May 27, 2020

Text: Jesse Dorris

Renzo Piano Building Workshop Creates Lighter-Than-Air Residential Tower in Florida

The lobby’s library boasts ample seating courtesy of Knoll womb chairs with Kvadrat fabric, sofas and poufs by Paola Lenti, stools by Maruni, and chairs with round tables by Kruger. Photography by Douglas Friedman.

It may seem like Pritzker-winner Renzo Piano has done it all—from the Pompidou to a power station in Moscow—but somehow over the course of more than four decades, he’s never built a residential project in the Western Hemisphere. Until now. Renzo Piano Building Workshop’s Eighty Seven Park, created with RDAI and West 8 and developed by Terra in partnership with Bizzi & Partners Development, is a lighter-than-air tower just steps from the Atlantic in North Beach, Florida.

Cedar matte slats clad the spa, with floors and seating of stone by Masai and Zucchetti tubs and faucets. Photography by Douglas Friedman.

Its 68 residences stretch from 1,400 to 7,000 square feet, plus a penthouse, with layouts featuring up to five bedrooms. Amenities incorporate two swimming pools with cabanas, a spa with a Hammam, a wine bar and Fugo Bar café, and a library curated by art book publisher TASCHEN. Outside, West 8 created an oceanfront private residents park and the North Shore Open Space Park, open to all.

A two-acre private resident’s park extends to the north. Photography by the Boundary.

For the materials palette, the team focused on light oak flooring, Venetian terrazzo, and small collections of pebbles and sea grass collected onsite. “The quality of architecture is about poetry and beauty but it’s also about detail and perfection,” Piano said in a statement. “When I look at how the glass and suspended decks of the buildings appear to float, and how they catch the sun and light of the ocean, it’s fantastic.” Residents will no doubt agree.

The Enoteca wine bar features white Corian countertops and Maruni bartools, all illuminated by iGuzzini pendants. Photography by Douglas Friedman.
Wrap-around terraces are equal to 50-70% of the interior space, offering unparalleled views of the Atlantic Ocean. Photography by the Boundary.
Floor-to-ceiling sunken windows virtually eliminate boundaries between interiors and the beach. Photography by the Boundary.

Read next: Renzo Piano-Designed Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to Make LA Debut in Late 2019

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