The Miami-based architecture, interior design, and planning firm Oppenheim Architecture shared images of their latest luxury mixed-use project, the Jewel. In February 2020, we connected with firm founder Chad Oppenheim for a Studio Snapshot interview. During the interview, we discussed the firm's work and design ethos. "The practice is much more about creating a platform for expression," he shared.
"We started by doing projects in up and coming areas and using architecture as we way to extract the best return on investment for our clients," shared Oppenheim. "Further down, we wanted to see how architecture can be as elemental as possible. Little by little, we were brought onto projects on spectacular sites, and we wanted to make the most out of them – bringing feeling and emotion as part of our ethos."
Staying true to their expressive design style, the project closely resembles its design concept, three smokey quartz crystals. According to the firm, the tower trio houses luxury residential units, dining, business amenities, and luxury health and wellness services.
Commenting on the project, Oppenheim shares, "It was crucial for us to understand and uncover the spirit of place - the site's histories and ecologies, so the architectural "object" wasn't an arbitrary form, but one that resonated with the land and its people. These three crystals of varying proportions and relationships were captured with 3D scanning and, with minimal modification, translated into the full-size towers that illuminate the coast today."
According to the firm, the project is the first beach-front development built along Australia's Gold Coast in over 30 years. The Jewel is the winning competition proposal lead by the developer RDG. The project was done in collaboration with Oppenheim as the design architect and DBI as the local architect of record.
13 Comments
"the tower trio houses luxury residential units, dining, business amenities, and luxury health and wellness services. "
say luxury one more time, motherfucker.
2007 called
A little blunt with the symbolism there, in my opinion. What happened to subtle abstraction?
Those white bands look straight out the 90s.
I can't get past those. They remind me of yarn used in geometric studies we did in high school. Just darkening their color for less contrast with the curtain walls would be a huge improvement.
All I see is a facetted middle finger to the community, blocking the beach front like that, but hey it's 3D scanned!
We already have Daniel Libeskind doing this kind of junk. We don't need this from Oppenheim.
These are fine. Pretty, even. But I look at them and all I can see is my many unhoused neighbors and neighbors living in falling-apart bungalows with no access to health care or fresh groceries or opportunity in life and think about how a decent infusion of money into our existing building stock could make millions of peoples' lives better and I just can't get excited over pretty glass towers. The opposite, even.
ZGF did the F5 tower in Seattle, and Oppenheim said, "hold my beer."
this seems like a weird design process, and it seems that what they've done is precisely to create an arbitrary form despite intending otherwise. magic crystals!
Oppenheim shares, "It was crucial for us to understand and uncover the spirit of place - the site's histories and ecologies, so the architectural "object" wasn't an arbitrary form, but one that resonated with the land and its people. These three crystals of varying proportions and relationships were captured with 3D scanning and, with minimal modification, translated into the full-size towers that illuminate the coast today."
next: the diamonds
or, Crystal Meth Tower.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.