Project: Van der Vlugt Residence / Location: Key Largo, Fla. / Architect and Landscape Design: Strang / Location: Miami and Winter Haven, Fla. / Interior Design: Slokkers Design / General Contractor: Tritech Construction / Photography: Kris Tamburello and Ryan Lester, Architecture Sarasota
The Van der Vlugt Residence, by Miami-based firm Strang, is a modern coastal home that the firm designed to adapt to changing weather patterns and to be eco-friendly.
It’s a “sophisticated outpost along the Upper Florida Keys coastline that offers an unhurried, contextually adaptive counterpoint to the complexities of the modern world,” Strang says in the project statement. “The project embodies the core principles of the historic Sarasota School of Architecture—specifically environmental adaptation and material experimentation—reimagined for today’s climate challenges.”
The home is located along a desolate and relatively untouched stretch of coastline in the Upper Florida Keys. Strang elevated the home 10 feet off the ground on robust concrete columns to address sea level rise and potential storm surge. The home also presents as a floating volume with a 50-foot cantilever veiled by sun-catching and shadow-casting louvers. It partially engages a pre-existing berm while also demonstrating a certain degree of freedom from the low-lying landscape.
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The first level includes a covered terrace with an open-air gym facing the water and a cluster of concrete columns that support the 50-foot cantilever, concealing an outdoor shower.
“This staircase acts also as the ‘joint’ connection of the home’s curvature, where both axes meet to mimic the site’s waterfront boundary,” the firm says. “Floor to ceiling windows allow natural light to pour into the house, while strategically placed louvers help with shading and cooling.”
An open floor plan is only separated by the stairs. The exterior material of board-formed concrete makes its way inside of the library, contrasted against a curved white bookshelf. The owner’s suite features sliding glass doors with views to the water, with metallic imprints of the board-formed concrete acting as a feature wall for the bed. The third level hosts two more bedrooms for the family’s children and the owner’s main office with a covered terrace overlooking the ocean.
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Strang designed the home with passive cooling strategies through floor-to-ceiling windows for natural light and strategically placed louvers for shading. The firm also used rugged board-formed concrete that flows into the interior spaces, creating striking visual contrasts, such as in the library against a curved white bookshelf.
Architecture Sarasota selected the Van der Vlugt Residence to anchor the launch of Sarasota School: A Living Legacy, set to premiere during a special screening event as part of Open House Miami on February 28, 2026. The documentary series seeks to highlight the impact, evolution, and ongoing relevance of the Sarasota School a century after its inception.
