Great glass: Rene Gonzalez’s crystalline tower completes in Miami Beach
![GLASS, the recently completed luxury condominium by Rene Gonzalez Architect completed in Miami Beach’s affluent South of Fifth, aka SoFi, neighbourhood.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5T3CeSwnaooQoLWVbQebTR-415-80.jpg)
South of Fifth - or SoFi by its trendier moniker - is an affluent enclave on the southern tip of Miami Beach, and one of the city’s priciest neighbourhoods, with luxury residential towers bound by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the lagoon of Biscayne Bay to the west and South Pointe Park to the south. This is prime real estate, following urban regeneration over the last decade, thanks to visionary, risk-taking developers, who helped create the exclusive urban oasis that exists today.
‘GLASS’ by Rene Gonzalez Architect marks one of the first new residential developments to be completed in the City of Miami Beach in almost five years, a first in high-rise design for the local architect, and the last tall development permitted in South of Fifth due to zoning restrictions.
The 18-storey condominium was developed by Terra, the South Florida real estate development firm that seeks to create sustainable, design orientated communities. With commercial potential for up to 45 units, Terra opted for the ‘less is more’ approach, favouring 10 full-floor luxury residences with 360 degree views of its remarkable setting.
The all-glass tower, formed of perimeter glazing slotted into bold horizontal floor planes and minimalist frameless glass balustrading to the expansive wrap-around terraces, creates a playful ambiguity between inside and out. The firms philosophy is rooted in the belief that a building is inexorably linked to the natural and cultural elements of its surroundings.
‘Light and ethereal, GLASS is a response to its site, context, and environment. The building dematerializes as it rises, with its exterior almost disappearing into the atmosphere and its compositional use of fritted, patterned glass,’ explains Gonzalez. Internally the apartments are bright and spacious allowing the varying views to take precedence.
Residents of the sold-out tower will begin to move in later this month.
GLASS is the result of a collaborative effort between Rene Gonzalez Architect and Terra, a South Florida real estate development firm
The all-glass tower is the first high-rise residential project for the Miami based architects and the last permitted high rise development in SoFi due to zoning restrictions
The 18 storey condominium comprises of 10 full-floor luxury residences with 360 degree views. The all-glass tower is formed of perimeter glazed walls, slotted into striking horizontal floor planes
The building dematerializes as it rises, with the penthouse levels setback from the primary floors. Residents of the sold-out tower will begin to move in later this month
Clear, fritted and patterned glass is implemented on the exterior, with integrated solar shading devices to the lower levels
Frameless glass panels form sleek balustrading to the expansive wrap around terraces
The building entrance is conceived as an immersive environment with luxurious stone finishes of Coquina and blue Macauba quartzite referencing the nearby beach
INFORMATION
For more information on Rene Gonzalez Architect visit the website
Photography: Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
IM Pei's Everson Museum of Art gets a modern makeover
The East Wing of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY has been given a contemporary refresh by emerging Los Angeles studio MILLIØNS
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Black Modernism’s lesser-known, at-risk architecture gems gain a lifeline
Conserving Black Modernism announces vital funding to save and preserve overlooked and endangered buildings by African American architects and designers
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Step into the Blanton Museum of Art's reimagined public realm by Snøhetta in Austin
Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas is completed and reveals its reimagined public realm and plaza designed by Snøhetta
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This New York Townhouse renovation is a lesson in contemporary minimalism
TenBerke’s carefully considered New York townhouse is the reimagining of a century-old Manhattan structure that reframes vertical living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Visit The Frost House, a lesser-known modernist architecture marvel in Michigan City
The Frost House is a lesser-known midcentury architecture gem in Michigan City, Indiana; we took the tour as the property goes on the market
By Audrey Henderson Published
-
Broadway designer Scott Pask’s Arizona retreat is a scene-stealing discovery
Scott Pask invites us inside his Arizona retreat, nestled in the foothills overlooking Tucson – a place to reboot, recharge and commune with nature
By Michael Webb Published
-
Upstate New York retreat Ridge House evokes land art
Ridge House in upstate New York, the work of Brooklyn-based studio Worrell Yeung, is at one with the surrounding countryside
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Rafael de Cárdenas’ first ground-up project is a forever home with waterfront views and hidden treasures
Rafael de Cárdenas reveals his latest completed project in the Pacific Northwest, a family home of calming spaces that bleed the outside in, and ten years in the making
By Ellie Stathaki Published