This article appears in The Architect’s Newspaper’s April 2017 issue, which takes a deep dive into Florida to coincide with the upcoming AIA Conference on Architecture in Orlando (April 27 to 29). We’re publishing the issue online as the Conference approaches—click here to see the latest articles to be uploaded.
Miami has a certain glitzy, glamorous character unique to its shores and streets. In recent years, the tropical climate and Latin flair have brought an influx of foreign investment and international attention. South Beach, the Design District, and events like Art Basel Miami Beach and Design Miami/ have attracted not only a moneyed crowd of beach-goers, but one that—in a new wave of spending and development—not only wants nice things, but cool things. This new attitude about art and design as an essential element of luxury has spawned a wave of condo projects that incorporate “starchitects” as part of the sales pitch—from Rem Koolhaas and Zaha Hadid to Isay Weinfeld and Renzo Piano.
“Having an extremely high caliber of art, design, and architecture elevates the entire property to a work of art itself. This creates timeless value that speaks to a very niche type of buyer and has the ability to supersede shifts in the market,” Edgardo Defortuna, founder and president of Fortune International Group, said.
Many of the condo projects are based on the old hotel-apartment model, where the most affluent guests would simply live in a resort. But today private, all-residence buildings come equipped with all the amenities of a Florida resort, and then some.
Take a look at the latest batch of residential towers:
Eighty Seven Park
8701 Collins Avenue, Surfside
Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop with West 8
Status: Under construction
Units: 68
Floors: 16
After controversially razing Morris Lapidus’s Biltmore Terrace Hotel, the developers at Eighty Seven Park not only enlisted Renzo Piano to do the building, but they also tapped West 8 to landscape a 35-acre, public oceanfront park.
The Towers by Foster + Partners
1201 Brickell Bay Drive, Miami
Architect: Foster + Partners
Status: Approved
Units: 660
Floors: Unknown
Announced in November 2016, this 1,049-foot-tall building got FAA clearance and is poised to be one of the tallest towers in Miami—it could be the city’s first completed supertall. Parking will be submerged and it will feature 56,0000 square feet of open space at ground level, including a through-block arcade.
The Surf Club | Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences
9011 Collins Avenue, Miami
Architect: Richard Meier & Partners
Status: Under construction
Units: 150 residences
Floors: 12
The historic Surf Club is one of the most famous low-rise hotels in Miami Beach. It is being converted into a large block of residences, but will include 77 hotel rooms. Parts of the old resort will be saved, including the ballroom, which will become the new reception area.
SLS Brickell Hotel and Residences
1300 South Miami Avenue, Miami
Architect: Arquitectonica
Status: Completed 2016
Units: 124
Floors: 55
This combination condo tower and hotel features an iconic mural on its exterior, painted by Brooklyn-based artist Markus Linnenbrink. The hotel interiors are designed by Philippe Starck and the tower is host to Bazaar Mar by Chef José Andrés, a tile-clad seafood joint closer look on page 6).
Grove at Grand Bay
2675 South Bayshore Dr, Miami
Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Status: Completed 2016
Units: 96
Floors: 20
This spiraling stack’s structure is left exposed with raw concrete columns that slightly lean askance. The concrete floor plates are also exposed and a lush garden by Raymond Jungles complements the canopy and planters made of concrete, which Jungles called “the natural stone of South Florida.”
One Park Grove
2701 South Bayshore Drive, Miami
Architect: OMA
Status: Under construction
Units: 54
Floors: 20
Three towers are rising on the Coconut Grove Bank site, where a charming mid-century bank will be demolished and replaced by a new, OMA-designed facility
as part of the area’s makeover. The project also includes performance spaces on the ground level. OMA won a high-profile competition for the project, beating Diller Scofidio & Renfro, Christian de Portzamparc, and Atelier Jean Nouvel.
Jade Signature
16901 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles Beach
Architect: Herzog & de Meuron
Status: Under construction
Units: 192
Floors: 57
Every inch of this Sunny Isles Beach tower is designed, from concrete skylights in the common areas to the double height “Sky Villas” just below the $32.9 million penthouse.
One Thousand Museum
1000 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
Status: Under construction
Floors: 62
Units: 83
The layouts of the units change as this massive sculptural facade weaves its way up the structure. At 709 feet, it will be the tallest ZHA project to date and one of Miami’s altitudinous when completed.
Fasano Miami Beach
1901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
Architect: Isay Weinfeld
Status: Approved
Units: 67 residences
Floors: 22
The Shore Club has a long history as one of the iconic hotels on South Beach. This stylish renovation—by HFZ Capital—will convert the hotel into condos, but the public pool and hotel spaces will remain under the label of Brazilian hospitality superstars Fasano. The pool will be surrounded by five two-story beach homes.