Natiivo
Once upon a time the Port of Miami lined the waterfront along Biscayne Boulevard. Inland industrial buildings occupied the area where Natiivo rises. When the Port moved to Dodge Island, a new neighborhood started to rise. Natiivo symbolizes this new downtown, but also recalls the history of the area. Located at the entrance to the old bridge, the building’s podium recalls the warehouses of merchant America. The tall and gridded industrial sash windows punctuate the monumental brick base. The prominent arcade on the street announces the commercial ground floor. Above this gritty base rise two sleek towers that meet to create one new neighborhood in the sky. Thinner rectangular grids define each tower, one vertical, one horizontal.
The conjoining towers rise from a three-acre elevated garden in the sky. The amenity clubhouse at the tower’s base opens to pools and outdoor activities that populate this new ground plane 120 feet above the street. It also functions as a viewing platform that overlooks the bay, Port Miami, Miami Beach and the city streets below. The context includes the immediate neighbor, Miami’s historic Freedom Tower.
Natiivo is a 51-story building that includes 448 residences, 240 hotel rooms, office space, amenities, and food and beverage space. Units at Natiivo are allowed to be rented on short-term platforms such as Airbnb. The ground floor has a multiuse lobby to the offices and residences. A marketplace provides a meeting place and a needed service. An arcade connects them to the metro people mover station on the same block completing the message of contemporary sustainable living.
