Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Adds "Yacht-inspired" Skyscraper to Miami Waterfront

Una Residences by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill (AS+GG) rises from the condo-lined avenues of South Brickell, on Miami's mainland, on the channel waterfront near the Rickenbacker Causeway. 

The design of the 47-storey skyscraper was led by studio founders Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, formerly of SOM, where they led the design of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper in Dubai. 

For the Una Residences, AS+GG took its signature, streamlined design to a brief that required the standard Miami treatment – maximal luxury, plentiful views and structural affordances for wind. 

"Known globally for supertall and high-performance buildings, AS+GG approached Una as a sculptural, yacht-inspired form – its sweeping curves engineered to maximize unobstructed views of the Atlantic Ocean, Key Biscayne and Downtown Miami while mitigating solar gain and wind loads," said developers for the project OKO Group and Cain. 

Formally, the tower features a base with its massive structural columns visible in the double-height terrace on the second storey. There is a podium with amenity spaces, and a sweeping cantilever on the tower that overlooks it. 

Metal-clad slabs extend past the curtain wall on the east and on the west, and they fan out further to create wrap-around balconies. 

Around the 15th storey, the footprint of the tower widens with additional curtain wall covering expanded floorplates. In plan, this section appears to be two interlocking ovals. 

The elongated portion of the tower continues up to the wave-like bulkhead, giving the skyscraper a top-heavy appearance. 

AS+GG also designed the interiors of the public spaces, amenity spaces, and the 129 units, which range from two to five-bedroom apartments. 

The developers contend that the terrace space and amenities featured in the building put it in the class of an "increasingly rare typology" for the area. 

"Beyond its sculptural exterior, Una's design language continues inside with expansive floor-through layouts, deep terraces, and penthouse residences that incorporate dual private pools, rooftop entertaining spaces, and spa-level amenities – an increasingly rare typology on Miami's waterfront." 

In the design, the architecture studio wanted to "reinvent South Brickell", which it called the "1970s birthplace of modern high-rise living in Miami". 

And the skyscraper is much taller than the 1970s and 1980s condo buildings in the immediate vicinity. 

Una Residences is the latest in a long-list of buildings by famed architects in the city and in the adjacent Miami Beach barrier island, despite warnings that buildings in Miami Beach are subject to sinking land that threatens large buildings there. 

Elsewhere in the city, upcoming skyscrapers have been designed by David Chipperfield Architects, Foster + Partners, and SOM. 

Written by By Ben Dreith 

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