Le Cabanon—a French word that can be translated as cottage—is what US-based Rick Joy Architects had named this vacation home in the Turks and Caicos islands. The minimalist dwelling stretches across the Caribbean ocean with its grey modern concrete façade contrasting with the turquoise seawater and tropical flora covering the home’s perimeter. Like a porous sculpture with many interstitial spaces, this project is designed to integrate surrounding elements to activate all the inhabitants’ senses; narrow passageways to bring in the sea breeze, geometrical cuts for natural light, and wooden accents to mimic the tropics’ warmth.

Formally, this project’s local modernity offers a different outlook toward modernity and minimalism of which we often know. Going beyond form, spatial division and manipulation inform the contexts that can be thought as seemingly missing at first. Upon navigating through Le Cabanon, one can clearly see the minimal fluctuation in elevation and the simplicity in part. The choice to keep this space uncomplicated is also a sustainable decision; the home was constructed with local materials by local builders. Rick Joy Architects is aware of the need to elevate local methodology of designing and constructing, and the designers have done an excellent job of weaving locality with international perspective on modernism.