Brickell condos grow taller, thanks to architect Norman Foster

Renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster has signed on to design two condo towers in Brickell that will soar to heights of 1,049 feet and 1,018 feet.

Foster, a winner of architecture’s highest honor, the Pritzker Prize, and his Foster + Partners firm boasts a lengthy string of accomplishments including renovating Berlin’s Reichstag and designing London’s new Wembley Stadium. Foster was also responsible for Miami Beach’s Faena House condo tower, which broke the sales record for a residential real estate deal in South Florida when a hedge fund billionaire paid $60 million for a duplex.

The Brickell towers — now called the Towers by Foster + Partners — are planned for a waterfront, 2.5-acre site at 1201 Brickell Bay Drive. If built, they will be among the tallest buildings in the Southeast.

A new plan submitted to the City of Miami’s Planning and Zoning Department would see the total number of units reduced from 787 units to 660 units, plus the addition of public plazas, retail space and underground parking.

"The design of these high-rise towers frees up space on the ground to create a pedestrian plaza, with shops, restaurants and art galleries that will serve the local community as well as the new residents in the tower," Foster said in a statement.

Developer Tibor Hollo is going forward even as other builders scale back amid a weak market for foreign buyers. Frank McCourt, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York-based Corigin Real Estate Group are partners on the project.

The group hasn’t said when it plans to launch sales or break ground.

Other star architects with global brands who have worked on South Florida projects include Renzo Piano, Rem Koolhaas, Bjarke Ingels and the late Zaha Hadid.

This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Brickell condos grow taller, thanks to architect Norman Foster."