BIG’s first residential condominium in the U.S. completed in Miami

Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood has just received two of its very own twisting towers courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group and Terra, a South Florida real estate development firm.

The Grove at Grand Bay is a low-density project that consists of 98 units and is anticipated to achieve LEED Gold certification. LEED Gold is expected due to the incorporation of energy-saving innovations and low-flow fixtures. Additionally, recycled and locally sourced materials, such as oolitic limestone and sustainably harvested wood, were used.

The towers, which mark the first residential development completed in the Coconut Grove neighborhood in more than a decade, incorporate expansive outdoor living areas that flow seamlessly into the indoor living space. The North Tower includes 57 units while the South Tower provides 41 units of its own. Each unit in both towers has 12-foot custom, insulated windows and large balconies thanks to the twisting architecture. The towers’ floor plates rotate three feet at every elevation from the third to the 17th floors.

The units have open floor plans and an average of 4,000 sf of living space. A 10,000-sf penthouse in the South Tower also has an additional 5,000 sf of outdoor space with a private rooftop terrace and swimming pool. Each unit over 4,000 sf comes with a private two-car garage while the penthouse has a private four-car garage.

The building offers amenities such as rooftop pools for each tower, a five-star spa and fitness center, full-time concierge and butler service, a private dining room for residents and their guests, and, of course, the all-important pet spa. The building will also feature an art collection valued at more than $1.2 million.

Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj

The Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team announced that it has reached an agreement with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County on a $6.5 billion, 86-acre mixed-use development that will include a new 30,000-seat ballpark and an array of office, housing, hotel, retail, and restaurant space totaling 8 million sf.

Engineers | Sep 15, 2023

NIST investigation of Champlain Towers South collapse indicates no sinkhole

Investigators from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) say they have found no evidence of underground voids on the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse, according to a new NIST report. The team of investigators have studied the site’s subsurface conditions to determine if sinkholes or excessive settling of the pile foundations might have caused the collapse.

MFPRO+ Research | Sep 11, 2023

Conversions of multifamily dwellings to ‘mansions’ leading to dwindling affordable stock

Small multifamily homes have historically provided inexpensive housing for renters and buyers, but developers have converted many of them in recent decades into larger, single-family units. This has worsened the affordable housing crisis, say researchers.

Deciphering the Differences in Smart Lock Networks

Adaptive Reuse | Aug 31, 2023

New York City creates team to accelerate office-to-residential conversions

New York City has a new Office Conversion Accelerator Team that provides a single point of contact within city government to help speed adaptive reuse projects. Projects that create 50 or more housing units from office buildings are eligible for this new program.