New York-based Extell Development has a broad and impressive portfolio of office, residential, and hotel towers mostly in Manhattan and Boston. Their latest venture represents their first foray into the Miami market: Avenue Brickell.
Avenue has gone up rapidly, with no negative publicity, and the project, despite it being light on glass and heavy on concrete, is looking sweet.
Filed under Brickell Village, Developers, Residential Developments
Developed by Robert Wennett, The proposed 1111 Lincoln Road mixed use development, located across the street from the Zyscovich-designed Lincoln Road Cinema (1100 Lincoln Rd.), is sharply designed and unorthodoxly thought-out. The project combines the architectural brilliance of two preeminent firms: Zyscovich, and Herzog & De Meuron (designing the planned Miami Art Museum and designers of the Allianz Arena in Munich and Beijing Olympic Stadium).
Image: Raymond Jungle courtyard landscaping and unit interior rendering
The project will have 50,000 square feet of curated street-level retail space with 18-30ft
high ceilings and a 300 space parking garage. Located at the west entrance to Lincoln Road, the site offers optimal visibility for its future tenants. The project will include residences that are surrounded by Raymond Jungle landscaped courtyards. This standout project further solidifies Zyscovich’s leading role in innovative design in Miami Beach, introduces a world-class international architectural firm to the Beach, adds Class A commercial space to South Beach, and compliments the westward expansion of Lincoln road.
New York-based Morgans Hotel Group, best known locally for the Delano and Shore Club hotels, is expanding its presence in South Beach. This time around, the venture is joint, involving local real estate development firm Sanctuary West Ave LLC. Mondrian South Beach will have a hotel component operated by MHG. The interior design is coming from the creative genius of Marcel Wanders who has conceived the hotel as being a “sleeping beauty castle” where guests will step into a “magical world”. Pretty intensely imaginative stuff. The website’s interior renderings are unprecedented in terms of design: possibly comparable to ICON South Beach in abstract and stark design.
Image: Not sure if this is the lobby, but the black spiral staircase is out there.
This project is interesting for a number of reasons. For one, it marks the expansion of Morgans Hotel Group in South Beach. MHG is known throughout the world as being on the cutting edge of the hospitality industry. One can expect ground breaking style and an exceptional class of amenities. Second, it marks the first time MHG is venturing into the residential condo market locally. And, lastly, the placement of this development is telling.
It is situated on West Avenue, away from the center of South Beach tourist activity in an area that has remained largely undeveloped but has seen some interesting developments over the last several years. The Mondrian will join the Flamingo, Waverly, Bentley, Vitri, and a few other smaller scale loft developments) as the new kids on the block.
Image: Wonder if the bells will function. Meditative, I think not.
This area west of Alton Road has not yet developed its own identity unlike the South of Fifth area. The reason behind the lag in development could be attributed to the high concentration large and older condos that are difficult and expensive to acquire and develop. Still there is some active and new retail complexes along the east side of West Avenue and the properties along the west side are on wet lots and have exceptional views.
The Mondrian South Beach, no relation to the Uptown loft project of the same name, is by implication affiliated with MHG’s Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood, California. This development is sure to increase activity in this often overlooked neighborhood, which has for too long sat in the shade of the rest of South Beach
Image: Cipriani North View
In 1931, Giuseppe Cipriani and Harry Pickering opened Harry’s Bar near St. Marks Square in Venice, Italy. The waterfront establishment near the picturesque plaza became a sensation with Venetians, visitors, and celebrities. With the success of Harry’s Bar, Giuseppe opened the now world renown Hotel Cipriani in Venice.
The Cipriani’s were so successful that John D. Rockefeller brought them in to operate the famous Rainbow Room in NYC. In 2001, the Italian Ministry for Cultural Affairs declared the Harry’s Bar a national landmark. Today, Harry’s Bar is considered one of the finest restaurants in the world, having expanded into London, Hong Kong, New York City, and now, Miami.
Miami Beach’s version of the Cirpiani Tradition, however, will involve transforming the historic Saxony Hotel into a luxurious resort condo on the beach at 32nd street and Collins Avenue. The team heading the project includes New York based Patrinely Group, Giuseppe Cipriani (grandson of founder), internationally renown formula one star and entrepreneur Flavio Briatore, and the widely respected Ugo Colombo.
This project brings a little bit of Venetian Cipriani tradition, Rainbow Room class, and Ugo Colombo luxury to Miami Beach the American Riviera. The development team, led by Ugo, is sound, the building historic, the location world class, and the lifestyle concept singular.
Amenities include:
Filed under Miami Beach: South Beach, Residential Developments
Jorge Perez and his company, the Related Group, have dominated the southern tip of South Beach for years (Yacht Club at Portofino, Murano, Portofino Tower, Murano Grande, Apogee, ICON South Beach–many of them designed by Sieger Suarez). Now, they are moving ahead with plans for Viceroy South Beach, an ultra luxury resort and residences complex. Viceroy South Beach, which is situated directly across from both the Portofino Tower and Apogee, will further cement SoFi as one of Florida’s most elite communities. Considering that the area was a blight spot in the city landscape as early as 1995, it is a marvel of urban development to consider its drastic evolution in 12 short years.
Resident “privileges” include:
Resident Services include:
Great news for the Media and Entertainment District. Argent Venture’s plans for the Omni Mall have been approved by the City of Miami. The developer’s legal counsel, Lucia Dougherty, paved the way for the approval, which Marc Sarnoff acclaimed. Mr. Sarnoff said that the project is like a “second Midtown Miami”. It has been stated here before that Uptown has three mega projects. These are massive city-within-a-city developments. Argent’s plans for the Omni will span 15 years and comprise 6 towers:
- Omni West Tower 3 643ft. 65 floors
- Omni East Tower 3 624ft. 61 floors
- Omni West Tower 2 623ft. 63 floors
- Omni East Tower 2 604ft. 63 floors
- Omni West Tower 1 604ft. 61 floors
- Omni East Tower 1 584ft. 58 floors
The $1 billion project will reshape the city’s skyline to the north of the I395. By the time the fifth and final phase of the Omni project is completed, the FDOT’s repositioning of the I395 should have already taken place. The project is adjacent to Pedro Martin’s 10 acre site for his proposed City Square and Herald Square mega project. We’re talking two mega projects side-by-side. It looks like Uptown is, well, coming up.
The Omni development will also incorporate new bisecting streets flanked by retail: certainly aimed at increasing pedestrian friendliness and bolstering the project’s communal feel.The project will apply for LEED certification as per the recommendation of the City Commission. This project alone, is so massive, that if placed in Orlando, it would over shadow its existing skyline. In Miami, it is only one of three mega projects that are dramatically changing the urban fold. Again, this is evidence of the anomaly that is Miami’s urban development track.
Residents and buyers in South Edgewater (1800 Club, Opera Tower, Venetia, The Grand, Cite, Quantum, and Paramount Bay) should be popping champagne due to this excellent piece of news, because it represents the long term stabilization and progression of their urban neighborhood.
When looking at the big picture and factoring in the PAC, the plans for City Square, all the proposed and existing projects in and around the M&E District/South Edgewater, and now Omni, the Media and Entertainment District is well on its way to becoming a thriving urban experience worthy of international attention.
Here are some images from my tour of the Lofts at Mayfair. The project is located directly across from the Mayfair Hotel in the heart of Coconut Grove.
The complex is seperated into two buildings connected with an elevated bridge.
Most of the units are 1 1/2 lofts. Some feature split level lofts with spiral staircases.
The interior halls are almost finished. The work is on schedule. The ceiling heights are impressively high.
The above image is of an unfinished penthouse unit. The penthouse units all come with split levels plus a rooftop terrace with panoramic views.
Above is a penthouse rooftop terrace.
Above: The courtyard, still under construction is more impressive and ample than meets the eye is small but quaint with a uniquely designed pool.
View of Downtown Miami from the penthouse rooftop terraces
Overall, this project is excellently situated, is being constructed on time, and the ammenities are above average. The design is impressive and versatile (combining sharp lines with curves), the floorplans are smartly designed, and the views are surprisingly good. There are only a handful of units left. Closings begin in Mid-March.
Filed under BoB Articles, Coconut Grove, Residential Developments
Who came up with the idea of painting a gigantic bright green parabola on the building sides with accents of royal blue in the front and rear? This is horrible for the skyline! First off, we all have to look at it. Secondly, if you own at the Club, and would like to add dark wood or light marble floors to your unit, what do you do about the bright green wall outside in your terrace area? Nothing. What can you do except hate it? There goes any interior décor harmony. It’s even worse for those with partially painted green walls. This is all part of the parabola effect. As if painting the walls this painful color combination is not bad enough, they painted the steel railings too!
There is a much bigger problem with the color scheme: the bright green and blue will fade. The building is near the bay and salt air will diminish the color faster than if it were farther inland. This means that the condominium association will have to paint the building every couple of years. This is no minor cost. We’re talking a couple of hundred thousand dollars per instance. It all could have been avoided with lighter tones. This means that the condominium association will have to fund their reserves to allocate money for the expected repainting of the green parabola exterior. Funding the reserves, although prudent,
is not always done in order to reduce monthly maintenance assessments. The alternative means special assessing the unit owners for the funds—not a desirable option. In the case of The Club, the color of the exterior is so bright that if it faded, it would look too terrible to ignore. This means more maintenance and higher assessments for The Club’s unit owners.
Continuing on a negative note, the building’s parking garage is the biggest and nastiest that Brickell has seen in years. It exceeds the height of the neighboring building to the west. There was no effort to cover it, make it more attractive, or compact. Rather it is a blight spot in the beautiful Brickell skyline. For the nasty color scheme, impractical maintenance implications, blah design, and abhorrent parking garage, the Club is by far the most repulsive new building in Brickell. Congrats!
Filed under BoB Articles, Brickell Village, Residential Developments
Quantum is a two tower project that stands on 1900 N. Bayshore Dr. The project design comes from the drawing boards of Nichols Brosch Wurst Wulf and Associates. The land acquisition made by Mr. Martin’s Terra Group was brilliant in this case. He purchased two lots—one which was a retirement community. The other smaller south lot was vacant. Nevertheless, at the time of the projects inception, there were no other condominiums on N. Bayshore Dr except the Grand and the Venetia. BCOM did have plans for the 1800 Club but it was planned for rental units. Tibor Hollo’s plans for the Opera Tower were also rental units only. The sales of Quantum units helped change the status quo as all the other new developments, including what later became Cite, switched over to condominiums.
The well designed towers are across from the bay front Margaret Pace Park, which I consider to be the hidden jewel of Miami’s urban parks, and is located a handful of blocks away from the Omni and the PAC, is a one minute drive away from the Venetian Causeway, and has an iconic spot in the Miami skyline. From the park’s vantage point the entire area of N. Bayshore Dr. will look like its own skyline. Bay views are enjoyed by almost all, with the exception of west and south units in the south tower which may be blocked by the 1800 Club. The development of Portico on the west side of the Quantum property may compromise city views for Quantum residents. The balcony railings are not glass and the terraces are not deep at 5 feet in width. Considering the height of the building, the terraces could have been at least one foot deeper. Believe it or not, it makes a significant difference to the dweller. The lower 6 levels have lofts with 13ft high ceilings. The upper three floors on both towers have 10 foot ceiling heights. The rest of the tower residences have 9ft ceiling heights. The project is dense with over 500 units on 66,598 square feet of land.
The Quantum south tower is a good example of the difference ceiling heights make in the overall building’s height. Although the Opera Tower has 56 floors (543ft), it stands less tall than the 51 floor Quantum South Tower (554ft). The difference is that the Quantum tower residences have 9 foot high ceilings versus the Opera Tower’s 8’8 foot high ceilings. Additionally, Quantum has the 13 foot high lofts at the base. Considering how when one is buying a
condo one is really buying air space, the importance of additional cubic space, even if its 4 vertical inches spread around 1,000 square feet, cannot be understated. It affects the quality of life and appeal of the unit. Quantum is a fine example of good ceiling heights. The property does not have as much glass as other buildings on N. Bayshore Drive, such as 1800 Club and Paramount on the Bay, but NBWW and Associates makes up for it with a sophisticated retro design that incorporates past and present architectural themes. The Quantum development has more pros than it does cons. The property almost looks like a large scale hotel. Amenities include two pools, a recreation deck, two fitness facilities, media rooms, club rooms with billiard tables, an indoor putting green, 24 hour valet and security, finger-print building access, a feng-shui design emphasis in the interior, and an elegant porte-cochere entrance. More importantly, as one the project’s slogans claims, as a resident, in this building you can “surround yourself” with the bay, the park, the PAC, and all the other important facilities near by.
Filed under Residential Developments, Uptown: Edgewater
UPDATE: Onyx2 lot, plans, and permits are for sale. The project is at a halt.
This 543 ft. cylindrical tower is nice to imagine looking at. One has to imagine because it currently doesn’t exist. Regardless, Onyx2′s design is visually stunning and downright well situated; in a neighborhood that it is helping define—the Edgewater area of Uptown. I must say that the ceilings are high, the glass is aplenty, and the shape is pleasant to the eye. With 49 floors, it is an important addition to the skyline. This building may have the significance that the Santa Maria had for Brickell, but in Uptown. Its aesthetic and material standards are high. Bermello, Ajamil, & Partners did an incredible job designing the building’s front. Yes, I said front; the side that faces the bay.
The devil’s advocate says: the rear side of the building, which
faces the interior, resembles a vertical concrete highway. This was obviously designed to make it more cost effective to the developer, but does all the concrete have to be concentrated so obviously in the rear? It does not look good. It even blocks the view of the building’s crown. There is just a clear imbalance between the two sides of the building not just in material but in shape. One side is flat and plain with tons of concrete. The other side is cylindrical, unconventional, and glassy. Is it meant to contrast so greatly? Will it work? That is, for who? The residents of the building certainly won’t mind, but everyone in the interior will probably mind. The problem is that Onyx2 is 543 feet tall and will be seen from just about everywhere in Edgewater.
Putting the devil’s advocate argument aside, the building is a great leap forward for Miami and Uptown. I mean that through the standpoints of urban neighborhood development, city architecture, and the local economy. The 
building, along with several other key Edgewater projects, is serving as a catalyst for future Edgewater development progress. From the bay’s vantage point, the building will be among the most iconic and photogenic, and the city’s tax coffers will no doubt benefit from the tax revenues.
The floor plans are very well laid out. All units have bay views. The views are near panoramic; one of the benefits of the cylindrical design. The building’s amenities are various and above average for luxury condos.
Building amenities: Recreational deck, electronic garage access, two story lobby, valet parking high-speed wiring, wine cellar, 32 seat movie theatre, meeting room, Direct TV, fitness center, steam, sauna, and massage rooms, and 24 hour security and concierge service
Filed under Residential Developments, Uptown: Edgewater
