Culture and condominiums: How OMA's Faena Forum is designed to transform Miami Beach's waterfront
– Shohei Shigematsu
Miami’s Faena Forum is nearing completion, with architects OMA revealing new construction images of the culturally-inspired real-estate initiative.
The 50,000sq ft (4,600sq m) project, which is central to the development of Miami Beach, is made up of a connected cylindrical and cubic structure. The first of these offers flexible spaces for dance, theatre, arts and debate space. The second will house a hotel and condominiums.
A central assembly hall on the third floor unites the two buildings, but the spaces can also be divided into two halves and used as separate wings.
Below the cylinder, an exterior plaza along Collins Avenue is formed by removing a wedge from the front of the building. The strip is shaded by a cantilever, which is supported by white concrete with glazing panels.
In a statement, OMA said: “The solid cast-in-place concrete elements of the façade both accommodate the structural needs of the building and orchestrate key views to the surrounding buildings and the waterfronts.”
The Faena Forum has been overseen by Argentine developer and hotelier Alan Faena, who also has his own fashion label. He previously founded Faena Buenos Aires, which regenerated a disused docklands in Buenos Aires into a residential complex with a Philippe Starck-designed Faena Hotel.
The model is now being replicated in Miami as part of a billion dollar waterfront project that also includes new residential properties by Foster + Partners and the revamp of the art deco Savoy Hotel – with interiors by film director Baz Luhrman and Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, and a spa developed by consultant Inge Theron.
Faena described the overall scheme as “a new kind of cultural enterprise” that “encourages thinkers and practitioners from across a range of disciplines to collaborate and creatively collide in ways that push their practices and produce new works, new experiences, and new ideas.”
OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu said: “Culture is at the core of Faena’s vision. By curating their neighbourhood with programmatic diversity, Alan’s sphere of influence will likely extend beyond this development to the rest of Miami Beach.”
The opening of the project was originally scheduled for Q1 2016, but this has been slightly pushed back.
OMA’s most recently completed building is the Pierre Lassonde pavilion – an extension of Quebec’s Musée national des beaux-arts.
Alan Faena Faena Forum Miami waterfront culture real estate OMA‘Great Gatsby meets Buenos Aires’ at Baz Luhrmann-designed SoBe Art Deco gem
FEATURE: Urban Regeneration – This is Miami
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Creating the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York involved meticulous planning. Its director Alice Greenwald tells us more