How Sunshine, Palm Trees And Tropical Modernism Define Miami Design

Tourists flock to Miami Beach to stroll the streets lined with the city-defining art deco design. But the wave of permanent transplants to the city is staying for the tropical modernism that has for decades underpinned the city’s design ethos. 

Defined in part by its fondness for wide-open interiors, embrace of indoor-outdoor spaces and commitment to using locally sourced materials, tropical modernism is baked into the culture of Miami, speakers said last week at Bisnow’s South Florida Fall Architecture and Design Summit. 

Now, a wave of new luxury developments from condos to office towers spurred by pandemic-era relocations has given architects and designers in Miami the opportunity to push the boundaries of the style, doubling down on its sustainability focus and embrace of the natural environment. 

“When you think of tropics, you think of the climate. You think of the salt air, the humidity, the intense sun. Tropical modernism is really about approaching those elements with a balance of letting them in versus trying to shut them out,” Todd Tyler, chief creative officer at Miami-based Studio IDC, said from the stage at the InterContinental Miami on Thursday. 

In practice, that translates into wide-open interiors with floor-to-ceiling windows that, when open, create a cohesive indoor-outdoor space. Strategically placed plants and materials like bamboo are used to bring elements of the outside in, and a commitment to local artisans and materials ties the space to the community, panelists said. 

Special considerations have to be made in the design process when creating a home where half the space is a great room that includes a kitchen, dining room and living room that are all exposed to South Florida’s high, often oppressive humidity. 

“Indoor spaces that are going to become outdoor, you essentially just have to think of them always as outdoor spaces because of the moisture issues,” said Colin Gorsuch, vice president of development at Key International.

Gorsuch has only been in Miami for four years after spending his life in decidedly nontropical Chicago and Iowa. He had to learn about what defines design in Miami after he arrived to work with Key International, an investment firm with a portfolio dominated by South Florida properties.

“The first thing I appreciated about it is the materiality of everything, the use of local stones, tropical hardwoods, things that can hold up in this environment,” he said. “That’s because there’s certain things that work here, but there’s a lot of things that don’t work here.”

Key International’s latest project is the planned redevelopment of its headquarters at 848 Brickell Ave. in the city’s financial district into a 50-story, 750K SF office tower in partnership with Sterling Bay. 

The developer is embracing tropical modernism even in the design of the office tower. Its goal is to deliver a skyline-defining property that embraces Miami’s aesthetic but stands out for its utilitarian features, Gorsuch said. 

“We wanted something that didn't feel like typical white, wavy balconies. We wanted something rigid and hard-working, and that's why we went to an outside architect,” he said of the project, designed by Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. 

“But we also had those conversations about what works in Miami, the importance of indoor-outdoor spaces and the importance of connecting to the landscape and to the place,” he said.

Sustainability is another key facet of the tropical modernist ethos. Even before construction begins, designers painstakingly consider the site’s topography and take under special consideration the position of buildings to maximize the benefits of morning and dusk sun while creating shade from Miami's infernal afternoons.

Coupled with a focus on designing spaces with cross breezes to create circulation and high ceilings to give the hot Florida air a place to escape, the design principles are meant to help keep interior spaces cool even when they are exposed to the elements.

In Caribbean and Latin American markets, where the style is also popular, that allows for luxurious tropical spaces to be built without air conditioning. In Miami, American habits cut into those energy-saving benefits.

“Most people here in Miami still are addicted to their AC and need their AC,” Gorsuch said. “I do.”

Still, new HVAC designs focus on creating zones that can be shut on and off, keeping entirely indoor spaces climate-controlled while allowing airflow through the areas exposed to the elements. That can still help hold down emissions and electric bills, Gorsuch said. 

Those solutions, along with the integration of solar panels and other sustainable energy initiatives, can help even large-scale projects inch closer to net-zero emissions, a selling point that Alejandro Bonet, managing partner at Miami-based developer LD&D, said is becoming increasingly important to tenants across asset types. 

“Sustainability, vertical gardens, solar panels and having super efficient equipment is a big market trend that has escalated even more after Covid,” Bonet said, adding that mixed-use properties are a draw for the carbon-conscious because they provide a single place for residents, retail and office space. 

“When it comes to condominiums, people want sustainability. They want to feel grounded and connected and to have the opportunity to be more efficient in their same building,” he said.  

Sustainability's rise in popularity will only last so long as it doesn’t provide an inconvenience, said Erik Tender, the chief sales officer at quartz countertop producer Cambria. At that point, environmental considerations are outmatched by creature comforts.

“Sustainability is great until the point that your house is leaking,” Tender said. “Then you’re like, ‘I don't care about being green anymore now. You better fix it.’”