MVRDV's Woma building brings human scale

Dutch architecture studio MVRDV has designed the Woma mixed-use building for Miami's Wynwood neighbourhood. The 163-residence project, developed by Quito-based firm Uribe Schwarzkopf, will feature a central plaza and a facade broken into colour-blocked sections.

MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs stated the design aims to bring the building down to a human scale. "Woma is neighbourhood-oriented visually and also functionally," van Rijs told Dezeen. He said it prioritises human scale and pedestrian connectivity while integrating abundant greenery, neighbourhood retail, amenities, and a diverse residential mix to create a community hub for the Wynwood Norte area.

Facade Design and Fashion Links

The facade system uses multiple colours and varies the width and pattern of spandrels and mullions to visually break up the building's mass. The red, blue, yellow, and green elements reference the area's fashion businesses. MVRDV described the overall facade as "textile-inspired." Some facades will also feature panels of scalloped metallic mesh.

Furthering a relationship to fashion, the structure will serve as a headquarters for Miami-based fashion designer Rosita Hurtado, who owns the site. A distinct golden, scale-like facade, informed by Hurtado's fashion designs, will mark the entrance to her portion of the building.

Form and Amenities

The structure's form includes various setbacks and cantilevers, described by the studio as a series of "stacked blocks." These cantilevers reveal the thick, sloping and crossing external structural elements, creating a jagged exterior in places.

A central plaza will be accessible via a wide staircase adjacent to Hurtado's facade, allowing movement through the block-wide structure. Some building entrances at the plaza and street level will be arched. Amenities will include green roofs, some serving as social areas, a rooftop pool, and a rooftop pickleball court.

Community Philosophy

Uribe Schwarzkopf CEO Joseph Schwarzkopf likened the building to a "mosaic" expressing community. "Cities are not made of concrete and glass. They are made of relationships," he said. He noted the facade expresses the neighbourhood's deep connection to art, craft, and fashion to create a building that could only exist on this block.

MVRDV has employed a similar colourful, patchwork approach in other projects. These include its first US project, the multi-colour Radio Tower and Hotel in New York's Harlem. In China, it pushed this further in the design for a cultural complex in Shenzhen, which features different colours and material types on its facade. In its home city of Rotterdam, the studio recently won a competition for a design described as a "new world wonder," featuring bulbous volumes covered in greenery. The renderings for Woma are courtesy of Uribe Schwarzkopf.