Heatherwick Studio will reimagine South Miami’s Sunset Place, transforming the site from a regional mall into a mixed-use neighbourhood destination.
In a significant step forward, Midtown Development has officially submitted the site plan for the transformation to the City of South Miami. This ambitious project, which emphasises walkability, community interaction, and diverse experiences, aims to invigorate the site’s surrounding local business scene, while preserving the city’s distinctive character. The plans propose smaller, permeable buildings of varied heights and forms, featuring terraces, gardens, and open spaces.
Key features include integrating the surrounding street grid, with a main street for slow-traffic and pedestrian-friendly access to shops and restaurants, alongside a central plaza designed for varied activities, serving as a community hub. Intimate alleyways and flexible spaces will cater to local businesses, gyms, independent stores, and pop-up ventures. Above this village setting, a new residential community will be introduced, adding essential density to revitalise the area.
Working with Midtown Development, the developers of Midtown Miami, this will be the first Florida project for Heatherwick Studio.
Thomas Heatherwick said:
“As people are social beings, drawn to places where other people gather, our idea is to get rid of the sterile atmosphere of the previous shopping mall and bring back streets. Influenced by the human scale and charm of Sunset Drive, the plan is to extend the existing street grid into the site to create continuous routes and a village of smaller, more intimate urban spaces, framed in an extraordinary way by apartments above. It’s exciting to imagine each area having a distinct focus, from main streets lined with outdoor markets, and independent shops, to boutique zones, cultural and entertainment areas, restaurants and bars, plus spaces for hotels.”
Alex Vadia, Principal at Midtown Development, said:
“Our shared vision with the City of South Miami and Heatherwick studio was to transform a closed off regional mall into an integral part of the overall community. With a focus on energizing the ground level, our aim is to seamlessly integrate with the existing neighbourhood grid, enriching the area with curated retail, open spaces, and community-building activations at the street level.”
Watch the full video of Thomas Heatherwick explaining the vision here.