Miami, Florida, USA
“The design emerged as a form that harmonizes the ocean waters and the urban skyline,” says Kengo Kuma, founder of Kengo Kuma & Associates.
Kengo Kuma & Associates has unveiled the design of the studio’s first residential building in the United States, an 18-story tower of 22 private, luxurious condominiums for the hospitality brand Aman, located in Miami’s Faena district, right on the oceanfront.
The project is adjacent to the historic Versailles building, a 1940s Art Deco hotel currently under restoration by architect Jean-Michel Gathy.
The local Art Deco architecture has a unique rhythm, which, according to the architect, was translated into the geometry of the new building through its vertical and horizontal lines.
Kengo Kuma draws inspiration from the lightness and freedom of jazz resonating with both the oceanic horizon marked by the vertical lines of the trees and the tone of the Art Deco architecture specific to the Faena District of Miami.
“So we composed our own piece to fit in with the history, but we used a modern approach,” states the architect.
The structure will be supported by a three-story colonnade in order to maximize magnificent ocean views from the ground level.
According to the design team, the lobby’s ceiling is raised not just for the aesthetics, but also in order to appease the surrounding tenants.
In the atrium, the walls and columns are covered in a wood lattice that frays where the top meets the first-floor plate, creating an organic tree branch-like effect, an element specific to Kuma’s design language.
The wooden lattices continue up the sides of the facades, creating sun louvers and texture to the glazed facade of the tower.
“I wanted the building to feel as light as possible with an open ground floor,” states Kuma.
“So we implemented green roofs above the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing spaces and extensive natural plantings in the surrounding grounds.”
Each condo is anchored by the use of clean angles and parallel lines and will feature custom wall treatments, plasterwork, Japanese paper washi screens, and views of the ocean.
Kitchens’ materials include coral stone, white steel, limestone, and white oak, in addition to custom wood cabinetry.
The bathrooms will feature stone walls and oversized hinoki wood soaking tubs to invoke a spa-like experience in a private space.
Aman Miami Beach Residences feature a masterful execution of angular yet soft minimalism through undulating floors and an interior program that communicates through movement and light.
Project: Aman Miami Beach Residences
Architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Lead Architects: Kengo Kuma
Client: Aman Group S.a.r.l.
Renderings: Kengo Kuma & Associates
