Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
New features added to an historic building are conceived in glass.
Along the busy pedestrian mall Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, the restoration and adaptive use of a patio building into retail space required adding several important new elements. In order that these appear ephemeral, and distinct from the historic structure, each was conceived as glass. The primary new elements included a glass stair connecting the ground and second floors; a skylight bridging the rear of the property, and enclosing the former patio; and glass floor extensions and guardrails that enable the use of the former roofs.
The glass stair, constructed in the building’s center passageway, was designed to emphasize transparency and structural independence from the surrounding architectural features. High-tension stainless steel cables span from a new concrete foundation to the building’s roof structure. The cables are crossed beneath the stair to increase stability. Additional stability is created by the stainless steel handrail. The crossing of the cables evoke the form of a butterfly, a suggestion of ultimate lightness.
The skylight spanning the rear of the building remain clear of the historic one-story patio structure, and allows use of the roof as a second floor. The skylight is structured as a scissor truss and spans the full fifty foot width of the lot. All elements of cooling and fire protection are exposed beneath this luminous canopy.
Glass floor extensions and guard rails further expand the usable space of the second floor, while also revealing their contemporary vintage (When occupied, the sky lit space will be terminated by a large mural artwork). The use of glass in both structural and expressive features of the design required careful engineering, specification and attention to detail.