Photos courtesy Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Terra, South Florida’s leading real estate development firm, announces the completion of Grove at Grand Bay, architect Bjarke Ingels’ first luxury residential condominium project in the United States.
Located in Coconut Grove on a three-acre site near Biscayne Bay, the anticipated LEED Gold, low-density project with 98 units has two winding, 20-story glass towers that appear to be twisting to capture the spectacular, 360-degree view as they rise to the sky. Ingels’ design combines spectacular architecture with sustainability and takes the Miami condominium typology to its most highly evolved state.
“Coconut Grove is one of South Florida’s most storied neighborhoods and Grove at Grand Bay represents another chapter in that story,” says Terra president David Martin who co-developed the project alongside his father, Terra CEO Pedro Martin. “A sanctuary for artists, writers and unconventional thinkers, the Grove has a long history of challenging the status quo—in the same way, Grove at Grand Bay is changing the way Miami thinks about design. We planned and developed this building with the goal of adding value to our neighborhood, so we’re proud that Coconut Grove is enjoying a resurgence while remaining mindful of its colorful past.”
Grove at Grand Bay contributes to Coconut Grove’s renaissance by welcoming the village’s newest residents, who have a desire to be immersed in a non-concrete jungle teeming with flora and wild peacocks roaming the streets, but with all the sophistication and amenities of luxury housing. It is the first new residential project to be completed in Coconut Grove in more than 10 years. Designed to integrate the natural beauty of its surroundings, the buildings’ expansive outdoor living areas that Ingels designed seamlessly flow between indoor and outdoor environments: a hallmark of Florida living.
The 57 units in the North Tower and 41 units in the South Tower have 12-foot custom, insulated windows. The towers’ floor plates rotate three feet at every elevation from the third to the 17th floors and extend on all sides creating generous balconies for all the units. The overhanging elements act as brise soleils, providing shade for the floor-to- ceiling windows of each residence.
“Coconut Grove is a special place with a well-defined soul, so it was important that Grove at Grand Bay respond to its community through a design that was respectful and distinctive,” explains architect Bjarke Ingels. “By creating twisting towers that rise side-by-side but never cross paths, we were able to optimize views, outdoor spaces and the flexibility of our floor plans while allowing the buildings to interact with one another.”
Amenities on the property include rooftop pools for residents of each tower, a five-star spa and fitness center, full-time concierge and butler service, a private dining room for residents and their guests, and a pet spa.
With open, spacious floor plans that average 4,000 square feet in size, the expansive residences are meant to resemble vertical homes in the sky. The South Tower’s 10,000-square-foot, full-floor penthouse features an additional 5,000 square feet of outdoor space with a private rooftop terrace and swimming pool. Private two-car garages accompany units larger than 4,000 square feet; a private four-car garage accompanies the South Tower penthouse.
The building’s anticipated LEED Gold certification is due to the incorporation of energy-saving innovations and low-flow fixtures as well as the use of recycled and locally sourced materials such as oolitic limestone and sustainably harvested wood.
Landscape architect Raymond Jungles has designed the gardens and terraces that surround the building. Known for his creative and ecologically sensitive landscape architecture, Jungles has used simple-yet-detailed hardscape elements created by Ingels as the backdrop, including numerous water features, nearly 500 trees including the existing giant figs and gumbo limbos that were incorporated into the canopied landscape, and more than 15,000 plants. Most of the trees and plants are native to Coconut Grove. The result is a lushly landscaped campus that echoes the tropical beauty of Coconut Grove and promotes sustainability.
“Our team at Raymond Jungles created a garden that complements Grove at Grand Bay’s architecture, pays homage to the spirit of Coconut Grove and provides comfort and shade for residents and their guests,” says Raymond Jungles. “My home is in Coconut Grove, so this project was personal to me and will be part of my daily experience.”
Complementing the designs of Ingels and Jungles will be an extensive art collection, valued at more than $1.2 million, featuring original works by Alice Aycock, Tara Donovan, Gimhongsok, Jim Drain, Olafur Eliasson, Cerith Wyn, Jeppe Hein, Nathan Mabry, Geo McFetridge, Pedro Reyes, Pae White and Antonia Wright.
The project has been recognized with a number of honors and awards for its achievements in development, construction quality and engineering excellence, including the National Council of Structural Engineers Association’s (NCSEA) 2015 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award, the Concrete Industry Board’s (CIB) 2015 Award of Merit and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of New York’s 2016 Engineering Excellence Awards. Grove at Grand Bay is a $400 million project that has sold out.
