PROFILEmiami’s Top 5 Of 2017

It’s that time of year again. While most of the United States is stuck in a New Years icebox, the sun is shining bright on Miami. 2017 was a big year for Miami real estate as towers such as One Thousand Museum and  Panorama Tower reached for the sky, pushing Miami’s skyline to new heights while others such as Grove at Grand Bay and Brickell Heights officially opened their doors to residents. The luxury residential market also saw a huge year as many of Miami’s most lavish and exclusive estates hit the market and traded hands for record breaking prices. Here is PROFILEmiami’s Top 5 Moments from 2017:

1. Zaha Hadid's One Thousand Museum Reveals Artefacto Designed Preview Residence 

In November, the Zaha Hadid-designed One Thousand Museum revealed the first look at their uber-luxe "preview residence" furnished by Miami-based Brazilian furnishing brand, Artefacto and designed by Joao Armentano. Artefacto outfitted the fully-built out 17th floor's interiors, fusing Zaha’s futuristic aesthetic with the brand’s signature Brazilian approach to contemporary design. Paulo Bacchi, President and CEO of Artefacto, hand selected items from the brand’s newest collection, which hit showrooms last summer in celebration of their 15th anniversary. The 4,635 SF residence features 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms with a half-bath. The unit features elegant and timeless warm tones and clean lines to complement the building’s curvaceous architecture, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bay and Museum Park, and an impressive art collection curated by Sarah Jane Bruce (SJB Fine Art Services) and Flavia Masetto (Flavia Masetto Fine Arts). Once completed the residence sold within days for $6.8 million. Tour the lavish residence here. 

2. Fly Through A Choeff Levy Fischman Designed Palm Island Mansion With A 15’ Waterfall 

Palm Island was hot with news through 2017 including 280 South Coconut Lane on Palm Island hitting the market for $10.8 million and Birdman’s estate falling into bankruptcy, but at PROFILEmiami we have to give the cake to the Choeff Levy Fischman-designed 73 Pam Avenue. 73 Palm Avenue is a 13,676 SF waterfront villa that features 9 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and 1 powder room. The two-story contemporary also features a private rooftop terrace, disappearing sliding glass doors to optimize indoor/ outdoor living, 15' cascading water feature that empties into a reflecting pond with large stepping-stones creates a floating illusion and greets guests at the home’s main entrance, a statuesque three-story staircase, LED lighting, custom Italian kitchen, Crestron automated smart home, home theater, wine cellar, fully furnished throughout with Minotti, Poliform and other fine furnishings, 4-car garage suites and an elevator. Outdoors, the home features a 2,500 SF roof top terrace with summer kitchen, oversized infinity-edge pool, a secluded hot tub off the master bedroom terrace and 100' waterfront frontage. The home was designed around the giant Banyan tree located near the water in the backyard. 73 Palm Ave. is currently listed for $29,500,000 with Mirce Curkoski and Albert Justo of One Sotheby's International Realty. Tour the spectacular estate here. 

3. PROFILE Exclusive: Inside One Thousand Museum with Louis Birdman, Co-Developer Behind The Uber-Lux, Zaha Hadid-Designed Futuristic Tower

In August PROFILEmiami had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with Louis Birdman, one of the co-developers behind One Thousand Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects, to discuss the futuristic, ultra-luxury, condo tower. Louis tackles everything from working with legendary architect Zaha Hadid, to tackling the luxury market and the unique GFRC exoskeleton design that makes up the tower's unique, skyline changing, iconic design. Take a look inside the mind of one of the masterminds transforming Downtown Miami into a vibrant, modern, world-class city center.

PM: No developer had touched creating ultra-luxury in downtown Miami up until this point. What made you guys say let's be the first?

LB: When we started to see the market coming back. There was a period of time when the market imploded. It wasn’t just a Miami issue, it was a global banking issue. The first real estate market that started to rebound was New York, and shortly thereafter came Miami. The profile of buyers changed dramatically from the last peak in the market, where it was a highly speculative market that lots of investors highly leveraged. This time around, the buyers for condo products, particularly in Miami, were more focused on luxury. They were investors, but they were also end users. With a large flow of capital domestically and in Latin America, Miami has been one of the places that people look to invest in real estate. Continue reading the exclusive interview here. 

4. PROFILE Exclusive: Transforming Coconut Grove with David Martin of Terra

In March PROFILEmiami had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with David Martin, one of the founders of Terra and the mastermind behind Park Grove and Grove at Grand Bay. Find out how he is helping transform Coconut Grove into one of Miami's hottest neighborhoods.

PM: You guys have been integral in transforming Coconut Grove. What do you think of the recent new developments in Coconut Grove and the new energy they have brought?

DM: I think it is about time. I think that the world and the city is realizing a lot of the amazing assets thats Coconut Grove has. It has amazing parks, amazing schools, amazing people. Geographically it is strategically located to a lot of different other neighborhoods as well. Now with the Grove at Grand Bay project that we did, it was big, and now Park Grove with Related, I think that this is developing into a neighborhood with new architecture as well as with some of the old Florida architecture as well. It has a good diversity and design and I think that there is a lot of new restaurants that are coming and a lot of new retail. Coconut Grove is a neighborhood that has a lot of components but it is very quite and peaceful. That quiet innocence is what people are looking for to raise their families, or spend time with their families. A lot of our buyers are empty nesters so they're looking for urbanism and walkability so that tree canopy here and walkability is very important as well. Continue reading the exclusive interview here.

5. Inside PROFILEmiami’s Five Star Stay at The Residences at W Fort Lauderdale

In September PROFILEmiami had the exclusive opportunity to stay at W Residences Fort Lauderdale, located directly on Fort Lauderdale's pristine beaches and the Atlantic Ocean. After a $60 million renovation overseen by Related Companies and Meyer Davis Studio, W Fort Lauderdale is one of the finest options on Fort Lauderdale's seaside A1A strip. The two-tower property features luxurious, nautical private condominium residences and hotel, all with direct ocean views. W Fort Lauderdale’s five-star amenities and services feature a high-end beach club, full-service pools, multiple restaurants and eateries, spa, fitness center, nightlife and full-service staff. Buyers at W Residences Fort Lauderdale are investing in the brand’s lifestyle offerings. They can enjoy the quality service, amenities and hospitality that W Hotels are internationally known for. Whether you are looking for a beachside weekend escape, full-time residence, part-time residence or rental-income property, W Residences Fort Lauderdale is a prime beachfront option. Read PROFILEmiami’s full review of our five-star stay here. 

Featured Listing: Choeff Levy Fischman Designed Waterfront On Biscayne Bay Lists for $26.95 Million

6440 North Bay Road is another masterpiece designed by starchitect Choeff Levy Fischman. The two story residence capitalizes on indoor-outdoor blended living and features an abundance of glass to allow connectivity to the site and Biscayne Bay. The home covers 13,000 SF spread over 7 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, and 2 powder rooms. 6440 North Bay Road is designed in the tropical modern style of architecture, incorporating warm pie woods, white stucco finishes, and warm limestone cladding. The main living room, spanning 40-feet wide at the home’s entrance offers direct views of the water. Corner-opening and pocketing sliding glass doors give the resident the ability to open the interior space totally to the outside from any room. As the doors disappear into the pockets, the line between the indoor and outdoor becomes blurred. The modern estate also features views of Biscayne Bay, Atlantic Ocean and the Downtown Miami skyline, large bedroom balconies, a 2,500 SF roof deck, indoor-outdoor gym, custom yoga deck, office, atrium, glass enclosed wine room with custom shelving for 600 bottles, bar and lounge area, theater, 3 car garage, infinity-edge pool, as well as an outdoor kitchen with cabana. 6440 North Bay Road is currently listed for $26.95 Million with Albert Justo and Mirce Curkoski of One Sotheby's International Realty.

PROFILE Exclusive: Innovating Sustainable Modern Luxury in South Florida with Choeff Levy Fischman

Robin Hill Photography

PROFILEmiami had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with Ralph Choeff and Paul Fischman, partners at luxury architectural powerhouse firm Choeff Levy Fischman. Find out how they are using sustainability to transform and innovate when it comes to building modern luxury single-family homes in South Florida.

PM: What makes architecture and design in Miami so unique compared to other cities? 

RC: The climate. Our year round warm and breezy climate encourages indoor-outdoor living. This reinforces the use of vast opening sliding glass doors and the use of a substantial amount of glass to enhance the great view of the bays, canals and the ocean. The region is perfect for flat roofs and its origins are midcentury modern architecture that can be expanded upon. Because of our location, the use of materials natural to the area, such as wood, stone, stucco and natural concrete balance the architecture with the nature surrounding it. It does not feel out of place, rather as if it belongs.
 
PM: Choeff Levy Fischman has designed some of Miami's finest homes in one of the most competitive markets, what sets CLF apart from some of Miami's other great architects when it comes to luxury homes? 

RC: Our design of spacial layouts and floor plans in combination with our exterior design of these buildings sets us apart. If a plan is not functional and does not work properly, no matter how beautiful the exterior may be, the residence, or any building, will not work. Each residence is designed with the individual’s lifestyle in mind. We ask many questions how a person lives and functions in their residence. We study the patterns in which they move around and design our plans to complement their lifestyle. Our combination of midcentury architectural elements along with the use of natural materials completes the package. We also use large openings with open plans to make the transition between what is indoors and outdoors almost seamless  We blur the lines of what is man made from what is natural.

Robin Hill Photography

PM: You guys have been some of the major  innovators to bring a modern, luxury style to South Florida home design as opposed to the classic mediterranean design. How did this movement come about? 

RC: It started with one developer that had the vision and trusted us to deliver the product. This is how it all started and it just took off from there. Modern architecture has never gone out of style, it has always been here. These days there is an appreciation for it that lacked in some previous eras.
 
PM: When you look at a property as a blank slate, is there a room or a feature that you want to center the home around? How do you leave your signature?

RC: This really depends on the individual project and the owners we are designing for. Each person has their priorities and wants to feature different things. There is no one element to design around unless it involves natural elements such as water or nature. We want to take advantage of what nature provides us and combine it with what the owner is looking for.

VHT Studios

PM: What is the most unique feature that Choeff Levy Fischman has brought to a home in South Florida? 

PF: I got one. Having a batting cage with an oceanfront and Downtown view. An Indoor batting cage.

RC: Great example, because the first house we did for Alex Rodriguez he had a full 3,000 SF indoor batting cage. It had views that overlooked teh family media room, but the family media room had the large 2-story glass openings that also overlooked Downtown Miami and the water. 

PF: Even the new owner, he is an art collector not a baseball player, so he turned it into an office. The view was so great so he kept it.

RC: I'll tell you a feature that we brought to South Florid and expanded on, there is a form of construction called post-tension, which is normally used for apartment building slabs or office building slabs. It is so repatative that it is more inexpensive to do it floor-by-floor, but it wasn't used in single-family residences. I believe we brought that to South Florida because we wanted to capture a bigger slab and more mid-century modern features. That is unique to a lot of our designs. 

PF: Post-tension construction is really only used in large office buildings and large residential towers. My background before I joined Ralph was in that exact field. Ralph was trying to find a new way to express a mid-century modern motif with an exterior elevation. With my understanding of how the system worked Ralphs desire to work with these elements, we said why with the clientele we cater to, shouldn't we use this to create a very high-end residential even though it does cost a little bit more money. There are no beams so if you look at a condo all you see is floor-to-ceiling glass. There are no drops beams in the system. This allows for taller windows, higher ceilings, less mechanical penetration. We have found is it has become comparable cost-wise because we are actually using less concrete, less labor and less formwork. It presents its own challenges but the positives outweigh the negatives. Every client we have suggested it to has bought into-it. When we suggested it to Alex and his construction team, they were a little timid at first because they had never done a post-tension home, but when we had finished Jose, who is his (Alex's) VP of Construction,  told me it may have even been cheaper doing it post-tension as opposed to doing it the other way. All of the advantages I had touched on had ended up offsetting all of the extra costs. 

Alex Rodriguez's Coral Gables Home Designed by Choeff Levy Fischman | Lifestyle Production Group

PM: How has luxury home design in Miami changed over the last decade? Where do you see it heading? 

RC: Miami used to be mostly a vacation destination. Now Miami is a cosmopolitan city where people come to live and work. Because of this, the manner in which architecture is approached when it comes to residential design is totally different than it used to be. We now create a lifestyle, whereas before designs were predicated on short stays. We now design with the family in mind and the owner actually living in the residence long term. This is now the way of life here. People move to Miami to make a life for themselves rather than stay a week and leave. This will continue from now on.

PF: We are staying on the cutting-edge of LEED accreditation and sustainability. Now that we are dealing with the bulk of our clientele as end-users, we are implementing sustainable elements. It is typical for developers of condos, but the single-family market hadn't really touched on it. Now we are using sustainability elements like solar panels, rainwater reharvesting, all of these elements of sustainable design that cost 15% to 25% more up-front, but in these long-term homes the end up making their money back within a few years. We are reducing the carbon footprint and making homes that can be there for 100 or 200 years as opposed to 50 years which is the standard lifespan.

Mark Surloff

PM: How does architecture differ amongst the different neighborhoods of Miami? Does any stand out in your mind? 

RC: There are neighborhoods that are more forward thinking and then there are some that are set in their ways. There are also neighborhoods that want to maintain their history, such as Coral Gables, so Mediterranean architecture is encouraged there. Miami and Miami Beach tend to lean towards modern, with some historical elements to be respected in commercial areas of the city. Each demographic has a different way to think, thus the architecture reflects the demographics of each area.
 
PM: Where do you see Choeff Levy Fischman's role in Miami over the next five to ten years? 

RC: Our answers will differ here. You ask ten different architects, you get ten different answers. this is more of a personal thing. I want to expand the boundaries of modern architecture while learning and implementing the reduction of the carbon footprint as well. As technology changes so will we.

Alex Rodriguez's Coral Gables Home Designed by Choeff Levy Fischman | Lifestyle Production Group

PF: That is kind-of what I want to do as well. Really honing in on the sustainable aspects. In Miami we see global warming and sea level rise at many of our job sites. Elements of raising our sea walls on our properties 3 feet higher than we would have a few years ago. Its really addressing our climate and doing so in a manor thats really luxurious and not so that you feel like you are inside of a technological envelope. 

Alex Rodriguez's Coral Gables Home Designed by Choeff Levy Fischman | Lifestyle Production Group

About Choeff Levy Fischman

Choeff Levy Fischman’s partners have combined vast experience that includes custom single family residences in the modern style of architecture, commercial and residential hi-rise buildings, hotels, multi-family development projects and shopping plazas. Founded by Ralph Choeff, Raphael Levy and Paul Fischman, the trio joined-up as experts in the field of Tropical Modern architecture. Their designs maximize the use of indoor-outdoor living and spaces are emphasized and reflected in the projects. Choeff Levy Fischman has won several design awards for both residential and commercial design, and has had their work featured on television as well as major publications.

Ralph Choeff

Ralph Choeff is a graduate of Pratt Institute; where he graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. Upon graduation, Ralph moved to Miami where he went on to establish his own architectural practice in 1983. Since then, Choeff has established himself as a leader in the South Florida area in modern and tropical modern architecture. He has gone on to win several design awards, and has been published in many publications both nationally and internationally. 

Choeff is best known for his modern and tropical modern custom residential projects, although he has designed projects that include hotels, office buildings, shopping centers and multi-family developments. He has been commissioned by many celebrities to design their residences including Alex Rodriguez, Cher, Edward James Olmos, Matt Damon, Rony Seikaly, Barry Gibb, as well as many other professional athletes and high profile businessmen. He is also known for his work on recognized hospitality projects include the Mondrian South Beach Hotel and The Anglers on Miami Beach. 

Paul Fischman

Paul Fischman was born in Miami and raised in Vero Beach before leaving Florida to earn a Bachelor degree in Environmental Design from the University of Colorado’s School of Architecture and Planning. Fischman later returned to Miami to complete a Master’s of Architecture at the University of Miami while also working part time for Ralph Choeff. Eager to become a part of the redevelopment of South Florida, Fischman worked as project manager and designer for Arquitectonica, and then went on to establish his own firm where he worked on luxury single and multifamily residences, mixed-use buildings, architectural visualization, and interiors. He officially joined Choeff as a partner in 2012. 

With a background in environmental design, he strives to provide alternate, sustainable design and construction solutions in lieu of conventional methods, while educating his clients along the way. Paul is an active member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and is LEED certified.

Raphael Levy

Raphael Levy grew up in Miami and received a Bachelor of Design from the University of Florida. He later moved to New York to begin his career in architecture and earned a Master’s of Architecture from Columbia University. In 2006, he moved back to Miami, joined Ralph Choeff Architect as a project manager, and later became a partner in 2011. So far, he has worked on many high-profile luxury single-family homes and other major projects in South Florida, including the Mondrian South Beach and the relocation and renovation of a historic mansion on Star Island.

Check out our photo tour of the record setting Casa Clara, the Venetian Islands' $22 Million Home Designed by Choeff Levy Fischman