OMA lands Miami Beach
Convention Center commission

News: Dutch firm OMA has seen off competition from Danish studio BIG to land the high-profile commission to renovate Miami Beach Convention Center, home to the annual Art Basel/Miami and Design Miami trade fairs.

In a meeting held last night, Miami Beach City Commission named the winning development team as South Beach Ace, the group comprising OMA, property developers Tishman and UIA, local architect TVSdesign and landscape architects MVVA and Raymond Jungles.

OMA’s design will see a new 800-room hotel constructed over the roof of the existing convention centre, which itself will be expanded and reorganised by a 90-degree rotation that relocates the entrance on the south side of the site.

OMA’s Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu commented: “We are thrilled to be chosen to develop one of the most significant urban districts in the US. Our design will reintegrate Miami’s vital convention centre with the area’s existing neighbours, offering new connections as well as amplifying the character of this vibrant and exciting city.”

Reports claim that Miami Beach city manager Jimmy Morales had recommended BIG‘s Portman CMC team because it would be a cheaper and quicker construction, but that eventually OMA’s proposal was selected on a vote of five to two.

A public vote on the plans will take place in November, and if successful the renovated building could be open by 2018.

Here’s an animated fly-through of the winning design:

See more images of OMA’s proposal in our earlier story, or see the opposing design by BIG.

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