Coastal Architecture
Buildings, settlements and design projects shaped by proximity to the sea, from residences and hospitality to oceanic institutions and coastal urban planning.
Coastal architecture responds to conditions that inland design rarely faces: salt air, shifting sand, storm exposure, rising water, and strong light reflected off water. Designers working on the shoreline must balance views and openness against weathering, wind loads, and the need for durable, low-maintenance materials. Traditions such as fishing villages and harbour towns offer long-tested solutions for ventilation, shading, and building form.Work on uni.xyz under this topic spans residences on the British and Australian coasts, a beach club grounded in fishing heritage, a tropical apartment project in Cape Town, and larger civic and urban proposals such as an oceanarium complex and a planning study for a port city. Together these pieces show how the same environmental pressures lead to very different responses depending on climate, culture, and scale.
