Faena Really Is Building Himself A Kingdom In Miami Beach

Curbed Miami

 

Construction continues at the Faena District Miami Beach, that glorious and mysterious wonderland that Argentinian developer Alan Faena is building in Mid Beach. Wallpaper* Magazine tracked the developer down, somehow got some great new imagery of the project out of him (a mixture of old and new, actually) with new design details by Antwerp-based Studio Jobs and others, and was able to ask him a few (three) questions, to which he gave charming if not overly specific replies. Here is basically what he said, paraphrased of course:

1) Why Miami? “Often a place finds you, rather than you finding it.”He had a chance to buy the Saxony Hotel two years ago and it just kind of snowballed from there.

2) Why build on such a large scale? He loves to change an entire neighborhood.

3) Does Faena Miami Beach have a Latin flavor? Yes, in some ways, with the wrap-around balconies called aleros, and the lifestyle they’re going for. Oh, and “Faena Miami Beach is a country, with a flag, a coat of arms and heraldic symbols [all designed by Studio Job]. It will change Miami Beach forever.”

  • A fountain for the hotel’s pool as well as paving design, both by Antwerp-based design collective Studio Job. They are also designing a “special seal shaped fountain” for the hotel. The hotel is slated for completion in 2015.
  • Studio Job’s ‘Tree Of Life’ sculpture is “designed to capture the essence of the district’s vision” and will “crown the Faena Gardens.”
  • Intricate gates designed by Studio Job will adorn the hotel and arts center.
  • This set of gates designed by Studio Job is destined for the Arts Center.
  • The Claridge Hotel, the latest purchase by Alan Faena, will be known as the ‘Hotel by the Sea’ and “involve and nurture the work of local artists.”
  • The district’s robotic parking garage is being designed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA.
  • A working maquette of the “curated retail space” of the project, the Faena Bazaar. also by Rem Koolhaas/OMA.
  • The Faena Bazaar is under construction.
  • The Faena Marina, on Indian Creek, will provide dockage for the project’s residents and hotel guests.
  • The Faena District’s arts center, by Rem Koolhaas/OMA.
  • The ‘Faena Collaboratory’, also the sales center, is enveloped in murals by Argentinian painter Juan Gatti during the construction of the project around it.
  • The 1950s addition to the Versailles Hotel will be demolished to make room for a tower designed by Thomas Heatherwick, who will work on the original Versailles tower as well.
  • This is the side of the Versailles slated for demolition. Currently a painted mural covers the left half of the facade.
  • The residential tower by Lord Norman Foster, Faena House, is currently under construction. Only two units are still for sale.
  • The interior of the old Saxony Hotel is still a gutted shell but will be fancifully created by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin

· Street View: Faena District in Miami Beach [Wallpaper*]


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