jean nouvel’s first project in miami features lush man-made lagoon
image courtesy of JDS development

 

 

 

located on the west side of miami beach, overlooking biscayne bay and downtown miami, ‘monad terrace’  is set to offer bay front condominium residences, nestled around a lagoon. designed by jean nouvel, it is the renowned architect’s first project to be built in miami, although his atelier has previously put forth a proposal for the ‘coconut grove’ development along the waterfront.

 

comprising 13 small private lots off of south beach’s west avenue—connected to form a single elongated site running in an east-west direction—’monad terrace’ will consist of two narrow structures: one 14 stories high, the other seven stories; that will collectively house 54 units in total. the two towers will be clad in translucent and porous metallic shields offering solar shade and privacy, further cushioned by vertical gardens, wrapping around the crafted residences that will capture the natural light of their surroundings via floor-through views of the bay and beyond, thus coining the project the nickname ‘the reflection machine’.

 

a giant infinity pool standing at the core of the scheme, rendered as a man-made lagoon, will function as a naturally filtered ecosystem that will host native landscaping, flowing through the property to connect west avenue and biscayne. flora, such as spanish moss and tillandsia, will cascade downwards from the rooftop terraces, breaking solar heat, offering additional privacy and character to each home. to bring a sense of community to the plan, a public-access walkway will cut through the property from the southside, connecting with west avenue to baywalk.

 

‘my ‘personal vision’ comes from the very needs of communities, the climate, the history and the culture of a city or of a neighborhood,’ jean nouvel told the miami herald in an exclusive interview.  ‘all these elements belong to a specific context. this context guides all the decisions I took in miami as it guides all the projects I build.’

 

construction on ‘monad terrace’ is being realized by JDS development group, and sales are set to launch in fall 2016.

 

read more about jean nouvel’s ‘monad terrace’ in the miami herald.