Max Strang had a distinct advantage when designing this single-family residence in the northern Florida Keys. The secluded 2-acre site is surrounded on three sides by beach and tropical forest, with the Atlantic Ocean glistening from the shoreline. Privacy was not a concern at all, the architect, principal of Florida-based STRANG, told AN. Every now and then you get some boats through there, but its wide open. The location, and lack of constraints, allowed Strang to flex the principles of what he calls environmental modernism, a site-driven, climate-conscious approach with a reliance on local materials where appropriate. For this project, the philosophy invited the use of coral rock along the base and an abundance of windows to connect the built and natural environments. It also prompted elevating the 2-story house 10 feet above the sands on cylindrical concrete columns, creating pathways for storm surges with the intention of preventing damage in the event of sea level rise and from the increasingly powerful hurricanes that regularly threaten the region. The structure and property necessitate a focus on resiliency.The secluded 2-acre site is surrounded on three sides by beach and tropical forest. (Kris Tamburello)What drives itand what drives a lot of our workare the passive design features and keeping the house very narrow, Strang said. You can maximize the daylighting, the crossventilation, and the connection to the outdoors. The house also features a curvature that Strang said is unusual for his firm but operates in response to the site and the prime views.Louvered screens and overhangs help with shading and cooling. (Kris Tamburello)The Van der Vlugt Residence, built as a primary residence for a family whose children attended the same school as Strangs, is a 5,800-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-office showcase of the architects philosophies. Its somewhat austere aesthetic represents design choices, including sly references to the famed Sarasota School of Paul Rudolph and Gene Leedy, such as using the space beneath the house as a covered outdoor living area. Strang described the house as pretty raw aesthetically, because of the exposed concrete, though he noted that the board-formed treatment provides texture; the feature is used throughout the interior as well, complementing the minimalist design by Dutch designer Loes Slokkers. The breezeway, or outdoor foyer, as Strang called it, serves as the main entry to an openair spiral staircase finished in microcement that ascends into the main level. About halfway up the lower portion of the stairs, there is the door that takes you inside the house itself, Strang said. That puts you in the great room; the staircase actually divides the living room from the kitchen and dining room. Past the living room, on the main floor, is an owners suite with a bathroom placed at the end of the house, a counterintuitive move, according to Strang. This allowed for the bed to be placed centrally, offering panoramic views of the Florida Straits.A spiral staircase finished in microcement acts as a sort of joint connector for the homes curvature. (Kris Tamburello)Its a really sexy master bedroom, Strang said. Upstairs, the second level features two childrens bedrooms and a main office with a covered terrace and spectacular ocean views.Floor to ceiling impact windows showcase the tropical views while providing a buffer from high winds. (Kris Tamburello)The impact of these views would have been lessened had the house been built at ground level with less sturdy materials. Strang addressed the need for Florida architects to account for sea level rise and storm surge at an Archtober event with AN executive editor Jack Murphy at DOM Interiors last fall. It was also an urgent topic in his 2023 monograph Subtropic: The Architecture of [STRANG], in which he wrote, The rewards for building higher clearly outweigh all the upfront costs. Heat and sunshine are other factors that influenced the design and materials at the Van der Vlugt Residence. Louvered screens and overhangs throughout the exterior help with shading and cooling, while the floor-to-ceiling windows are impact glass built to withstand hurricane-force winds; for particularly exposed windows, wood slats offer extra protection.The space beneath the house functions as a covered outdoor living area. (Kris Tamburello)This is not your typical Keys house, Strang said, alluding to the traditional beach shack look of much of the regional architecture. This ones going to be here a lot longer.Project SpecificationsArchitect: STRANGLandscape design: STRANGInterior design: Slokkers DesignStructural engineer: G2 ConsultingMEP engineer: JWL (electrical)General contractor: Tri-Tech ConstructionWindows and doors: ES WindowsRoofing: KemperLighting: Coastal Systems (exterior)Appliances: GaggenauFixtures: Plumbing fixtures by CEA, toilets by Duravit