The designs of Florida / Caribbean Architect Carl Abbott have a timeless modern quality. He is strongly influenced by his experiences of the sacred Architecture of the ancient Egyptians and Maya – the manner in which their designs respond to the land and to the movement of the sun and stars. He feels strongly that Architecture and Nature shape our lives.
Carl designs buildings which are informed by the land — view lines, natural light, breezes, courtyards, topical vegetation, and often, the infinite horizons of the sea. Walking through an Abbott building, one experiences a rich spatial journey infused with nature. Buildings freely respond to the site to create experiences of light and land in a continuing play of movement. As with a sea shell, there is often a solid, protective side and a side which is open wide to the beauty of the Earth.
Abbott is very much an American, however his outlook is truly international and remarkably well informed – having worked and studied in Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. He received his Master’s degree under Paul Rudolph at Yale then worked in Hawaii, in New York with I.M. Pei, and in London with Yale classmates Richard Rogers and Norman Foster. In the late ‘60s he opened his firm in Sarasota, becoming a part of the recognized Sarasota School of Architecture. He continues to keep his firm small to allow for close personal involvement in each project.