Projects – Michael G. Imber Architects

St. John Paul II | Catholic Church

North of historic Saint Augustine, Saint John Paul II Catholic Church hearkens to its missionary roots near the oldest establishment of Christianity in the United States. A masterplan that includes a cathedral-sized church, an Evangelization Center, an existing Early Childhood Education Center, and a variety of outdoor chapels and shrines parsed throughout the Floridian palms invites people to ponder their spirituality while building a stronger local community. Simple architectural forms and humble native materials such as stone, wood, and plaster connect the natural and the built to create a seamless sequence of spaces from outdoor, to indoor, and back to outdoor again.

The Auditorium and Evangelization Center support the church’s missionary goals by reaching not only local parishioners, but those all over the world through podcasts and streaming talks. The church building, reminiscent of the old Spanish missions throughout the New World, is the heart of the site and culminates with a large Adoration Chapel.

Lake Austin | Equestrian Estate

Situated on the banks of Lake Austin, an equestrian estate melds noble sophistication with vernacular Texas hill country traditions. Capturing breezes from the waterfront, various outdoor living spaces provide respite with fresh breezes and captivating vistas. The main house embraces the water and is connected through a series of cascading terrace gardens. Courtyards, loggias, and indoor-outdoor living spaces stitch a dynamic interwoven tapestry of architecture and nature. Sinuous, wooded country roads, horse trails, and grazing pastures provide a layered backdrop to the serene setting. Across the field from the main house, a Texas German Romanesque inspired stable proudly sits atop a hill, overlooking the pasture below and riding arena. Texas limestone, stucco, and clay provide a natural and timeless material palette to be enjoyed now and for future generations.

Alys Beach | Town Center

Located along the white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, Alys Beach is one of America’s premier new urban community. Faced on one side by the sea and the lush green pine forests known to Florida on the other, the town of Alys beach stands in contrast by taking influences from Bermudian, Andalusian, and Moroccan vernaculars.

The Dannelly and the Varian are Alys Beach’s two newest mixed-use buildings completing its town square and serving as a focal point to the amphitheater. Four floors of residences afford views of the Gulf, while the main levels of the two buildings offer boutique shops and restaurants. The hexagonal tower of the Dannelly anchors the center with its rising chamfered arches and deco inspired pilasters cradling a crowned private terrace for a fourth-floor residence. The Varian continues as a compliment to its sister structure by repeating the deep chamfered arches along an arcade, leading pedestrians to restaurants, cafés, and shopping. A formal entry lobby in both structures lead to three unique floor plans all with a private outdoor terrace facing the town center. Classical plaster profiles on the interior coupled with materials such as poured terrazzo flooring, further reinforce the shapely deco architectural details of the exterior façade.

Jungle Tower

The tower provides distant views from
the lush jungle on the hills above to
the full panorama of the ocean

This home is built to withstand the seismic and
hurricane conditions prevalent along this coastline
and the detailing reflects the masonry building
traditions of the area.

Rancho Sabino Grande

The ranch residence is constructed
of solid masonry in keeping with the
owners’ desire for a structure built
to last generations

The materials for the ranch were to be real and lasting; connecting to both the rich heritage of the frontier buildings of Texas, and to those expressive of sophistication and a knowledge of the fine materials of the world.

Interiors are finished with premium woods including cypress, pecan and oak, much of which was harvested from and milled on the ranch property.

A house of solid masonry, married to the bluff, was softened with the incorporation of hand-carved antique wood dredged from the bottom of forgotten swamps and ancient stone honed from the extinct quarries of antiquity.

Hidden off the bluff below
the pool is the Rondeval,
reminiscent of the client’s
travels to Africa

A retreat meant to take one
to some distant exotic place,
overlooking a vista akin to the
plains of Africa

Turnberry

The house sits within a grove
of oak trees that encourage
its non-axial arrival path

Inspired by a dovecote in Northern France, the library balances its lofty timber frame, iron chandelier and expansive windows with the warmth of smaller-scaled oak bookshelves and paneling.

Within this more natural landscape, the lower terrace’s open-air pavilion focuses on the pool and fountains, overlooking a creek and rustic gardens.

The principal living spaces align along the main axis connecting the entry, Library, Living Room, Kitchen and Breakfast though the cut stone wainscot, timber ceilings, and oak paneled and plaster wall.

Ocean Tower

A deductive process of design,
similar to that of a sculptor carving
from a block of white marble

Simple wood elements of railing windows and doors were expressed in contrast into the pure white mass.

An exotic air to the language
was achieved through simple
straight-forward tectonics, while
avoiding literal historic references

Architectural elements such as the buttresses of the piano nobile, not only block the intense South Florida sun, but radiate light back into the space, illuminating the materials within.

Building to the street on two sides creates a “Gateway” from the sea to the town.

Moosehead Lake

A large open gathering space anchored
by a massive stone chimney has large
windows viewing out over the lake.

Using large native stone to nestle the structure in along glacial boulders, the lodge nestles into the slope, maintaining a low and sleek massing within its wooded environment

The utility and mudroom help to diminish the massing of the house behind the kitchen while forming a welcoming entry court as one arrives down a long unpaved track through the woods.

River Ranch

Simple white trim accents rustic Texas stone, recalling early farmhouses of Texas

Overlooking the grassy plain of the Colorado River, River Ranch anchors a glen of ancient sycamores.

Beachtown

Exterior view of beach house with wraparound porches

The delicate Victorian lines of
this Beachtown residence evoke
a time when Galveston was the
Belle of the Gulf Coast

Elements such as a central light monitor were used to introduce natural light to the interiors, while also doubling as a ventilation chimney allowing air movement to augment natural cooling.

Blueprint sketch of beach house side exterior

Living room with floor to ceiling windows

Coastal buildings were a product of their environment and were all reflective of the climate, staying cool with tall triple-hung windows, high ceilings, cross ventilation and sleeping porches, all designed to take advantage of cooling sea breezes.

Blueprint sketches of beach house elements

The Coastal Living House sought to
reflect these traditional characteristics while
employing modern hurricane-hardened
building practices