If you consider your car to be a work of art, then you can have it on display it in your living room ... if you live in one of the exclusive oceanfront apartments within Miami's Porsche Design Tower, that is. The Porsche Design brand has branched into architecture, and aims to give a new meaning to the term "drive in" by using three robotic elevators that deliver both the driver and their car right into the home.
The three glass car elevators inhabit the core of the US$560 million condominium complex, and although automated parking garages are nothing new, this is said to be the first residential car elevators where you can stay in your vehicle.
When a resident drives into the complex, the car is scanned and proceeds onto a turntable. With the car's engine switched off, the turntable aligns with the glass elevator capsule that uses a robotic arm to scoop up the car and place it inside. But don't worry, laser scanners will ensure the arms don't scrape the vehicle's paint job.
Upon reaching the desired floor, the same arm will then park the car in the apartment sky garage, delivering the owner to the front door. Whilst riding in your luxury car to your luxury apartment, you can use the 45 to 90-second ride to take in the panoramic ocean views and watch the in-elevator TV.
Designed in collaboration with the Sieger Suarez Architectural Partnership, the building includes all of the features that you might expect: a private restaurant, gym, spa, pool and 24-hour concierge for residents and their cars. If viewing your car through a glass window in your living room isn’t enough, you can watch it travel through the eight-level car observatory that features on the sunset terrace as the valet takes it to the apartment for you.
With condos priced between $4.5 and $25 million, it is unlikely that your average family saloon will feature in many “sky garages” of the 132 residences that occupy the 60-floor tower. Despite the high cost, Porsche Design Tower developer Dezer Development reports that over 50 percent of apartments are already under contract, so we can expect a Cayenne or two to take up residence as the family car when the building is completed in 2016.
The energy footprint of the 641 ft (195 m)-tall building powering three car elevators is not going to win any sustainability awards for Porsche Design's first foray into real estate, but the tower is a fitting addition to the luxury product line established by Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. As the Porsche grandson's 911 design celebrates 50 years, we expect Porsche fans will exhibit a similar affinity to his company's residences.
The video below gives the rest of us a glimpse into the luxury lifestyle.
Source: Porsche Design via AN Blog