Una Residences and its $25 Million Garage on the Brickell Waterfront
Una’s curved floor plates are already visible in the concrete frame, with glazing beginning to enclose the lower floors. From the waterfront, the shape is becoming recognizable well before the façade is finished. The construction photographs dated March 3 show the tower rising above the older residential buildings at the southern end of Brickell.
Construction, 03/03/24, photo by Nadia Bouzid
At 175 SE 25th Road, OKO Group and Cain International are developing a planned 47-story tower with 135 residences. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture is responsible for both the architecture and interiors, with landscaping by Enzo Enea.
The architects cite Riva yachts as an influence on the interiors, using wood, leather and stone alongside chrome and stainless steel. Outside, the rounded terraces and sweeping cantilever give the building its profile. With the structure still exposed, the changing floor plates are particularly easy to read. The finished glass will soften some of what the construction photographs make explicit.
One of Una’s most consequential design decisions is below ground. Its three-level garage was planned to accommodate 236 cars across approximately 100,000 square feet, reaching nearly 50 feet below sea level. The reported construction budget for the garage alone was $25 million.
Putting that parking underground allows the lobby and amenity spaces to sit closer to the waterfront, without several garage floors separating them from the ground. It is an expensive way to preserve the relationship between the building and the bay. Construction required a substantial watertight enclosure beside Biscayne Bay, an engineering undertaking largely invisible in the tower now rising above it.
The land required its own investment long before construction. OKO paid approximately $48 million to acquire the older condominium building on the site. Contemporary reporting described negotiations involving 61 individual units, averaging roughly $787,000 per residence. Una’s waterfront parcel was assembled by buying existing homes, a history worth remembering when looking at the price of new bayfront construction.
The development subsequently secured a $128.3 million construction loan from Bank OZK, announced in April 2021. The site measures 47,248 square feet, with approximately 150 feet of Biscayne Bay frontage.
The planned residences have private elevator entries and deep terraces, while the amenity program includes private boat slips, three pools, a fitness center, spa and cinema. Those offerings suit the location, but the underground parking is the more revealing commitment. It shows how much of the development’s investment goes toward arranging the building around the water, before the interiors and landscaping enter the picture.
Construction, 03/03/24, photo by Nadia Bouzid
Type: Waterfront residential condominium
Address: 175 SE 25th Road, Miami, FL 33129
Developers: OKO Group and Cain International
Architecture and interiors: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Landscape design: Enzo Enea
Planned height: 47 stories
Planned residences: 135, as marketed at this date
Site area: 47,248 square feet
Biscayne Bay frontage: Approximately 150 feet
Site acquisition: Approximately $48 million
Construction financing: $128.3 million from Bank OZK, announced April 2021
Underground parking: Three levels, approximately 100,000 square feet and 236 spaces
Reported garage construction budget: $25 million
Construction photographs: March 3, 2024
