Miami Beach, FL, 2013
The subtropical modernism of Miami Beach, especially the resort hotels and their architecture of pleasure, is the inspiration for Waves. At this gateway site, Waves is a contemporary interpretation of this tradition.
A horizontal ocean liner like building with is prowl anchored where the McArthur Causeway touches down in Miami Beach, the buildings wings reach out to connect to the city blocks it occupies, embracing a landscape within.
This interior is a shoreline of activities for both the residents of Waves apartments above, and the neighborhood beyond. Food, exercise, leisure, fun, and shopping are all provided. Large gateways invite Alton Road and West Avenue to flow though and connect to the grid of pedestrian passages that crisscross the two blocks, linked by a parallel path that end in a landscape at the prowl on 5th Street. This activity spills out as a promenade on West Ave where seating and café life enliven the neighborhood street.
The existing hospital structure is remodeled and integrated into the new project.
Sixth Street is the hub which links the blocks and becomes the center of access for the project. Drop off for the ground floor activities, access to the parking basements for cars and bikes, and connection to the lobbies are from this area.
Above, every unit is arranged around an exterior balcony. Waving walls orient the view up and down the streets towards the water and away from the tall buildings across the street on West Avenue. Glass railings provide uninterrupted sight lines. Generous windows fill the interiors with light and air and slide open to allow balconies to become extensions of living and bed rooms.
On the rooftops of both the 500 block prowl and the West Avenue leg of the 600 block are amenity areas with pools, decks, and shade structures.
The materials proposed are inspired by the Miami Beach tradition where white buildings with glass walls stand out as cool clean forms against the radiant blue ocean and sky.
Here at Waves is everything we love about Miami Beach – outdoor life, the sunshine and health, the lush courts, the terraces overlooking the sea, a sense of lightness and fun, a feeling of bounty, and everything one needs
