This thin elongated tower floats over a new waterfront park. It is the first of a new generation of residential towers on Biscayne Bay in that it creates part of a public-private partnership to unlock the value of the bayfront. Icon Bay opens a once landlocked neighborhood to Biscayne Bay. It also links other sites with a public walk that participates in the Biscayne Line initiative.
The experience is partially open to the sky and partially within a porch of monumental proportions. Following Florida tradition it frames the bay views and provides shelter from the sun and rain. The building balconies fold playfully along the facades. They create a pattern of light and shadow, reflection and opacity. They appear to flutter in the wind or responding to the ripples of the bay waters. The textured façade breaks the tradition of vertical extrusions in high-rise design. From within the balcony varying depth create dramatic vantage points at their tips, creating an experience as if standing on the prow of a ship. They also create deep areas for furnishable terraces and shallower verandas that allow light into the spaces beyond. Private elevators serve each apartment. This allows for flow through units with bay and city views and sustainable cross ventilation. Icon Bay combines urban design innovation and contemporary sustainable values. It incorporates public benefit and responsible residential planning.
The City of Miami's new Icon Bay Park offers more than 400 linear feet of stunning frontage along Biscayne Bay in Edgewater. This elegantly styled waterfront pocket park is situated between the undulating glass façade of the new Icon Bay Residences, and the rippling waves of the Bay that it mirrors.
Where Miami’s Design District meets the water, ArquitectonicaGEO’s sophisticated landscape design, inspired by the work of Henri Matisse, reflects the artistic nature of Miami with a sleekly styled sculpture garden, strolling paths and a multitude of resting spots for watching people and nature. This location offers a delightful resting point half way between two existing Bayfront parks. A venerable gumbo limbo tree was preserved on site, serving to anchor the native landscape. Groves of oaks and palms offer shade, and open spaces preserve the views and breeze.
The new park opens a scenic east-west pedestrian link between the City and the Bay. But more importantly, it embodies Related’s greater vision of a series of elegant waterfront parks connected by a continuous baywalk called Biscayne Line, an award-winning proposal first envisioned by ArquitectonicaGEO in 2011.
