Architecture and design firm Stantec in Miami has completed the historic, adaptive reuse Aloft South Beach at 2360 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, Florida.

The hotel was converted from the 1954 era Motel Ankara into a 130,000 square foot playground that exemplified the forward-thinking Aloft urban aesthetic, while capturing the carefree vibe of Miami Beach. The historic portion of the hotel was renovated and a new, eight-story tower was added.

“Stantec has a storied history of restoring some of Miami Beach’s most notable hotels,” said architect Jon Cardello, senior principal, Stantec. “We took painstaking care of preserving the building’s original Art Deco-inspired architecture, while capturing the brand’s laid-back sensibility, in a new tropical surrounding.”   

“The fusion of Aloft’s vibrancy with the vintage elegance of the original hotel comes through when you step into the hotel lobby,“ stated Susan LaFleur, associate at Stantec, who lead the interior design.

The hotel features 235 guestrooms, a stylish lobby with signature Aloft brand bars and lounges including WXYZ Bar, re:mix lounge and re:fuel coffee bar.  An outdoor deck, pool and bar, meeting spaces and the Stephen Starr restaurant Continental are also part of the new Aloft South Beach.

ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of the new eight-story building features full-height glass corners with overlapping angular stucco frames and champagne-tinted mullions. Components of the original, retro-futuristic Motel Ankara were retained such as the classic brick walls of the historic wing, the Ankara signage and the original pool shape.

INTERIORS 

Stantec played with scale, pattern, and color to create impactful interiors that signal a cohesive theme. The seamless, loft-like, open-air layout of the hotel’s public areas is reflective of the brand’s approach to social spaces and modern design.

An earthy palette of concrete and maple wood, reflective of Aloft’s design program, serves as the backdrop to a sophisticated collage of bold greens, blues, oranges and yellows. 

The lobby has an industrial vibe with open ceilings and polished concrete floors and columns decorated with pops of colorful furniture, rugs and light fixtures.  The focal point of the lobby is the floating steel staircase adorned by a Spike Lighting cymbal pendant light fixture.

The hotel’s furnishings and décor were carefully selected to add a sophisticated flair to more streamlined items.  Those include the B&B Italia Frank series sofas in the lobby and Re-Mix Bar, a custom Odabachian rug in bright blue, yellow, green and pink colors that leads you from the entrance to the reception desk and the WXYZ bar’s Yellow Goat Design chandelier made of 1,000 lit, orange-colored acrylic rods descending from the ceiling.

Guestrooms are spacious with sleek, modern furnishings, decorative South Beach-style prints, colorful bed paneling and full-height windows. There are 265 guestrooms, some with private balconies or terraces, with views of Lake Pancoast and famed Collins Avenue.

The colorful Deon Fedro Floor Rockers on the pool deck, hot-pink foosball tables, stylish daybeds and murals by artist Esteban de Valle create a playful feel to the pool and deck areas.

GREEN FEATURES

In order to decrease its energy and water usage, Stantec implemented energy efficient lighting, low-flow plumbing fixture, high albedo roofing and expansive landscape areas that help promote the hotel’s environmental stewardship.

About Stantec

We're active members of the communities we serve. That's why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind. The Stantec community unites more than 15,000 employees working in over 250 locations. Our work—professional consulting in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, surveying, environmental sciences, project management, and project economics—begins at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. With a long-term commitment to the people and places we serve, Stantec has the unique ability to connect to projects on a personal level and advance the quality of life in communities across the globe. www.stantec.com