
It might not top the old cliché about going to the opening of an envelope, but we did go to the opening of a parking garage in Miami last night. This one is far from your run-of-the-mill car park, however. It was designed by the Swiss starchitects Herzog & de Meuron (Tate Modern, Beijing National Stadium) for a site at the west end of the Lincoln Road mall in South Beach. The exact address is 1111 Lincoln Road and is called "Eleven Eleven" and it's one of the most spectacular new buildings in the area. It's sure to be a destination for architectural tourists and a textbook case for students on the correct way to integrate a building with its neighbor. This is one of the few times we've seen a new beautiful building make the ugly one next door look so good. About nine stories tall, with no walls and built entirely of raw un-painted concrete, the building is a soaring, angular high-tech testament to form following function. Park here and your car will love you. The ground floor is will soon house boutiques and restaurants, including a branch of New York's Shake Shack and the buzz at the party was about the building owner's plans for a 25,000 square foot "home" at the top. Garage enthusiasts visiting Miami should also check out one designed in 1997 by Architectonica on Collins Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets that is completely overgrown with plants.


