It’s All About Sun for Sherri Gutierrez, an Architect Behind Miami’s First Solar-Powered Luxury Tower
Miami is still seeing its luxury living boom, and that’s partly thanks to architects like Sherri Gutierrez.
The Miami-based architect, who is the principal and Miami office manager of Arquitectonica, has been in the business for 30 years.
She has worked on open-air shopping mall Brickell City Center, which is changing the face of the Brickell neighborhood into a financial district with more condos popping up every day. She has also worked on Icon Bay, a 40-story luxury tower in Edgewater and 57 Ocean, an 18-story ultra-luxury oceanfront condo in Miami Beach.
She and her team are currently working on The Residences at 1428 Brickell, which claims to be the first luxury, high-rise tower to use photovoltaic glass windows, which reduces energy consumption. Besides this sustainability feature, the project also features 189 exclusive homes in a 70-story tower, topping off at 850 feet with a rooftop observatory, a 66th floor wellness club, a resort deck with a pool and cabanas, and a 10th-floor set of furnished, private suites for the guests of residents. The building will be completed in 2027.
Ms. Gutierrez spoke to Mansion Global about solar-powered buildings in Miami, the next level of luxury and the art of the rooftop pool.
Mansion Global: What are you designing right now?
Sherri Gutierrez: Besides working on the Residences at 1428 Brickell, I’m working on a residence in Palm Beach called ALARA and the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale. I’m working on residences in Tampa, offices in Miami, and up and down the state of Florida, too.
MG: What can you tell us about your design approach for the Residences at 1428 Brickell?
SG: We, our firm Arquitectonica, are the architects of record. ACPV Architects, Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel, did the interior design, but they’re also architects. The way we designed the building is that it’s an extraordinarily bold building. It makes a bold statement in its form, how it meets the ground, and how it meets the sky. It revamped this notion of luxury living. The super visionary developer, Ytech, was very clear about their ideas on what they wanted and how they want people to live. We take to heart what it means to be a person living in our building. It’s a personal perspective, rather than overall masses of people. It’s an innovative project that hasn’t been done elsewhere in respect to unit layouts, enclosed kitchens, and this solar facade wall. It takes a different approach to urban living, especially within the Brickell core.
MG: Having a solar-powered building in Miami isn’t too common, is it?
SG: No, not at all. On a residential building, it can be challenging to get developers to sign onto sustainability features. It’s worth the return on investment. It makes a statement for a building, that we’re thinking about innovation. It’s ultimately something every building should be doing.
MG: What is your own personal definition of luxury?
SG: I love landscape and greenery as part of my own definition of luxury. Buildings are living and breathing creatures. For me, luxury is having warm sun on my face.
MG: What’s it like being a woman who works in architecture—is it male dominated?
SG: I’ve been practicing in the field of architecture for roughly 30 years. I’ve certainly seen a shift from being a male-dominated profession to being more equal. Right now, there’s more women than men in our office. A lot of it has come from women feeling empowered to speak and project and be part of the overall project, and not feel there’s some kind of hierarchy. I’ve learned in this industry you have to thicken your skin, not take things personal and do what’s right in the best interest of the client.
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MG: You designed the Icon Bay tower, as well, in Miami. It has several rooftop pools. What is the art of the rooftop pool?
SG: It can be a useful amenity for a very windy city. We have to take precautions to make sure it’s comfortable. With the panoramic views we have here in Miami, it’s this notion of being surrounded by stunning views and it sort of feels like you’re on an island, by yourself, in nature.
MG: What is a design mantra you live by?
SG: It only takes one minute to come up with a great design idea. You never know what it is going to be. We work, test things and look at something—until it sparks.
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MG: How is the luxury market changing in Miami right now? Has there been a different kind of demand for luxury homes in the Miami market?
SG: Turnkey furnished apartments are in demand. We do see the demand continuing for luxury projects. It’s location driven, or about views. With people relocating to South Florida, it’s people who are relocating from huge homes in the Midwest but want something with space in a tower. They’re looking for larger units.
MG: What’s next for you?
SG: Tahiti? [Laughs]. I’m looking forward to bringing 1428 Brickell to fruition. It’s an amazing project—I believe it will be a differentiator for the market and the clients who are fortunate enough to live in it, but [also] for Miami at large and the impact it will have on the Miami skyline.
