NEIGHBORHOOD: Mid Beach

The Ritz-Carlton Residences Miami Beach may have been completed almost a year ago, but the developers have just unveiled three unique model units, with interiors designed by three Italian furniture brands: Baxter, B&B Italia, and Flexform.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences Miami Beach, arguably the most extreme adaptive use residential project that South Florida has ever seen, is finished. The transformation from its former life as a hospital, by Italian designer Piero Lissoni, is practically unbelievable. Additionally, a comprehensive arts program gives the building an added visual interest.

Watching the buying and selling of units at Miami Beach's Faena House is always a particularly interesting spectator sport. Most recently, Kanye West gave his wife Kim Kardashian West a $14 million unit there for Christmas.

Here's a little tidbit that's absolutely over-the-top. Elite Traveler recently ranked the top hotel suites around the world by various metrics, like price, size, views, yada, yada, yada, and one suite in Miami Beach came out near the top for... you guessed it... just how obscenely expensive it is to spend a night there.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences Miami Beach, designed by starchitect Piero Lissoni, is finally nearing completion after years of work. Compare these photos to where the project was last December. The Ritz is very unusual for a luxury, contemporary condo tower, and considering the building itself already existed, has taken quite a while from original announcement to completion. That's because of its unusual complexity, and the sheer amount of work it takes to convert a gigantic hospital into a luxury condominium development.

I've written lots about this project at various publications over the years. It's interesting from various angles but my favorite aspect is its radical adaptive use from hospital—the old Miami Heart Institute—to a luxury residential project. (despite that, the publicists are trying to play down the hospital angle, for obvious reasons.) Construction is almost complete. Check out a recent drone video, via the Ritz, after the jump.

The Museum of Ice Cream is proof the primary purpose of art in 2017 is to give people with a lot of money interesting junk to Instagram. With a big admission charge, this is the HQ of the #RichKidsofInstagram world. Still, the new Miami Beach location at the Faena District looks hella fun. And it just opened. Check out the full tour here.

American Express has sponsored artist Es Devlin to create an immersive, site-specific installation in the Forum of the Miami Beach Edition hotel that they're calling a "vaulted elliptical mirror maze." Room 2022 will be open to the public from December 7th to 10th. Judging by renderings and press photos of his work, the installation looks incredible.

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