Archinect - News

Miami issues massive $10 billion RFP for downtown redevelopment

2022-08-23T12:03:00-04:00

Formally branded as MetroCenter, the 28-acre district includes the seat of government for Miami-Dade County. When a developer is chosen, they could be given the right to build up to 23.7 million square feet of mixed-use space on 17 acres. The developer could be chosen in 2024, according to the Miami Herald. The master builder would also get “unlimited height and development intensity” on the land that would be leased long-term to the developers, according to the county.

Reports indicate that the scheme would include up to 8,500 total units, with 2,000 being designated as affordable or workforce housing, according to the RFP. Of the plan’s 11 sites, 9 are earmarked for “vertical development” while the remaining 2 are reserved for parklands. AECOM will serve in an advisory role. Developers liken the plan to Hudson Yards or the Umeda in Osaka, Japan.

2018 report of collapsed Miami complex warned of “major structural damage” and error in design

2021-06-28T12:34:00-04:00

Almost one week after a Miami apartment complex partially collapsed, a 2018 report has resurfaced which warned of “major structural damage” to the base of the building. As reported by The Guardian and The New York Times, the 2018 survey identified a failing concrete slab on the pool deck and “abundant crackling and crumbling” to an underground parking garage. The report, prepared by engineers at Morabito Consultants, warned that “most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion.”

The report highlighted a “major error” in the original design of the building’s lower levels. “The main issue with this building structure is that the entrance drive / pool deck / planter waterproofing is laid on a flat structure,” the report reads. “Since the reinforced concrete slab is not sloped to drain, the water sits on the waterproofing until it evaporates. This is a major error in the development of the original contract documents.”

The waterproofing below the pool dec...

12-floor residential building collapses in Miami, leaving at least four dead and 159 missing

2021-06-24T12:12:00-04:00

Author note: this article was published on June 24th, one day after the building collapsed. The final number of people who were killed, injured, or affected by the collapse may therefore be revised from the figures noted in this article.

A twelve-floor residential building in Miami, Florida has partially collapsed, killing at least one person and injuring ten others. Images circulated by national and international press show piles of rubble and debris at the foot of the back end of the apartment building, which collapsed at approximately 02:00 ET. Miami-Dade County Fire Department says that 55 units in the northeast sector of the building collapsed, with 35 survivors rescued thus far. The cause of the collapse is unknown.

More than 80 rescue units are aiding a search and rescue effort at the scene, situated at 8777 Collins Avenue, a few miles north of Miami Beach. During a news conference after the incident, Surfside mayor Charles Burkett confirmed one person had died, but that th...

Estudio Barozzi Veiga to design new home for Miami's Oolite Arts

2020-02-21T18:01:00-05:00

Barcelona, Spain-based Estudio Barozzi Veiga has been selected to design a new headquarters for Oolite Arts, one of Miami's largest artist-supporting cultural groups.

In a press release announcing the selection of Barozzi Veiga, Oolite Arts CEO Dennis Scholl said, "Miami’s visual arts community has grown exponentially over the past decade, and Oolite Arts has transformed its programming to help Miami-based artists grow. Our new home will enable us to better meet the needs of both visual artists and the community.”

According to the announcement, the new space will include studio spaces to support Oolite's artist residency programs, an exhibition hall, theater space, a "makerspace," and community classrooms.

Previously on Archinect: "Barcelona's Barozzi/Veiga selected to masterplan Chicago's Art Institute campus." View Renzo Piano's 2009 addition to the Art Institute of Chicago campus.Image courtesy of Wikimedia user Omeomi.

Originally formed as an organization named ArtCenter/South ...

Introducing Archinect's Spotlight on Miami

2020-02-05T12:03:00-05:00

After spending January focusing on Los Angeles, Archinect is shifting its focus to Florida with a month-long Spotlight on Miami.

As the largest city in Florida and one of the largest cities in the United States, Miami offers a view into a unique—and rapidly changing—segment of the American building industry. Filled with a growing set of speculative building projects and burgeoning creative districts while simultaneously already experiencing many of the impacts of climate change-induced gentrification, the city offers up a preview of what could become America’s near-future urban condition. Simultaneously, however, the city offers a diverse set of growing architectural practices, educational institutions, and advocacy organizations that are pushing to bring quality and thoughtfulness to Miami’s built environment. These conflicting trajectories highlight the power, relevance, and preeminence of Miami’s built environment.

This month, we’ll bring you interviews with local architecture ...

Miami's condos are going unsold

2019-07-11T20:07:00-04:00

Miami’s high-end real-estate market has drastically slowed in the past several years, as the Latin American buyers who led a frenzy of postrecession purchases have all but disappeared. South American economies that were roaring in the early years of the decade, including Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela, are now facing severe economic distress, which has devalued their currencies and left purchasers from those countries with far less buying power in the U.S.

Oversupply, the unknown threat of climate change, and shifting immigration patterns are pushing high-end condominium prices downward in Miami, where, The Wall Street Journal reports, sales have fallen off 24 percent from last year.

“There’s just an abundance of inventory,” Alexandra Peters, a Miami real estate agent, told The Wall Street Journal. She added, “there’s so much frustration. It’s hard to move properties.”

Although foreign buyers, long the backbone of Miami's high-end housing economy, are buying in fewer numbers than before, that hasn't stopped developers from building. According to the report, roughly 20,000 new units have been built or planned since the Great Recession.

High-end homes are going biometric

2019-06-24T19:11:00-04:00

Little by little, new biometric technologies are making inroads into the domestic sphere.

The Wall Street Journal reports that digital fingerprint lock and facial-recognition systems have become a fact of life for some of the wealthiest homeowners and now come standard for many high-end developments.

The Diller Scofidio + Renfro-, Rockwell Group-, and Ismael Leyva Architects-designed 15 Hudson Yards tower, for example, comes equipped with fingerprint scanner technology, according to the article.

Meanwhile, 2000 Ocean, a TEN Arquitectos-designed condominium tower in Miami, goes one step further by using a "passive facial-recognition system" in its lobby to alert the concierge that you have arrived. "Once you are in the elevator," the project's developer, Shahab Karmely of KAR Properties, told WSJ, "you have to use facial-recognition or a fob to get to the private landing of your unit." Karmely adds, "It’s a different level of security. You can leave your fob behind, someone can ...

New interior renderings revealed of Aston Martin's luxury apartment tower in Miami

2018-02-28T14:07:00-05:00

After breaking ground on its first-ever real estate project last fall (the aptly named Aston Martin Residences in downtown Miami), British automaker Aston Martin has unveiled never-before-seen renderings of the building’s amenity spaces.

Aston Martin's first venture into branded luxury real estate broke ground in Downtown Miami last fall and is expected to welcome its deep-pocketed residents in 2021. Until then, check out these new renderings of some of the amenities at the Aston Martin Residences tower.

Aston Martin Residences/G&G Business Developments

"The newly released renderings reveal common areas with floor-to-ceiling walls of glass that overlook the water, floating staircases that connect the floors, and whimsical light fixtures," explains the marketing material. "In the gym, walls of glass look out to the water so residents can exercise while enjoying a stunning view; in the lobbies, neutral-hued furniture creates an inviting environment."

Aston Martin breaks ground on their first luxury apartment tower in Miami

2017-10-23T14:59:00-04:00

The condo venture is just one of the ways in which [Aston Martin] is diversifying into a general luxury brand, rather than just a car company...The 391 condos will sell for between $600,000 and $50 million, and include seven penthouses and a duplex penthouse with private pools. There will also be a spa, cinemas, and a virtual golf room, as well as direct access to a yacht marina. You get the picture.

From $4 million submarines to $4,000 baby strollers, luxury automaker Aston Martin is expanding their brand. Their latest venture is the Aston Martin Residences, a sail-shaped, 66-story apartment tower that broke ground in downtown Miami last week. Completion of the tower is currently slated for 2021.

Building Voice: Visually impaired architect, Christopher Downey, lectures in Downtown Miami

2015-10-05T12:53:00-04:00

Architect Christopher Downey came to Miami to present a lecture as part of a local exhibit called Listen to This Building. The exhibit is organized Exile Books, a pop-up artist’s book store, and is meant to show the architecture of downtown Miami through the senses of touch and as stated in the title of the show, through hearing. It is believed to be the first architectural exhibit designed to address accessibility for persons with visual impairments. Downey is an architect who is visually impaired having lost his eyesight in 2008 yet continues to practice architecture in the Bay Area. His lecture, “Building Voice” is a play on words, as it can be interpreted as the acoustic characteristics of an edifice or the creation of an individual’s style.

“If you’re going to lose your eye sight, start training yourself to be an architect”, says Downey, who believes his training and the 20 years of practicing architecture before the loss has given him a set of skills (problem solving, criti...