High-profile French architect Jean Nouvel's upcoming luxury high-rise recently topped out in Miami. Named Monad Terrace, the project is expected to be completed in late 2019 and will offer plush apartments overlooking the famous Biscayne Bay starting at US$1.7 million.
Miami's vulnerability to rising sea levels doesn't seem to have dented the city's enthusiasm for major architectural works, which have included projects by BIG and Zaha Hadid in recent years. That said, the ground that Monad Terrace is situated upon in the South Beach Bay area is raised some 11.5 ft (3.5 m) above sea level to mitigate such concerns.
The project also involves Kobi Karp Architecture and consists of two buildings, rising to 90 ft (27 m) and 150 ft (45 m)-tall. They are arranged around a large man-made lagoon and the north and south-facing facades will sport a lot of greenery, both to help shade the apartments within and to increase privacy. Additionally, the lagoon-facing sawtooth facades will integrate a honeycomb screen that's meant to diffuse incoming light and reduce heat gain, in addition to improving privacy, without unduly impacting the view.
"Transparency and translucency are achieved by a bespoke engineered screen system, built into Monad Terrace's faceted glass walls," explains developers JDS Development. "While the glass facing the bay is clear, the glass facing the lagoon features a distinctive aluminum hexagrid screen embedded within the glazing itself. Viewed from an oblique angle, the screen becomes opaque."
Monad Terrace will host 59 residences, ranging between two to five bedrooms, with 1,453 sq ft (134 sq m) to 5,350 sq ft (497 sq m) of floorspace. They will boast balconies, high-end materials and finishes, and custom kitchens designed by Jean Nouvel.
Four penthouse units will have their own private elevators and rooftop terrace. As you'd expect, there are a lot of amenities too, including a swimming pool, fitness center, and concierge.
Source: JDS Development
