Casa Crystal is an adaptation strategy to sea level rise that transforms memory into matter. The project began in a historically designated neighborhood that had to be preserved without modifications. Unfortunately, these historic homes are in Miami Beach’s high risk flood zones which constantly threaten the neighborhood with annual floods. Due to this continuous threat, zoning regulations removed the historic-designation restrictions, allowing these homes to be demolished.

Casa Crystal is a new residence that responds directly to this reality; one that embraces resiliency in the face of sea level rise. “We began by analyzing the FEMA flood level scenarios which show the highest possible water level in a flood event. Rather than designing a new geometry we chose to preserve the original charming massing of the existing house, elevating above that level protecting it from any possible future floods” explains Boutros Bou-Nahra, lead architect and if studio Co-Founder.

The elevated volume rests on a plinth designed both as structure and landscape crafted from resilient materials that integrate quietly with the site. Above the home takes on a faceted, triangulated form; a crystallization of the past, an abstract memory of what once stood here and a modern response to the environmental challenges of today. By elevating tradition both physically and conceptually, the project offers a model for building within vulnerable contexts; one that reimagines history through the lens of resilience.