Marco Island is twenty minutes south of the Naples office and a different place to build. Almost every lot touches water, most houses sit on canals or the Gulf, and the island runs its own permitting through the City of Marco Island instead of Collier County.
Luca Architecture has worked on the island as a design consultant, on houses on Royal Marco Way and Beaver Court, alongside the architects and builders of record. That work, and 25 years of practice on houses in Florida, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, is what we bring to a Marco Island project.
Designing for the water
A canal-front lot sets most of the design before the first sketch. Required flood elevations lift the main floor well above the street, so the ground level becomes parking, storage and entry, and the living spaces sit on the floor above. The design question is how to make that raised floor meet the water: where the pool and terrace go, how stairs and lifts connect the levels, and how to keep the ground floor from reading as a blank base.
Seawalls, docks and setbacks from the water all constrain the footprint. Views run in one direction, toward the canal or the Gulf, and that direction is usually west or south, which brings the strongest afternoon sun straight into the rooms that most want glass.
Wind, salt and sun
Houses on the island take the full force of Gulf storms. Openings have to meet the Florida Building Code for wind-borne debris, roofs and connections have to be designed for the wind loads at the site, and every exterior material has to live with salt air. Deep overhangs, shaded terraces and careful glazing choices control heat without losing the view. Mali Torriero became a certified Passive House Designer in 2016, and the same thinking about orientation, shading and air-tightness applies to a coastal house in Florida.
Renovations and consulting
Much of the island was built in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of those houses sit below current flood elevations, which affects how much can be renovated before the whole building has to be brought up to today’s rules. We help owners understand those limits early, and can work as the architect or as a design consultant to another architect or a builder, as we have on the island already.
How the practice works
Mali Torriero has practiced for 25 years and holds licenses in Florida, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. She visits construction sites regularly and works directly with contractors, so questions on site get answered quickly. The office is in Naples, a short drive from the Jolley Bridge.
Every project starts with a visit to the lot and a conversation about how the owners want to live there. From there the work moves through concept design, design development, permit drawings for the City of Marco Island, and construction, with Mali involved at each stage. See the work index for current and completed projects.
Nearby work
Common questions
Do you work on Marco Island?
Yes. Marco Island is within the regular working area of the Naples office, and Luca Architecture has provided design consulting on houses on Royal Marco Way and Beaver Court.
Who issues building permits on Marco Island?
The City of Marco Island has its own building department, separate from Collier County, with its own review process and timelines.
Can you consult for another architect or a builder?
Yes. Luca Architecture works as architect of record or as a design consultant, depending on what the project needs.
