ocean drive March 2009 jessica szohr jessica szohr oceandrive.com niche media holdings, llc OD_Cover_V17_3.indd 2 2/17/09 2:43:14 PM
SKY HIGH Ugo Colombo and Diego Lowenstein join forces to create the magnificent new Epic Residences and Hotel. By Geraldine de Puy portrait by simon hare photograph by Luis Hellmund 166 Ocean Drive March 2009
Diego Lowenstein (lef t) and Ugo Colombo. March 2009 Ocean Drive 167
T One of the pools overlooks downtown Miami. They re a little edgy; I m more conservative. We created a good middle ground. Ugo Colombo he opening of Epic Residences and Hotel marks the coming together of two of Miami s heavyweight developers, Ugo Colombo s CMC Group and Lionstone Development, headed by Alfredo and Diego Lowenstein. These giants of development have merged their visions by collaborating on a project that is massive in both scope and size. Epic is located in Downtown Miami, right where Brickell Avenue meets the Bay. The architect for the project was Luis Revuelta of Revuelta, Vega, Leon, who gave the tower its sinuous and instantly recognizable form. Revuelta has worked on all of Colombo s projects, including the iconic Bristol Tower. At 54 stories, Epic consists of 342 apartments and 414 hotel rooms. The Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group manages the hotel, which has two restaurants, a lounge, a private marina, and a spa. Lionstone handled the hotel component, while CMC Group took on the residential side. We wanted to align with someone else who would share our vision, says Diego. When we met Ugo, it was obvious that we had found the right person. Ugo has an incredible track record, and his expertise on all things residential combined with ours on hotels made it a great collaboration from day one. Colombo takes a similar view: This project is half-hotel, half-condominium. The two companies complement each other. Indeed, it s the combination of these two visionary groups that makes Epic so special. It brings the luxury of the hotel experience into the home. In the condominium, you have room service, just like you would in the hotel, says Colombo. This is fairly standard in New York, but it s a relatively new concept in Miami. We re like the Plaza: first a hotel and then a condominium. When it comes to making stylistic decisions, both companies are known for their attention to detail, and both insist on quality. We both had the same idea of not cutting corners in the details, the things you see as well as the things you don t see, such as sound installation, lighting, appliances, and construction, says Colombo. And although Lionstone and CMC came to the table with slightly differing visions, they quickly found a happy medium. They re a little edgy; I m more conservative, says Colombo. We created a good middle ground. Diego agrees: We saw eye to eye on design, on architecture. We spent a lot of time devising the project before starting to build. Diego s sister, Flavia Lowenstein-Elortegui, the vice president of interior design for Lionstone, was very hands-on when it came to Epic s aesthetic. She acted as the link in the partnership with Colombo, and also served as the go-between for Lionstone and designer Cheryl Rowley, who did the hotel s interiors and common areas. In the residential apartments, which were overseen by Colombo and Italian architect Michele Bonan, the attention to detail can be found in everything from the Snaiderodesigned kitchens to the bathroom fixtures by Zucchetti to the Lualdi doors. For the hotel interiors, Rowley chose earthy, neutral tones that appear contemporary and cozy at the same time. Cheryl works with contrasts: a color, a material. She mixes different types of wood that blend together, says Flavia. You might have elements of shock here and there, such as a chandelier made out of motherof-pearl, but they complement each other. It s luxury without shouting it out. The Lowensteins mother, Diana, a celebrated gallery owner, curated the art for both the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach and Epic. The Ritz became sort of an art hotel, thanks to her, says Flavia. They started giving tours of the art. We d like to see the same thing happen for Epic. Indeed, the art collection at Epic is formidable, and some of it was specially commissioned for the project. Diana chose all the pieces in tandem with her daughter and Rowley. The collection includes works by local Miami artist Jill Hotchkiss, as well as Los Angeles-based artist Annie Wharton, Korean artist Gye Hoon Park, and German artist Ola Kolehmainen, to name a few. An exterior sculpture made of bronze that depicts a chain link, by Polish artist Xavery Wolski, was commissioned for installation in the hotel s driveway. We commissioned it because it recalls a port, says Flavia. Luis Revuelta, the architect, made the building look kind of like a sail, so we went nautical on the design side. The nautical theme also goes along photographs by Luis Hellmund 168 Ocean Drive March 2009
Epic s lobby is elegant, with touches of understated luxury. When you re building a tower, you re building it for the next 100 years. Diego Lowenstein The cabanas look out toward the bay. with the building being so close to the river and bay. Hailing from Argentina, Diego and Flavia moved to Miami 10 years ago, where their first major project was the conversion of the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. That was a difficult project because it wasn t from the ground up, says Diego. We had to marry a property built in the 50s a significant Miami property to something more contemporary. There were lots of nuances, and we needed to find different solutions to those constraints. We broke the mold for that hotel, and now it s one of the best-performing Ritz-Carltons in the world. At the center of this vision is Miami, a city that s growing at an unprecedented rate. I like what Miami has become, says Flavia. It s a melting pot the best of Latin America and Europe. It s becoming very much a design capital, and it will soon be an architectural capital. Diego concurs: Miami has so much ahead of it, he says. The city is so resilient, it will continue to grow. As a developer you have a certain responsibility to do the best you can. When you re building a tower, you re building it for the next 100 years. When visitors come to the city, they will see it; it will be photographed. I m hoping that as we move forward and developers design more towers, they ll take that to heart. Colombo is also mindful of this responsibility, and he points to his Bristol Tower, one of the first luxury condominiums on Brickell, as a good example of a building that has withstood the test of time and become a vital part of the city s skyline. It s my favorite because it really stands out. Almost 20 years later [it was built in 1993], it s still a contemporary building. When you build, you re shaping the city. That s what you want to be concerned with. od March 2009 Ocean Drive 169