This contemporary two-story house located in Miami Beach, Florida, was designed by Choeff Levy Fischman.

Description
Sea level rise, intense rainfall, king tide flooding, and hurricanes producing seven-foot storm surges may seem like scenes from a horror movie to some, but for Miami Beach residents, it?s an ongoing reality. However, progressive architects like Miami-based Choeff Levy Fischman are using climate change and sea level rise as an opportunity to make a statement and create a solution for the future.
With a recently completed luxury waterfront home on Miami Beach?s Hibiscus Island, the forward-thinking architect?s design addressed two of the area?s major issues; sea-level rise and low, regularly flooded streets. They did this by incorporating elaborate grade changes to create a significantly steeper driveway and dramatic front entryway stairs all while making the residence accessible from the street and exceeding base flood elevation requirements. They also designed a system to filter storm water on-site, and retained additional site fill required to raise the residence to 10? NGVD ? the FEMA required base flood elevation. Both adjacent neighboring properties, built long ago, are situated well below base flood levels ? approximately four to five feet lower than the home designed by Choeff Levy Fischman. Because of downward draining water, the architects had to design retaining walls tall enough to retain both water and site. With a cooperative ...