29:06,060 the more basic the material the nicer it is. 491 00:29:06,060 --> 00:29:09,032 That's certainly true in this house, isn't it? 492 00:29:09,032 --> 00:29:12,056 It's a very simple material but it's used beautifully. 493 00:29:12,056 --> 00:29:14,040 And that's what makes the difference.It is. 494 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:16,044 There's nothing much here that you don't need. 495 00:29:16,044 --> 00:29:18,048 I mean, I'd probably have a bit less, 496 00:29:18,048 --> 00:29:22,000 I'd just roll out a bedroll out on this deck, have the platform, 497 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:25,076 shelter from the sun and the rain and nothing else. 498 00:29:25,076 --> 00:29:27,080 I'd get rid of everything in the middle. 499 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:31,020 So, for Piers Taylor, less is more. 500 00:29:33,052 --> 00:29:34,084 Caroline's right. 501 00:29:34,084 --> 00:29:36,084 This subtle, modest, and beautiful home 502 00:29:36,084 --> 00:29:39,032 that is delicately placed in this lush landscape 503 00:29:39,032 --> 00:29:41,036 is my kind of paradise. 504 00:29:47,008 --> 00:29:51,000 Our next house is another modernist-inspired home. 505 00:29:52,044 --> 00:29:57,000 It's four hours north of Miami, up the freeway to Sarasota. 506 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:00,052 And there's plenty to see on the way. 507 00:30:00,052 --> 00:30:02,008 This is quite a tropical area... 508 00:30:02,008 --> 00:30:05,016 I'm sorry, but there's an osprey there with a fish, can you see it? 509 00:30:05,016 --> 00:30:07,056 Yes, look at that.Oh, my God! Oh, my God! 510 00:30:07,056 --> 00:30:09,084 BIRD SQUAWKS That's mind-blowing. 511 00:30:12,016 --> 00:30:15,036 Oh, my God! CAROLINE LAUGHS 512 00:30:15,036 --> 00:30:18,096 Oh! That was one of the great moments in my life. 513 00:30:20,020 --> 00:30:22,052 Focus Caroline, focus. 514 00:30:22,052 --> 00:30:26,080 We're looking for a house owned by a couple who retired to Sarasota 515 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:29,004 and wanted to build something different. 516 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:34,036 In a conservative neighbourhood with traditional houses, 517 00:30:34,036 --> 00:30:36,024 this home was caught in a controversy 518 00:30:36,024 --> 00:30:38,032 despite having roots in an architectural style 519 00:30:38,032 --> 00:30:40,060 that is now widely accepted. 520 00:30:42,032 --> 00:30:45,000 I want to know about modernism. 521 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:47,000 Well, modernism, in all the arts, 522 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:51,016 started in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s and in the way it was 523 00:30:51,016 --> 00:30:52,084 a rejection of the past 524 00:30:52,084 --> 00:30:57,072 and the modernist idea was that we needed to invent a language 525 00:30:57,072 --> 00:31:02,008 that was true to the spirit of the age and it was forward-looking and, 526 00:31:02,008 --> 00:31:05,032 you know, it stripped buildings of decoration 527 00:31:05,032 --> 00:31:08,048 and there was this idea that buildings in a way 528 00:31:08,048 --> 00:31:10,076 could be more like machines for living in 529 00:31:10,076 --> 00:31:15,056 and in many ways now it's become a historical style. 530 00:31:15,056 --> 00:31:18,004 That's the house we're seeing. 531 00:31:18,004 --> 00:31:19,080 That's the house, that's the house! 532 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:22,088 Do you know what we could do? We could...This is it, this is it! 533 00:31:30,072 --> 00:31:32,064 And you couldn't really miss it. 534 00:31:32,064 --> 00:31:36,080 Spencer House certainly stands out as striking with razor-sharp lines, 535 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:40,028 crisp shadows and stark white walls, 536 00:31:40,028 --> 00:31:42,076 unapologetic against the blue Florida sky. 537 00:31:45,084 --> 00:31:49,092 We've been invited to explore before the owners meet us. 538 00:31:49,092 --> 00:31:52,004 Right, I am going for a swim. 539 00:31:54,008 --> 00:31:58,032 Phwoar!I think I'd better just park the car cos it's so tidy here. 540 00:32:00,068 --> 00:32:03,008 Wow! 541 00:32:03,008 --> 00:32:05,012 I guess there's no space in there. 542 00:32:07,016 --> 00:32:11,032 Once your eyes have adjusted to the sheer expanse of white, 543 00:32:11,032 --> 00:32:14,024 the first thing to notice is the graphic precision of the walls 544 00:32:14,024 --> 00:32:17,064 and the grid of small square openings that puncture the entrance 545 00:32:17,064 --> 00:32:20,016 courtyard and the rest of the house with light. 546 00:32:23,012 --> 00:32:25,076 What a beautiful place to come into. 547 00:32:25,076 --> 00:32:29,020 I feel like I'm in a painting but I don't think I could be anywhere else 548 00:32:29,020 --> 00:32:31,036 in the world but Florida. 549 00:32:31,036 --> 00:32:34,044 These white walls, this blue sky. 550 00:32:34,044 --> 00:32:38,012 This type of modernism makes perfect sense here because it works. 551 00:32:41,032 --> 00:32:43,060 Set on this prominent corner plot, 552 00:32:43,060 --> 00:32:45,088 the architect's challenge was to build a home 553 00:32:45,088 --> 00:32:48,076 that whilst filled with light would also be private. 554 00:32:50,064 --> 00:32:53,040 The entrance courtyard leads straight into an open plan, 555 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:54,052 double height living, 556 00:32:54,052 --> 00:32:56,048 dining, and kitchen area. 557 00:32:58,016 --> 00:33:00,092 Adjacent is a covered courtyard and pool around which 558 00:33:00,092 --> 00:33:03,004 there are three bedrooms and a pantry. 559 00:33:04,084 --> 00:33:06,096 Through the centre of the building is a tower 560 00:33:06,096 --> 00:33:08,096 that contains a mezzanine sitting room. 561 00:33:09,096 --> 00:33:14,000 And above is a glass-walled studio with surrounding terraces. 562 00:33:15,028 --> 00:33:18,020 Capping it all is an outside bar on the roof. 563 00:33:19,068 --> 00:33:21,072 With its almost monumental exterior, 564 00:33:21,072 --> 00:33:25,036 it's possible to see how this place may have raised a few eyebrows. 565 00:33:25,036 --> 00:33:28,000 But inside, it's much softer. 566 00:33:29,076 --> 00:33:31,048 Well, I'm right in. 567 00:33:31,048 --> 00:33:34,032 I mean, there's no sense of a hallway 568 00:33:34,032 --> 00:33:36,088 and those traditional European spaces 569 00:33:36,088 --> 00:33:39,004 that buffer you from the street. 570 00:33:39,004 --> 00:33:42,036 It's just so informal right away. 571 00:33:42,036 --> 00:33:44,060 Hello. Oh, hello. Look what I found! 572 00:33:44,060 --> 00:33:49,040 You found the informality.It's completely informal, it's fantastic. 573 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:53,016 I walked off the street and into the pool, without stopping. 574 00:33:53,016 --> 00:33:54,080 It's extraordinary. 575 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:57,036 I know a lot of it's got to do with the climate and of course, 576 00:33:57,036 --> 00:34:00,064 it's much easier when you have the bluest of blue skies 577 00:34:00,064 --> 00:34:03,060 but there's something really kind of relaxing 578 00:34:03,060 --> 00:34:06,000 about not having those sort of little tucked-off rooms 579 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:08,072 where there's secrecy and quiet times. 580 00:34:08,072 --> 00:34:11,084 Actually, here, everyone's sort of living the same moment 581 00:34:11,084 --> 00:34:14,000 of their lives at the same time. 582 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,044 That's why a lot of people yearn to live in big, 583 00:34:16,044 --> 00:34:19,004 open spaces because you could see everybody all the time. 584 00:34:19,004 --> 00:34:21,004 You know what everyone's doing. 585 00:34:21,004 --> 00:34:23,044 What I really love about the view from here, Piers, 586 00:34:23,044 --> 00:34:24,092 is those little glass windows, 587 00:34:24,092 --> 00:34:27,012 they're sort of almost church-like, aren't they? 588 00:34:27,012 --> 00:34:29,068 And actually, it feels quite church-like because churches, 589 00:34:29,068 --> 00:34:33,028 of course, historically had lots of small windows that brought light 590 00:34:33,028 --> 00:34:36,000 in from above and you never had a direct view out 591 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:40,012 because of course you were always referred to an internal landscape. 592 00:34:40,012 --> 00:34:44,068 And this has that similar quality, it's a beautiful quality of light... 593 00:34:44,068 --> 00:34:47,004 Oh, be quiet.Oh! 594 00:34:47,004 --> 00:34:49,012 I'm just talking to myself. 595 00:34:52,020 --> 00:34:54,076 Some homes were just meant to be enjoyed. 596 00:35:00,024 --> 00:35:04,048 There's one thing better than coming off a hot street straight into a 597 00:35:04,048 --> 00:35:07,020 swimming pool - it's coming out of a swimming pool 598 00:35:07,020 --> 00:35:10,020 straight into a guest bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. 599 00:35:12,096 --> 00:35:15,024 Oh, this is nice, look. 600 00:35:15,024 --> 00:35:19,028 Sort of prehistoric fossils as bathroom tiles. 601 00:35:19,028 --> 00:35:23,076 It's all to do with the water and the sea and nature. 602 00:35:23,076 --> 00:35:27,060 And a lovely shower, the fish carry on swimming through here. 603 00:35:27,060 --> 00:35:31,080 And then an outdoor shower too. 604 00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:35,068 So I have a choice now, and I'm going to go indoors. 605 00:35:38,076 --> 00:35:39,084 That's your cue to go. 606 00:35:41,020 --> 00:35:43,080 Yes. 607 00:35:46,048 --> 00:35:48,052 Thank you. 608 00:35:51,036 --> 00:35:53,048 Two thirds of the house is on the ground floor 609 00:35:53,048 --> 00:35:55,096 and has everything you could need for living. 610 00:35:57,024 --> 00:36:00,040 Upstairs are more private spaces to escape to - 611 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:03,020 on the mezzanine, a living room and above that, 612 00:36:03,020 --> 00:36:06,012 a glass studio where the owner builds model ships. 613 00:36:07,060 --> 00:36:11,072 What's really noticeable is that as you rise through the central tower, 614 00:36:11,072 --> 00:36:15,012 views become more open as privacy becomes less of an issue. 615 00:36:17,020 --> 00:36:18,084 These wonderful apertures are 616 00:36:18,084 --> 00:36:21,036 a key aspect of Spencer House's architecture. 617 00:36:24,068 --> 00:36:28,044 The pioneering owners are Beth and Gary Spencer. 618 00:36:28,044 --> 00:36:33,004 Did you decide, I want a modern sort of statement piece of architecture? 619 00:36:33,004 --> 00:36:37,064 We sort of zeroed in on the modern by going to open houses. 620 00:36:37,064 --> 00:36:41,028 So we would do that on weekends and we sort of gravitated 621 00:36:41,028 --> 00:36:43,076 to these wonderful modern homes and the more we saw, 622 00:36:43,076 --> 00:36:47,096 the more we zeroed in on a couple of Sarasota's better-known architects. 623 00:36:47,096 --> 00:36:52,024 We interviewed them both and Guy was the best communicator 624 00:36:52,024 --> 00:36:54,072 and the best listener so we selected Guy. Yep. 625 00:36:54,072 --> 00:36:57,000 When you drive by here any day of the week... 626 00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,064 Their architect was the award-winning Guy Petersen, 627 00:36:59,064 --> 00:37:04,036 whose work is heavily influenced by a form of modernism that grew out of Sarasota. 628 00:37:06,016 --> 00:37:09,008 Sarasota has a rich architectural history, doesn't it? 629 00:37:09,008 --> 00:37:14,016 It does. Sarasota was on the map nationally for doing these amazing 630 00:37:14,016 --> 00:37:17,048 modernist buildings in the '40s, '50s and '60s. 631 00:37:17,048 --> 00:37:21,024 It was later dubbed the Sarasota School Of Architecture as a movement 632 00:37:21,024 --> 00:37:23,028 and as an architect being from Sarasota, 633 00:37:23,028 --> 00:37:25,048 I've always said I wasn't part of the Sarasota School 634 00:37:25,048 --> 00:37:27,048 because they were a generation ahead of me. 635 00:37:27,048 --> 00:37:29,040 But it was part of me growing up. 636 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:33,008 Did you feel sort of kindred spirits? Did you have the same ideas? 637 00:37:33,008 --> 00:37:35,060 I mean, what did you ask him for? 638 00:37:35,060 --> 00:37:37,052 Well, we didn't really ask him for anything, 639 00:37:37,052 --> 00:37:41,008 we sat down and gave him a list of all the homes we'd lived in, right? 640 00:37:41,008 --> 00:37:43,008 All the features we liked about them, 641 00:37:43,008 --> 00:37:45,072 all the features we didn't like about them. 642 00:37:45,072 --> 00:37:50,016 His big challenge was I needed privacy and Beth needed light. 643 00:37:52,028 --> 00:37:54,032 They wanted a lot of natural light 644 00:37:54,032 --> 00:37:56,056 but they realise they're on a busy corner 645 00:37:56,056 --> 00:37:59,044 so how do you conceal yet reveal at the same time? 646 00:37:59,044 --> 00:38:03,064 And so really the strategy of this house is more about opening 647 00:38:03,064 --> 00:38:07,036 vertically to the sky and bringing light in from above. 648 00:38:07,036 --> 00:38:09,068 And then very controlled openings to the exterior. 649 00:38:10,076 --> 00:38:13,020 As you move up in the house there's these like, 650 00:38:13,020 --> 00:38:15,000 here's a shadow box over here. 651 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:16,092 These projected forms. 652 00:38:16,092 --> 00:38:22,000 And they become view portals too, looking at specific views, 653 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,008 and there were these perforated openings. 654 00:38:24,008 --> 00:38:28,012 And these openings became a way of maintaining the privacy... 655 00:38:29,008 --> 00:38:30,092 ..and not having big shafts of light come in, 656 00:38:30,092 --> 00:38:34,000 but controlled openings that allow light to just funnel 657 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:36,064 into this big open space. 658 00:38:36,064 --> 00:38:40,064 There are more than 200 small squares that let light into 659 00:38:40,064 --> 00:38:42,084 the house and the courtyards. 660 00:38:42,084 --> 00:38:44,092 And for you the light was really important? 661 00:38:44,092 --> 00:38:48,040 Very important, part of the appeal was the lot faces south, 662 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:52,048 so it gets a lot of really great sun. 663 00:38:52,048 --> 00:38:56,068 So, the squares in that wall let the south sun in. 664 00:38:56,068 --> 00:38:59,040 And then at night it emits light. 665 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:01,084 And has a whole different persona. 666 00:39:05,084 --> 00:39:09,052 Guy may have overcome the architectural challenges 667 00:39:09,052 --> 00:39:11,080 but in taking down a traditional house 668 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:15,000 to replace it with something so overtly contemporary, 669 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:19,016 Gary and Beth were opening up a whole different can of worms. 670 00:39:19,016 --> 00:39:21,080 Well, when it was first being under construction... 671 00:39:22,088 --> 00:39:25,040 ..a lot of people didn't know what to make of it. 672 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:28,072 It was interesting because then the press got ahold of it and it became 673 00:39:28,072 --> 00:39:31,060 kind of an unsanctioned beauty contest, 674 00:39:31,060 --> 00:39:34,064 "Do you like it or do you not like it?" 675 00:39:34,064 --> 00:39:37,032 But as we worked our way through construction 676 00:39:37,032 --> 00:39:41,064 and they could see it finally get painted and get close to finished, 677 00:39:41,064 --> 00:39:44,000 it became very well-received. 678 00:39:46,024 --> 00:39:48,036 When you do something that's different, 679 00:39:48,036 --> 00:39:50,084 people are always going to ask the question why. 680 00:39:50,084 --> 00:39:53,088 "Why is it not looking like the house across the street?" 681 00:39:53,088 --> 00:39:56,064 I've always told my students, I'd rather do a building 682 00:39:56,064 --> 00:39:59,064 someone didn't like than a building they didn't notice. 683 00:39:59,064 --> 00:40:01,096 There is the occasional misunderstanding. 684 00:40:01,096 --> 00:40:04,000 When we were first in here, 685 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:06,096 I was vacuuming here one day and a woman walked up and she looked in 686 00:40:06,096 --> 00:40:10,028 these windows and then she just walked in the front door. 687 00:40:10,028 --> 00:40:12,028 GASPS 688 00:40:12,028 --> 00:40:15,048 So I put on my best customer service face and said, "May I help you?" 689 00:40:17,016 --> 00:40:20,060 And she looked startled and said, "Oh, I thought this was the yoga studio." 690 00:40:20,060 --> 00:40:24,088 You should've said, "It is. Salute the sun." 691 00:40:24,088 --> 00:40:26,080 LAUGHS 692 00:40:26,080 --> 00:40:30,096 Today I think the community is starting to recognise the value of modern architecture 693 00:40:30,096 --> 00:40:34,080 and that it does play a part in our history. 694 00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:37,028 What's it like to live here? 695 00:40:37,028 --> 00:40:40,072 It's like being in your own resort. BETH LAUGHS 696 00:40:40,072 --> 00:40:44,076 Seriously? Yeah, every day is just a joy. 697 00:40:44,076 --> 00:40:48,096 Every day?Yes, every day there's a new favourite thing. 698 00:40:48,096 --> 00:40:50,080 And if he's happy, I'm happy. THEY LAUGH 699 00:40:53,056 --> 00:40:57,000 There are so many things in this house to admire. 700 00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:00,016 I love the fossilised fish that seem to have made their way 701 00:41:00,016 --> 00:41:02,072 from the bathroom to the kitchen. 702 00:41:02,072 --> 00:41:06,052 I've got to ask you about these fish. 703 00:41:06,052 --> 00:41:08,076 Are these real fossils? 704 00:41:08,076 --> 00:41:10,032 They're real fossils. 705 00:41:10,032 --> 00:41:12,092 They come from a well known site in Wyoming. 706 00:41:12,092 --> 00:41:14,080 They are 53 million years old. 707 00:41:15,092 --> 00:41:18,036 And they are herring and perch. 708 00:41:18,036 --> 00:41:20,068 I think they're absolutely beautiful. 709 00:41:20,068 --> 00:41:23,060 I love the idea of having a shoal of fish swimming along when I am cooking. 710 00:41:23,060 --> 00:41:25,048 I'm glad you like that. Yeah, lovely. 711 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:31,072 Personal touches fill this home with joy, 712 00:41:31,072 --> 00:41:34,064 but never distract from the architecture. 713 00:41:35,068 --> 00:41:37,056 I love this shadow box. 714 00:41:37,056 --> 00:41:39,060 I mean, this isn't the thickness of the wall. 715 00:41:39,060 --> 00:41:42,048 This is a bay window that projects and what it does... 716 00:41:42,048 --> 00:41:46,080 What? Hang on. This isn't the thickness of the wall, it's a bay window that projects? 717 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:48,052 The wall is only that thick. 718 00:41:48,052 --> 00:41:51,028 This isn't the thickness of the wall. The wall is this thick. 719 00:41:51,028 --> 00:41:53,040 This is a lip. A great big lip that comes out. 720 00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:55,020 Oh, yes, I can feel it! It's a big frame. 721 00:41:55,020 --> 00:41:58,012 And what it does is cast a shadow on the wall. 722 00:41:58,012 --> 00:42:01,020 It brings texture and relief to this composition. 723 00:42:02,060 --> 00:42:05,012 What to do you think about this colour?I love this colour. 724 00:42:05,012 --> 00:42:06,084 It's the colour of the sky and Florida. 725 00:42:06,084 --> 00:42:08,096 It's Corbusier blue. 726 00:42:08,096 --> 00:42:10,088 And it goes really well with this pink. 727 00:42:10,088 --> 00:42:12,092 I know! 728 00:42:15,088 --> 00:42:18,032 Le Corbusier, who created this shade of blue, 729 00:42:18,032 --> 00:42:20,052 was the founding father of modernism 730 00:42:20,052 --> 00:42:23,060 and it's another nod to this home's architectural roots. 731 00:42:25,008 --> 00:42:28,096 It's a style that is often perceived as hard edged, even austere, 732 00:42:28,096 --> 00:42:32,068 but with their architect, Gary and Beth have achieved a softened 733 00:42:32,068 --> 00:42:34,036 and more inviting take on it. 734 00:42:39,024 --> 00:42:41,048 Oh, you're up here. Great, you managed to get some bins. 735 00:42:41,048 --> 00:42:44,036 I did.Oh, you'll be able to see them now. Look, up there. 736 00:42:44,036 --> 00:42:47,056 A pair of ospreys. They are so beautiful, look at her. 737 00:42:47,056 --> 00:42:50,052 There's a lot to see from here. There really is, it's incredible. 738 00:42:50,052 --> 00:42:56,008 I think that's a 1950s Paul Rudolph early modernist work over there, actually. 739 00:42:59,032 --> 00:43:01,024 Oh, there they go. 740 00:43:05,064 --> 00:43:08,036 Our final stop is back in Miami 741 00:43:08,036 --> 00:43:10,080 and we couldn't leave without paying a visit 742 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:13,056 to probably the world's most famous beachfront. 743 00:43:14,084 --> 00:43:19,024 Lined with Art Deco hotels and homes to the likes of Naomi Campbell 744 00:43:19,024 --> 00:43:22,080 and P Diddy, South Beach is poser's paradise. 745 00:43:25,056 --> 00:43:28,012 And our final home is moments away. 746 00:43:31,024 --> 00:43:34,020 Are there any more glamorous words in the English language 747 00:43:34,020 --> 00:43:35,076 than Miami Beach? 748 00:43:35,076 --> 00:43:40,000 There are no more glamorous words than Miami Beach. 749 00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:43,044 But here we are, back from the beach and this is quite a dense city 750 00:43:43,044 --> 00:43:45,092 full of life, full of people, traffic, wind. 751 00:43:45,092 --> 00:43:49,092 How would you make a refuge from all this just back from the ocean? 752 00:43:49,092 --> 00:43:52,020 Let's find out. 753 00:43:55,072 --> 00:43:57,064 Hang on, this is... 754 00:43:57,064 --> 00:44:00,064 This is it.It's very private. 755 00:44:00,064 --> 00:44:02,048 Are you sure we're welcome here? 756 00:44:03,092 --> 00:44:06,084 Confronted by an expanse of solid concrete, 757 00:44:06,084 --> 00:44:08,048 Prairie Residence may seem 758 00:44:08,048 --> 00:44:11,044 to the passer-by like an impenetrable fortress. 759 00:44:12,060 --> 00:44:14,040 It's certainly a house that does little 760 00:44:14,040 --> 00:44:15,060 to give away its secrets. 761 00:44:17,012 --> 00:44:20,008 Piers, it's on stilts. 762 00:44:20,008 --> 00:44:22,076 It's like a giant concrete tree house. 763 00:44:22,076 --> 00:44:25,012 Yes, that's just dropped into the city. 764 00:44:25,012 --> 00:44:29,008 Look at this. That's just a massive root ball. 765 00:44:29,008 --> 00:44:31,012 It's like a piece of sculpture. 766 00:44:32,024 --> 00:44:35,040 Placed right at the entrance of this property, 767 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:41,032 this strange looking fig tree is known as a Florida strangler. 768 00:44:41,032 --> 00:44:44,008 I'm feeling that the rest of the world is out there. 769 00:44:44,008 --> 00:44:48,008 The beach and the beach life are out beyond that and in here, 770 00:44:48,008 --> 00:44:50,072 it's a sort of tropical oasis. 771 00:44:50,072 --> 00:44:56,032 It feels as if this is a kind of modern version of Tarzan's hideout in the trees. 772 00:45:02,044 --> 00:45:06,012 Climbing the bronze and steel staircase into the belly of this home, 773 00:45:06,012 --> 00:45:08,060 it's difficult to anticipate what we might find. 774 00:45:14,008 --> 00:45:17,096 Well, I've come in from the city and all the hubbub and bustle. 775 00:45:19,024 --> 00:45:21,028 I feel like I'm in Sri Lanka, 776 00:45:21,028 --> 00:45:24,016 not the centre of South Beach, Miami. 777 00:45:25,032 --> 00:45:29,080 I'm transported from all that noise, cars, 778 00:45:29,080 --> 00:45:35,076 congestion into what feels like some kind of walkway in a tree canopy. 779 00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:40,028 But also, I am not really sure what's outside... 780 00:45:41,088 --> 00:45:44,000 ..and what is inside. 781 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:46,068 This is a house that opens up like no house I've ever seen. 782 00:45:48,020 --> 00:45:52,024 This ambiguity, the blurring between interior and exterior, 783 00:45:52,024 --> 00:45:55,028 only works for real when temperatures consistently hover 784 00:45:55,028 --> 00:45:57,024 between 20 and 30 degrees. 785 00:45:59,004 --> 00:46:02,092 But it's so cinematic. I mean, the light 786 00:46:02,092 --> 00:46:06,016 coming through those trees and bouncing off this water. 787 00:46:06,016 --> 00:46:09,020 It's kind of mesmeric. 788 00:46:09,020 --> 00:46:12,076 The pool is not only used to reflect light into the open house 789 00:46:12,076 --> 00:46:14,072 but also for its cooling presence, 790 00:46:14,072 --> 00:46:18,056 using the overflow to create a striking wall of water below. 791 00:46:25,084 --> 00:46:27,092 Oh, this is brilliant. 792 00:46:27,092 --> 00:46:32,040 To complete that sort of jungle theme, we've got a waterfall here. 793 00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:34,004 This wonderful... 794 00:46:35,004 --> 00:46:38,072 ..curtain of water just coming down this beautiful rock. 795 00:46:41,048 --> 00:46:46,076 This is such an exciting way to enter a property. 796 00:46:46,076 --> 00:46:50,068 It's extraordinarily beautiful and very, very enticing. 797 00:46:59,064 --> 00:47:03,060 This home makes no apology for its opulence. 798 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:09,052 It's a truly sensual place. 799 00:47:13,036 --> 00:47:16,088 When you meet a class act, you know it. 800 00:47:16,088 --> 00:47:19,096 And this house is a class act. 801 00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:23,072 Talking of class acts, Taylor, what are you doing? 802 00:47:24,072 --> 00:47:27,016 Hello. Taking a few photos. 803 00:47:28,040 --> 00:47:31,072 Have we found a photogenic house or what? 804 00:47:31,072 --> 00:47:34,092 I think it's so rich, materially and texturally. 805 00:47:34,092 --> 00:47:38,004 It's an experience that most contemporary buildings deny us 806 00:47:38,004 --> 00:47:41,008 cos everything is just surface, everything's white. 807 00:47:41,008 --> 00:47:44,064 Actually, here, every material has real substance. 808 00:47:44,064 --> 00:47:47,056 One of the great joys for me is this is bronze, 809 00:47:47,056 --> 00:47:49,092 and you don't see a lot of that about 810 00:47:49,092 --> 00:47:52,096 because you don't get much of it to the pound.You don't. 811 00:47:54,052 --> 00:47:57,056 I'm actually already feeling overstimulated.Yeah, it is. 812 00:47:57,056 --> 00:48:00,036 I think I'm going to have to have a lie down. 813 00:48:00,036 --> 00:48:02,020 Are you really?Cup of tea. 814 00:48:02,020 --> 00:48:04,024 It is overstimulating. Everything about it. 815 00:48:04,024 --> 00:48:05,060 I mean, just looking up there now. 816 00:48:05,060 --> 00:48:07,044 Every bit of it's like prodding you, isn't it? 817 00:48:07,044 --> 00:48:09,052 "Come and look at me, come and look at me," but that, 818 00:48:09,052 --> 00:48:11,060 look at the grasses across the top against the sky. 819 00:48:11,060 --> 00:48:14,004 I love that. But it's kind of like more is more. Less is less. 820 00:48:14,004 --> 00:48:17,048 More is more when it's done so brilliantly. 821 00:48:17,048 --> 00:48:20,008 And this is done so brilliantly. 822 00:48:22,032 --> 00:48:26,004 The architect's vision was to create an escape from the craziness of one 823 00:48:26,004 --> 00:48:28,024 of the world's busiest sea fronts. 824 00:48:29,040 --> 00:48:33,060 His solution was to build an inward facing home on stilts. 825 00:48:33,060 --> 00:48:38,008 Consisting of a series of three separate buildings around a central courtyard and pool, 826 00:48:39,020 --> 00:48:41,092 the two smaller ones are self-contained bedroom suites 827 00:48:41,092 --> 00:48:44,052 with double height ceilings and mezzanine floors. 828 00:48:46,008 --> 00:48:47,084 The largest building contains 829 00:48:47,084 --> 00:48:50,048 the main living room kitchen and main bedroom. 830 00:48:50,048 --> 00:48:54,048 A lush green roof adds to the richness of the surrounding 831 00:48:54,048 --> 00:48:56,048 tree canopy and to the rich, 832 00:48:56,048 --> 00:48:59,092 sensual textures in every surface and every material. 833 00:49:10,020 --> 00:49:12,012 SIGHS 834 00:49:12,012 --> 00:49:14,084 I mean, if you are feeling overstimulated, 835 00:49:14,084 --> 00:49:18,008 this is a room to come and destimulate yourself in. 836 00:49:18,008 --> 00:49:20,008 Do you mean by having a lie down or something? 837 00:49:20,008 --> 00:49:22,088 Yeah, I do, that is exactly what I mean.I got it first. 838 00:49:24,068 --> 00:49:27,012 The attention to detail is extraordinary. 839 00:49:27,012 --> 00:49:30,056 I mean, there's three different sorts of concrete in here. 840 00:49:30,056 --> 00:49:32,032 The ceiling is different from the walls, 841 00:49:32,032 --> 00:49:33,084 which is different from the floor. 842 00:49:33,084 --> 00:49:36,016 It shows such love and affection for all the things 843 00:49:36,016 --> 00:49:37,056 he's used to build the house. 844 00:49:37,056 --> 00:49:40,084 I mean, there's something about the way it has been crafted 845 00:49:40,084 --> 00:49:42,012 that is very special. 846 00:49:42,012 --> 00:49:46,036 I mean, everywhere we look, there's real skill, care and joy. 847 00:49:46,036 --> 00:49:49,032 And passion.And actually, a passion for getting it right. 848 00:49:52,064 --> 00:49:54,084 Oh, Piers, look what I've found. 849 00:49:54,084 --> 00:49:57,032 What have you found? A model of the house. 850 00:49:57,032 --> 00:49:59,092 God, it looks so simple when you see it like this. 851 00:49:59,092 --> 00:50:02,028 When it's made out of a balsa wood and cardboard. 852 00:50:02,028 --> 00:50:05,028 Everything looks simple when you make it out of balsa wood and cardboard. 853 00:50:05,028 --> 00:50:07,084 You'd look simple if I made you out of balsa wood and cardboard. 854 00:50:07,084 --> 00:50:11,016 I look simple and I'm not even made out of balsa wood and cardboard. 855 00:50:17,024 --> 00:50:20,064 This home is a showcase of high-end design. 856 00:50:20,064 --> 00:50:22,040 It takes someone who relishes 857 00:50:22,040 --> 00:50:24,092 perfection to commission work like this. 858 00:50:24,092 --> 00:50:26,092 The owner is Hany Boutros... 859 00:50:27,092 --> 00:50:30,084 ..who uses the place as an escape from his day job, 860 00:50:30,084 --> 00:50:33,004 running a pharmaceutical company. 861 00:50:33,004 --> 00:50:35,032 I actually, always... 862 00:50:35,032 --> 00:50:37,096 I fell in love with Miami over a decade ago... 863 00:50:39,004 --> 00:50:42,028 ..for the simple reason, it reminded me so much of home. 864 00:50:42,028 --> 00:50:44,044 Where's home?Lebanon. 865 00:50:44,044 --> 00:50:47,064 I was born and raised in Lebanon, so we grew up on the Mediterranean, 866 00:50:47,064 --> 00:50:49,064 of course, and the water. 867 00:50:49,064 --> 00:50:52,032 And to add the crazy night life. 868 00:50:52,032 --> 00:50:54,068 You know, Miami's the same thing, like Beirut. 869 00:50:54,068 --> 00:50:56,088 Every time I come here it's like I'm home. 870 00:50:56,088 --> 00:51:00,072 That's one half. What's through this half?This is my hideaway. 871 00:51:00,072 --> 00:51:03,020 Oh! Yes.Exciting. 872 00:51:04,032 --> 00:51:06,000 Here you go. After you. 873 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:08,032 Thank you very much. Huge door! 874 00:51:09,084 --> 00:51:13,072 Oh.This is my quiet Miami. 875 00:51:13,072 --> 00:51:14,092 Your quiet Miami. 876 00:51:14,092 --> 00:51:19,072 Yes. I lay there, I look at this, and I'm like, "Life is good." 877 00:51:19,072 --> 00:51:22,012 Because it's quite frenetic, as a city, isn't it? Right. 878 00:51:22,012 --> 00:51:24,076 But here, you feel like you're completely removed. 879 00:51:24,076 --> 00:51:28,096 Like you can get away from that crazy - good crazy - 880 00:51:28,096 --> 00:51:32,060 and you come home to this, which is just a relaxing moment, 881 00:51:32,060 --> 00:51:34,044 a quiet moment. 882 00:51:35,080 --> 00:51:38,056 There is something almost cathedral like in this bedroom, 883 00:51:38,056 --> 00:51:40,060 and its really high ceilings, 884 00:51:40,060 --> 00:51:44,068 and the play of light on the solid materials create a reverential feeling. 885 00:51:46,020 --> 00:51:50,032 The man Hany asked to design his home was architect Rene Gonzalez, 886 00:51:50,032 --> 00:51:54,004 an old friend of 13 years who shared his passion for design. 887 00:51:55,040 --> 00:52:00,052 I wanted to create a place where he can come and decompress, 888 00:52:00,052 --> 00:52:03,092 and really feel tranquil. 889 00:52:03,092 --> 00:52:07,012 And when I thought about this project, 890 00:52:07,012 --> 00:52:10,040 I thought that I wanted it to have this monastic feel, 891 00:52:10,040 --> 00:52:13,048 to have this feel of a retreat. 892 00:52:15,092 --> 00:52:18,056 So, the ceilings and the walls never touch. 893 00:52:18,056 --> 00:52:23,088 They always are separated by skylights that bring light down 894 00:52:23,088 --> 00:52:29,072 into the living spaces, and create these spaces that go on forever. 895 00:52:34,004 --> 00:52:38,056 This move to raise everything up off the ground into the tree canopy, 896 00:52:38,056 --> 00:52:40,068 is that about an experience of landscape, 897 00:52:40,068 --> 00:52:43,016 or a more pragmatic concern? 898 00:52:43,016 --> 00:52:48,024 You know, the early American settlers raised their houses 899 00:52:48,024 --> 00:52:51,088 on stilts for the same reason we have to today - 900 00:52:51,088 --> 00:52:54,012 to address environmental issues. 901 00:52:54,012 --> 00:52:58,068 In Miami in particular, sea-level rise is a major issue, 902 00:52:58,068 --> 00:53:00,072 and I think for architects, 903 00:53:00,072 --> 00:53:04,016 it's a responsibility that we need to embrace, 904 00:53:04,016 --> 00:53:07,080 and be the creative leaders to address. 905 00:53:07,080 --> 00:53:13,048 But it feels that you've woven some pavilions among some existing trees. 906 00:53:13,048 --> 00:53:16,068 Was that the case, or have you made all of this? 907 00:53:16,068 --> 00:53:21,072 You know, we had this wonderful banyan tree here when we started... 908 00:53:21,072 --> 00:53:23,088 So this was a virgin site? 909 00:53:23,088 --> 00:53:29,080 It was a completely open site, with nothing other than this one tree. 910 00:53:29,080 --> 00:53:32,052 And the rest, we brought in. 911 00:53:32,052 --> 00:53:36,092 We were really interested in creating a condition where water, 912 00:53:36,092 --> 00:53:40,088 the landscape and the house would really be interlaced 913 00:53:40,088 --> 00:53:42,024 in a seamless way, 914 00:53:42,024 --> 00:53:44,064 where you can really flow from inside to outside, 915 00:53:44,064 --> 00:53:47,016 and feel like you were in the trees. 916 00:53:50,052 --> 00:53:53,056 This house brilliantly shows that you don't need lots of different 917 00:53:53,056 --> 00:53:57,012 materials to create a diverse range of textures. 918 00:53:59,036 --> 00:54:02,060 As you notice from the house, the colour palette, the materials, 919 00:54:02,060 --> 00:54:07,020 I'm very keen on earthy in the feel and the touch. 920 00:54:07,020 --> 00:54:10,092 And I love... The textures...Yes. ..are second to none.Yes. 921 00:54:10,092 --> 00:54:13,024 I mean, the bronze of the staircase, 922 00:54:13,024 --> 00:54:16,008 which is exactly the same colour as your eyes, by the way, 923 00:54:16,008 --> 00:54:18,072 is smooth and sensual. 924 00:54:18,072 --> 00:54:21,048 And then you've got this, which is kind of rippled, 925 00:54:21,048 --> 00:54:23,084 and I've never seen that done with marble before. 926 00:54:23,084 --> 00:54:28,080 The overriding sense here is that there is nothing left to chance. 927 00:54:28,080 --> 00:54:31,012 Everything has been thought about. 928 00:54:31,012 --> 00:54:37,048 It was combining an architect that is, and excuse the word, 929 00:54:37,048 --> 00:54:40,080 the choice of words, a detail freak. 930 00:54:40,080 --> 00:54:45,072 And then you add to that a client that's obsessed with detail. 931 00:54:46,096 --> 00:54:50,084 And then you trust your architect, that they can design something 932 00:54:50,084 --> 00:54:53,024 that fits your personality, 933 00:54:53,024 --> 00:54:56,012 and allow them to be as creative as they want to. 934 00:54:56,012 --> 00:54:58,036 This is what happened. 935 00:54:58,036 --> 00:55:00,068 You know, I didn't come in with a set of rules. 936 00:55:00,068 --> 00:55:03,088 I just came up with a space that I would like to live in, 937 00:55:03,088 --> 00:55:06,044 and then you just do what you do best, 938 00:55:06,044 --> 00:55:08,084 which is to create a masterpiece. 939 00:55:08,084 --> 00:55:12,036 It may be the most important house I ever design, 940 00:55:12,036 --> 00:55:17,080 because it was really developed with an enormous amount of intensity and, 941 00:55:17,080 --> 00:55:19,080 really, love. 942 00:55:21,088 --> 00:55:24,012 I'm surprised you ever leave this room, 943 00:55:24,012 --> 00:55:26,060 because the colour of your hair is like the colour of this, 944 00:55:26,060 --> 00:55:28,088 the colour of your eyes is like the colour of the stairs, 945 00:55:28,088 --> 00:55:32,096 everything about you is this house. Thank you. Thank you. 946 00:55:32,096 --> 00:55:37,024 But it is quite rare, that. It feels, I don't know, exciting. 947 00:55:37,024 --> 00:55:40,020 So, Hany, is it OK if I go and find my bedroom now? Yes. 948 00:55:40,020 --> 00:55:43,060 Because yours is lovely, but I know that mine's going to be almost as good, isn't it? 949 00:55:43,060 --> 00:55:46,000 Or better, maybe.Yes. THEY LAUGH 950 00:55:47,064 --> 00:55:52,044 # Can't take my eyes off of you 951 00:55:52,044 --> 00:55:55,080 # You'd be like heaven to touch 952 00:55:55,080 --> 00:55:59,036 # I wanna hold you so much... # 953 00:55:59,036 --> 00:56:02,036 This house has only just been finished, 954 00:56:02,036 --> 00:56:06,020 and it's a thrill to be some of Hany's first guests. 955 00:56:07,048 --> 00:56:10,040 There are lots of things I really love about this house. 956 00:56:11,068 --> 00:56:13,048 But one of the things I adore... 957 00:56:14,068 --> 00:56:17,028 ..is that Hany has made it so generously. 958 00:56:17,028 --> 00:56:20,024 The fact that these guest suites are the same size 959 00:56:20,024 --> 00:56:24,004 and have exactly the same amount of detail and luxury. 960 00:56:24,004 --> 00:56:26,040 It's quite something, actually. 961 00:56:26,040 --> 00:56:32,024 And I find it intensely moving that the whole house, really, is about... 962 00:56:33,048 --> 00:56:39,032 ..pleasing people as much as possible, in every possible regard. 963 00:56:39,032 --> 00:56:41,004 And I, for one, am... 964 00:56:42,000 --> 00:56:44,000 ..extremely pleased by it. 965 00:56:45,008 --> 00:56:48,036 And it seems I'm not alone in falling under its spell. 966 00:56:49,068 --> 00:56:51,056 This house has everything. 967 00:56:51,056 --> 00:56:55,064 It has flamboyance, with a precision and a craft 968 00:56:55,064 --> 00:57:00,048 and a care that you never see married to this theatre. 969 00:57:00,048 --> 00:57:03,076 And this house moves me enormously. 970 00:57:03,076 --> 00:57:08,012 And moves on my own thinking about the power of architecture. 971 00:57:12,096 --> 00:57:16,000 Florida has shown us some inspiring houses. 972 00:57:17,004 --> 00:57:19,064 From marvellous, sharp-edged modernism, 973 00:57:19,064 --> 00:57:23,028 to the sheer indulgence of waterfront living, 974 00:57:23,028 --> 00:57:27,012 and the refined modesty of the simple homage to the glass pavilion. 975 00:57:28,032 --> 00:57:31,080 Whether it's this place, or maybe the heat of the night, together, 976 00:57:31,080 --> 00:57:34,012 they do strange things to a person. 977 00:57:35,072 --> 00:57:39,052 IN US ACCENT:Hey, Piers! Is this too Miami? 978 00:57:39,052 --> 00:57:41,076 What are you doing? You're not going swimming, are you? 979 00:57:41,076 --> 00:57:43,032 It's a reflection pool. You reflect. 980 00:57:43,032 --> 00:57:46,076 You don't swim in it. Oh, don't be such an architect. 981 00:57:46,076 --> 00:57:48,072 You're such an actress. 982 00:57:50,036 --> 00:57:55,000 Next time, we're in Europe's architectural hotbed - Spain. 983 00:57:55,000 --> 00:57:56,076 GASPS 984 00:57:56,076 --> 00:57:59,068 We explore a land of experimentation... 985 00:57:59,068 --> 00:58:01,040 Is this the future of architecture? 986 00:58:01,040 --> 00:58:05,052 ..as we go in search of the world's most extraordinary homes. 987 00:58:05,052 --> 00:58:09,032 I've never been in a house where you enter completely in the dark. 988 00:58:09,032 --> 00:58:12,068 With nothing in it to give you any sense of where you are. 989 00:58:12,068 --> 00:58:14,068 And then suddenly, the light.