SkyRise Miami, a 1,000-ft tall entertainment and observation tower, is set to begin construction in the first quarter of next year, according to Plaza Construction, which recently was chosen to build the structure by its developer Berkowitz Development Group.
Scheduled for completion in 2023, the SkyRise Miami, overlooking Biscayne Bay, would be the tallest building in Florida. It is being positioned as a vertical theme park that will draw more than three million visitors a year with multiple attractions that include:
•Skyplunge, a base-jumping feature where jumpers attached to a high-speed descent wire plummet at nearly 55 mph.
•Skydrop, where riders slowly ascend more than 600 ft and then drop 540 ft at free-fall speeds up to 95 mph.
•SkyRise Flying Theater, where up to 72 riders are secured in seats that, when the floor drops out, are suspended 40 ft in the air. A 4D simulator moves the seats in sync with a movie projection, supplemented by real special effects like wind and aromas. The ride will last six minutes.
•Skyway, which will bill itself as the world’s tallest rotating observation attraction.
•Skyfly, a zero-gravity tunnel that allows visitors to float to the top of the tower.
•Skywalk, where tethered strollers can walk out onto an open deck with no handrails, 908 ft above ground.
•Skyglide, whose transparent slide allows visitors to “glide” outside for a panoramic view of Miami.
•Skyledge, whose transparent skydeck cantilevers off of the structure’s outside wall, 866 ft above ground.
There will also be scenic boat cruises and virtual reality experiences available to visitors, as well as catering halls, restaurants, and nightclubs.
A sky deck, moving observation bubbles, and a ledge from which tethered visitors can hang are some of the ways people will be able to experience SkyRise Miami. Image: Berkowitz Development Group
Coconut Grove-based Berkowitz Development Group’s portfolio includes more than 1.5 million sf of office and retail building development. Its Building Team for SkyRise Miami, besides Plaza Construction, includes Arquitectonica (architect), Magnusson Klemenic Associates (SE and CE), Cosentini Associates (ME), gsmprjct° (exhibition design), and DVS (engineering consultant). Legends, a joint venture of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees, will operate SkyRise Miami.
This is the eighth project that Plaza and Arquitectonica have worked on together.
Brad Meltzer, Plaza Construction’s CEO, tells BD+C that the tower’s unique design presents challenges. “The building is void of uses from the podium to almost 500 ft, making the planning of the structure more complicated,” he explains, adding that the structural steel and concrete design that’s being contemplated hasn’t been tried before in South Florida, and will require more upfront integration of fabricators and tradespeople in the planning process.
While some press reports have pegged SkyRise Miami’s construction cost as high as $400 million, Meltzer says those costs have yet to be finalized.
SkyRise Miami will be built on land that juts into Biscayne Bay. Image: Berkowitz Development Group.
Miami’s city commission and Miami voters approved SkyRise Miami in the Summer of 2014, but the project had been delayed by litigation.
Jeff Berkowitz, chairman and founder of Berkowitz Development Group, initially claimed that he could complete the tower without taxpayer money, but he subsequently applied for $15 million in economic development funding. A lawsuit attempted to block Miami-Dade from allocating $9 million in property taxes for SkyRise’s development and construction. Other suits accused the landowner of skirting competitive-bidding requirements, and objected to the tower on environmental grounds.
A 2015 Florida Supreme Court ruling in the developer’s favor effectively ended opposition to SkyRise moving forward.
Related Stories
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HDR, and HOK top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 23, 2014
Meet Acquario Ceará: The giant crustacean-shaped aquarium that's causing concerns
A new aquarium on Brazil's northeastern coast is designed, engineered, constructed and financed by U.S. firms and institutions.
| Jul 23, 2014
Architecture Billings Index up nearly a point in June
AIA reported the June ABI score was 53.5, up from a mark of 52.6 in May.
| Jul 21, 2014
Economists ponder uneven recovery, weigh benefits of big infrastructure [2014 Giants 300 Report]
According to expert forecasters, multifamily projects, the Panama Canal expansion, and the petroleum industry’s “shale gale” could be saving graces for commercial AEC firms seeking growth opportunities in an economy that’s provided its share of recent disappointments.
| Jul 18, 2014
Contractors warm up to new technologies, invent new management schemes [2014 Giants 300 Report]
“UAV.” “LATISTA.” “CMST.” If BD+C Giants 300 contractors have anything to say about it, these new terms may someday be as well known as “BIM” or “LEED.” Here’s a sampling of what Giant GCs and CMs are doing by way of technological and managerial innovation.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Construction Management Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, Barton Malow, Hill International top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest construction management and project management firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Contractors [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Turner, Whiting-Turner, Skanska top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest contractors in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Engineering firms look to bolster growth through new services, technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following solid revenue growth in 2013, the majority of U.S.-based engineering and engineering/architecture firms expect more of the same this year, according to BD+C’s 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering/Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, AECOM, Parsons Brinckerhoff top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering/architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Fluor, Arup, Day & Zimmermann top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering firms in the United States.
