Known for its sleek modern architecture, upscale interior design, luxury commerce and art galleries, the 18-block, 2,699,095 square-foot Miami Design District is an example of a retail project that evolved into the emergence of surrounding districts. SB Architects’ has been the architect of record specifically for Palm Court (Phase I&II) and Paradise Plaza (Phase III) along with numerous infill structures and secondary buildings. Leveraging a mixed-use design approach and expertise in district stewardship, the architecture team helped integrate art, architecture and urban design into the multi-phase project, resulting in a once gritty neighborhood transformed into an international luxury shopping destination. Sustainably designed, Miami Design District is the first LEED Neighborhood Development Gold Certified project in Miami -Dade county and 33rd in the United States overall.
Winner- Global Future Design Awards 2020
Firm | SB Architects
Architect/Designer | SB Architects
Category | Mixed Use Built
Team | SB Architects
Country |United States
Photographer/Copyright | ©Ciro Coelho, Barry Grossman
One of the most distinctive elements of the project is that in recognizing the growing need to think beyond purely transactional retail experiences, the architecture firm leveraged its hospitality expertise to create an experiential mixed-use environment that infused a mix of art and urban energy as emotionally engaging and life-enhancing elements.
In collaboration with the developer, who was an early pioneer in the revitalization of Miami’s South Beach and a champion of the restoration and preservation of Miami’s Art Deco architecture, SB Architects created the entire architectural skeleton for the site, addressing building structure, overall identity, and the movement of people through newly created urban spaces as a multifaceted community experience. Within this framework, each store has been treated as a distinct building, allowing each individual tenant the opportunity to express their brand’s identity through not only the interior design of their respective spaces but also in the opportunity to bring their design to the face of their building. Additionally, each building has a green roof providing a stunning aesthetic and thermal cooling.
Without a traditional anchor and in contrast to the monotony of a traditional mall or shopping center in which stores appear box-like with identical walls and facades, this project was designed with a sense of scale and a unique framework for the buildings. SB Architects worked side-by-side with a selection of fellow architects and designers to develop and document the overall aesthetics of the Miami Design District. Allowing each individual tenant to create the façade of each retail space, giving them opportunity to express their brand’s identity through not only the interior design of their respective spaces but also by bringing their design to the face of their building.
Through careful curation and a multi-phase design and development approach, the firm ensured the architecture and art of the project were harmoniously integrated and, in turn, reinvigorated the surrounding neighborhood. The cultural heartbeat of the city, Miami Design District feels like an art gallery, perfectly curated for the consumer. The project is ground-breaking for its intersection of art, architecture, urban design, and luxury retail, and for the path it paved for a new thriving district that helped define Miami as an artistic and highly sophisticated destination at the intersection of culture and commerce.