Rising 249 metres above Biscayne Bay in downtown Miami, Aston Martin Residences Miami cuts a graceful silhouette of curvilinear glass and steel in the city’s iconic, yet ever-shapeshifting skyline. With a form reminiscent of a sail rising above the mouth of the Miami River, the 66-storey tower immediately stands out in a sea of rectangular buildings.
For Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer, the best vantage point to experience the building’s dramatic sense of scale is on the 55th floor, at the edge of the infinity pool. “It’s an amazing feat of architecture and spatial awareness,” Reichman says of the pool deck, which caps four levels of ‘sky amenities’. From there, an additional 11 levels, including a triplex penthouse, rise at a sheer angle for a dramatic sculptural cutaway crowning the residences. “When you’re out on the edge, behind you, you have this monolith that looks as though it’s about to fall on you and what you look out at is just… space. It feels like you’re on top of the world.”
While Miami Beach’s iconic Fontainebleau resort (a symbol of Miami’s modern mid-century architecture, designed by the master Morris Lapidus) serves as the opening scene of Goldfinger, the 1964 James Bond film where Aston Martin’s DB5 makes its cinematic debut, the logic behind Aston Martin Residence’s launch in Miami can be traced back to visionary developer German Coto, CEO of Miami-based G&G Business Developments. He approached Aston Martin with the idea and after 18 months of talks, a deal was struck and the building eventually broke ground in October 2017. For Reichman, Miami quickly came into focus as the ideal city for the brand’s architectural inauguration. “Miami is the heartbeat of design culture – there are so many movements that stem from there,” he says.
Aston Martin Residences, the first residential collaboration of its kind by the legendary British automotive company, officially opened its doors in May 2024, with an impressive 99 per cent of its homes already sold. In collaboration with Rodolfo Miani, lead architect and principal partner at the Buenos Aires-based Bodas Miani Anger, Reichman and the Aston Martin design team embarked on a decade-long journey to bring this vision to life. Automotive designer Reichman and architect Miani swiftly forged a natural bond and discovered a simpatico perspective in their novel collaboration. “We speak the same language of design,” says Miani. “The experience of working together and coming from different sides of design turned out to be an incredible synergy.” That language revolved around ideas of timelessness, scale, beauty, aerodynamics and materiality.
Chief Creative Officer, Astom Matin
Lead Architect, Bodus Miani Anger
“It makes a lot of sense because a car is a form of architecture,” says Reichman. “We talk about the architecture of the car – and architecture refers to human scale.” Drawing inspiration not only from Aston Martin’s 111-year heritage but also from Miami’s architectural history, natural colour palette and mercurial subtropical weather, the pair set out to design a building that would encapsulate the Aston Martin lifestyle, as well as its legacy as one of the world’s most exclusive and storied automotive brands. The result is an architectural marvel with curves that reference the sleek lines of a motorcar that’s designed to handle wind speeds on the coastline in a similar manner.
For a dramatic arrival, the covered port cochere frames aquamarine bay views, while the atrium entrance features monumental doors with bespoke artisan Aston Martin handles. The double-height lobby is clad in white marble on the floors, walls and pillars, with reception desks made from bespoke Sahara Noir Marble and Carrera Marble. “It’s very impactful,” says Reichman. “It’s not a carbon copy. The building doesn’t look like a car and the interiors of the homes don’t look like the interiors of cars. But there is a thread of DNA that passes through all of it. People buy an Aston Martin because it enhances their life. And if your car makes you feel good, then why shouldn’t your home give you the exact same feeling and be slightly related?”
The building’s 391 one- to five-bedroom residences feature floor-to-ceiling windows and glass balconies for panoramic views of the Miami skyline and Biscayne Bay as it dissolves into the Atlantic Ocean. Ranging in size, from 700 to 18,000 square feet, the homes are luxuriously appointed with premium white Thassos marble flooring, Italian Bertolotto doors and kitchens featuring Bulthaup cabinetry and Gaggenau appliances. In addition to that spectacular sense of infinity on the 55th-floor pool deck, amenities span more than 40,000 square feet and include a fitness centre, spa, movie theatres, virtual golf and a private superyacht marina.
From Art Basel Miami Beach and its sister fair Design Miami to the captivating Pérez Art Museum Miami designed by Herzog & de Meuron and the Faena Forum by Rem Koolhaas’ OMA, the global spotlight on Miami as a world-class destination for culture has only intensified over the last 20 years. Long famous as the American Riviera with South Beach and its pastel and neon tropical modern Art Deco hotels lining the shoreline, Miami has matured into a well-rounded city and a major force in the finance, tech and creative industries. It’s also a thriving multicultural metropolis and the gateway to Latin America. This evolution has accelerated the modern-day boom of contemporary glass residential towers climbing new heights in its financial districts.
In Reichman’s view, the energy and innovation apparent in downtown Miami make it the perfect destination for its first Aston Martin Residences. “The area is evolving and changing, but it’s the right area,” he says. “It’s an area that keeps you relevant because the area is cool. If you’re there, it means you’re relevant. You’re in the right place.”
The only question remaining, which Reichman is routinely asked: when is James Bond moving in?
