German automotive company Mercedes-Benz, best known for its iconic line of luxury cars, coupes and SUVs, has veered into the residential building business.
The company recently unveiled its first branded skyscraper in North America, a 67-storey, mixed-use luxury tower called Mercedes-Benz Places at 1 Southside Park in the heart of the Brickell neighbourhood in Miami, Fla.
Construction crews are presently doing foundation work. The project is expected to be completed in time for occupancy in 2027.
The structure, one of the largest projects currently under construction in Florida, is billed as an “urban oasis” that will feature luxurious condos, office and wellness spaces, a hotel and other amenities.
The developer wants to build a world-class community with upgrades to nearby Southside Park that will celebrate a new mode of urban living in Miami.
The 2.5-million-square-foot building will have a unique look, with multiple rectangular volumes stacked in alternative, perpendicular directions. The dominant colour of the building will be “technical silver,” with black-and-white details in line with the Mercedes-Benz brand.
The residential portion of the tower will feature 791 units, ranging from studios to three-bedroom condos with price tags from $800,000 to $3 million.
The structure will have multiple curved glass balconies on each floor of the tower with large terraces.
The architect has designed a perforated screen system for the structure that is geared to catch the south Florida sunlight. It will offer shade and privacy and a pattern of shadows as the sun shifts throughout the day. The façade is also designed to meet sustainability goals for shading and comfort.
The rest of the building will have 200,000 square feet of retail and other space and 130,000 square feet of space for amenities.
A number of energy-efficient elements are being included in the building, such as special fixtures, smart technology and infrastructure to reuse water.
Architects designed the shape of the tower around the Mercedes-Benz philosophy of sensual purity and synergy with intelligence and emotion. Eliptical lines and shapes of the tower are inspired by nature.
Renderings of the structure show a spacious lobby with a large Merecedes-Benz logo at the entrance to the building.
The building is being developed by JDS Development Group. The Mercedes-Benz design team has worked in collaboration with SHoP Architects and ODP, Woods Bagot and Field Operations.
JDS said in a statement that the novel project weaves mobility solutions with “unparalleled standards of innovative living” to create a visionary community with luxury residences, wellness spaces and a world-class hotel that “establishes a one-of-a-kind, future-oriented experience.”
The building will feature multi-level common spaces aimed at bringing residents together. Features include a rooftop and garden pools, a sun deck and movie screening room.
As part of the plan, the developer is also redesigning Southside Park, which sits at the base of the tower, into a healthy living space and urban oasis with a canopy of trees and native vegetation.
Southside Park is the largest greenspace in Brickell and serves as a connective node to the neighbourhood through pathways of the Underline, a 10-mile-long linear park underneath the elevated Metrorail.
“The entire city block is conceived as a harmonious pedestrian and public realm,” JDS said in its statement. “The energy and experience of the city is drawn through the park at the ground level, creating an integrated pedestrian experience that, rising with the building, redefines and extends it into the sky. – with a fountain.”
“As JDS Development Group and Mercedes-Benz work together, Mercedes-Benz Places in Miami will emerge as a symbol of excellence, innovation, and a timeless presence in Miami,” the team said.
Isabel Castilla, principal at Field Operations, said the enhanced design of Southside Park “will open up new accessible entries with the adjacent neighbourhood and provide a direct connection to the Underline’s Brickell Backyard and the Metrorail, providing a connective thread for the community, both physically and socially.”
JDS and SHoP Architects previously worked on three previous projects. One was the Brooklyn Tower, a 93-storey, 1,066-foot-tall skyscraper that is the tallest building in the borough. The others were two towers, called the American Copper Buildings, along the East River waterfront in Manhattan that feature copper cladding exteriors and a skybridge 90 metres above the ground.
Mercedes-Benz previously built a 65-storey residential tower with Binghatti Properties in Dubai. It was inspired by the company’s three-pointed star and integrates photovoltaics to improve energy efficiency.
Bentley Motors, meanwhile, is also building a $1-billion, 62-floor oceanfront residential skyscraper with 216 apartments on Sunny Isles Beach, north of Miami. The structure features high-speed car elevator lifts that take residents to their condos while they remain seated in their vehicles.
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