HERZOG & DE MEURON - 1111

2/2/2010
Architecture / Design

By David Greenwald



It is important to consider the history of architecture and design in Miami Beach when discussing the 1111 project on Lincoln Road.  Ever since Ian Schrager and Philippe Starck had the foresight to reinvent the Delano Hotel in the early '90s, much has been made about the resurgence of South Beach in recent years.

Lincoln Road, in Miami Beach Florida, is a pedestrian mall. In 1960, the well-established local architect Morris Lapidus (Fontainebleau, Eden Roc) was commissioned by the city to redesign Lincoln Road. Lapidus' design highlighted the MiMo style that he pioneered a decade earlier. In 1979 Miami Beach's Art Deco Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district has the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world and is comprised of hundreds of hotels, apartments, and other structures erected between 1923 and 1943.

But what is 1111 Lincoln Road? Designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning Herzog & de Meuron (Tate Modern, Beijing National Stadium, De Young Museum), it is a parking garage, a retail space, an event space, offices, and exclusive condominiums. The building sits on the West end of Lincoln Road, at the intersection of Alton Road, across from the Lincoln Cinemas (Zyscovich Architects). After many years spent finessing city politicians, zoning planners, and dealing with the usual opposition from local residents and business owners, it is the latest point of interest in a city with a rich design history.

The brainchild of developer Robert Wennett, 1111 was cleverly conceived and made attractive to the city commissioners and residents as a way for South Beach to have more public parking. Wennett feels that, "Part civic and part commercial, 1111 [will become] a cultural destination and a central gathering place." While Wennett considered other architects such as Jean Nouvel, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Campo Baeza, Herzog & de Meuron seems to have been a wise choice; asking such acclaimed and talented architects to design the structure only adds to the brilliance of the project.

Visiting the garage during the day and at night enables you to understand the full potential of the project. Taking the elevator at the core of the structure from street level to Level 7 you are immediately struck by the scale of the 20-32 foot ceiling. It's not theatre. It's not drama. It all makes sense. Le Corbusier and Ando's use of concrete is borrowed here; Herzog & de Meuron have been able to make a heavy construction material both beautiful and light. The calibre of this work and clever use of materials makes you forget about the recent, poorly constructed massive buildings that sit empty in downtown Miami.

The block was previously a vehicular thru-street, which has been closed to traffic and replaced with a newly landscaped pedestrian plaza. The street level retail shops will feature a Taschen bookstore, a Y3/Adidas boutique, a Nespresso outlet, and a Shake Shack burger joint from New York City. Level 5 features a unique retail opportunity and is the only space available above the street level shops. Facing Alton Road, the bay, and downtown (West) it is 1,800 square feet with 22-foot high windows, and a kinetic ceiling. The roof of the parking deck will have an extraordinary penthouse loft. In an adjoining building, there are four residential units designed by Herzog & de Meuron. At approximately 2,500 square feet each, the units will feature courtyard gardens, skylights, and each unit will be deeded two parking spaces in the garage.

According to Christine Binswanger, Senior Partner at Herzog & de Meuron, "The garage is an organism made up of a family of concrete slabs, deployed as floor plates, columns and ramps. The location and form of these elements result from a series of forces acting upon each other. What looks arbitrary or like an artistic impulse is in fact the complex overlapping of site, program, and building code requirements... We tried to avoid the stereotype of a parking garage, offering excessive views, clean ceilings, an open stair, and indirect lighting."

It's hard to miss the "1111" pink neon signage above the sidewalk, chosen by Wolff Olins New York. The design team chose white-gray-black painted galvanized steel tubing used for parking stops and rub rails, Swiss stainless steel mesh webbing for the stairs, Monika Sosnowska's iron rods art installation under the stairs on Level 2, Starphire ultra clear glass in the retail spaces, and large pink number signs for each level. Of course, it would not be a modern design project without environmentally friendly aspects, including the open-air garage, which requires no ventilation, low energy lighting, solar panels on the roof to supply electricity to the penthouse, and an attached office building that has significant green technology. Take the ramps, or walk down the stairs to enjoy the descent into Herzog & de Meuron's world. As you move from 8-32 foot ceilings between floors, it is playful, but not contrived. It is functional and not all about the architects, as too many projects are these days. The views from each floor are stunning whether at daytime, or at night. The structure is beautifully lit in the evening and appears to be floating, which gives it a more graceful feel than in the day.

Frank Gehry's latest project for The New World Symphony is being completed just off Lincoln Road on the Eastern end, while the plans for another Herzog & de Meuron project, the new Miami Art Museum, have recently been unveiled. Art Deco will continue to be preserved and respected in South Beach, but these modern projects are helping Miami move toward the future.



After living in New York City for many years, David Greenwald now resides in Miami Beach. He is an architecture/design hobbyist, who has travelled around the world visiting iconic houses, buildings and museums.