Faena Forum is the new cultural core of the Faena District in Miami Beach opened to the public last week. OMA has completed other two buildings -retail bazaar and car parking-alongside an arts centre in the Collins Avenue of Miami Beach. OMA's buildings are comprised of distinctive forms attributing to different functions for each buildings while presenting a similar appearance in the cultural district.

A procession down Collins Avenue congregated in the Forum's canopy plaza and activated all three buildings designed by OMA, including the Faena Bazaar and Park. The Forum also staged a site-specific dance performance with scenography by the building’s lead designer Shohei Shigematsu in collaboration with choreographer Pam Tanowitz.

Image © Bruce Damonte  

The Faena Forum is divided into two volumes - a cylinder that accommodates gathering spaces and a cube of hotel and meeting rooms. On the building's third level, an Assembly Hall occupies both the cylinder and the cube. 

Since each volume has a distinct form and character, the two halves of the Assembly Hall can be used separately on in combination for a variety of uses. Below the cylinder, an exterior plaza along Collins Avenue is formed by removing a "wedge" from the front of the building. 

Image © Philippe Ruault

The cantilever, which shelters and shades the outdoor plaza, is supported by a structural facade of white cast-in-place concrete with high performance glazing infill panels. The solid cast-in-place concrete elements of the façade both accommodate the structural needs of the building and orchestrate key views to the surrounding buildings and the waterfronts. 

Along the building's north edge, the cylinder and the cube are smoothly joined to accommodate circulation and structure as well as a balcony accessed via the Assembly Hall.

Image © Iwan Baan

The Faena Bazaar is a renovation of the historic Atlantic Beach Hotel, built in 1939 and designed by prominent Miami Beach architect Roy France, whose work includes the Saxony and Versaille opposite the site. 

The Bazaar preserves and restores the existing lobby and facades, while reprogramming the building for retail.

Image © Bruce Damonte 

Parking for the Forum and Bazaar is located on the third site with a mechanical system for maximum efficiency. Elevators transporting vehicles between levels are exposed on 35th street, while a facade of angled perforations allow for adequate airflow with controlled views.

Image © Bruce Damonte 

''As the cultural core of the Faena District, the Forum provides a focal point to the neighborhood and to the mid-Beach zone at large. The ensemble of three buildings – the Faena Forum, Faena Bazaar and Parking—enrich Faena’s hotel and residential components along Collins Avenue, providing a dynamic symmetry between the district’s cultural and commercial programming across Miami Beach’s main thoroughfare,'' said Partner-in-charge, Shohei Shigematsu.

Image © Iwan Baan

''The existing site presented three distinct conditions for the three distinct programs– a large, wedge shaped site for the Forum, a protected historic art deco hotel for the Bazaar and an empty lot allocated for parking. Although the Faena District enjoys a unique location spanning two waterfronts, the cultural components were positioned on the quieter, residential zone along Indian Creek rather than the activated Atlantic beachfront,'' he added.

Image © Iwan Baan

''The Forum claims the heart of the complex by addressing this urban context with two volumes that generate distinct frontages toward Indian Creek Drive and Collins Avenue. Embedded within the residential zone west of Collins, the Forum’s cube and cylinder achieve the same intimate scale as the Bazaar and Park. The Forum’s circular plan enables the public domain to expand, activating pedestrian movement within the district. A 45-foot cantilever allows the landscaped plaza to slip under the Forum along Collins, providing a dramatic sense of arrival.''

Image © Iwan Baan

''The combination of the Forum’s classical dome space with a black box theater in the main assembly space provide the ultimate flexibility for the diverse programming of Faena’s multifaceted ambitions. Combined, the full layout has the capacity for large scale events. Independently, the spaces can be divided to host distinct events, with dedicated acoustics and arrival.''

Image © Philippe Ruault

''The Forum represents endless possibilities to host a range of events - from concerts to conventions; roundtable discussion to banquets; intimate exhibitions to art fairs- all within a single evening. Liberated from obligations to operate as a strictly institutional or a strictly commercial entity, the Forum presents a new typology for interaction, leveraging the ambiguous advantage of Faena’s redefinition of culture.''

Image © Philippe Ruault

Image © Philippe Ruault

Image © Philippe Ruault

Image © Philippe Ruault

Project Facts

OMA partners: Shohei Shigematsu, Jason Long
Associate-in-charge: Jake Forster
Team: Clarisa Garcia Fresco, Lawrence Siu, Francesca Portesine, Ravi Kamisetti, Ted Lin, Jesung Park, Anupama Garla, Andy Westner, Daniel Queseda Lombo, Andrew Mack, Caroline Corbett, Denis Bondar, Ahmadreza Schricker, Darien Williams, Gabrielle Marcoux, Marcela Ferreira, Jenni Ni Zhan, Lisa Hollywood, Paul Tse, Sarah Carpenter, Carla Hani, Sean Billy Kizy, Simona Solarzano, Ivan Sergejev, Tamara Levy, Matthew Austin, Ben Halpern
Construction documentation project architect: Clarisa Garcia Fresco, Paxton Sheldhal (BOS|UA),
Team: Yusef Ali Denis, Slava Savova, Cass Nakashima, Ariel Poliner, Jackie Woon Bae, Matthew Haseltine, Salome Nikuradze, Simon McKenzie
Project management: Gardiner & Theobald, Inc., Claro Development Solutions Architect of Record: Revuelta Architecture International, PA
Landscape architect: Raymond Jungles
Civil engineer: Kimley-Horn and Associates
Structural engineer: DeSimone Consulting Engineers
MEP and fire engineer: Hufsey Nicolaides Garcia Suarez Consulting Engineers Lighting: Tillotson Design Associates
Elevator: Persohn Hahn Associates
Acoustic: Electro-Media Design, Ltd., Stages Consultants, LLC
Exterior building envelope: IBA Consultants
Parking: Tim Haahs Engineers
Theatre consultant: Stages Consultants, LLC
Food service consultant: Clevenger Frable and Lavallee
Architectural concrete Consultant: Reginald Hough Associates
Life safety: SLS Consulting
Security: Security Industry Specialist

Top image Image © Bruce Damonte 

> via OMA