SB Architects has revealed the design for The St Regis Longboat Key Resort & Residences, a new development situated on a barrier island outside of Sarasota in Florida. Scheduled to break ground in Autumn 2021 ahead of its completion in Spring 2024, the luxury resort will comprise 166 rooms and 69 private condominiums.
Alongside Unicorp National Developments, SB Architects is working with HBA Miami, Marc-Michaels Interior Design and Enea Landscape Design to bring the vision to life. Constructed mainly of glass, the buildings will feature clean lines and floor-to-ceiling windows that draw in natural light and frame coastal panoramas.
“Our goal was to create a sense of relaxed comfort and elegance through contemporary design in both the resort and private residences,” comments Pinar Harris, Vice President and Principal of SB Architects. “Drawing inspiration from the existing landscape for materials and celebrating the pristine waters of the Gulf of Mexico through visual connections to the ocean, the design channels the spirit of the St Regis brand.”
The immersive experience begins the moment guests and residents arrive, entering through a canopy of jacaranda trees. Inside, an entry corridor enhances the view to the ocean through a barrel-vaulted digital ceiling, where ambient lighting reflects the sky’s spectacular sunset colours daily. Projectors display birds across the ceiling intermittently, capturing a sense of movement and bringing the outdoors inside.
In addition to drawing inspiration from dance-like moments in nature, including the flight of birds along the shore, the resort interiors by HBA honour Sarasota’s culture and history by gesturing toward the intersection of circus and dance. Sarasota is renowned for its performing arts – including The Sarasota Ballet – and circus heritage, owing to circus impresario John Ringling, who chose Sarasota for the winter quarters of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey. Showcasing a natural palette, the interiors leverage these local insights through subtle touches such as rope-like chandeliers suspended from the ceiling; an oval-shaped ballroom inspired by aerial rings; and in the St Regis Bar, a centrepiece latticed like a circus cage rising into the ceiling.
In the guestroom corridor, carpet patterns are reminiscent of local ocean currents while flowy drapes drawn over artworks and dramatic lighting add an element of theatrical surprise. The guestrooms and luxury residences also offer views of the ocean, with glass railings linking the outdoor living spaces and natural surroundings. Guestrooms feature wood panelling in the living areas and subtle touches of colour, with a layering of materials, such as ceiling panelling with wood grain on the underside of the exterior balconies.
The resort features a 20,000ft² St Regis Signature Spa, a salt-water lagoon with live fish and sea life, and an open-air Sunset Bar overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, in addition to a meandering drift stream, heated infinity edge pool, beachside event lawns and business meeting facilities. The private condominiums – ranging from 1,500 to 6,000ft² – comprise three six-storey buildings and offer residents access to the amenities at the St Regis Resort & Spa, in addition to their own dedicated private amenities, including a waterfront pool and spa with a sundeck and Resident’s Clubhouse housing a Wellness Centre with meditation and yoga studios. Each residence will also feature a terrace – some with infinity-edge plunge pools – and a private access elevator.
