June 23, 2026 June 23, 2026 Home » News » Multi-Use Tower Features Sculptural Mesh Facade in Miami
A new eight-story office and retail building is rising soon in the Miami Design District, featuring a unique façade made of shiny metal. The project proposes a series of verdant terraces behind a semi-transparent screen to provide a quiet workspace within the dense urban environment. This development continues the rapid expansion of the area into a hub for specialized architecture and luxury commerce.
The design showcases two distinct areas that organize the functions of the building. The first and second floors serve as a base for retail, with the team designing this base to connect directly with street activity in the area. Above this base, six floors of office space cater to the needs of creative and luxury industries. The floor spaces offer flexible layouts to accommodate different tenants' needs while maintaining a connection to the outdoors.
A sun-shading screen of stainless steel mesh wraps the entire building, functioning as a secondary envelope. This mesh layer pulls away from the glass skin to create a protected area for plants and terraces. The screen features large circular recesses creating a wavy, bulging surface across the facade. These curves catch light at different angles, making the building appear opaque and reflective or entirely translucent depending on the time of day.
The project follows a regular structural grid where interconnected columns rise from the metal-clad base. The design modifies these columns at the upper levels to allow for outdoor terraces. These deep balconies provide shaded spaces for tenants and use dense planting to add a sense of permeability and soft edges to the hard construction materials.
The team mitigates solar heat gain through the use of the mesh façade while preserving views of the surrounding city. This passive cooling strategy works in conjunction with garden spaces to enhance the energy performance of the envelope. The team expects to commence construction on the project in August of this year and anticipates completion in 2028. The building is adjacent to the existing 'Museum Garage' parking structure and adds to the array of experimental facades in the area.
The project employs a double-envelope strategy to resolve the tension between the privacy of commercial offices and the transparency of the street. The design pulls the steel mesh away from the primary glass wall, creating a separating space—a functional gap between the outside and inside—where landscaping intermingles with the structural framework. This depth transforms the facade from a flat surface into a three-dimensional mass. The rhythmic distribution of the recesses provides a consistent visual identity, while the flexible floor spaces behind the screen allow for varied interior configurations without compromising the overall exterior appearance.
The project utilizes an advanced metallic cover to mitigate the harsh Florida sun, turning functional sustainability demands into an urban sculptural gesture. This strategy successfully blurs the boundary between private corporate space and public urban environment through deep terraces filled with plants. However, an important question arises about whether this decorative exterior prioritizes visual modernity over true environmental performance. The mesh provides adequate shading, but the bulging geometry appears more focused on achieving a prominent appearance rather than enhancing thermal resistance. The building risks becoming just another decorative element in a neighborhood known for architectural branding, where the internal work environment remains secondary to the facade's performance as a luxurious advertisement. The success of the intervention depends on whether these terraces provide a truly usable refuge, or simply function as green spaces that please onlookers from the street.
Project Team: Snøhetta. Location: Miami Design District, Florida, USA.
Project Notes: Developed by Raycliff Capital. Construction begins in August 2024. The team expects to complete the project in 2028. It features a mixed-use program for offices and retail.