MIAMI—Portman-CMC is battling with Tishman for the right to redevelop the Miami Beach Convention Center and its surrounding 52 acres. Portman has the experience and the imagination to redevelop the landmark site, but what's the firm's vision?
GlobeSt.com caught up with Jack Portman, vice chairman of Portman Holdings and John Portman & Associates, to discuss his plans for the Miami Beach Convention Center. In part one of this exclusive series, he shares updates to the firm's plan, the collaboration with architects, and his intentions for the Jackie Gleason Theater.
GlobeSt.com: The City of Miami Beach recently held its third community and commissioners meeting about the Miami Beach Convention Center District redevelopment project. Were there any updates to Portman-CMC's plan?
Portman: We slightly changed our approach to leasable space since the previous public meeting based on feedback we received from the community, as well as more recent market indicators that guided us to bring the number down. We also made some changes to ensure we could keep the building height at or below 120 feet throughout the project. We also shared new thoughts on our flexible theater concept, which is still developing, new plans to incorporate more art—especially local art, and new plans for the improvement of the 17th Street parking garage.
GlobeSt.com: The Portman-CMC team includes a young, but renowned architect, Bjarke Ingels of the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) as well as the 60-year-old and world-renowned firm, John Portman & Associates (JP&A). What's it like having these two architects collaborating on this process?
Portman: Bjarke's designs are programmatically and technically innovative with a focus on being cost and resource conscious. He's also knowledgeable about the area and its environment, leading projects such as the Grove at Grand Bay in Coconut Grove and the Marina Lofts in Fort Lauderdale. JP&A has decades of experience in mixed-use projects of this scale and in convention centers and convention hotel design. John Portman was one of the first architects to be the “architect as developer.” He also owns Portman Holdings, so JP&A is naturally focused on designs that are financially sustainable.
The two firms have different backgrounds and different approaches, but are like-minded in what makes the end-result great. The collaboration has been dynamic and productive.
GlobeSt.com: There's a short list of teams bidding to redesign the convention center and both have different approaches to the Jackie Gleason Theater. What are Portman-CMC's intentions with the theater?
Portman: At this point, the team is carefully considering what we believe are all the feasible options. The entertainment industry has let us know that the current theater is outdated for the shows that people want there. Our master plan will certainly include a state-of-the-art performance venue that can house all the programming that the Fillmore currently provides. We're just reconsidering whether that is the new theater we've been planning, or if it's some form of renovation to the current structure.
Come back this afternoon for part two of this exclusive Q&A.
GlobeSt.com wants to know: How do you think Portman's plan compares with Tishman's?
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