Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
- Legacy Tower at Miami Worldcenter is being billed as the world's first "pandemic-ready" skyscraper.
- The 55-story, $500 million building will be part hotel, part residences, and part medical facility.
COVID-19 wasn't the world's first pandemic, and it likely won't be our last either, experts say.
In Florida, developers are bracing for the world's next pandemic with construction of a new 55-story, $500 million skyscraper.
The building is called Legacy Tower at Miami Worldcenter, and it's being billed as "the world's first COVID-Conscious, Pandemic-Ready, all-in-one, residential, hotel and medical center skyscraper," according to a press release. It involves a partnership between Adventist Health, Accor Hotels, developer Royal Palm Companies, and human longevity research organization Blue Zones.
"During the best of times, our travelers, residents and members get to experience a true luxury lifestyle hotel and residences with the perks of being attached to a state-of-the-art Blue Zones medical and wellbeing center," Royal Palm Companies CEO Daniel Kodsi told Insider.
"And during the worst of times, Legacy will be one of the cleanest-designed buildings you can shelter safely in during pandemics - with access to health professionals, a pharmacy, medical- grade air quality and cleaning, food delivery and more. If you do get sick, advanced medical help is just downstairs from your room for a safe place to quarantine while you recover, close to family and loved ones staying nearby in the building," he added.
As far as its living spaces go, the tower will feature 310 Microluxe residences and 219 hotel rooms, as well as amenities like lounges, restaurants, shops, and a rooftop infinity pool.
The building's "pandemic-ready" features include disinfection robots, voice-activated elevators, medical imaging facilities, surgery rooms, and an on-site pharmacy, lab, and medical team.
Here's what the tower is expected to look like when it's finished:
Groundbreaking for the tower began in August. This rendering shows what it may look like when it's complete.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
According to its website, the tower is being built with four key trends in mind: the growth of luxury travel, the rise of vacation rentals, consumer desire for lifestyle experiences, and the demand for wellness and medical tourism.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Inside, you'll find several lobbies throughout the tower, including this one.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Just down the hall is a store of items commonly used in Kampo, a traditional Japanese herbal medicine system with roots in China.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
At the end of the hall is a juice bar looking onto the city.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Some of the tower's "pandemic-ready" features include UV disinfecting ventilation systems, a robotic parking garage, touchless entry systems, and voice-activated elevators.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
As far as health facilities go, the tower will have 10 floors of medical facilities, including an area called The Center for Health + Performance.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
The center will include a futuristic-looking "biolab." Rooms here look relatively unassuming from the outside...
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
...but have essentially floor-to-ceiling panels inside to show patients a wide range of personal health information.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Other biolabs in the building might look more like this, according to a different rendering.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
There are also plans for a bike room, complete with a futuristic unicycle exercise bike and a massive screen to immerse you in nature during your ride.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
The room will also have medical exam rooms, which visitors can wait for in this lounge.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Here's a look at the inside of one of the exam rooms.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
In addition, the tower will have operating rooms, medically equipped hotel rooms for post-surgical patients, and imaging facilities for MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, mammograms, and ultrasounds.
There will also be a pharmacy, dispensary, lab and on-call medical team of doctors, nurses, therapists, and other healthcare professionals.
Besides medical facilities, the tower will have 310 Microluxe residences. One of the room configurations is expected to look something like this.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
On one side is the master bedroom.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Here's the master bathroom nearby.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Just outside is a dining area.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Directly behind that is a wardrobe, minibar, and kitchen.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
The adjacent living room overlooks the city.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Another room configuration will look more like this.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
In this layout, the living room is directly to the right of the master bed, separated by a curtain.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Here, the wardrobe, desk, and kitchen are just opposite the bed.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
On the other side of the bed, also separated by a curtain, is the bathroom.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
The residences have floor-to-ceiling windows, as seen in this living room during the day...
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
...and at night...
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
...and even in this bathroom.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Among its many amenities, the tower has a rooftop atrium and event space.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Here's a closer look at it.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Here's what you might see sitting in the sky lounge looking out onto the city during the day.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
And here's how it'd look at night.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Just outside is a rooftop pool.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
Elsewhere in the building, guests will find this technology bar.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
There are also lounges, restaurants, shops, a spa, and more.
Construction on the tower is expected to finish in 2024.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
"With Legacy Hotel & Residences being the first to have a COVID-conscious and pandemic-ready design, it sets the stage for the future of real estate and building design," Royal Palm Companies CEO Daniel Kodsi told Insider.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies
"Future developments will now more seriously consider incorporating medical-grade filtration systems, UV sterilization, voice-activated elevators and touchless room key access as essential amenities for the safety of their residents and guests," Kodsi said.
Legacy Miami Worldcenter/Royal Palm Companies