Architectural Fragmentation in Wynwood Norte
MVRDV has unveiled designs for WOMA, a 163-residence mixed-use development located in Miami’s Wynwood Norte neighborhood. The project marks the first United States venture for Ecuador-based developer Uribe Schwarzkopf. The structure occupies a site previously home to a coffee roasting company. Architects broke the massive floor area into a series of stacked, differently scaled blocks. This design approach creates the appearance of several distinct structures gathering on a single lot.
Deep red, green, blue, and sandy volumes characterize the exterior facade. Shifting grids and recessed windows provide each block with its own rhythm. The massing choice responds to the neighborhood scale, which remains dominated by smaller, lower-rise buildings. This ensures the 163-home development stays readable from the sidewalk level even as it rises above the existing streetscape.
The exterior design draws on local history and culture. MVRDV incorporated textile-inspired patterns across the facade to honor the area’s past as Miami’s Fashion District. The design team also pulls from the street art scene that defines Wynwood. Color and graphic surface treatments apply across the stacked volumes to unify the disparate segments.
Residential Layouts and Shared Amenities
Unit configurations range from micro-studios to larger apartments. A selection of duplex atelier residences is included to accommodate live-work arrangements. These units feature double-height windows that face the street, allowing artists and designers to display their work or maintain a studio presence visible to passersby. A penthouse sits at the crown of the building with a private terrace. Instead of concentrating all residences in a single tower, the layout distributes homes throughout the various stacked volumes.
Setbacks between these volumes form planted terraces and outdoor pockets. Amenities occupy these transition zones. A semi-Olympic pool is situated on a rooftop level alongside landscaped garden lounges. A fitness studio and wellness terrace provide communal space elsewhere in the building. These shared areas appear between the colored volumes, which allows the amenities to read as an extension of the stepped massing rather than an isolated deck at the top.
Public Connection and Future Integration
A publicly accessible plaza serves as the project center. Broad stairs connect the plaza back to the street level. Bisazza glass mosaics cover the stair surfaces, featuring Fornasetti’s recurring hand motifs known as MANI. This plaza hosts retail spaces and office entries to animate the site. Renderings suggest that planting tucked under the overhanging residential blocks will provide necessary shade for the shared public space.
Fashion designer Rosita Hurtado will operate a studio space off the plaza, which is intended to host fashion shows and various exhibitions. Kobi Karp serves as the associate architect, bringing regional experience to the development team. The project footprint leaves space for future connectivity, including a planned Brightline station in Wynwood Norte. This potential transit stop could offer residents and visitors a link to the rest of the city beyond the immediate neighborhood context.