Letter from Miami: riding the residential real estate boom in 2017
When it comes to Miami, the real estate quip about ‘location, location, location’ might well be appended with unreasonably sunny weather and easy access to the sea. This trifecta helps explains, we think, the residential real estate boom currently sweeping through the city.
From South Miami Avenue and Edgewater to Midtown, the hoardings are coming down to reveal sparkling luxury condominiums and mixed-used developments, a great many designed by blue-chip studios like OMA, Lissoni Associati and Zaha Hadid Architects.
‘Miami’s rapid growth is leading to a significant influx of new residents who might have previously opted for cities like NYC or LA,’ says Carlos Rosso, president of The Related Group’s Condominium Development Division, which is behind a sweep of new developments including Park Grove, SLS LUX and The Paraiso District. ‘This is, in turn, leading to more and more high-paying employers, hotels, cultural institutions, and world-class culinary options.’
A bedroom at Arquitectonica’s 450-unit SLS Lux with interiors by Yabu Pushelberg and views across Biscayne Bay
Each of the city’s different neighbourhoods, he adds, ‘has developed a truly unique personality, which resonates with different groups of people and residents. Someone who is interested in a slower, more village-like experience might gravitate towards Coconut Grove, whereas someone looking for a live/work/play lifestyle might be more interested in South Miami Avenue or Midtown. There is more diversity and choice than ever before.’
Camilo Miguel Jr, CEO of Mast Capital which just completed Louver House is equally bullish about Miami’s real estate boom. ‘Though this is a young city compared to other US metropolises, it has long been considered the gateway to Latin America, but we’re seeing this reputation evolve into something new. The growth of arts and culture in the local community is attracting buyers from new and unexpected international markets, so this is creating an exciting opportunity to create and shape the identity of emerging and even established neighbourhoods.’
Herewith, our pick of the choice residential addresses to consider moving into.
One Thousand Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects
Rising a dizzying 62-stories, One Thousand Museum is Zaha Hadid’s first (and, unfortunately, only) residential skyscraper in the Western hemisphere. Harnessing the late architect’s exoskeleton design, the 83-unit pleasure dome also features the city’s only private rooftop helipad. Completing in late 2018.
Echo Brickell by Carlos Ott and YOO Studio
On Brickell’s buzzy east side of Brickell, the willowy silhouette of Echo Brickell is the work of architect Carlos Ott and YOO Studio. Set to open in autumn 2018, its 180 residences are paired with bracing views of Biscayne Bay, South Beach and Downtown Miami.
Hyde Midtown Suites & Residences by Arquitectonica
The Related Group and Dezer Properties tapped Arquitectonica to create their 31-storey, 395 luxury condominium residences project in heaving Midtown, within striking distance of Wynwood and the Design District. David Rockwell, meanwhile, worked on 60 suites that are available for daily rental. Projected to complete in early 2018.
Louver House by Rene Gonzalez
Architect Rene Gonzalez’s titular louvres provide welcome shade, but also subtly demarcate public spaces while casting eye-catching patterns on the stonework of this three-storey, 12-residence property in Miami Beach’s South of Fifth Street neighbourhood of Miami Beach. Launched September 2017.
One River Point by Rafael Viñoly
Rafael Viñoly’s first Miami project strikes a head-turning pose at the edge of Miami River, its hollowed triangular silhouette capped by an extraordinary 800ft-high glass sky-bridge that holds loft residences.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
The Paraiso District
It’s difficult to overstate just how ambitious this project is. Sprawling over 11 acres, The Paraiso District in East Edgewater comprises four residential towers, the first of which is due to complete in early 2018, alongside seven pools, a private marina and beach club. Headlining the project are bold-faced creatives like Piero Lissoni, Meyer Davis and Enzo Enea.
Park Grove by OMA
The three-towered Park Grove’s credentials are impeccable. The first US residential project by OMA/Rem Koolhaas is complemented by interiors by Meyer Davis Studio and a two-acre sculpture park by Enea Landscape Architecture. The first two towers are due to complete in early 2018.
SLS Lux by Ana Martinez
Set to open in early 2018, this 58-storey tower is by Arquitectonica, with a shimmering LED façade by Ana Martinez and interiors by Yabu Pushelberg. The 450 units, alongside 14 penthouses on the top three floors, are braced with views of Biscayne Bay and Miami’s skyscrapers.
Wynwood 25 by Kobi Karp
It’s odd that Wynwood, a district long celebrated for its artists, restaurants and boutiques, still lacks a bona fide boutique residential development. Happily, ground has just broken on architect Kobi Karp’s low-slung horizontal tower, the 289 micro-units (studios and one-bedrooms) due to be completed in 2019.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Why are Wayne Thiebaud’s paintings at the Courtauld quite so tempting?The American artist’s thickly painted slices of cake at the Courtauld are some of our favourite artworks seen this year. What makes them so special?
-
Taiwan’s new ‘museumbrary’ is a paradigm-shifting, cube-shaped cultural hubPart museum, part library, the SANAA-designed Taichung Green Museumbrary contains a world of sweeping curves and flowing possibilities, immersed in a natural setting
-
Dries van Noten on why he's building a new home for craft in VeniceA year after departing the runway, Dries van Noten unveils his next chapter: the Fondazione Dries Van Noten, a newly announced cultural initiative in Venice celebrating craft in all its forms. Wallpaper meets the designer to find out why he’s not ready to retire.
-
Step inside this resilient, river-facing cabin for a life with ‘less stuff’A tough little cabin designed by architects Wittman Estes, with a big view of the Pacific Northwest's Wenatchee River, is the perfect cosy retreat
-
Remembering Robert A.M. Stern, an architect who discovered possibility in the pastIt's easy to dismiss the late architect as a traditionalist. But Stern was, in fact, a design rebel whose buildings were as distinctly grand and buttoned-up as his chalk-striped suits
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume