MIAMI—The promise of Brickell City Centre is manifesting before our eyes. Swire Properties just topped off the east block tower—the first of six buildings under construction at the $1.05 billion, 5.4 million master-planned mixed-use development.

“To be topping off our first building having only broken ground in 2012 is a tremendous achievement and cause for celebration,” says Stephen Owens, president of Swire. “We owe this milestone to our outstanding construction team. To see our first tower topped is exhilarating and indicative of the hard work and planning accomplished in collaboration with all our teams.”

Located at 89 Southeast Eighth Street, the east tower will be home to EAST, Miami, a luxury lifestyle hotel that is set to open in the winter of 2015. EAST, Miami will offer 263 rooms and 89 serviced apartments. The hotel will also have a signature restaurant by internationally renowned La Huella, a rooftop bar, meeting rooms, a pool, and a fitness center.

Several other towers at Brickell City Centre are also racing upwards, with the project's two condominium towers, “Rise” and “Reach,” topping off in January and February, respectively. But Brickell City Centre is about more than hotels. The project spans five blocks and 11 acres along Southwest 8th and 7th Streets and is expected to become the cultural center of the city. The first phase includes 565,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space and 862,000 square feet of office space.

Brickell is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the US, as well as some of the most prestigious office buildings in the Southeast. Beyond international banks, the Brickell tenant mix includes Fortune 500 companies, and world-renowned law firms. With 6.7 million square feet of office space in 28 buildings, Brickell represents 15% of Miami-Dade's office market and draws the highest rental rates of any submarket.

Still, hotels are a big part of the development in Brickell. Atton Hotels operates four hotels with nearly 1,000 rooms in Latin America. The $65 million Atton Brickell Hotel project will create about 400 construction and 130 permanent positions, and is slated for delivery in early 2016.

A Chilean hotel chain is building its first-ever US project in Miami's urban core. Atton Hotels is breaking ground on the 275-room, 12-story Atton Brickell Hotel, Miami. Located at 1500 SW 1st Avenue in Downtown Miami's Brickell Financial District.

Located next to Le Parc at Brickell, a 128-unit luxury condo with 128 residences currently under construction, Atton Brickell Hotel, Miami will offer views of Downtown Miami and Simpson Park. The hotel is a short walk to Miami's public transportation Metrorail and Metromover systems, the Shops at Mary Brickell Village, Brickell City Centre complex, as well as retail, dining and entertainment establishments in the area.