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OBR Participates in 3rd Annual Drink Miami Hostel at the Freehand Miami Beach

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Josh and Aimet Oberhausen, co-founders of the Miami Hospitality Design Awards and judges of the 3rd Annual Drink Miami Hostel, selected Zacapa Rum as the “Best Themed Room.”

Zacapa’s design was intended to make you feel as if you were floating in the clouds of the Guatemala mountains. Cloud-like elements hung from the ceiling & mist surrounded the room as guests sipped on the “Al Cielo” signature cocktail, which means “to the sky.”

Organizers Gabriel Urrutia, Giovanny Gutierrez, and Matt Hirsch, transformed the Freehand into a virtual drinking tour showcasing the best brands, bartenders, and trendsetting cocktails.

As guests traveled through more than 20 experiences throughout the hostel’s rooms and common areas, they sipped on spirits from around the world and got their “passport” stamped. Guests also had the opportunity to learn more about their favorite cocktails through one-on-one interactions with brand ambassadors and bartenders.

Choeff Levy Fischman’s Hibiscus Island Gem Featured in Private Air

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The latest issue of Private Air Magazine features a recently completed Tropical Modern home in Miami Beach designed by Choeff Levy Fischman. Located on Hibiscus Island, the residence features Brazilian Oak wood floors, Calacatta marble accents and disappearing sliding glass doors that create a seamless transition between inside and out. With this property, Choeff Levy Fischman blended cutting-edge technology with custom millwork and high-quality finishings throughout the residence.

Known for their star-studded clientele, the inventive minds behind the award-winning Miami-based architectural firm, Choeff Levy Fischman, presents their new high-end Tropical Modern residence that offers the best of indoor-outdoor living where one can enjoy waterfront living, alfresco dining, fantastic city views, and much more.

Located on exclusive Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach, Florida, this jaw-dropping, waterfront contemporary residence boasts 6,000 sq. ft. of luxury overlooking the Miami skyline, with an impressive 80 feet of waterfront with private dockage for your yacht.

Meticulously designed by renowned architects Ralph Choeff & Paul Fischman, the two-story, five-bedroom, five and a half bath estate blends cutting-edge technology and the highest quality finishings in every room. Designed with disappearing sliding glass doors, one can seamlessly transition from indoors to the lush landscaped outdoors, enjoying all the residence has to offer.

The sexy modern fully-equipped chef ’s kitchen features exotic Italian millwork, Calacatta marble, and a designated bar made of stained Italian Oak with Sub-Zero wine coolers – one for red and one for whites. Soak in the bay views, from the floating master bedroom suite outfitted with Brazilian Oak wood floors, a spa-inspired master bath with large soaking tub, marble shower, balcony, and home office with unobstructed views.

Outside a 590 square foot pool sits beneath the suspended master. Across the floating steps, adjacent to the pool, lies a shallow wet lounge where homeowners can dip their feet, play with small children, or simply enjoy the sun. Colorful Brazilian Cumaru wood, lush foliage, including a Bamboo garden, adds life and color to the residence.

In addition to the home’s stunning design, architects included several sustainable features to help protect the home against Miami’s natural elements such as an onsite rainwater retention system, insulated glazing low-energy film on windows to minimize solar heat gain, glare and reduce energy costs, high Albedo roof membrane to reduce heating and cooling usage. The south facing waterfront home was created to resist hurricane winds, storm surges, and rising sea levels. At the time of the design, the seawall’s code requirements were 4.8 NGVD. However, this residence stands at 7.26 NGVD and sits 22 to 26 feet away from the seawall, allowing for additional barriers from storms.

“This home is unique because of its pie-shaped lot and connection to the open bay. We designed the residence to maximize waterfront views, while also creating a seamless transition between the interiors and exteriors with column-free, corner opening, sliding glass doors which disappear into pockets when opened,” notes Paul Fischman, principal at Choeff Levy Fischman.

 

Choeff Levy Fischman Design Lands Tropic Magazine Cover Story

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The latest issue of Tropic Magazine features a recently completed contemporary, waterfront home minutes away from Miami Beach designed by Choeff Levy Fischman. Located on Hibiscus Island, the residence features matte limestone floors, Cumaru wood and disappearing walls of glass that create a seamless transition between inside and out. With this property, Choeff Levy Fischman achieved an environmentally inspired, waterfront oasis that takes advantage of the natural aspects of its island location.

Turn north from the bustle of the MacArthur Causeway toward Palm Island and you enter an existence that might as well be half a continent away. Instead of the high-rises and cacophony that is South Beach, you cross a bridge into a world of twin islands, Palm and Hibiscus, dredged from nothing in the 1920s. These islands soon became home to both Al Capone and Lou Walters famous Latin Quarter nightclub. Boasting of one-road-on-and-off, these delicious bits of heaven have always attracted those who treasure Miami for its waterfront lifestyle. This held true for the first wave who built elegant, Mediterranean styled homes in the 1920s and still holds true today, although now, newcomers tend to prefer exceptional, contemporary homes.

One such home was recently completed under the watchful eye of its lead designer, Paul Fischman of Choeff Levy Fischman and might be best described as an environmentally inspired, waterfront sanctuary. At just under 6,000 square feet, the creation of this residence was no small feat, and always top of mind for Fischman was the home’s Hibiscus Island location. Materials such as matte limestone and Ipe wood appear again and again throughout the home. Lush, tropical foliage that surrounds the house seems to caress it at every turn, peeking in through windows by the kitchen or brushing up against a waterfall wall that splashes into the pool. This connection to nature is marvelous, but for us, what is of paramount importance about this home is its exceptional openness.

To attain this quality, Fischman specified stacking sliders for many rooms in the house, sliders that extend from floor to ceiling when closed, and hide away discreetly when opened. The entertaining rooms on the ground level face a courtyard in which a 590 square foot pool seems to slide out from under the shelter of the home’s sequestered courtyard. Upstairs, these same doors slide away in the master bedroom as well as the master bath, placing nothing between the home’s occupants and Biscayne Bay except for a warm breeze. These disappearing walls of glass create a seamless transition between inside and out, and the continuation of limestone flooring from inside to outside helps blur those lines as well.

On the main level, those covered patio accent walls sheathed in horizontal bands of Brazilian Cumaru wood act as the visual opposite to the board-formed concrete and stucco exterior. The swimming pool and separate shallow wading pool are separated by “floating” steps that lead out toward the bay. Here, the limestone platform ends, met by lawns that roll down toward the dock.

This house, of course, is outfitted with an energy efficient air conditioning system, but with the layout and connection to South Florida’s sub-tropical climate, the architect encourages owners – almost subliminally – to turn off the AC, open all the doors and revel in all that nature has to offer. The architect and his team pushed sustainability in this residence with features like a rainwater retention system that cleans and filters rainwater, storing it for use on the property. Low-E film was chosen to cover glazed surfaces, minimizing solar heat gain that in turn, reduces energy consumption. They’ve also installed a roof of high solar reflectivity, another way to minimize heat gain, always an issue in sun-drenched South Florida. In order to address sea level rise and potential storm surge, the home is lifted up on the site and set back over 20 feet from the dock and is protected by a sea wall almost three feet higher than what is currently required by code.

With this property, Fischman has succeeded in creating a sumptuous refuge literally minutes from the more urban aspects of Miami Beach, crafting a residence that takes great pleasure in the natural aspects of its island location. The island’s early 20th century developers would be proud.

Celebrity-Owned Choeff Levy Fischman Design Hits the Market

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Designed by Choeff Levy Fischman, Hibiscus Island’s Casa Ischia is on the market for $29.5 million. The waterfront mansion, owned by Former Formula 1 racer Eddie Irvine, features 7 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms and 2 powder rooms. For Irvine, the concept of indoor-outdoor living was of the utmost importance. Taking advantage of the panoramic views of Biscayne Bay and downtown Miami’s skyline, Ralph Choeff created an interaction between the interior spaces and outdoors. Choeff achieved a tropical-modern vibe by incorporating stained Ipe wood and South American stone throughout the interiors and exterior of the home.

Former Formula 1 racer Eddie Irvine has listed his Miami Beach waterfront mansion for $29.5 million—which means you should race to grab your checkbook before it gets snatched up. Designed by Choeff Levy Fischman, the two-story home—known as Casa Ischia—shows off a tropic aesthetic and modern architecture. Clean lines and sleek overhangs imbue the space with a bit of mid-century-modern appeal, while walls of glass look out to the waterfront and downtown Miami. Large slab-style steps lead across a water feature and into the sunlight-drenched home.

The 10,448-square-foot property features an open-concept layout with seven bedrooms, seven baths, and two powder rooms. Ipe wood and South-American stone give the resort-style residence an understated, inviting feel, and limestone interior walls add a unique warmth to the space. Structural elements were kept thin to maximize vistas of Biscayne Bay. Wood cabinets and a waterfall island star in the gourmet kitchen, while a posh living room with a wet bar makes it easy to entertain guests. The master suite has a second-story balcony overlooking the swimming pool and a glass-encased bath with a walk-in shower, double sinks, and a deep soaking tub. Expansive pocket sliding-glass doors run the length of the property, creating a seamless transition between indoors and out-of-doors.

To read the full story, visit Robb Report.

Choeff Levy Fischman's Hibiscus Island Gem Featured in Private Air

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The latest issue of Private Air Magazine features a recently completed Tropical Modern home in Miami Beach designed by Choeff Levy Fischman. Located on Hibiscus Island, the residence features Brazilian Oak wood floors, Calacatta marble accents and disappearing sliding glass doors that create a seamless transition between inside and out. With this property, Choeff Levy Fischman blended cutting-edge technology with custom millwork and high-quality finishings throughout the residence.
Known for their star-studded clientele, the inventive minds behind the award-winning Miami-based architectural firm, Choeff Levy Fischman, presents their new high-end Tropical Modern residence that offers the best of indoor-outdoor living where one can enjoy waterfront living, alfresco dining, fantastic city views, and much more.
Located on exclusive Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach, Florida, this jaw-dropping, waterfront contemporary residence boasts 6,000 sq. ft. of luxury overlooking the Miami skyline, with an impressive 80 feet of waterfront with private dockage for your yacht.
Meticulously designed by renowned architects Ralph Choeff & Paul Fischman, the two-story, five-bedroom, five and a half bath estate blends cutting-edge technology and the highest quality finishings in every room. Designed with disappearing sliding glass doors, one can seamlessly transition from indoors to the lush landscaped outdoors, enjoying all the residence has to offer.
The sexy modern fully-equipped chef ’s kitchen features exotic Italian millwork, Calacatta marble, and a designated bar made of stained Italian Oak with Sub-Zero wine coolers – one for red and one for whites. Soak in the bay views, from the floating master bedroom suite outfitted with Brazilian Oak wood floors, a spa-inspired master bath with large soaking tub, marble shower, balcony, and home office with unobstructed views.
Outside a 590 square foot pool sits beneath the suspended master. Across the floating steps, adjacent to the pool, lies a shallow wet lounge where homeowners can dip their feet, play with small children, or simply enjoy the sun. Colorful Brazilian Cumaru wood, lush foliage, including a Bamboo garden, adds life and color to the residence.
In addition to the home’s stunning design, architects included several sustainable features to help protect the home against Miami’s natural elements such as an onsite rainwater retention system, insulated glazing low-energy film on windows to minimize solar heat gain, glare and reduce energy costs, high Albedo roof membrane to reduce heating and cooling usage. The south facing waterfront home was created to resist hurricane winds, storm surges, and rising sea levels. At the time of the design, the seawall’s code requirements were 4.8 NGVD. However, this residence stands at 7.26 NGVD and sits 22 to 26 feet away from the seawall, allowing for additional barriers from storms.
“This home is unique because of its pie-shaped lot and connection to the open bay. We designed the residence to maximize waterfront views, while also creating a seamless transition between the interiors and exteriors with column-free, corner opening, sliding glass doors which disappear into pockets when opened,” notes Paul Fischman, principal at Choeff Levy Fischman.
 

Your Guide to Miami Art Week

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Miami Art Week is here. With more than 70,000 expected attendees, Art Basel will showcase some of the best contemporary art and trends through interactive installations, intimate photography and film exhibits, fairs and more. Whether you’re browsing the walls in Wynwood or scanning paintings and sculptures at a museum, there’s no end to the exhibits for you to explore. This week, Miami invites locals and sophisticated art collectors to exhibits, concerts, festivals, food and drink lounges, satellite fairs and more. Here’s a neighborhood guide to Miami Art Week.

 

Miami Beach

The Circle of Land and Sky. December 4 – December 10. Faena Beach, 2201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Free; www.faena.com/miami-beach/

Urban Legends. December 4 – January 4. The Sagamore Hotel Miami Beach, 1671 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Free; www.sagamorehotel.com/urban-legends

IRL (In Reel Life). Deceumber 5 – December 31. Old City Hall, 1130 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Free; www.jacobercreative.com

Scope Miami Beach. December 5-10. Scope Pavilion, 801 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach. $25-$150; scope-art.com.

Design Miami. December 6- December 10. Meridian Avenue and 19th Street, Miami Beach. $20-$100; designmiami.com

INK Miami Art Fair. December 6 – December 10. Suites of Dorchester, 1850 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Free; www.inkartfair.com

Museum of Ice Cream. December 6 – December 11. Faena District, 3400 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. $98; www.museumoficecream.com/miami

Shawn Kolodny Presents Fake Fulfillment Center. December 6 – December 10. Boulan South Beach, 220 21st St., Miami Beach. $15+; fakefulfillmentcenter.splashthat.com

AQUA Art Miami. December 7 – December 10. AQUA Hotel, 1530 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; $25+; www.aquaartmiami.com

Art Basel Miami Beach. December 7- December 10. Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach. $50-$130; artbasel.com.

BLINK, BURN. 6 p.m., December 7. The New World Center, 500 17th St., Miami Beach. Free with reservation; www.pratt.edu/events/public-programs/

Basel, Lox and Cream Cheese Annual Art Basel Brunch. 10 a.m., December 10. Jewish Museum of Florida, 301 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. $18 Members, $25 Nonmembers; www.jmof.fiu.edu/calendar/2017/basel-lox-cream-cheese-annual-art-basel-brunch/

 

Midtown/Wynwood

Mex/ART. December 1 – December 10. Be/Art Contemporary Gallery, 119 NW 29th St., Miami. $22; be-artgallery.com

ArtSpot Miami. December 6 – December 10. ArtSpot Miami Tent, 1700 NE 2nd Ave., Miami. $25+; www.artspotmiami.com

Red Dot Miami. December 6- December 10. 1700 NE Second Ave., Miami. $10-$85; reddotartfair.com.

Spectrum Miami. December 6- December 10. 1700 NE Second Ave., Miami. $10-$85; spectrum-miami.com

“humanKIND” at Wynwood Walls. December 7- December 10. Wynwood Walls, 2520 NW Second Ave., Miami; 305-531-4411; thewynwoodwalls.com.

Basel House Mural Festival. December 8 – December 10. Old RC Cola Plant, 550 NW 24th St., Miami. Free; https://baselhouse.com/

 

Downtown/Brickell

Augmented Reality at PAMM. December 5 – April 21. Perez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. $16; http://pamm.org/ar

CONTEXT Art Miami. December 5- December 10. 1 Herald Plaza, Miami. $35-$250; contextartmiami.com.

Art Miami. December 6 – December 10. 1 Herald Plaza, Miami. $50+; www.artmiamifair.com

Young Artist Initiative Presents RAW Pop Up. December 6 – December 10. Historic Post Office Building, 100 NE 1st Ave., Miami. $10-$120; http://youngartistinitiative.com/

Fair. December 7- December 10, Brickell City Centre, 701 S. Miami Ave., Miami. Free; https://www.fairmarket.art/.

Miami Street Photography Festival. December 7- December 10. HistoryMiami, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami. Free; miamistreetphotographyfestival.org.

PRIZM. December 5 – December 17. Mana Downtown, 145 E. Flagler St., Miami. Free; www.prizmartfair.com/prizm2017

 

Overtown

The Black Party Art + Fashion. 11 p.m., December 6. Art Africa Miami Arts Fair, 920 NW 2nd Ave., Miami. $20; https://www.blartsy.com/main/2017-black-party-mia

 

Coral Gables

Lowe Art Museum’s Bubbles & Brunch. 10 a.m., December 10. Lowe Museum, 1301 Stanford Dr., Coral Gables; 305-284-4545; http://www.lowe.miami.edu/calendar/index.html#/?i=1

 

Sweetwater

Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum‘s Breakfast in the Park. 9:30 a.m., December 10. Frost Art Museum, 10975 SW 17th St., Miami; 305-348-2890; https://frost.fiu.edu/calendar/2017/bitp.html

Choeff Levy Fischman Named Top Coastal Architects

ohtopOcean Home Magazine’s annual collection of Top 50 Coastal Architects includes some of the most innovative, influential, and prolific architects in the world like Richard Landry, Deborah Berke, and others profiled in the most recent issue.

So, it’s no surprise that Miami-based Choeff Levy Fischman Architecture + Design was selected as one of the greatest for the second year in a row.

Choeff Levy Fischman is a known leader throughout South Florida in the style of Tropical Modern architecture, changing the appearance of Miami’s most prominent residential neighborhoods, such as North Bay Road and the Venetian Islands.

The Miami-based firm has vast experience in designing single-family residences, commercial and residential high-rise buildings, hotels, multi-family developments and shopping plazas. Its clientele consists of executives, athletes and celebrities that wish to accentuate indoor-outdoor living, including Alex Rodriguez, Cher, Edward James Olmos, Matt Damon, Rony Seikaly and Barry Gibb.

Experts in their field, Choeff Levy Fischman emphasizes indoor-outdoor living, using warm elements such as ipe wood, natural stone, concrete, and water features to create high-end tropical environments. The firm has won several design awards, and architecture critics and major publications like Architectural Digest, Wall Street Journal, and Ocean Home Magazine have recognized its work. The firm takes great pride in the high level of design and technical documentation that is maintained throughout every project, and its ability to properly oversee complex projects through construction.

While the its focus has recently been on high-end custom residences, mostly in the Tropical Modern style of architecture, each principal has a varied background with other specialties as well. Ralph Choeff has designed several hotels, which include the Mondrian South Beach and Kimpton Anglers Hotel, as well as housing developments, shopping centers and commercial establishments. Raphael Levy has diverse experience, working on projects that include high-rise design, commercial property and single-family custom residences. Paul Fischman has a background in high-rise architecture, having worked for the prestigious architecture firm Arquitectonica. The firm’s office takes on a studio-like environment where ideas are shared and discussed to produce a final design reflecting the client’s desires.

Committed to continuing education and the licensure process, Choeff Levy Fischman employs university interns, frequently through the University of Cincinnati’s Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) program. Interns work in four-month intervals and learn everything from office practice to generating graphics. They work on real projects producing digital 3D models and participate in the design process, formulating conceptual ideas and schematic design models with the principals. Interns attend meetings with clients, engineers, contractors and city officials as well as make site visits during the construction phase of a project.

In 2016, Choeff Levy Fischman hosted the AIA Miami Young Architects’ Forum at its office. The firm has also lectured at the AIA on the subject of global warming and at Miami-Dade College on the industry in general. It has served on the Miami Beach Design Review Board to help raise the standard of design in the city.

If you’re dreaming to build a one-of-a kind home in an one-of-a kind coastal location, chances are any one of 2017’s Top 50 architects listed here can help turn your dreams into reality.

MCAD Creates Design & Policy Strategies to Build Healthier Communities

dsc01415The Miami Center for Architecture & Design is making Miami-Dade County a healthier place to live, work and play by working with city leaders to adopt and implement Active Design Miami, a set of policy and design strategies for creating healthier streets, open spaces and buildings. The initiative is meant to change the way public and private spaces are designed by going beyond looking at the efficiency of a space, but rather taking into account the way they affect the health of the individuals who interact with them.

Miami-Dade County faces a number of challenges that can benefit from use of Active Design strategies. With two-thirds of Miami-Dade County’s 2.6 million residents overweight or obese, Active Design Miami comes at a perfect time. Its goal is to tackle the County’s rising obesity and chronic disease rates, and high rates of depression and other mental health issues affecting our communities.

As of today, Miami-Dade County and the cities of Miami, Miami Beach, Pinecrest, Surfside, South Miami and Key Biscayne have formally adopted Active Design Miami, and several other cities are also nearing adoption. The strategies are not one-size fits all, so cities can select the most appropriate ones for their needs. MCAD is currently working with the County and the six cities to implement the strategies that address the health needs of their respective city. In addition, Active Design Miami puts on several meetings and events that encourage healthy living. MCAD will continue working with the county and municipalities to implement these strategies.

The changing face of Miami Beach’s Di Lido Island: Choeff Levy Fischman has 14 properties either completed, under construction or under design

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Take a drive through Miami Beach’s Venetian Islands and you’ll notice a quiet transformation taking place compared to years past. On Di Lido, the third Venetian island from the east, about 15 homes are under construction, older homes are for sale, and vacant lots are on the market.

The island is a snapshot of the current movement in Miami Beach to tear down older homes and build modern mansions.

Architecture firm Choeff Levy Fischman, which has designed the South Florida residences of several celebrities and international business leaders, has 14 properties either completed, under construction or under design on Di Lido. Those completed include 212 West Dilido, 303 East Dilido Drive and 440 West Dilido Drive.  Architect Paul Fischman recently toured the island with The Real Deal.

Read the full Real Deal story here

Stantec Architecture Firm Helps Miami’s Towers Soar

UntitledIn 2005,  architects Jon and Rachel Cardello moved to Miami from Boston to open ADD Inc’s Miami office.   Last year, ADD Inc merged its business with Canadian-based mega-firm Stantec,  giving the Miami office global reach.  Now they oversee a team of 117 people designing some of Miami’s tallest new towers, as well as projects in Orlando, Dallas and the Bahamas.  Read the full story from the Miami Herald here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/biz-monday/article49410165.html