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Foram Group has begun development on Brickell Financial Centre, the two-tower office and hotel landmark structure of 1.5 million square feet. As the first LEED-precertified building in the state of Florida, Brickell Financial Centre and its monumental public plaza will occupy a full block between Sixth and Seventh Streets on the west side of Miami’s Brickell Avenue.

When complete, the RTKL-designed complex has the potential of shifting the center of downtown Miami’s business district back toward the banks of the Miami River, where Mary Brickell, Henry Flagler and Julia Tuttle established commerce in the late 19th century.

The area’s first major office project since 2000, and its first LEED precertified high rise, Brickell Financial Centre will be built in two phases. Sited to define the space of the public plaza, the $245 million first phase will consist of 600,000 square feet in a 40-story tower - the first floor for lobby and retail space and the second 11 for parking, topped by 28 floors of class-A office space. The second tower, rising 68 stories, will include retail and office space, and a 300-room hotel that will occupy the highest floors.

The core and shell of Brickell Financial Centre’s first phase are LEED® pre-certified at the silver level, meaning the site development, design, resources and materials incorporate systems for sustainability and energy- and water-efficiency that comply with criteria developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Brenda V. Morawa, a registered mechanical engineer and sustainability professional, worked as technical advisor with RTKL and Foram to meet the LEED precertification requirements.

Tenants of “green” buildings benefit from lower operating costs, a result of energy efficiency, and improved employee wellbeing, a function of abundant natural light and healthy interior air quality. Brickell Financial Centre’s architects and engineers have designed the windows in the prism-like glass curtain-wall structure to withstand heavy wind loads, while diesel generators will ensure continued operation in weather-caused power outages.

Foram Group has selected CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) to handle third party leasing and property management for Brickell Financial Centre. CBRE plans to move its South Florida Regional Headquarters and Miami Headquarters into the building’s first phase, scheduled for completion in Fall 2009.

Foram Group, which began assembling the site more than 15 years ago, developed the master plan for Brickell Financial Centre in the context of the larger Brickell area. For instance, a Metrorail stop at the Seventh Street corner of the property makes public transportation a viable option for those who will work in the complex. The proliferation of residential high rises and boutique service- and leisure-oriented businesses in the neighborhood makes it ideal for the “city within a city” that Brickell Financial Centre represents.

Building Green - A Developer’s Responsibility
Loretta Cockrum, Chairman and CEO, Foram Group, Talks About The BFC Development

With the technical knowledge now available, developers have a responsibility to build green, to create buildings that protect rather than degrade the air and water, that preserve habitat and natural resources for future generations.

Green building techniques—soon to be mandated in Florida—have the power to improve the quality of life of entire communities. Strategies being incorporated into Miami’s Brickell Financial Centre (BFC), for example, focus on the use of sustainable and renewable materials, systems that reduce energy consumption, and other practices designed to minimize the building’s overall impact on the natural environment.

The 40-story Brickell Financial Centre, now under construction is working to achieve LEED® platinum status, the highest possible designation, when it is ready for occupancy in fall 2009. RTKL Associates Inc., in collaboration with sustainable design consultants BVM Engineering in Atlanta, and interior planners from Perkins and Will in Miami designed BFC, which will have 600,936 square feet of offices above retail and parking in the first phase. A Metrorail stop at the 6th Street corner of the property makes public transportation a viable option.

BFC’s three-quarter-acre plaza fronts Brickell Avenue, where its open-air volume is amplified by a public park and historic church property across the avenue. The plaza, designed to serve as a people-friendly oasis and social gathering place, is proportionally comparable to New York City’s Rockefeller Center, another landmark defined by its outdoor plaza.

The rewards of green building may, at first glance, seem difficult for a building’s users to measure. But this approach delivers immediate, tangible benefits to the people who will spend time within BFC’s interior spaces. I’m referring to the healthier indoor air quality that can be achieved through careful planning and rigorous adherence to LEED® standards.

Strategies to ensure that the air BFC’s occupants breathe will be substantially free of harmful vapors, fumes, and mold began on the drawing board and will extend throughout the construction process.

An interior air quality management plan has been put into place to make sure that ductwork is sealed, and that air filters are changed frequently during the early, dirtiest phases of construction when particles and moisture fill the air. Preventing microbial growth in air ducts and inside walls during construction is critical for controlling air quality long term; removing contaminants after a building is costly and difficult.

Adhesives and sealants are critical to the green building process because they improve a building’s energy efficiency. But the chemicals they contain emit into the atmosphere, resulting in air pollution that can irritate allergies and asthmatic conditions, and potentially lead to health risks. To minimize such risks, BFC is using low-VOC sealants, adhesives, and paints for construction components and finishes. (VOC stands for volatile organic compound, a group of chemical pollutants.) The solid wood, metal, and formaldehyde-free materials that have been specified for BFC will also lessen the potential for indoor emissions.

BFC’s tenants are being encouraged to plan their interior build outs to make maximum use of the natural light and spectacular views that the building’s glass curtain walls provide. Occupants will have individual controls for the lighting and HVAC in office areas, and the option of monitoring the quality of their indoor air with CO2 sensors.

We all know from experience that indoor air quality can affect workers’ health, comfort, and productivity. Our goal with this building—a goal we know that tenants share— is to boost worker productivity and decrease absenteeism while, at the same time, promoting a healthier environment for future generations.

While the beauty of this building’s outer shell will add to Miami’s visual fabric, the quality of its interior air has serious implications for those who will spend thousands of hours a year within its walls. Brickell Financial Centre is proud to take the lead by demonstrating that distinctive architecture and healthy interior air quality are achievable through green building practices.