As a part of the overarching project All Aboard Florida, Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill has designed a multimodal transit hub for Miami, one of three that will eventually connect Miami to Orlando by train.
The station will serve an estimated 12 million Floridians each year, and is meant to eliminate at least three million car trips each year.
The main terminal is located about 50 feet above street level. The space below will be full of retail spaces; the elevated terminal will allow for all roadside properties to remain leaseable, according to designboom.
“This project is a true celebration of the power and potential of transit-oriented development,” Roger Duffy, Design Partner at SOM, said in a press release. “We are excited to continue working with All Aboard Florida to realize this vibrant infrastructural undertaking, unparalleled in its scope, scale, and vision.”
Passenger service is expected to begin in 2016.
Here is SOM's full press release on the project:
In a ceremony today, Miami Mayor Tomás Pedro Regalado, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, and All Aboard Florida executives unveiled designs for All Aboard Florida’s new multimodal hub for Miami, planned and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM). In addition to the Miami hub, SOM is also planning and designing All Aboard Florida’s passenger stations in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, which will be unveiled at a later date.
All Aboard Florida is the only privately owned, operated and financed project of its kind being developed in the United States today. All Aboard Florida’s 235-mile network of rail lines will connect South Florida to Orlando by utilizing the current rail infrastructure for the Florida East Coast Corridor between Miami and the Space Coast and creating new tracks into Central Florida. The transformational infrastructure project will provide a vital new service for Florida residents, business people, and visitors and eliminate more than three million car trips from the region’s roadways each year. Passenger service is anticipated to begin in late 2016.
“An estimated 12 million travelers will benefit from the Miami station,” says Michael Reininger, President and Chief Development Officer, All Aboard Florida. “All Aboard Florida provides a fast and convenient transit alternative for this growing demand and need, while integrating transportation infrastructure with mixed use development to serve as a catalyst for transformation and economic vitality in a city that is quickly becoming a model for urban living today.”
“This project is a true celebration of the power and potential of transit-oriented development,” states Roger Duffy, Design Partner at SOM. “We are excited to continue working with All Aboard Florida to realize this vibrant infrastructural undertaking, unparalleled in its scope, scale, and vision.” Florida?based Zyscovich Architects is serving as the project’s Associate Architect and Planner.
renderings courtesy SOM / © SOM
SOM’s three stations will be key portals within All Aboard Florida’s rail system. Envisioned not only as gateways to their respective cities, but also as iconic destinations, the terminals will be filled with spaces to shop, eat, and meet. In downtown Miami, SOM has responded to an extraordinarily challenging and dense site by elevating the railways 50 feet in the air. Retail spaces are vertically layered beneath the soaring tracks and ample use of glass will give the station a shimmering, lightweight quality. This innovative solution allows thru-streets to remain open to traffic and for valuable streetfront real estate to remain leasable. Moreover, this bold architectural gesture creates a landmark terminal—a symbol of a 21st-century Miami.
As pieces of urban infrastructure, the stations are positioned to become centers of gravity for significant urban redevelopment. Economists estimate that All Aboard Florida will pump more than $6 billion into the Florida economy over the next eight years.
“Florida is poised to become the third largest state in the nation due to population growth,” said Kristopher Takacs, SOM Project Manager. “All Aboard Florida responds to this swelling demand by providing a fast and convenient transit alternative to the state’s highways and airport terminals. By integrating this transportation infrastructure with future mixed-use development, the terminals will be the catalysts to transform these cities locally, regionally, and globally.”
SOM has more than seven decades of experience in planning, designing, and implementing large?scale city-building projects that combine transportation infrastructure with urban mixed-use development. In the past twenty years alone, SOM has completed more than $5 billion dollars worth of transportation construction projects around the world, including complex intermodal and multimodal facilities, subway and rail stations, ferry terminals, the design of entire airports and more than a dozen airport terminals.
![](/sites/default/files/som_0.jpg)
renderings courtesy SOM / © SOM
All Aboard Florida is an intercity passenger rail project being developed by Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. (FECI) — owner of Florida’s premier passenger rail corridor — that will connect Miami to Orlando with intermediate stations in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. This rail service will give Floridians and visitors a viable transportation alternative to congested highways and airport terminals. All Aboard Florida will provide a high?quality experience for passengers and will be the first privately owned, operated, and maintained passenger rail system in the United States. For more information, visit www.AllAboardFlorida.com.
About Florida East Coast Industries, Inc.
Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. (FECI), through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is one of Florida’s oldest and largest integrated, full?service real estate and infrastructure companies. Headquartered in Coral Gables, FL, FECI has a rich history dating back over a century when Henry Flagler first established the company which became a pioneer in the development of Florida’s eastern coast.
About Zyscovich Architects
Zyscovich Architects (Zyscovich) is an international master planning, architecture, and interior design firm with offices in Miami, West Palm Beach, Orlando, New York City, Bogotá, and Tobago. The firm's innovative approach to planning, Real Urbanism™, embraces the history and economics of a community to create a unique vision that brings tangible value and improved quality of life to the area. The firm's commitment to customized solutions is also evident in its award winning architectural design work for both public and private clients. Zyscovich's broad range of experience includes large?scale mixed?use, transportation, educational, commercial, retail, multi?family residential, and hospitality projects.
About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban?planning firms in the world, with a 75?year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment. The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with more than 1,700 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996. The firm maintains offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai and Abu Dhabi.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Jul 22, 2024
U.S. commercial foreclosures increased 48% in June from last year
The commercial building sector continues to be under financial pressure as foreclosures nationwide increased 48% in June compared to June 2023, according to ATTOM, a real estate data analysis firm.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2024
Tennessee developers can now hire their own building safety inspectors
A new law in Tennessee allows developers to hire their own building inspectors to check for environmental, safety, and construction violations. The law is intended to streamline the building process, particularly in rapidly growing communities.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2024
New FEMA rules include climate change impacts
FEMA’s new rules governing rebuilding after disasters will take into account the impacts of climate change on future flood risk. For decades, the agency has followed a 100-year floodplain standard—an area that has a 1% chance of flooding in a given year.
Construction Costs | Jul 18, 2024
Data center construction costs for 2024
Gordian’s data features more than 100 building models, including computer data centers. These localized models allow architects, engineers, and other preconstruction professionals to quickly and accurately create conceptual estimates for future builds. This table shows a five-year view of costs per square foot for one-story computer data centers.
Sustainability | Jul 18, 2024
Grimshaw launches free online tool to help accelerate decarbonization of buildings
Minoro, an online platform to help accelerate the decarbonization of buildings, was recently launched by architecture firm Grimshaw, in collaboration with more than 20 supporting organizations including World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), RIBA, Architecture 2030, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and several national Green Building Councils from across the globe.
University Buildings | Jul 17, 2024
University of Louisville Student Success Building will be new heart of engineering program
A new Student Success Building will serve as the heart of the newly designed University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering. The 115,000-sf structure will greatly increase lab space and consolidate student services to one location.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 16, 2024
Watch on-demand: Key Trends in the Healthcare Facilities Market for 2024-2025
Join the Building Design+Construction editorial team for this on-demand webinar on key trends, innovations, and opportunities in the $65 billion U.S. healthcare buildings market. A panel of healthcare design and construction experts present their latest projects, trends, innovations, opportunities, and data/research on key healthcare facilities sub-sectors. A 2024-2025 U.S. healthcare facilities market outlook is also presented.
K-12 Schools | Jul 15, 2024
A Cleveland suburb opens a $31.7 million new middle school and renovated high school
Accommodating 1,283 students in grades 6-12, the Warrensville, Ohio school complex features flexible learning environments and offers programs ranging from culinary arts and firefighting training to e-sports.
MFPRO+ News | Jul 15, 2024
More permits for ADUs than single-family homes issued in San Diego
Popularity of granny flats growing in California
Codes and Standards | Jul 15, 2024
New York City code update changes definition of a major building
Changes affecting how construction projects in New York City are permitted will have significant impacts for contractors. On Dec. 11, the definition of a major building in the city’s code will change from 10 stories to seven, or 75 feet. The change will affect thousands more projects.