The Santa Maria rises 52 stories above the Miami skyline on the last remaining parcel of prime waterfront property ideally situated between Brickell Avenue and Biscayne Bay.

For this project objectives incorporated the most functional and economical system design for a high-rise multi-use building.  As a result we developed three design schemes for the electrical distribution system and carried out extensive life cost analysis for each system as well as utility company initial capital costs and operating costs for each proposed alternative.  We demonstrated to the utility company and local building officials that although the utility company had not previously used the proposed system, it should be accepted. This new design concept avoids the use of “stacked” transformer vaults and has been adopted by FPL, the local utility company, as a new standard for high-rise buildings.  The estimated savings to the client will be $180,000.

The City of Miami Building department has also accepted the proposed design and corresponding interpretation of the South Florida Building Code as it relates to sanitary system risers, resulting in a savings of more than $50,000 for this building.  The issue in question concerned the interpretation of the code requiring full size waste and vent stacks.

The Santa Maria
Miami, Florida