Miami’s newest office development in Brickell is set to rise with the help of JLL, who has been tapped to spearhead its leasing. The 750,000-square-foot office project at 848 Brickell Ave. will offer a waterfront view. Key International and Sterling Bay, two established development firms with complementary experience and expertise in building market-leading real estate properties, from premier office towers to luxurious residential condominiums and hotels, will co-develop the project. The development is expected to usher in the next era of modern office spaces in the global city.
The leasing efforts for the new 51-story office development, 848 Brickell, will be led by the JLL office brokerage team consisting of Managing Directors Steven Hurwitz and Doug Okun, Senior Managing Director Kevin Probel, Executive Managing Director Clark Finney and Associate Madeline Fine. They will represent the partnership of Key International and Sterling Bay in this venture.
In 2022, Miami-Dade has achieved the distinction of being ranked as the top county in the U.S. for net international migration. The area has witnessed a continued influx of domestic business migration post-pandemic. This surge in migration has been attributed to the low tax environment, lifestyle offerings and warm weather, with Brickell emerging as one of the most sought-after business and residential districts in the country.
“The modern architecture of Miami’s 848 Brickell development will redefine the class A office experience in all of Florida with an innovative design, wellness-focused amenities and hospitality-centric services,” says JLL’s Steven Hurwitz. “The tower will deliver an elevated yet flexible and efficient office product to the Brickell area with layouts designed for anchor tenants that will meet the pent-up demand from corporate tenants seeking to move or expand their presence to the Southeast’s most sought-after office market.”
The design of 848 Brickell is being led by Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM), a global architecture and steel engineering firm. SOM is recognized for its work behind landmark buildings such as Lever House, One World Trade Center, Manhattan West in New York City, and Burj Khalifa in Dubai, amongst others. The firm is known to cater to the evolving needs of modern businesses and professionals. SOM has designed the Brickell office tower to feature two full floors of hospitality-inspired workplace amenities exclusively available to the tower’s tenants. These amenities include 34,000 square feet of indoor amenity space and 63,000 square feet of outdoor amenity and tenant terrace space. The spaces are perfect for meetings, brainstorming sessions, networking events, and social gatherings.
“Having owned the subject site for nearly 35 years, we’ve witnessed first-hand Brickell’s rise into a leading business and residential district and we feel this is the right time to redevelop this prime site in partnership with a proven commercial development firm like Sterling Bay and with the support of a best-in-class firm like JLL leading our office leasing program,” says Diego Ardid, Co-President at Key International. “Our extensive experience creating luxurious and iconic hotels and condominiums will be reflected in the design, amenities and tenant services the 848 Brickell office tower will offer as we aim to deliver a superior class of office space in the Brickell area.”
The Class A office space, spanning over 750,000 square feet, will be accompanied by a one-of-a-kind arrival experience for tenants and visitors. The building will boast a spacious reception and lobby area, 7,500 square feet of curated ground-floor retail space, and an on-site, covered 10-floor parking facility that can accommodate over 1,000 vehicles. The amenity floors will be designed to promote productivity, collaboration, and employee well-being. They will feature workspace lounges, tech-enabled divisible conference spaces and meeting rooms, expansive balconies, scenic courtyards, a luxury fitness center, a signature rooftop garden, and panoramic outdoor terraces, as well as lifestyle amenities like padel tennis courts and private open-air lounges.
To cater to smaller anchor tenants, the office floorplates have been specifically designed, with floors ranging from 19,090 to 28,650 square feet. The landing floors, located on the 21st and 48th floors, will feature an innovative layout that is newer to the Brickell district. They will provide tenants with interconnected outdoor and indoor workspaces, meeting spaces, and social spaces to create and collaborate.
The office project will be a collaboration between two development firms that possess a collective 67 years of experience in real estate development and have built several high-profile assets globally. Key International, a Miami-based investment and development firm led by Diego and Inigo Ardid, specializes in constructing upscale hotels, resorts, condominiums, and multifamily projects across various markets, including South Florida’s Miami, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Boca Raton, as well as Spain and Portugal. Key International’s present portfolio includes over 10 million square feet of built-up area consisting of more than 6,000 residential units and 3,300 hotel keys.
“Through this partnership with Key International, we are poised to deliver a top-tier office product with a modern design that will further define the Brickell skyline and continue to attract blue-chip companies to the region,” said Chang Lee, Managing Principal and Chief Investment Officer at Sterling Bay. “Given the JLL team’s experience and expertise leasing trophy towers in South Florida, we selected the global firm to spearhead the marketing and leasing of the highly sophisticated class A office product we will bring to the Brickell Financial District at a crucial inflection point for the area.”
