500 Brickell, is a residential complex in the Brickell

Brickell

Brickell is an urban neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States. A neighborhood of greater Downtown Miami, Brickell is Miami and South Florida's major financial district.-Background:...

 neighborhood of Miami, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The complex consists of two condominium towers, 500 Brickell West Tower and 500 Brickell East Tower. The two buildings were designed as twin towers, and rise 426 feet (130 meters), with 42 floors. Both skyscraper

Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

s were designed by the Arquitectonica

Arquitectonica

Arquitectonica is an international architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and urban planning corporation headquartered in Miami, Florida, United States in the Coconut Grove neighborhood, with offices in ten other cities throughout the world...

 architectural firm, and the complex was developed by Thomas Kramer

Thomas Kramer

Thomas Kramer is a German real estate developer and venture capitalist noteworthy for his part in the redevelopment of South Beach, Miami, Florida. He is also a well-known high society figure and philanthropist, hosting charitable events at his Star Island mansion...

's Portofino Group in partnership with the Related Group of Florida. The towers began construction in April 2005,, was topped out in mid-2007 and was completed in 2008.

Design

500 Brickell was originally designed to emulate a giant arch

Arch

An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...

. Both towers are connected by a 10-story base, and the top floors of the two towers are also connected by a large white roof. The roof was designed with a circular hole to direct light into the courtyard formed between the two buildings, in which a large pool will be located.