Vertical construction begins in Miami on what will be the tallest skyscraper in Miami

Construction work on the Waldorf Astoria Hotel & Residences in the heart of Miami has already begun after an arduous foundation process that began on June 14 and required 1.400 trucks to pour more than 36 cubic yards of concrete at the base of the future skyscraper on Biscayne Boulevard in Downtown Miami within 13.500 hours.

The supertall skyscraper will rise 1.049 feet and be the tallest south of New York by the end of 2028, according to the developers' projections, and the tallest in the entire Sunshine State. The 100-story tower will be a slender stack of glass cubes.

Ryan Shear, managing partner of Property Markets Group (PMG), said two years ago that this project is a big deal for Miamians. “I think it’s a big deal, not just for us, but for the community. “It’s not every day that a super tower gets started. As a Miamian, I’m very proud of that. It’s not just another construction project – this one is a little bit special.”

The concrete structure designed by Uruguayan Carlos Ott and the architectural studios of Miami-based Sieger Suárez, will have 387 condominiums and 205 spaces between rooms and suites, with 90% occupancy sold.

Construction is obviously not exempt from large loans, in fact, at the beginning of June this year, the developers PMG, Greybrook, Mohari Hospitality, S2 Development and Hilton received a 668 million dollar financing, thus constituting the largest construction loan guaranteed by the state.

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Kevin Maloney, CEO and founder of PMG in 2022, proudly explained what is coming: “It’s going to stand out, so it has to be beautiful.” This building is the first in Miami to have what is called a tuned mass damper, which is nothing more than a heavy sphere that is mounted on springs near the top of the building in order to counteract the swaying and ensure that the movement of the building is imperceptible.

Unlike other buildings, this one will have sliding joints in the plasterboard panels, like those used for expansion in bridges, in order to absorb movements without creating cracks. As for the elevators, since they have to go up many levels, they will move at 1.800 feet per minute, which is six times the speed of conventional elevators in skyscrapers.

“If you want to do it right and offer a five-star experience in a supertall [tower], every detail is critical. We were able to analyze and perfect every square inch of the building. It wasn’t all rushed and it’s nothing short of spectacular,” Shear explained, adding that it’s not just the height that will wow viewers but the nine cubes on top of each other that the design has, something he describes as different.