Foster + Partners has unveiled the plans for a new multi-purpose design in the heart of Miami Beach. “The Aalton” is a six-story building encompassing ground-level retail, offices, and residential spaces. Positioned at the intersection of Aalton Road and Lincoln Road, the renowned pedestrian shopping street, the building embraces Florida’s architectural heritage.
Harmonizing with the cityscape and the nearby low-rise buildings, the scheme’s design cascades downward towards the south and west. This stepped feature creates expansive green terraces, providing spaces for work and social interaction among employees. To improve solar shading, office-level facades are set back, creating depth and additional balcony areas.
An internal vehicle ramp connects the building’s rear landscaped driveway to its upper-level parking. In fact, by freeing up ground-level spaces and boasting a floor-to-sky occulus, this suspended ramp channels natural light into the office area and public space below. Prioritizing comfort, the offices include operable windows and cross ventilation. Outdoor pocket gardens visually link different workplace floors while offering a cool green space for indoor-outdoor work in abundant natural light. On the rooftop level, a series of private gardens offer panoramic views of the city and Brickel Bay.
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2023 RIBA House of the Year Award: Hayhurst & Co.'s 'Green House' Wins Best Residential Design in the UKLearning from Florida’s vernacular architecture, The Alton features extensive landscaping, incorporates natural light and passive shading techniques to create a dynamic urban environment. The building is designed with a strong structural rhythm that generates a shaded retail colonnade at street level. The scheme is also extremely permeable, with pedestrian routes directly underneath the building, connecting West Avenue and Alton Road. --David Summerfield, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners
The use of light-colored concrete in the scheme complements the regional material palette and reduces the heat island effect when combined with substantial landscaping. The ground floor foyer displays a variety of colorful artworks while adding volume and texture due to its fluted concrete walls.
Last week, Foster + Partners, in collaboration with CannonDesign and Gilbane Building Company, unveiled the new plans for a Mayo Clinic healthcare vision in Rochester, Minnesota. Additionally, the studio has won an international competition to design Abha Airport’s new terminal in Saudi Arabia’s Aseer Region. Inspired by Rijal Almaa village, the design reimagines the terminal as interconnected human-scaled clusters, courtyards, and walkways. Finally, the practice has been selected as the winner of an international competition to design a new center for Hangzhou, the capital of China's Zhejiang province. The master plan envisions a green and interconnected mixed-use quarter situated in the heart of the Yuhang District.
