AQUA

Golden Gate Point has no shortage of condominium buildings, but AQUA takes a different approach to the peninsula than almost any of its neighbors. Rather than stacking dozens of homes into a tower, the building rises nine stories at 280 Golden Gate Point and contains only eight residences — one per living floor, so no one shares a hallway, and every home opens through a private elevator directly into its own foyer. The design comes from Guy Peterson, Office for Architecture, the Sarasota firm whose work carries the clean lines and glass-forward sensibility associated with the Sarasota School of Architecture, with Brent Parker serving as architect of record. Developers Jonathan McCague and Michael Adams broke ground in April 2015, and most of the building had already been spoken for by that day. What they delivered feels closer to a collection of single-family homes set on end than a conventional condominium: full-floor plans of roughly 3,400 to 5,800 square feet under air, floor-to-ceiling glass facing Sarasota Bay and the downtown skyline, and a ground level given over to a wellness suite, a waterfront pool deck, and deeded boat slips at the building's edge.

Every home at AQUA occupies a complete floor of the building, which changes how the spaces live. Views run in multiple directions — Sarasota Bay on one side, the downtown skyline on the other — because there are no neighboring units to share the floor plate with. Published plans put the residences between approximately 3,400 and 5,800 square feet under air, with resale listings over the years recording homes from the mid-3,000s to well beyond that once terraces and upper-level configurations are counted. Interiors were built around floor-to-ceiling windows, gourmet kitchens, and generous primary suites, and each residence is reached by private elevator rather than a shared corridor. Owners also receive private two-car garages at ground level, a rarity in downtown Sarasota condominium living.

For a building of eight homes, AQUA's shared spaces are remarkably ambitious, and the wellness offering is what people tend to remember. The fitness studio was professionally designed by Technogym, the Italian equipment house, and sits alongside a dedicated yoga room, a sauna, and a spa room for massages and facials. Outside, the pool deck holds a large saltwater swimming pool with two shallow lounging pools and a whirlpool spa, a poolside barbecue area, and a waterfront putting green. A temperature-controlled wine room gives owners proper storage steps from home, and a boardroom is available when work follows you to the water. A full-time concierge manages the day-to-day. On the water itself, each residence comes with its own boat slip equipped with a lift — Sarasota Bay access without a marina lease or a waiting list.

Life here orbits the water. Boats leave from the building's own slips for afternoons on Sarasota Bay or runs out to the Gulf passes, and Marina Jack's docks and waterfront dining sit just across the way at Bayfront Park. Downtown brings the Sarasota Opera, the Saturday farmers market, and the theaters and galleries that anchor the city's arts calendar, all within an easy walk or short ride. Cross the Ringling Bridge — a favorite sunrise walk in its own right — and you reach St. Armands Circle's shops and restaurants, then the sand at Lido Beach. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and The Bay Park round out an unusually dense stretch of bayfront to explore.