Key International, a Miami-based real estate investment and development company, is planning a significant transformation at 848 Brickell Avenue, where they are headquartered. They intend to replace the 42-year-old 13-story office building with a much larger office tower. Miami-Dade County planners have received a pre-application meeting request from 848 Brickell, LLC, an affiliate of Key International, to review their proposal for a 51-story Class-A office building soaring 761 feet above the bustling Brickell financial district. The property’s redevelopment would yield an impressive 704,000 square feet of office space, accompanied by a ground-floor retail space spanning 7,500 square feet and on-site parking facilities accommodating 1,065 vehicles.
Key International has partnered with the esteemed Chicago-based architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to design the high-rise office tower. SOM is the visionary behind buildings such as the 163-story Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the 110-story Willis Tower in downtown Chicago, the 71-story 35 Hudson Yards in Manhattan’s Midtown West, and Project Commodore, an approved 85-story supertall skyscraper at 175 Park Avenue in Manhattan’s Midtown East. Although renderings are not yet available, the fact that Key International has enlisted an architecture firm of this caliber, known for numerous iconic and notable buildings worldwide, is highly promising for the design of 848 Brickell Avenue. The collaboration between Key International and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill suggests that the proposed development has the potential to become a remarkable addition to the Brickell financial district.
Location Map – 848 Brickell Avenue. Credit: Key International.
The 54,105-square-foot property is situated in the heart of Brickell, within easy walking distance of the Tenth Street Promenade and Eighth Street Metromover Stations. To the east, across the street, stands the 43-story The Plaza on Brickell condominium tower, while to the south lies JDS Development Group’s 888 Brickell supertall site. To the north, adjacent to the property, is a 15-story office building at 800 Brickell Avenue, which houses the Consulate General of Chile. On the western side, the property is bordered by a 9-story federal building at 909 Brickell Plaza. The central location of this property places it in a highly desirable and dynamic neighborhood, surrounded by a mix of residential, commercial, and governmental structures.
Site Analysis – 848 Brickell Avenue. Credit: Key International.
Based on the site plan, the building’s above-grade area would yield nearly 1.2 million square feet, with an additional almost 46,000 square feet below grade, suggesting the possibility of a parking level beneath the tower. The diagram depicts a single driveway ingress and egress along Brickell Avenue, leading to a ramp up to level 2 and another ramp down to basement level 1. The ground floor would feature retail frontage on the northeast corner, adjacent to the office lobby. Notably, the structure’s core walls, housing over 20 elevator shafts, are rectangular and centrally positioned within the building, indicating a cohesive design without exposed blank concrete walls or visually harsh elevations. The site would encompass 10,200 square feet of open spaces, and the presence of terrace areas spanning a combined 62,000 square feet suggests the incorporation of setbacks throughout the development. The 761-foot height being the tip of the crown, suggests we may see some unique architectural elements at the tower’s pinnacle that will help it stand out from the dense and evolving Brickell skyline.
Ground Level Site Plan – 848 Brickell Avenue. Credit: Key International.
The pre-application review request was filed on July 27, and the developer has scheduled a meeting for August 24 to review the preliminary plans.
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This is terrible news. The traffic in Brickell and 8th street is already unbearable and a building of such dimensions it is only going to make it worse. We are tired of the never ending greed of developers and investors that are going to make Miami an unlivable city.