Each year we turn our attention to Miami in advance of the early December art fairs, we are bombarded with a bevy of new developments—commercial, residential, and institutional. Past projects in the Design District, South and North Beach, and downtown have changed, and sometimes even made a case for once overlooked neighborhoods. Gleaming towers that offer views of city, sand, and sea have offered a chance for international architects to flex their creative muscles.
One tower in particular, as of late, has caught our attention, amid the noise of cranes and bobcats and never-ending beach-side construction—Eighty Seven Park, developed by Terra and designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. It is set within a rather unique location for Miami Beach, in North Beach between two parks. When looking for an architect for the singular site, Terra President David Martin looked to Pritzker Prize-winning Piano. “We needed architecture that had museum quality to it. It had to stand the test of time. Renzo Piano’s architecture has shown this over and over again all over the world. That is why we selected him,” Martin said.
Courtesy of Eighty Seven Park
Piano went about connecting the over 35 acres of park to the water of Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean by setting Eighty Seven Park squarely within the greenery. Siting that the building belonged to nature, Piano envisioned an oblong 16-story building that “floats” and “levitates” above the surrounding green space. The 70 apartments within are vertically oriented to better take in the unobstructed ocean and bay views from generous balconies (some units’ floor plans devote 40% to outdoor terraces) and custom floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
Piano, interior designer RDAI, and landscape designer West 8 worked to bring the outside in. Materials outfitting each home were selected by RDAI to invoke an experience of nature, provided by light oak and Venetian terrazzo flooring, and an organic color palette. West 8 created an absolute botanical sanctuary with 70% of the base of the tower devoted to vegetation, like carefully selected sculptural sea grape trees. Eighty Seven Park goes one step further, embracing its environment by offering an in-house botanist for residents.
Courtesy of Eighty Seven Park
This week of the fairs, Art Basel in Miami Beach attendees can experience Eighty Seven Park and its sales gallery at a number of events. On November 30, they’ll host a Collectors Lunch with Atelier Swarovski and Maison de Mode, the annual Cultured magazine dinner, and a VIP cocktail and dinner party to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of ArtNexus.
