Foster + Partners has revealed design for a new development referencing to Florida’s vernacular architecture in Florida, United States. 

Called The Alton, the six-storey building will be built on Alton Road, an arterial road that runs the length of Miami Beach, at an intersection with Lincoln Road, the city’s iconic pedestrianised shopping street.

Foster + Partners envisioned a low-rise massing that stepps down to the south and west; the overall massing responds to the architectture of cityscape and neighbouring low-rise buildings.

Developed by real estate firm SHVO, the elongated building will include ground floor retail, two parking and residential levels, with three floors of high-quality office space, and will be enriched with verdant rooftop gardens.

"Learning from Florida’s vernacular architecture, The Alton features extensive landscaping, incorporates natural light and passive shading techniques to create a dynamic urban environment," said David Summerfield, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners.

"The building is designed with a strong structural rhythm that generates a shaded retail colonnade at street level. The scheme is also extremely permeable, with pedestrian routes directly underneath the building, connecting West Avenue and Alton Road," Summerfield added.

The massing is composed of a stepped building form that generates spacious green terraces. These green terraces will allow employees to work and socialise. On the ground floor, office levels are recessed from the façade to increase solar shading, provide depth, and create additional balcony spaces.

The firm added an internal vehicular ramp that directly connects with the carpark above, which is visible from a landscaped driveway at the rear of the building.

The suspended ramp, which is used to free up the ground level, will wrap around a floor to sky oculus. Thanks to this sky oculus, the building takes natural light through the office into the public realm below.

Offices have operable windows and are cross ventilated to create a comfortable working environment. 

In the interior of the building, there are open-air pocket gardens that help visually to connect multiple office floors and provide uplifting green spaces for indoor-outdoor working, which are flooded with natural daylight. 

On the other hand, a series of private gardens are placed on the rooftop level to offer panoramic views of the city and Brickell Bay. 

The building will be made of pale concrete referencing to the local material palette and, together with the extensive landscaping, they reduce the heat island effect. 

Fluted concrete walls will be used on the ground floor lobby, aiming to add depth and texture to the space. The ground floor lobby will also feature a number of colourful artworks.

Foster + Partners also unveiled design for the Saudi Arabia pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, which will evoke the exploration of Saudi Arabian towns and cities. 

The firm won an international competition to design a new centre in Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province in China. 

All images courtesy of Foster + Partners.

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