Suspending Serenity - David Martin & Eighty Seven Park
David Martin is the President and co-founder of Terra and the mastermind behind some of Miami's most architecturally significant condos including Bjarke Ingels-designed Grove at Grand Bay, the Rem Koolhaas-designed Park Grove, and Rene Gonzalez-designed Glass. Meet the man and mind that now adds to his successes, Eighty Seven Park, a Miami Beachfront luxury tower complete with a private residents' park that is bringing open space and serenity-driven architecture to Miami Beach with its off-the-charts design team including Renzo Piano Building Workshop and RDAI.
“NOT EXTRAVAGANCE, BUT INNOCENCE, SOMETHING QUIET”
Martin understands the DNA of the neighborhoods he develops. His investments are made to enhance the vision of the residential and business communities around his projects, to bring design and people together. The assets he builds become assets to the community in tax revenue and a better quality of life for his buyers, their neighbors and neighborhoods. He is known for creating spaces that are catalysts for new families and commerce. The evolution of the neighborhood is key to him. Eighty Seven Park is about to open in Miami Beach and is almost sold out.
David is all about the process and detail. He knows it has to be correct from inception to completion. His voice expresses this focus and unwavering intention to be a part of architectural and city-planning history, to make a difference in cityscapes and lives, “The site is very unique, 250-feet-plus of ocean, 500 feet of park. The setting is an attribute. The terraces are large and the outdoor/indoor living is real and useable. It is design-driven. RPBW, RDAI, every decision was pored over to deliver something perfect. It is a sanctuary in its neighborhood and perfect for the discerning market we are in. The fact is Miami Beach has green space and a peaceful arrival; we get a flavor of Miami Beach, but we also have access to Bal Harbour!”
Every choice in planning is key to Martin as is his choice of team. “I have a few friends who are great mentors. I want the best people involved to come in and understand the particular place and environment and what our city could become. We work with local and international architects. We even do design competitions to get the best architect for the projects. Renzo was the best choice for Eighty Seven Park. The chemistry matters.” Martin understood the park was the heart and driving force of the building, the pulse of the project. Everything is on purpose. One of the design decisions at Eighty Seven Park was to have the building perpendicular to the ocean, rather than parallel. This was the least greedy use of the available building space and part of what David credits as the conscientious path to a project that is “not just mere shelter, not extravagance but innocence, something quiet, something architecturally significant.” He stresses, “With Renzo, the building looks clean and simple but with details that are complicated. It was an honor to work with the Renzo Building Workshop team. They are dedicated to excellence and quality control.” How does he make these utopias become realities? “Decisions, a lot of decisions. It is a jigsaw puzzle. You are constantly trying to make informed decisions versus rushing, staying methodical. All the decisions you make up front, how you manage risk...at the end of day to get the best drawings into the builders hands and stay on schedule. I also have a great team.” He believes the key thing is to make smart decisions with research behind them. “I even make focus groups and think tanks.”
This is his work and his passion in Miami because “when you are able to look at contributing to a city’s growth and infrastructure, the big constant is the role our projects play within that city, the physical variety. Eighty Seven Park is low impact.” David has the mind of an engineer and the heart of a humanitarian who understands the responsibility he has to his clientele and to the growing populations around them. He cares about “how we help solve the impacts that exist and the ones we will create.” In that sense, he is a steward of these properties and the surrounding environment. Eighty Seven Park is another star in his development fleet. As for how he feels about the pressures of work? He is doing what he does best, making wise and informed decisions with wise and talented people around him, “It feels good and it is a big driver for me from a capitalist and social perspective. Economic development, job creation, residents who come with purchasing power to benefit small business. There’s really only one right way of doing things.”
