SYNTHESIS KEY

Miami’s Brickell Key, a manmade triangular shaped island, possesses many urban design flaws that make the island act more like an extension of the city, rather than a place where nature and civilization are integrated. The project’s initiative is to propose a new design for the island that addresses and resolves these problems.

The existing island has little greenspace, and the building placement obstructs views in addition to blocking wind generated ventilation. Moreover, there is no means of access to the water and the poorly designed infrastructure creates congestion. A large portion of the island’s footprint is allotted to roads and parking, which causes ambient temperature to rise.

The proposed design addresses all of these issues through intentional building placement and design that creates optimal ventilation and maximizes views. A connection of sky bridges makes for a range of programming to be easily accessed between buildings. The island has a large green footprint as well as artificial topography where all infrastructure and parking are located ‘underneath’. This minimizes congestion, promotes a pedestrian friendly community, as well as reduces heat created by asphalt. Pedestrian ‘highways’ run under the bridges and a series of walkways circulate the island that allow for beach access, where people can swim, paddleboard, kayak, and boat.