In recent years, the city of Miami has seen an influx of proposals for supertall skyscrapers; a supertall is defined as a building reaching the height of 300 meters or greater, or a minimum of 984 feet. Various developers have put together elite teams of architects and engineers to bring the phenomenon to South Florida, yet as of today, none have been constructed. Skyscraper construction is no myth in the area as the city’s skyline is densely packed with hundreds of high rises, and perhaps even some that visually appear to come close to 300 meters, but a legitimate supertall has yet to come to fruition. This could be due to various factors, such as funding or engineering obstacles; maybe in the past the demand wasn’t there. But what we do know is that the FAA, the Federal Aviation Administration, has approved a handful of supertall skyscraper proposals. These are the most recently proposed and approved projects.
The first supertall proposal on the list, and most recently launched, is the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Residences. Being developed by a partnership between New York City’s Property Markets Group and Canada-based Greybrook Realty Partners, this mixed-use tower is set to rise up to 1,049 feet and 100 stories, piercing in to the Miami skyline with its multiple offset volumes and intricate glass and metal envelop. With sales underway, the tower is highly likely to become the first to come to fruition. Addressed as 300 Biscayne Boulevard, the project will be in close proximity to the American Airlines Arena, the home of the Miami Heat, as well as the bustling Bayside Marketplace, and at this height and location, views of Downtown, Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach and Beyond will be completely unobstructed. Carlos Ott is the designer architect of the building, with Sieger Suarez Architects serving as the architect of record.
Waldorf Astoria Hotel & Residences; designed by Carlos Ott & Sieger Suarez Architects.
One Brickell City Centre is another conceptual supertall proposed for Miami. The developer behind the project is Hong Kong’s Swire Properties and they intend to build the tower up to an approved 1,040 feet and 80 stories. The building would be part of the greater Brickell City Centre master plan, a 5.4 million square foot mixed-use mega development, sitting just south of the Miami River and Downtown Miami via South Miami Avenue. Addressed as 700 Brickell Avenue, the tower appears to still be in the planning stages, but with sellouts approaching at other towers within the development, we could potentially see the eventual rise of a supertall in Brickell. Miami-based Arquitectonica is the design architect for the building.
One Brickell City Centre; designed by Arquitectonica.
Developer Florida East Coast Realty is another contender in the supertall space, with plans to build a luxury residential two-tower building to the height of 1,049 feet and 81/79 stories, with designs from United Kingdom based Foster + Partners, an architectural firm with numerous completed supertall designs, and ODP Architecture & Design as the architect of record. The tower would rise on the last remaining undeveloped lot on Brickell Bay, addressed as 1201 Brickell Bay Drive. The original plans for the tower were submitted as a 574-foot-tall twin tower complex back in 2007, but eventually replaced with the current proposal as the FAA granted the height approval back in 2016. The site is perfectly positioned for unobstructed views of the Miami skyline and Biscayne Bay as well. However, no signs of ground breaking or construction are present as new permits have yet to be filed.
The Towers; designed by Foster + Partners.
Over by Bayside Marketplace, another supertall structure is in the works. Proposed to rise as an iconic attraction and entertainment venue, developer Berkowitz Development Group, headed by Jeff Berkowitz, intends to build SkyRise Miami to 1,049 feet. The recreational tower is designed by Arquitectonica, and will feature various attractions such as Skyplunge, Skydrop, Skyrise Flying Theater, multiple types of observation decks and event and meetings spaces as well. The site is addressed as 401 Biscayne Boulevard, sitting at the end of the pier adjacent to the marketplace. Hints of activity has been seen in recent times, but not much progress has been made as of yet.
SkyRise Miami; designed by Arquitectonica.
Tiber Hollo’s Florida East Coast Realty has another supertall skyscraper in the works, this time addressed as 100 South Biscayne Boulevard: One Bayfront Plaza. The 92 story mixed-use tower is expected to rise 1,044 feet, just west of Bayfront Park and centered in the heart of Downtown Miami. Designs by New York City based Kohn Pedersen Fox were approved back in 2017, with ODP Architecture & Design serving as the architect of record. The rise of this tower would easily make it one of the city’s tallest.
One Bayfront Plaza; designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox.
As mentioned earlier, construction on any of the supertall skyscrapers above has yet to begin. However, it won’t be long before Miami joins the club along with other veteran cities such as New York City and Chicago, as the rise of the first one appears to be approaching soon.
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The SkyRise is beautiful and as every innovative design, misunderstood. The Eiffel Tower was hated at first and look at it now. I really hope the SkyRise rises above all and becomes the symbol of Miami across the world. All I say is: BUILD IT ALREADY!