MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), an international partnership of architects, designers, builders and planners, has unveiled its plans for the 52-acre convention center redevelopment in Miami Beach. BIG’s vision for the new convention center is estimated to cost $1.1 billion, as reported by the South Florida Business Journal. The existing convention center, which is widely considered outdated, was built in 1957 and underwent a $92 million renovation in 1989.
The Miami Heraldreports that BIG, along with development partner Portman-CMC, a partnership between Atlanta-based Portman Holdings and Miami-based CMC Group, are competing against South Beach ACE for the contract to redevelop the convention center. South Beach ACE’s construction estimate for its plan is proposed at $1.2 billion, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
The Miami Beach City Commission is expected to select the winning project team in June, according to The Miami Herald.
Portman-CMC’s construction plan calls for the city to be responsible for approximately $551 million of the development cost, while South Beach ACE’s plan calls for the city to be responsible for $625 million, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
BIG has decided to plan the redevelopment of the existing convention center around a central square known as Miami Beach Square, which will include the entrance to the new convention center and convention hotel, a front lawn to the revitalized Jackie Gleason Theatre, a plaza for Miami Beach City Hall and an entryway to the Botanical Ballroom.
“We have devised a strategy that combines urban planning and landscape design to create a neighborhood characterized by human scale, pedestrian connections, shaded spaces with public oriented programs lining the streets and squares,” says Bjarke Ingels, creative director of BIG. “A neighborhood that, depending on the season, the weekday, or even the time of day can be perceived as a lively downtown neighborhood or an inviting public park.”
The proposed Miami Beach Square will create a series of connections across the site and will connect the Soundscape to the Botanical Gardens and Holocaust Memorial. A north-south connection will also join the Collins Canal to Lincoln Road.
BIG and Portman-CMC have also planned a series of parks and public spaces in the development, which will join the neighborhoods currently separated by the existing convention center. The development will also feature an 800-room hotel on the south side of the convention center and approximately 125,000 square feet of retail.
“Realizing that a challenge that seemed to be driven by two incompatible agendas was actually the opportunity — to create a convention center district that is not only for convention-goers but, more importantly, for residents,” says Jack Portman, vice chariman of Portman Holdings.
South Beach ACE’s plan is similar to Portman-CMC’s with an 800-room hotel on the south side of the convention center and a central plaza. The South Beach ACE plan includes approximately 110,000 square feet of retail, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
Portman-CMC’s design team for the development includes BIG, West 8, John Portman & Associates, Fentress and Revuelta Architects. The development team includes Portman Holdings, CMC Group, Bal Harbor Shops and Cirque du Soleil.
Financial advisors for Portman-CMC’s vision of the development include HFF, PiperJaffray and Brookfield Financial. Construction consultants include Schwebke Shishkin, Plummer Associates, HDC Associates, CMC Group Construction, Greenberg Traurig, Desimones, Space Syntax, MIT/Carlo Ratti Associati and Lead Pencil Studio.
South Beach ACE’s project team includes New York-based Tishman Hotel & Realty, Miami Beach-based UIA, OMA, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Raymond Jungles and tvsdesign.
— John Nelson