Miami's Luxury Condos Setting the Standard for Climate Resilience

Miami has long been a hotspot of luxury living, with its access to lovely beaches, a dynamic and revolving nightlife, ever growing shopping hubs, and a prime destination for travel with its share of exciting theme parks and attractions. However, the danger of hurricanes, storms, and other inclement weather can make buyers wary of purchasing a home in this area. Architect Kobi Karp, the designer of the new luxury condo building the Monad, has a better idea: to create better buildings with climate resilience.

The city of Miami Beach is prone to a number of dangers, including flooding, intense rain, hurricanes, and storms that create dramatic surges of water and sea level rise. While some developers simply choose not to build in Miami, Karp’s idea is to simply build better buildings.

Monad is one of the first buildings in Miami Beach to have state-of-the-art storm protection. According to the National Real Estate Investor, this luxury condo building is designed to withstand a Category Five hurricane. With the key implement of putting the parking garage at ground level and elevating the living spaces well above sea level, all the condos in the Monad will be able to withstand significant storm surges.

In addition to these structural elements, the building also comes equipped with pumps should the parking garage flood, to quickly and efficiently remove stormwater. These fortifications that go well and above Miami’s mandated design structures are creating a strong and beautiful building that will make a secure investment for years to come.

In fact, Karp’s Monad is leading the way for buildings to become more climate resilient. A vocal proponent of creating more resilient homes and buildings, Karp’s advocacy points to a future where business investors are likely to design and build structures to withstand damages from storms and other storm related threats in Miami.

This new standard has even influenced local Miami policy. Residents of Miami recently voted to pass the Miami Forever Bond, a $400 million obligation bond to help fund Miami’s climate resiliency. The major of Miami, Francis Suarez, remarked on the unusualness of the vote and how citizens usually do not vote for higher taxes, but said in the National Real Estate Investor, “When you think of your most prized possession, oftentimes your biggest investment is your home.”

Bruce Mowry, Miami’s city engineer, also reports to the National Real Estate Investor that building regulations and zoning regulations to insure that new homes are built higher, and has plenty of ideas inspired by the resiliency of the Monad, including raising existing homes and reinforcing them.

The Monab and other luxury condos embracing climate resiliency are leading the way for homes, buildings, and other structures to embrace and fortify their own design. The above and beyond precautions taken in the design of the Monab will create and inspire architects and urban planners for years to come, and create a more resilient Miami in the face of storms.