The Beach House - Miami Beach

Units and Pricing

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From The Miami Herald
Brand-name condos

BY DONNA GEHRKE-WHITE
Posted on Sun, Apr. 17, 2005
dgehrke@herald.com

The full-page ad couldn't be more to the point: The Beach House offers the ocean -- and Richard Meier.

Meier, considered one of the world's top architects, is touted in the ad's large -- and only -- headline as the condominium's designer.

Developers nationwide are seeking out ''name'' architects as a selling point for their condominium projects, particularly in saturated markets such as South Florida where developers are looking for ways to set their projects apart.

In Fort Lauderdale, Michael Graves is working on the design of the Trump International Hotel and Tower. Meier is designing the nearly all-glass Beach House in Surfside. In Miami Beach, the New Urbanist duo of Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk were among a group of prominent architects called in to design Aqua.

This attention to design comes at an important time: An increasingly crowded America needs striking architecture to offset the density of new developments.

Many buyers like the idea of having such ''art'' as part of their new address.

''The design is so good it makes a better investment -- it stands out from the others,'' declares New York-based Jeff Kahn, who bought a unit at the Graves-designed Trump International Hotel in Fort Lauderdale that hasn't even broken ground yet.

Still, real estate analyst Michael Y. Cannon of Integra Realty Resources-South Florida cautions that ''name'' buildings don't automatically return a higher investment.

''Real estate is different than art,'' he says. ''Good design is very important but I question -- and you can quote me on this -- is the design functional once it's built?''

Meier's stylish glassy Perry Street Condominium Towers in New York, which helped start the 'name' condo trend, developed leaks. Meier blames a ''contractor [who] didn't follow the drawings.''

Indeed, Graves says it is a hazard of being internationally known: The architect is associated with any flaw that might develop -- although the actual construction is usually out of the designer's control.

Still, internationally known architects are well-regarded for good reason, he says. They know how to produce a stylish -- and livable -- building.

Meier, winner of architecture's highest award, the Pritzker Prize, is now working on another New York condo project near the Perry towers and was brought in to design the Beach House at 9449 Collins Ave. in Surfside.

''I'm happy to lead the way both in New York and Miami and do good, quality work,'' said Meier.

He has designed such high-profile projects as The Getty Center in Los Angeles, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Museum for Applied Art in Frankfurt, Germany, the Canal+ Television Headquarters in Paris and the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art.


Unit sizes shown are an average for that particular floorplan and do not include outdoor areas such as your private balconies or private rooftop (for the top level units only)