Alfredo De Vido | Architects

Wertheimer House - Bethany Beach, Delaware
This octagonal house is a vacation retreat a short distance from the ocean. Since neighboring houses blocked the direct ocean view, major spaces were oriented to catch an oblique glimpse of dunes and sea. Because of the proximity to the ocean, federal regulations required the house to be set on pilings. To avoid the awkwardness of a house on stilts, the lower pilings were surrounded with textured cedar plywood. This was acceptable under the regulation governing stories below tide-level, and the room serves well as overflow space on busy weekends.