America’s Top Architects: A Florida House by Brillhart Architecture Resists Rising Seas
Key takeaways
- ESSENTIALSFirm Name: Brillhart Architecture Principals: Jacob Brillhart, Melissa Brillhart Headquarters: Miami, Florida Accolades: Forbes Architecture’s “America’s Top 200 Residential Architects,” 2025;
- or years, a Miami homeowner watched helplessly as hurricanes and tropical storms reduced his 1920s house to a patchwork of ad hoc repairs.
- FRED ALBERT, Forbes Deputy Editor, Architecture: In terms of scale, scope and identity, how does this project fit into your overall body of residential work?
ESSENTIALSFirm Name: Brillhart Architecture Principals: Jacob Brillhart, Melissa Brillhart Headquarters: Miami, Florida Accolades: Forbes Architecture’s “America’s Top 200 Residential Architects,” 2025; Forbes Architecture’s “America’s Best-in-State Residential Architects,” 2025House Name: Elevated Tropical Home Location: Miami, Florida Area & Layout: 4,500 square feet; 4 BR, 6 BAArchitectural Photographers: Michael Stavaridis (michaelstavaridis.com), Stephan Goettlicher (stephangoettlicher.com)F
or years, a Miami homeowner watched helplessly as hurricanes and tropical storms reduced his 1920s house to a patchwork of ad hoc repairs. Tired of the endless loop of insurance claims and renovations, he asked Brillhart Architecture to design a replacement that could withstand the forces of nature. The resulting home consists of two perpendicular volumes perched atop an expansive triangular deck supported by a sculptural concrete base. The scheme allows floodwaters to pass underneath while still maintaining a strong flow between interior and exterior spaces—a hallmark of the firm’s site-responsive style of tropical modernism.
FRED ALBERT, Forbes Deputy Editor, Architecture: In terms of scale, scope and identity, how does this project fit into your overall body of residential work?