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It's been over a year since we first visited the site of MDM Development Group's Avant at Met Square, the fourth and final phase in the developer's $1 billion Metropolitan Miami project. At that time, the first signs of above-grade construction were legible, approximately one year after the ground was broken on the 43-storey development. Significant progress followed in the succeeding months and crews recently celebrated the structural topping off of the concrete shell.
ZOM Living is bringing 391 apartments to the building, which will also feature a number of retail spaces, restaurants and an 18-screen Silverspot Cinema at levels three and four. A nod to the rich history of the property, an educational gallery space will pay tribute to Tequesta Native American settlements, while preserved brick piers from Henry Flagler's famous Royal Palm Hotel echo a more recent past. There will be other references to the history of the city as well, particularly a pebble-stone floor pattern that will trace the original shoreline of the Miami River.
Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates (NBWW) designed the development and capitalized on the 'big box' typology of movie theatres, reinventing the concept by creating a playful composition of stacked cubes. Outdoor lounging spaces and a pool deck crown this large podium structure, and from there, the tower employs a similarly styled arrangement of blocks that contain the building's balconies.
"The lighthearted nature of the design makes Met Square a very approachable building, an important quality that will contribute to its success," said Igor Reyes, Partner at NBWW. "Originally conceived as the 'meeting place' for the users of the preceding Metropolitan Miami buildings (Met I, Met II and Met III), Met Square's design aesthetic, along with its commercial offerings and historical significance, fulfills its original intention."
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