Thepropertyisspectacular,300feetofoceanfrontinSunnyIslesBeach.Butwhenluxurycondodeveloper
EdgardoDefortunaacquiredit,SunnyIsleswasawashindeluxenewtowers.Defortunaneededsomething
specialtooutshinethecompetition.
Heneededastararchitect.
AndsoDefortunafoundhimselfonedayinBasel,Switzerland,atthestudioofJacquesHerzogandPierrede
Meuron,thebrainyarchitectsfamousfortheirausterevirtuosityand,inMiami,fortheirsingulardesigns
forthePérezArtMuseumMiamiandtheorigami-likeparkinggarageat1111LincolnRoad.Defortunawas
notsurewhattoexpect,buttheirpitchbowledhimover.
Thearchitectspresentedascalemodelofaconceptualdesignthatpushedsomeinventivenotions:They
proposedtaperingthetowerandplantingitanangletotheshoreline,sothatthebuildingwouldnotblock
the afternoon sun on the beach. And they wanted to bury all parking underground, a costly and mostly
untestedideasoclosetotheshore.Insteadofblockingbeachviewswithagaragepodium,thearchitects
wanted the lobby to open up directly at ground level to the pool and the sea just beyond, a romantic
throwbacktotheclassicMiamiBeachhotelsofthemid-20thcentury.
DefortunathusbecameoneofthefirstMiamicondodeveloperstoturntothatrarefiedrankofinternational
architectswhosefamesometimesapproachescelebrity—butwhosefeesandhigh-flyingcreativeimpulses
inflateconstructionbudgets—totacklethatmostprosaicofMiamihousingtypes,thehigh-risecondo.
Defortuna’s Jade Signature, now under construction, is just one of around a dozen ultra-luxury condo
projectsinMiami-Dadethatbeartheimprimaturofacelebratedarchitect.Otherdevelopershaveturnedto
suchnotablesasthelateZahaHadid,RemKoolhaas’OfficeforMetropolitanArchitecture,NormanFoster
andJeanNouvel,allofthemwinnersofthePritzkerPrize,theprofession’stophonor.
Butalongwiththebignamescomebigegos,biggerconstructionpricetagsand,sometimes,bigheadaches,
leadingsomeskepticstowonder:Arethe“starchitects”worththeirsalt?Doesarchitecturalfamereallyhelp
sellanextravagantlypricednewcondo?
ForDefortuna,thegamblehaspaidoff.The192-unitJadeSignaturewasmarkedlymoreexpensivetobuild
than a comparable luxury condo, as much as 20 percent more, he said. That’s mainly because of the
underground garage, which cost double what an above-ground structure would have. Other expensive
elementsincludecantileveredbalconiesandexteriorsupportcolumnsinvarying,undulatingshapesthat
definethetower’sarchitecture,hesaid.
Sales have exceeded even his immodest target of $1,300 a square foot and, with just 12 units left, are
averaging$1,500persquarefootevenasthemarketslowsdown,hesaid.
“Ifyouaskme,wouldIdoitagain?Iwoulddoitagaininasecond,”Defortunasaidofhiringstar-quality
architects.“It’shardtoputadollarvaluetowhattheybring.Thisexperiencehasbeenveryrewarding.Iam
100percentsurepeoplearegoingtolovelivingthere.
“Andthat’seventuallywhatit’sallabout.Thisisnotamonument,thisisaplaceyouwillbelivingin.”
But it’s also a commercial enterprise, and in a hyper-competitive luxury market, star architects, and the
high-conceptdesignflourishestheybringtoaproject,canprovideanedgethatdrawswealthybuyersand
putsaprojectover.
InterviewswithdeveloperslikeDefortunaandareviewofrecordedandreportedsalesinthecurrentcycle
suggest that edge is real, with some qualifications. The figures suggest a clear price premium for condo
projectsnowinsalesthatweredesignedbyrenownarchitectsovermuch—butbynomeansall—oftheir
more-conventionalhigh-endcompetition.
Unitsinthefirststararchitectcondotoopenforoccupancyinthiscycle,Foster+Partner’sbeachfrontFaena
House in mid-Miami Beach, sold for a mind-boggling $3,974 a square foot, according to recorded sales
figurescompiledbyCraneSpotters.com.
Thatfaroutstripsthealready-lavish$1,009persquarefootattainedmorerecentlyatTerraGroup’sGrove
atGrandBayinCoconutGrovebyyoungDanishsuperstarBjarkeIngels,ortheevenmorebountifulaverage
of around $1,500 per square foot reported by Jade Signature and Hadid’s One Thousand Museum in
downtownMiami.
ThoselatterfigureseasilyoutdoCraneSpotters’averagenewcondosaleseastofInterstate95,at$896per
squarefoot.TheyalsooutpacethepricesgarneredbycompetitorssuchasEchoAventura,designedbythe
well-knownifperhapsnotstar-levelarchitectCarlosOtt,whichsoldfor$699asquarefoot,ortheReach
andRisetowersatBrickellCityCentre,designedbyMiami-basedluminariesArquitectonica,whichsoldfor
$699and$735asquarefoot,respectively.
ButthePritzkerlaureateshardlyhavethehighendalltothemselves.
In fact, luxury condo projects by some solid, even stellar locally based architects like Arquitectonica or
unhypedSiegerSuarezArchitecturalPartnershipoftenmatch,andevenexceed,thepricescommandedby
mostofthestar-architectcondos,thereviewshows.Someofthosetoppricesseemdeterminedinlargepart
by that old real-estate saw — location, location. And some have seen boosts by association with classic
brandswithastronginternationalfollowing,suchasRitz-Carlton.
Itturnsoutthattheselectionofanarchitectisonlyoneelementinacomplexformulathatdeterminessales
successforaluxurycondo.
LooknofartherthanChâteauGroup-Defortuna’sRitz-CarltonresidentialprojectinSunnyIsles,onthesame
beachfront as Jade Signature. Designed by Arquitectonica — an international behemoth that is globally
renowned,butunlikemoststararchitects,routinelydesignsmid-marketprojectsaswell—thetoweris
commanding close to $1,600 per square foot, though the units are smaller than those at Jade Signature,
Defortunasaid.
Defortunaattributesitsappealto“Ritz-Carltonjunkies”whoappreciatethebrand’sattentiontodetail,as
wellasadazzlingdesignbyArquitectonica’sprincipal,BernardoFort-Brescia,whobeattwootherfirmsin
acompetitionforthejob.
“Thereisaperfectarchitectforeveryproject,ifyouknowwhatyouneed,”Defortunasaid.“Bernardoreally
hit it out of the park. Some luxury buyers will be drawn to the architecture and the name, and others
recognizethebeautyofthebuildings,orjustlikethebrand.We’vetriedtocovertheentirespectrum.”
OthernewArquitectonicadesignsarealsotopperformers,theCraneSpotterslistshows:UnitsatRegalia,in
SunnyIslesBeach,soldfor$1,616asquarefoot;atOceanaBalHarbourat$1,849asquarefoot;andatFendi
Château,alsoinSunnyIsles,at$1,676asquarefoot.
Equallyorevenmore-stellarresultscamefromsmaller,boutiqueprojectsinMiamiBeach’shotter-than-hot
South of Fifth neighborhood, in part because of their cozy exclusivity. Terra Group’s Glass, designed by
prominent Miami architect Rene Gonzalez, sold out its 10 units at $2,302 a square foot. Nearby, Aria
Development’s321Ocean,byMexicanstararchitectEnriqueNorten,withjust21units,hassoldat$1,721
asquarefoot.
Thenthere’sthenewestwrinkleinMiami’sluxurycondomarket:Brandingprojectswithfamousnames
fromtheworldsoffashion,productandautomobiledesign,suchasFendi,MissoniandArmani.Theinteriors
of the Missoni Baia tower, in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood, will incorporate the Italian house’s
colorfullypatterneddesignsandfurniture.AttheArmani/CasatowerinSunnyIslesBeach,everyfixture
has been designed by the firm, “down to the faucets and the bathtubs,” said Carlos Rosso, president of
developerRelatedGroup’scondodivision.
DezerDevelopment’sPorscheDesignTower,bySiegerSuarez,featuresinnovativeelevatorsthatliftyour
car into your living space, and units there have sold for an average $1,658 a square foot, according to
CraneSpotters—nevermindthatthecriticshavenotexactlyswoonedoveritsarchitecture.
ArchDaily.com,anarchitecturewebsite,calledthePorschetowerthemostsignificantnewtowerinMiami
after Hadid’s One-Thousand Museum because of its “Dezervators.” But it also called its architecture
“chunky”and“disappointinglynondescript,”especiallyincomparisontoHadid’s“stunning”design.
ButthatgoestoshowthatintheMiamimarketthearchitectureandthearchitect’snamearelesssignificant
thanotherfactors,saidPeterZaleswki,presidentofCondoVultures,whichcompilestheCraneSpotterslist.
“A condo is a condo,” Zalewski said. “It’s concrete, rebar and air space. The only thing that really
differentiatesthemisview,amenitiesandmaintenancefee.Buyerswantfunctionality.”
Localdevelopersbeganturningtobigarchitecturalnamesatthebeginningofthecyclein2011,whenthey
needed a lure to persuade buyers to put down 50 percent deposits, a tactic designed to avoid another
speculativebubble,hesaid.
“Theonlywayyoucouldgetsomeonetoput50percentdownwastooffersomethingdistinctandunique,
and to try to build up this idea that an architect would add value, like a Picasso or a Jackson Pollock,”
Zalewskisaid.
Thatname-brandarchitecturehasbeenaparticularlystrongsellingpointwithEuropeanbuyers,though
not so much with American or South American customers, said Manuel Grosskopf, principal of Chateau
Group,whichhasreliedonArquitectonicaandMiamiarchitectKobiKarpforitsthreelocalprojects.
ButZalewskiwagersthatonceunitsinstar-architectcondosareresold,thepricepremiumwillbeginto
vanish,sincethey’retradedlargelyascommoditiesbasedonmarketvalue.
Infact,Related’sRossopointsout,unitsinoneoftheluxuryprojectsthefirmbuiltinthepreviouscycle,
ApogeeintheSouthofFifthneighborhood,designedbySiegerSuarez,routinelyre-sellforthreetimeswhat
One-ThousandMuseumisgetting.TheUrbanResource.comwebsiteputstheaveragecurrentaskingprice
inthebuildingat$3,478persquarefoot.
“Whatdoesthatmeaninrelationtothearchitect?Nothing,”Rossosaid,stressingthatthebuilding’sdesign
isfirst-rate.“Itmeansinthatlocation,itcommandsalot.It’sallinthetimingandthequalityandwhatyou
askthearchitecttodo.It’snotalwaysthenameofthearchitect”thatcommandstopdollar.
Related,Miami’sdominantcondodeveloper,turnstoArquitectonicasooftenthatthefirmisvirtuallythe
housedesigner.Ithasusedstararchitectsinonlyahandfulofinstances,whenpartnerswantedit.
TowinoverGiorgioArmanitodesigntheinteriorsforaSunnyIslestower,Rossosaid,Relatedhadtoenlist
veteranstarCesarPelli,alsodesigneroftheArshtCenter.AndTerraGroup,Related’spartnerinParkGrove,
choseKoolhaas’sOMAtodesignthethree-towercondoinCoconutGroveafterrunningapubliccompetition
featuringahandfuloftheprofession’sbiggestnames.
Thosehigh-levelarchitects,Rossosaid,constantlypushtheconceptualenvelope.
“It’saveryinterestingclash,”hesaidwithalaugh.“Wewantthemtosurpriseuswithsomethingthatisnew.
Thenwehavetobringthembacktoreality.”
AtourofthefirsttwoParkGrovetowersnowunderconstructiondemonstrateshowarchitectsofthecaliber
of OMA can bring something superlative in conception and execution to a project. Inspired by the
surrounding Grove, the design of the tower and its flowing podium takes on sinous organic shapes in
concretethatflowinandoutoflobbiesandcommonspaces.Onedramaticgesture:asunkenamphitheater
on the amenity deck that doubles as a light well for a vast lobby. Rosso says OMA insisted on the
amphitheater.
“Theyweresortofadamant.Butthisiswhatmakesthisspacemagical.Thesearemuseum-qualityspaces,”
Rossosaid,addingthatthedeckandcommonspaces“costafortune.”
The stars’ schemes are often sensational: Ingel’s twin twisting towers next door at Grove at Grand Bay.
Hadid’s alien-like exoskeleton at One-Thousand Museum. Jean Nouvel’s jungle-in-a-lagoon design for a
boutiquemid-risecondoonBiscayneBayinMiamiBeach.
Thecosts,developerssay,canbedaunting.
AtOne-ThousandMuseum,theswoopingexteriorsuperstructurethatHadiddesignedrequiredcontractors
todeviseaninnovativeconstructionapproachandcosttwicewhataconventionalstructurewouldhave,
saidco-developerLouisBirdman.ButthedevelopmentteamfiguredtheyneededsomeonelikeHadid,who
hadnotbuiltinMiamipreviously,tomakethemostoftheirsiteoppositeMuseumPark.Theygotallthey
bargainedfor:ahelipadatthetop,andaglassed-inswimmingpoolandspasuspendednearthetower’stop.
Tomakeupfortheadditionalcost,thedevelopersoptedforafewverylargeunits,just83ina62-story
tower,thatwouldcommandpremiumpricesinspiteofthedowntownlocation.Thesmallestunitis4,600
squarefeetand,becausetheexoskeletoneliminatestheneedforinteriorcolumns,feelsevenbigger.
“Therereallyisnocompetitionforthatproject,”Birdmansaid.“Wedidn’twanttobeoneof10verysimilar
projects.”
Giventhehighcosts,thehighsalesvaluesdon’ttranslateintoprofitmarginssignificantlylargerthanthey
otherwisewouldhavebeen,Birdmannoted.Buttherewereotheradvantages—forinstance,inmarketing
andspeedofsales,hesaid.
Because Hadid, as the world’s only superstar architect, had an especially devoted following, her name
proved magical, Birdman said. There was free publicity in the form of news reports around the world.
Buyerscamefromcountrieswherethedevelopershadnoteventhoughttomarkettheproject,likeNorway,
FinlandandTurkey,hesaid.
“TheywereattractedtotheprojectbecauseofZaha.That’swhatbroughttheminthedoor,”Birdmansaid.
“It’shardtoputavalueonwhatthatadded.”
Thereareevenmorestar-qualityprojectsabouttobreakground.TerraGrouphashireditsthirdcelebrated
architect,PritzkerwinnerRenzoPiano,forabeachfrontcondoinNorthBeach.Workisabouttostarton
NewYork-basedJDSDevelopmentGroup’sMonadTerrace,bytheFrenchmanNouvel,alongWestAvenue.
JDSprincipalSimonKostersaidhisteamchoseNouvelbecausethesiteseemedtodemandthequalitiesthe
architectisknownfor—thetransparencyofhisdesigns,thewayheplayswithnaturallight,andhisability
tofusenatureandanurbansetting.Thatlevelofdesign,hesaid,appealstothediscerningclientelethey’re
aimingfor,evenifthebuyersdon’tnecessarilyknowNouvelfromKoolhaasorFrankLloydWright.
“It’snotaboutanicerbathroomoranicerkitchen,”Kostersaid.“It’saboutbeingawholelotmorethoughtful
abouttheexperience.It’sallabouttheviewsbackoverthebaytodowntown,andacrossSouthBeachtothe
ocean.Water,reflectionsandlight—there’snotthatmanyarchitectsaroundtheworldwhohavehislevel
ofexecutioninbringingallthosefactorstogether.Wewantedsomeonewhowouldabsolutelynailit.”
Butisthestarchitectblushstartingtowearoff?Zalewskiandotherobserversthinkitmightbe,notingthe
turntofashiondesignerswithevenbiggerworldwidefollowingsthanthoseofstararchitects.
WhenRelatedandDezerbroughtinPellitoworkontheirArmani/Casacondocollaboration,therewaslittle
doubtwhotheheadlinerwouldbe.
Intheproject’sownwebsite,Pelli,thearchitectofthetwinPetronasTowersinMalaysia,untiladecadeago
thetallestintheworld,takessecondbilling.HisnameisrightunderArmani’s,insmallprint.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article136321228.html