Architecture

Planned Miami district aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship

Planned Miami district aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship
The Miami Innovation District is aimed at providing the required infrastructure for the growth of Miami's creative technology industries
The Miami Innovation District is aimed at providing the required infrastructure for the growth of Miami's creative technology industries
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The base of the planned Miami Innovation Tower
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The base of the planned Miami Innovation Tower
The planned Gateway Plaza of the Miami Innovation District
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The planned Gateway Plaza of the Miami Innovation District
Public spaces in the Miami Innovation Distrcit will provide destinations for spending time with friends, exercising, eating, community events and workplace activities like meetings
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Public spaces in the Miami Innovation Distrcit will provide destinations for spending time with friends, exercising, eating, community events and workplace activities like meetings
The Miami Innovation District is aimed at providing the required infrastructure for the growth of Miami's creative technology industries
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The Miami Innovation District is aimed at providing the required infrastructure for the growth of Miami's creative technology industries
The Miami Innovation Tower is designed to be a major public entry-point into the Miami Innovation District
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The Miami Innovation Tower is designed to be a major public entry-point into the Miami Innovation District
The Miami Innovation Tower will have a programmable "active skin" on which messages and adverts can be displayed
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The Miami Innovation Tower will have a programmable "active skin" on which messages and adverts can be displayed
A Campus Level rendering of the Miami Innovation District
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A Campus Level rendering of the Miami Innovation District
A Terrace Level rendering of the Miami Innovation District
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A Terrace Level rendering of the Miami Innovation District
A Gateway Esplanade rendering of the Miami Innovation District
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A Gateway Esplanade rendering of the Miami Innovation District
A rendering of The Horizon at the Miami Innovation District
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A rendering of The Horizon at the Miami Innovation District
A rendering of The Cloud at the Miami Innovation District
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A rendering of The Cloud at the Miami Innovation District
The programming of the Miami Innovation Tower
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The programming of the Miami Innovation Tower
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Spearheaded by developer Michael Simkins and designed by SHoP Architects and West 8, the Miami Innovation District will host a mix of startups and small to large businesses and will seek to generate sustainable economic growth while complementing the local community. As well as being envisaged as an "urban campus" and a "thriving, global, connected live-work-play ecosystem," it will seek to provide both the required infrastructure for the growth of Miami's creative technology industries and become a destination for local people to enjoy.

The location for the new district is a 10.4-ac (4.2-ha), four-block site in the Park West neighborhood of the city. The site was chosen in part for its good existing local transport links and for the complementary mix of major planned developments nearby.

Once complete, the development will offer 3,850,000 sq ft (358,000 sq m) of office space designed with technology companies in mind. There will be around 2,400,000 sq ft (223,000 sq m) of residential space for housing the employees of such companies and a number of affordable "micro units" too, economy apartments with under 300 sq ft (28 sq m) of space.

Public spaces in the Miami Innovation Distrcit will provide destinations for spending time with friends, exercising, eating, community events and workplace activities like meetings
Public spaces in the Miami Innovation Distrcit will provide destinations for spending time with friends, exercising, eating, community events and workplace activities like meetings

In addition to being a business-focused development, the Innovation District will act as a means of urban renewal, with streetscape and local area improvements, including shade trees, public plazas, and interior walkways. New public spaces will provide destinations for exercising, eating, community events and workplace activities like meetings and spending time with friends. Spaces for community and campus gatherings, performances and exhibitions will also be created.

The jewel-in-the-crown of the new district will be the Miami Innovation Tower. With its sculptural design, the 663-ft (202-m) tower will feature 21,000 sq ft (2,000 sq m) of retail, ticketing and studios, a 23,000-sq ft (2,100 sq m) public roof garden and amphitheater, a number of restaurants and an observation sky terrace and viewing deck. It will also have a programmable "active skin" on which messages and adverts can be displayed.

The Miami Innovation Tower will have a programmable "active skin" on which messages and adverts can be displayed
The Miami Innovation Tower will have a programmable "active skin" on which messages and adverts can be displayed

According to the Innovate Development Group, which is behind the Miami Innovation District, the development will create 1,700 temporary construction jobs to build the tower, 700 permanent jobs to operate the tower and 13,000 high-paying permanent jobs throughout the district.

The Miami Innovation District is expected to receive full city approval later this year. Construction is projected to begin in one year, with overall completion expected in five years.

Source: Miami Innovation District

View gallery - 12 images
4 comments
4 comments
Peg C
I have doubts about this, mainly because central planning (which this is) is top-down thinking, and entrepreneurship is bottom-up thinking. In other words, totally incompatible. And you can't PLAN entrepreneurship. You can only foster it with low taxes and low regulations. Nothing about any of this hints at either of those, and certainly not in a big city.
ezeflyer
As an inventor, I would like to see the establishment of more places where we can hire cheap workspaces and borrow a large assortment of power and other tools.
VoiceofReason
Let's just hope it's not a pipe dream or worse end up like the Metro-Fail transit system. It was originally planned to go from Homestead, to North Miami, West Kendall, and the Miami international Airport. Truly would have been useful and worth riding to avoid sitting in traffic for 90 minutes a day twice and a way for not only residents, but tourists to get around.
But NO, it only services a narrow corridor from downtown Miami to North Miami. Pretty worthless.
Stephen N Russell
Need this for all US cities IE LA Innovation District & for NY, Philadelphia Baltimore? Detroit? Trenton NJ Reno NV Watsonville CA Tuscon DFW Houston New Orleans etc etc. Urban or suburban style. Aweosme idea.