Espirito Santo Plaza 

Located in the heart of Miami’s international financial district, Espirito Santo Plaza’s front façade, with its sloping face and graceful parabolic arch, is a well known feature of the Miami skyline. The geometry of the high arch is created by the intersection of the vertical concave surface inside the arch with the inclined plane around it. Inside the tower, a 10-story-high atrium is enclosed with a steel framed skylight and a 60-ft-wide by 110-ft-high steel framed glass wall.

 

The building’s mixed-use program is split into thirds: the bottom third contains office space, the middle third offers hotel space and the top third houses luxury apartments. The 37-story glass tower is linked to an adjacent 13-story parking garage by an 80-ft by 120-ft steel framed glass canopy and a first-floor pedestrian bridge.

 

The 500,000-sf (46,400-sm) parking garage contains a fitness and health club at roof level that includes tennis courts and a swimming pool. The glass canopy is supported along its centerline and cantilevers 50 feet in each direction. Its connections to the two buildings are detailed to allow the tower and garage to move independently of each other.

Location

Miami, FL 

 

Client

Estoril, Inc.

 

Architect

Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

 

Awards

Platinum Award for Engineering Excellence, 2004

American Council of Engineering Companies New York (ACEC NY)

 

National Recognition Award, 2004

American Council of Engineering Companies National (ACEC)

 

Design Award Citation, 2001
American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York