![Pine Tree House by SAOTA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/06/pine-tree-house-saota-architecture-reisdential-houses-miami-florida-usa_dezeen_hero-b-852x479.jpg)
Miami Beach residence by SAOTA takes indoor-outdoor living to the extreme
South African firm SAOTA has built its first project in Miami Beach: an expansive, waterfront home that boasts a basketball court and a waterslide.
Called Pine Tree House, the family residence is located in the historic Collins Waterfront district. It occupies a long, linear site that stretches between a busy road and an active canal.
![Pine Tree House by SAOTA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/06/pine-tree-house-saota-architecture-reisdential-houses-miami-florida-usa_dezeen_2364_col_11-852x568.jpg)
Composed of rectilinear volumes and floating planes, the two-storey home is meant to feel expansive and fluid, while also conveying a sense of containment.
The residence marks the first completed project in Miami for SAOTA, a South African firm known for creating sleek, modern homes with a focus on indoor-outdoor living – like a mountainside villa that frames views of Cape Town's dramatic scenery.
![Pine Tree House by SAOTA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/06/pine-tree-house-saota-architecture-reisdential-houses-miami-florida-usa_dezeen_2364_col_9-852x568.jpg)
For the Florida dwelling, the firm stayed true to its ethos, creating a "porous" home that embraces the landscape and the sky.
"Captivated by the Miami climate and landscape potential, the design embodies these principles – creating a landscape of experiences," the studio said.
![Pine Tree House by SAOTA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/06/pine-tree-house-saota-architecture-reisdential-houses-miami-florida-usa_dezeen_2364_col_8-852x650.jpg)
Rather than containing everything within a single, distinct building, the team spread the program across the elongated site.
Inside the home, the ground level contains a kitchen, dining area, great room and loggia. Upstairs, the architects placed a family room, three bedrooms and the master suite. A rooftop terrace offers views of the palm-tree lined canal.
![Pine Tree House by SAOTA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/06/pine-tree-house-saota-architecture-reisdential-houses-miami-florida-usa_dezeen_2364_col_12-852x1140.jpg)
A variety of outdoor spaces are dispersed throughout the property. "Through the introduction of a collection of introverted and extroverted courtyards, all aspects of the program have an immediate relationship to the outdoors," the studio said.
Floor-to-ceiling glazing and retractable walls further enhance the connection between inside and out.
![Pine Tree House by SAOTA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/06/pine-tree-house-saota-architecture-reisdential-houses-miami-florida-usa_dezeen_2364_col_16-852x568.jpg)
The home is fronted by a basketball court, which serves as a buffer between the residence and the active street. It also provides a "suspensive arrival experience as the user enters into the grand, serene forecourt".
A pool terrace was placed in the rear of the property, which faces the canal. To animate the area, the team added a hot tub, a barbecue area and a bar, along with large waterslide.
![Pine Tree House by SAOTA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/06/pine-tree-house-saota-architecture-reisdential-houses-miami-florida-usa_dezeen_2364_col_23-852x569.jpg)
The slide descends down from a terrace on the second level, and can also be accessed via a stairway that leads up from the pool deck.
Parts of the home are sheathed in perforated, anodised aluminium screens, which provide privacy and mitigate solar heat gain.
![Pine Tree House by SAOTA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/06/pine-tree-house-saota-architecture-reisdential-houses-miami-florida-usa_dezeen_2364_col_13-852x570.jpg)
The patterning in the brise-soleil was created using a computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine.
"The screens play with the character of light, heightening the experience of enclosure and transparency," said SAOTA.
![Pine Tree House by SAOTA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/06/pine-tree-house-saota-architecture-reisdential-houses-miami-florida-usa_dezeen_2364_col_25-852x568.jpg)
An "assertive but restrained" palette of materials, including various types of wood, was used throughout the residence. "This ensured a cohesion both between spaces, but also the internal and external connections," the architects said.
The lush landscaping was conceived by Raymond Jungles, a local designer who has worked on projects such as the Grove at Grand Bay, the twisting condo towers designed by Bjarke Ingels Group.
![Pine Tree House by SAOTA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/06/pine-tree-house-saota-architecture-reisdential-houses-miami-florida-usa_dezeen_2364_col_6-852x594.jpg)
"Working with Raymond Jungles was an excellent experience for SAOTA, as his relaxed, confident and freehand approach to landscaping resulted in a natural environment that truly reflects Miami," the architects said.
Florida's tropical climate lends itself favourably to outdoor living. Other homes in the state that embrace this include a residence by Studio MK27 with its own private lagoon, and a modernism-influenced villa designed by a filmmaker.
Photography is by Dan Forer.
Project credits:
Architects: SAOTA
Project architects: Philip Olmesdahl, Mark Bullivant and Andrew Moerdyk
Architect of record: DVICE – Dan Ritchie
Contractor: Brodson Construction
Interiors: Nils Sanderson
Lighting consultant: Lux Populi
Landscaping: Raymond Jungles