Construction booms have been aplenty throughout Miami’s history, but the latest promises to transform the skyline with the long-awaited Panorama tower in the city’s Brickell district. Its developer, Florida East Coast Realty, had to find a way to set the project apart in a neighborhood where nearly 69 towers, containing more than 18,000 residential units, have gone up in a few short years. To do that, they simply looked upward.
Courtesy Brett Hufziger
Located on the site of a former parking garage, the 830-foot-high Panorama is set to be the tallest skyscraper on the East Coast outside of New York City when completed in 2017. It’s a big achievement for the Miami skyline, which underwent incredible transformations in density and height throughout the early 2000s but up until now wasn’t competing with the likes of New York or Chicago. Of course, that isn’t the only record that the Panorama is breaking.
Early this year, the building’s foundation was completed with a massive concrete pour that lasted 23 hours, called for more than 170 trucks, and used 14,677cubic yards of ready-mix concrete, making this the largest foundation concrete pour in the history of the state of Florida. No other project in Miami has come close to implementing such an extensive concrete pour. This huge effort was made possible by CEMEX, the global building materials company that produced and delivered the concrete for this record-breaking pour.
Courtesy miamirealestategurus.com
With experience working throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East in distribution of ready-mix concrete, cement, and related materials, CEMEX has built an impressive resume of innovative and large-scale foundations. That portfolio — combined with a large fleet of trucks, 13 cement plants, hundreds of ready-mix quarries, and 46 strategic distribution terminals — made CEMEX the clear choice for a project like the Panorama. Gonzalo Galindo, CEMEX Regional President, Florida said, “It is an honor for my team and I to have the opportunity to provide our products and services to the Panorama Tower project. CEMEX prides itself on having the expertise, quality products, and a large fleet of trucks that can provide the level of service needed to successfully complete the job.”
Having the foundation in place is key for such an impressive building, which proposes to house retail and unique office space. Upper floors of the Panorama will offer 821 luxury rental apartments and all the residential amenities expected in an upscale Miami high-rise, from pools and a spa to a sun deck.
Courtesy Florida East Coast Realty, LLC
The Panorama’s 100,000 square feet of office space will be designed for medical business, helping to grow Miami’s biotech and pharmaceutical sector. Its retail zone will comprise 50,000 square feet and be dedicated to high-end brands.
Visitors to the city will also have a place to rest their heads, as the Panorama will hold a 208-room hotel. While the central location and proximity to the Miami Metromover will afford guests easy access to the rest of the city, they might not ever have to leave the Panorama’s grounds. Annabelle Smith, Zyscovich’s director of interior architecture, says, “By incorporating a wide variety of amenities and services under one roof, we are setting a new standard in mixed-use, high-rise living. Panorama will be a vertical city within the city.”
Bob Cardonne, CEMEX VP/GM Miami said, “Personally, I have worked in the South Florida market my entire 30-plus year career. Being able to drive down the streets of Miami and know that CEMEX is part of the landscape that shapes our great city gives me such pride and accomplishment.”
As construction continues on this much-anticipated tower, made possible by CEMEX, downtown Miami is already looking ahead, planning more tall, mixed-use buildings.
Check out the time lapse video of the 23-hour long concrete pour for the foundation of Panorama Tower:
