British design and architecture firm Heatherwick Studio has revealed plans for the transformation of South Miami’s Sunset Place with "permeable buildings" in Florida, United States.

Called Sunset Place, the plans will consist of the transformation of a site from a regional mall into a mixed-use neighborhood destination.

Working with Midtown Development, the developers behind Midtown Miami, this will be Heatherwick Studio's first project in Florida.

Midtown Development has formally submitted the site plan for the transformation to the City of South Miami, which is a major step forward. 

According to Heatherwick Studio, this ambitious project aims to revitalize the local business scene surrounding the site while maintaining the unique character of the city. 

The project places a strong emphasis on walkability, community interaction, and diverse experiences. 

The designs call for more compact, permeable structures with open areas, gardens, and terraces that come in a range of shapes and sizes.

"As people are social beings, drawn to places where other people gather, our idea is to get rid of the sterile atmosphere of the previous shopping mall and bring back streets," said Thomas Heatherwick, the founder of Heatherwick Studio. 

"Influenced by the human scale and charm of Sunset Drive, the plan is to extend the existing street grid into the site to create continuous routes and a village of smaller, more intimate urban spaces, framed in an extraordinary way by apartments above." 

"It’s exciting to imagine each area having a distinct focus, from main streets lined with outdoor markets, and independent shops, to boutique zones, cultural and entertainment areas, restaurants and bars, plus spaces for hotels."

One of the main features is the integration of the surrounding street grid, which consists of a central plaza that serves as a hub for the community and a main street for pedestrian-friendly access to shops and restaurants and slow-moving traffic. 

Small-scale lanes and adaptable areas will accommodate independent retailers, pop-up shops, fitness centers, and neighborhood businesses.  A new residential community will be built above this village setting, providing the necessary density to revitalize the area.  

"Our shared vision with the City of South Miami and Heatherwick studio was to transform a closed off regional mall into an integral part of the overall community," said Alex Vadia, Principal at Midtown Development. 

"With a focus on energizing the ground level, our aim is to seamlessly integrate with the existing neighbourhood grid, enriching the area with curated retail, open spaces, and community-building activations at the street level," Vadia added.

Heatherwick Studio also unveiled design for a shopping centre that looks like "rippled hourglasses" in Seoul, South Korea. In addition, the firm unveiled plans to transform an uninhabited island on the Han River into a new public park in the centre of Seoul. 

Moreover, the studio unveiled visuals for a new school featuring colorful basketry-formed terraces in Bogotá, Colombia. 

All images courtesy of Heatherwick Studio.

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