The Una Residences by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects is a high-rise residential skyscraper under construction in downtown Miami that emphasises panoramic views and refined vertical living. The tower’s stepped profile is composed of a series of cantilevered volumes that maximise exposure to light and sightlines over Biscayne Bay and the urban grid. Facade articulation combines glazed curtain walls with integrated sun-shading elements, helping to moderate solar gain while maintaining transparency across living spaces.
Residential units within UNA Residences benefit from full-height glazing and generous outdoor terraces that extend living areas toward the skyline. Communal amenities are distributed across multiple sky-garden levels, including lounges, wellness facilities and landscaped outdoor spaces to foster a sense of community at height. The ground plane incorporates retail and public realm activation, anchoring the skyscraper within Miami’s expanding urban core.
Image Credit: OKO Group, Cain
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Vertical Community Living
- High-rise designs emphasizing full-height glazing, terraces and distributed sky-garden amenities create potential for layered social ecosystems and subscription-based residential services.
- Adaptive Façade Systems
- Combination of glazed curtain walls with integrated sun-shading elements points to dynamic, energy-optimizing envelopes and opportunities for façades that incorporate sensors and energy-harvesting components.
- Amenity Stratification
- Distribution of communal lounges, wellness facilities and landscaped levels through a tower suggests new models for monetizing tiered amenity access and branded lifestyle offerings.
Sectors Adopting This
- Luxury Real Estate
- Demand for panoramic views and refined vertical living supports premiumized residential products tied to curated in-tower experiences and service subscriptions.
- Facade Engineering
- The need to balance transparency with solar control encourages development of prefabricated, smart façade modules that integrate shading, ventilation and energy systems.
- Urban Retail Activation
- Mixed-use ground planes anchoring high-rises enable experiential micro-districts where localized retail and community programming are tailored to tower residents and visitors.
