The Challenge
This project began with an ask to sell something that didn’t even exist yet. That something was a building that will soon stand over 1,000 feet tall. It will be the crowning jewel in the celebrated career of Carlos Ott, a visionary conceptual artist who understands the power of architecture to inspire emotion. It will inject new life into an iconic global brand, Waldorf Astoria, in their moment of modernization—as they seek new relevance for the next generation. It will reflect the audacity of PMG, a real estate developer who seeks to reshape the world around them. And it will serve as a symbol of reinvention for an entire city on the rise, with Miami on the cusp of reinvention as a tech and finance hub—think Silicon Valley East meets Wall Street South. So how could we communicate its true value? By selling not just the building, but the entire city. This was a mission to Elevate Miami. So the stakes were high. All these creative aspirations relied on an unforgettable sales experience. Because unless enough units sell to break ground, none of it would ever be built.
The Idea
Like the architects, we started with a blank slate: a 20,000 square foot blank slate. And we guided a team of interdisciplinary thinkers to design a journey with both rational and emotional moments, leading to a floorplan that takes you “outside in”—from city to neighborhood to building to your new home—inspiring a sales experience that’s more like an immersive museum, with a series of high-design exhibits:
Greeting Our Guests
A custom-built kinetic sculpture symbolizing a moment of change for Miami
Primer Film
An immersive “primer film” that introduces the power of iconic buildings
City on the Rise
A motion-activated data wall that demonstrates Miami’s trajectory, with sculptural relief elements enhanced by projection-mapped graphics
Welcome to the Neighborhood
An interactive “neighborhood” installation, with a projection-highlighted relief map and a synchronized story in film playing out on paired screens
Scale Model
A twenty-four foot scale model surrounded by the history of the Waldorf brand
Coffee in the Clouds
A model unit equipped with virtual views, shot by drone and set onto 50 feet of floor-to-ceiling screens, fully controllable to showcase any height at any time of day
Residence Configurator
Linked to a residence configurator app that captures data and allows buyers to customize their new unit, it’s a sales experience with unmatched scale and scope.
The Impact
The outcomes have been spectacular. The client was aiming to break ground in 2023, when enough sales had come through to warrant it. This sales experience has been so effective that they’re breaking ground an entire year earlier, in early 2022. That’s over 50% sooner than expected.