MVRDV Stacks Colorful WOMA Housing in Miami
MVRDV and Uribe Schwarzkopf reveal WOMA, a 163-residence mixed-use development in Miami's Wynwood Norte featuring stacked blocks and a Fornasetti mosaic plaza.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- MVRDV designed WOMA, a 163-residence mixed-use housing project in Miami's Wynwood Norte neighborhood.
- The building features stacked, differently scaled colored blocks to match the surrounding smaller neighborhood scale.
- Developed by Uribe Schwarzkopf, marking their first project in the United States.
- Includes a public plaza featuring Fornasetti mosaics and a studio for fashion designer Rosita Hurtado.
Architecture studio MVRDV has unveiled WOMA, a 163-residence mixed-use housing development situated in Miami's Wynwood Norte neighborhood on a former coffee roasting site. The project marks Ecuador-based developer Uribe Schwarzkopf's first venture in the United States, breaking the building down into a series of differently scaled stacked blocks that resemble a cluster of separate structures.
The exterior features deep red and green sections sitting alongside blue and sandy volumes, complemented by recessed windows and shifting grids that give each piece a distinct rhythmic identity. This fragmented massing strategy responds directly to the surrounding neighborhood defined mostly by smaller buildings, ensuring the project remains pedestrian-friendly and legible from the sidewalk despite rising well above adjacent structures.
The visual history of Wynwood is integrated into the architecture through a textile-inspired facade recalling the area's past as Miami's Fashion District. MVRDV also incorporates local street art influences, applying vibrant colors and graphic surface treatments across the stacked volumes.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The residential mix spans micro-units, studios, and larger apartments, alongside a select group of duplex atelier residences designed by MVRDV for live-work use. Double-height windows open these ateliers to the exterior, giving artists and designers workspace and exhibition areas visible from the street. A single penthouse with a private terrace crowns the structure, while the remaining homes are distributed throughout the stacked volumes rather than concentrated in a single tower.
MVRDV's approach of breaking the massing into stacked blocks rather than a monolithic tower represents a critical strategy in contextual urban integration. When introducing a large development into a historically low-rise neighborhood, this fragmented massing reduces visual bulk at the street level while carving out interstitial pockets for green terraces and shared amenities. It successfully balances high-density residential needs with the human-scale streetscape and cultural identity of Wynwood.
Setbacks between the blocks create planted terraces and outdoor pockets, with larger shared amenities located on upper levels. A semi-official rooftop pool sits beside landscaped garden lounges, while a wellness terrace and fitness studio occupy another communal zone integrated into the stepped architectural volume.
At street level, a publicly accessible plaza opens between the residential volumes, designed to host exhibitions and fashion shows alongside the studio of Bolivian-born fashion designer Rosita Hurtado. Kobi Karp serves as the associate architect providing local expertise, while a planned Brightline station in Wynwood Norte is expected to enhance neighborhood connectivity in the future.
Source: designboom
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