![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-01-474x335.jpg)
An 18-story residential tower, GLASS is situated on the southern tip of Miami Beach, in the South of Fifth Street neighbourhood. Light and ethereal, GLASS is a response to its site, context and environment.
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-02-474x710.jpg)
The building dematerializes as it rises, with its exterior almost disappearing into the atmosphere and its compositional use of fritted, patterned glass.
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-03-474x351.jpg)
GLASS reflects, captures and abstracts the natural landscape of sand, sea and sky, while retaining the essence of place through its architectural design, its materials, surface textures and tonal color.
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-04-474x327.jpg)
The building’s entrance is an immersive environment – at once luxurious and elemental, with natural light and areas with water that evoke the beach. Referencing the visual effect of waves meeting the shore and receding into the sand, porous
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-05-474x710.jpg)
Coquina stone, which contains fragments of shell and coral, becomes gradually interspersed with small rectangles of smooth, blue Macauba quartzite that reaches a greater density at the elevator, signaling the transition between sand and sea.
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-06-474x624.jpg)
The tower itself conveys the qualities of the sky. Open fl oor-plans with 360-degree views and expansive terraces with sliding doors blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor space.
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-07-474x316.jpg)
Inside, the ceilings of each of ten exclusive units echo this natural element with greyscale tones, darker at the lower fl oors and lightest at the level of the penthouse.
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-08-474x316.jpg)
Mirrored walls at every entry refl ect an expansive view of the ocean. Indicating the shift between night and day, each foyer also contains a custom ceiling combining a translucent latex surface and a programmable lighting system.
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-09-474x331.jpg)
The density of lights is carefully choreographed at each level, evoking the star-lit canopy of both urban and rural skies. Delicate and sensorial, the design of GLASS is a considered response to its setting in Miami Beach, specifi cally intended to allow one to experience the surrounding natural landscape.
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-10-474x316.jpg)
GLASS at sunrise, refl ecting, capturing, and abstracting the natural landscape. Source by Rene Gonzalez Architect.
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-11-474x348.jpg)
Location: Miami Beach, USA
Architects: Rene Gonzalez Architect
Principal: Rene Gonzalez
Associate: Monica Vazquez
Project Team: Kevin Regalado, Joshua Sperduti-Figueroa
Developer: Terra Group
Architect of Record: Rai Fernandez, Bermello Ajamil & Partners
Structural engineer: Desimone Consulting Engineers
MEP engineer: Steve Feller P.E., P.L.
Civil engineering: VSN Engineers
Contractor: John Moriarty & Associates
Landscape Architect: Raymond Jungles Inc.
Year: 2015
Photographs: Michael Stavaridis, Courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-12-474x316.jpg)
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![GLASS in Miami Beach](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/GLASS-Miami-Beach-by-Rene-Gonzalez-Architect-20-474x647.jpg)