CocoPoint - Vacation Home

This project is a vacation home complex at Antigua and Barbuda (Caribbean), by architect Alan Gomez.

Project description

This tropical home exemplifies the sophisticated use of timber to create a seamless blend with the natural environment while meeting durability standards for coastal climates. The post-and-beam structure showcases large, robust timber columns and beams that support a wide, sloped roof, giving the home an open, airy quality. This exposed framing highlights the strength and beauty of timber, inviting an uninterrupted flow of air and light. Crucially, the structure is engineered to withstand Category 5 hurricanes—essentially a beachfront luxury bunker—without compromising its openness and elegance.

The exterior wood cladding provides a warm, inviting look, complementing stone and glass elements. The chosen timber—Western Red Cedar, a durable softwood weather-resistant species—ensures resilience against moisture, sun exposure, and salt air, demonstrating timber’s versatility in demanding climates. Inside, the timber ceiling beams and trusses continue the aesthetic, creating cohesion between interior and exterior spaces. This design shows timber’s ability to be both structural and decorative, adding elegance and functionality.

For the timber industry, this home underscores the appeal of using sustainably sourced wood in luxury construction, meeting both aesthetic and environmental standards. It illustrates timber’s role in modern, eco-conscious architecture, where durability, natural beauty, and a sense of warmth and connection to nature are highly valued.

The careful selection of materials, the innovative approach to design and engineering, along with the added value in both areas, make this project a true gem of residential design.

How did VisualARQ help me develop this project?

I have been using VisualARQ for many years and have worked on a wide range of projects, from small and medium-sized works to large structures. These include everything from steel residential mailboxes to internationally recognized wooden structures in one-of-a-kind projects located across various parts of the world. In all of these projects, including the CocoPoint project, VisualARQ provides me with the necessary tools to link the 3D model with the specific details of the drawings, allowing me to keep the drawings updated directly from the 3D model without resorting to “workarounds” in drawing techniques or 3D modeling to meet specific requirements.

VisualARQ gives me the right tools to display the 3D model in detail within the drawing environment throughout all project phases, from the initial conceptualization, through the design and engineering development, to the manufacturing and installation phase. Specifically, in the manufacturing phase (the most critical phase of the project), VisualARQ allows me to generate everything from assembly pieces to the individual parts of each element to be fabricated. I will definitely continue to use VisualARQ in all my future projects.

Images and project description provided by Alan Gomez