Brickell City Center, “The City within the City”

Brickell City Center, “The City within the City”

Brickell City Center, “The City within the City,” is emerging as one of downtown Miami’s most prominent places to live, work, visit and shop. The project sums up much of the recent trends in building design and development, blending modern mixed-use concepts of sustainability, walkability and connectivity.

Conceived out of a vision from Swire Properties’ executives, Brickell City Center is successfully bringing a new twist to the already trendy lifestyle that resides in the downtown area. However, designers sought inspiration from the historical character of Miami, which is reflected in the urban planning and landscape design. Jovany Chediak, and the design team at Arquitectonica have incorporated a wide variety of native plant life into the landscape design. With a multilevel retail component flanking a series of friendly walkways softened by lush landscaping and peaceful ponds, there is an inviting appeal to the Center. Different clusters of landscaping throughout the project create zones promoting walkability and give definition to certain destination points.

While Jovan’s presentation focused more on the urban planning and exterior design of the project, the concepts he conveyed emphasized the innovation and functionality of the project as a development approach. The mix of uses like condos, retail, office and hotel has been translated in the different aesthetic attributes of the project, while maintaining a common theme. And even without an understanding of the project’s financial feasibility, one can certainly appreciate how the design ideas will appeal to the targeted market and tenants.  Concepts like the street furniture, while miniscule in the large scheme of things, not only answers functionality, but also add a design flare that is consistent through the project.  Both form and function gives Brickell City Center a unique identity, even as it connects and compliments the existing area.

Brickell City Center, like Jovany suggested, will make for a great case study for designers and developers. As the design philosophy and development attributes that has governed the project will become the base for large-scale development projects in downtown urban centers. As a student of both design and development, I can appreciate the melding of theses disciplines in such a cohesive way to produce an iconic project that will set the stage for the cities of the future.