Miami, like the entire state of Florida, attracts both Americans from other parts of the country and Europeans with its ideal climate. But, despite the status of a popular resort, which the city acquired in the early 20th century, until recently, only the Art Deco and Morris Lapidus resort architecture in Miami Beach and the striking buildings of the Arquitectonica bureau could be attributed to the sights there. But at the beginning of the 21st century, the situation changed: a concert hall designed by Frank Gehry was opened, Herzog & de Meuron are building a new building for the city museum, residential towers of Zaha Hadid and BIG are planned.
But these are just a few of the major new projects underway in Miami in the coming years. For the most part, these are commercial properties designed for buyers of expensive apartments by the sea, visitors to the Art Basel Miami exhibition, etc., but the "local flavor", made up of tropical climate and resort traditions, leaves its mark on these buildings, adding originality.
Herzog & de Meuron build a tower in the suburb of Sunny Isles
Jade Signature, reminiscent of a garage built by the same architects in Miami. This almost 200-meter skyscraper (55/57 floors) is located almost on the beach. Each of the 224 apartments, including 2 penthouses (up to 1000 m2), will receive a wide terrace-balcony connected to a spacious living room.
More modest already under construction in Miami Beach
Faena House is a Norman Foster bureau: it has 24 floors, although the 47 apartments located there also received terraces that smoothly wrap around the entire building.
This condominium will be part of the complex planned by the same investor
Faena District, where the rest of the construction is entrusted to Rem Koolhaas and OMA. We are talking about the reconstruction of the Art Deco hotel Saxony Hotel (new name - Faena Hotel), an art center with an openwork facade, a small shopping center and an automated garage with perforated facades.
OMA also took part in a closed competition for a project for the reconstruction of the Miami Beach Convention Center, where the architects of BIG became the rivals of Koolhaas' studio. After a series of meetings with customers, things were already heading for a denouement (the announcement of the winner was scheduled for July 17), when the city manager of Miami, Jimmy Morales, dramatically changed the terms of the competition.
Initially, it was planned to turn the territory of the congress center into a green public space, add housing, shops and restaurants there, so that the complex would be useful to the townspeople, and not only to the participants of exhibitions and conventions. Now we are talking only about exhibition and conference rooms, as well as a hotel. Investors and architects are asked to decide if they agree to the new terms. Among the reasons for such a disappointing decision for many are the dissatisfaction of city officials with, in their opinion, architecture that is too original and the desire to limit the freedom of developers on urban land (21 hectares), which they themselves initially allocated to them.
UPD 2013-18-07 The winner of the competition for the project for the reconstruction of the Miami Beach congress center was the OMA bureau: after revision, the project lost a residential complex, a cultural institution and significant commercial space.
