Miami Design District Becomes The First Neighborhood In The World To Achieve LEED Gold Certification

The Miami Design District has achieved the prestigious LEED Gold certification, becoming the first neighborhood in the world to achieve the Gold level (LEED ND: Built v4 Gold). Miami Design District marks the third neighborhood in the world to achieve LEED certification, which means “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,” for Neighborhood Development (version 4 Built). The trendy, luxury shopping, art and entertainment enclave is setting the bar for sustainable development in communities across the country.

Miami Design District is home to a number of luxury fashion houses, art galleries, fine dining experiences, and cafés. The open-air, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, known for its many distinct and artistic façades, notably boasts a highly energy-efficient infrastructure.

Amongst the many sustainability aspects of the neighborhood’s redevelopment focus, several to highlight include: the re-infiltration of rainwater and restored natural hydrology made possible by the additions of expansive vegetated and high-albedo white roofs and tree-shaded streets, enhanced walkable streets and pedestrian walkways that promote community connectivity and encourage visitors to spend more time outdoors, and the integration of innovations from other Green Building Standards, including the WELL's feature "Beauty and Mindful Design," which incorporates different design elements and artwork that lend to a more calming environment.

In 2011 Island Planning Corporation (IPC) was brought in by DACRA and L Catterton Real Estate to design the Landscape Masterplan for the neighborhood. Miami Design District was inspired by the worlds leading shopping districts including Fifth Avenue and Rodeo Drive. IPC helped to establish a sophisticated visual continuity throughout the neighborhood, with mature canopy-covered streets and walkways, sculptural specimen trees, and extensive rooftop gardens.

Spinnaker Group, one of the most respected leaders in the green-building movement, provided LEED for Neighborhood Development consulting and energy modeling for this distinctive project, marking the neighborhood’s 4th earned LEED certification. Spinnaker Group also provided LEED Consulting, Building Commissioning and Energy Modeling for three other landmark projects within the Miami Design District including the Garden Building, featuring an intensive rooftop garden lounge designed by Island Planning Corporation (LEED Gold certified in 2013) - Palm Court, featuring underground parking to allow for a large open courtyard above for pedestrians and artwork, such as the Buckminster Fuller’s futuristic Fly’s Eye Dome (LEED Gold certified in 2015) - and most recently, Paradise Plaza, featuring intensive green roofs and underground parking with a large plaza above for pedestrians and artwork (LEED Gold certified in 2020).

Perkins+Will's Opens New Miami Studio Showcasing Award-Winning Design In Coral Gables

The Miami office of global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will has announced the completion of its new Coral Gables studio, showcasing some of the firm’s best-in-class workplace design strategies, including sustainability, biophilia, health and wellness, and integrated technology. Perkins+Will is the creative visionary behind such award-winning projects as the L’Oréal Research & Innovation Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Miami Dade College Academic Support Center, and Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University in Saudi Arabia. The new 13,700 SF studio is located at 2800 Ponce De Leon Blvd. in Coral Gables. Designed by Elina Cardet, interior design director of Perkins+Will’s Miami studio, along with her team, the light-filled, open-floor space allows for collaboration among designers of multiple disciplines, while supporting their sense of well-being. The project is targeting LEED v4 Gold Certification and 2 FitWel Stars.

“We reimagined our workplace as a single, integrated creative studio—one that promotes connectivity, encourages creativity, and strengthens our sense of community,” Cardet says. “Our diverse team of designers thrives when they can work together, exchange ideas, test new concepts, and share feedback, so designing a workplace that supports interactivity was a top priority.”

Lawrence Kline, managing director of Perkins+Will’s Miami office, says the new studio is a “living laboratory” that reflects best practices in workplace design while also improving productivity and creative outcomes. “Our new space allows us to innovate, explore, and discover. It inspires and motivates us. All of this ultimately leads to better designs for our clients.”

The studio is designed to highlight the firm’s ability to create spaces that promote health and well-being is the “Studio in a Garden” concept. Wellness is promoted via a tangible and immediate connection to nature, including air-cleaning plants that will grow to create an indoor garden, framing the uninterrupted 360-degree views to city, ocean and sky, allowing for a more stimulating work environment. Active design strategies include sit-to-stand desks and premium ergonomic seating for everyone. Within-office amenities include a wellness room with sink and daybed, a lactation room for nursing mothers and new shower to encourage the team to bike, skate, or walk to work. Throughout the space, the multi-generational team’s needs, such as individual mobility and different work styles, are supported by full wireless connectivity, and movable, reconfigurable furniture.

“Our new workspace exhibits all the transformational and future-ready design attitudes we bring to all our clients and project,” explains Pat Bosch, design director of the Miami office. “We thrive in being able to showcase and share with our clients and our community our vision of a thoughtful, humanistic approach and our attention to high performance. This technique is paramount in our design culture. Our office is an environment that fosters creativity, leadership and ingenuity as well as creates an incubator for leading design that is unique to our city and region.”

“Our own office culture is now supported by a wide-range of choices for collaboration areas, including a relaxed, fun, multipurpose lounge where our famous, daily “cafecito time,” Friday breakfasts, happy hours, our ping pong tournaments and annual holiday feasts take place. With these welcoming places to meet, we will be hosting A&D community leadership events, sponsoring thought-proving panels, symposia and cross-industry multi-disiplinary events,” says Cardet.

Nearly every aspect of the new office is technologically advanced, including acoustically balanced conference rooms and waiting areas. Centrally located within the “Idea Hub” and completely transparent, the “Maker Space,” or model room, will showcase two 3D printers, laser cutter for digitally printed models and prototypes as well as models crafted by hand. Perkins+Will has incorporated Virtual Reality (VR) as part of the design process. The new studio features two spacious VR lounge areas with double display screens, with flexible and re-configurable, modular soft seating, where designers and clients can immerse themselves in a 3D digital environment at the early stages of projects. “I think VR was seen first as a fun technology gadget, but we recognize that it is a powerful tool in our industry, so we wanted to dedicate space and create a showcase for it,” says Kline.

“As a creative lab where our clients are part of the design process, our studio is future-ready with two virtual reality lounge areas, where our digital practice continues to evolve,” says Cardet.