SAIL HOUSE

Sail House is a residential compound designed by Studio of Environmental Architecture on the island of Bequia. The 6,000-square-foot project comprises a primary residence and multiple guesthouses, arranged to address the local sailing culture and the logistical challenges of building in the Caribbean. The structures are prefabricated and delivered as flat-pack components to facilitate construction on the remote site. A series of tensile roof membranes, inspired by nautical forms, are the defining feature of the compound. These roofs provide shade from the intense equatorial sun and serve as environmental infrastructure, channeling rainwater and condensate into the buildings' structural masts, which act as funnels to direct water into below-grade concrete foundations that double as cisterns. In this way, the project is designed to supply its own annual water requirements on-site. The roofs and rainwater system together reflect a contextual response to both climate and culture.

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