The Legacy Tower: a COVID-Conscious Medical Center

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced the unveiling of the Legacy Tower, a new project located at the Miami Worldcenter. 

Miami Worldcenter is currently the nation’s largest urban core construction project. According to developer Kobi Karp, the Legacy Tower is the first structure of its kind, outfitted with plenty of futuristic features. Construction on the Legacy Tower began in August 2021.

The Legacy Tower: What is It?

The highly-anticipated Legacy Tower construction is the world’s first COVID-conscious, pandemic-ready, all-in-one skyscraper located in the heart of Miami. The Legacy Tower is a mixed-use project designed to accommodate residential, hotel and medical purposes. 

Here are some of the specs of the Legacy tower:

• 55 stories
• $500 million
• 600 feet tall

This skyscraper construction comes from a revolutionary joint venture between multiple companies, including Adventists Health, Blue Zones, Accor Hotels and Royal Palm Companies. 

Each organization will contribute to the development of the Legacy Tower, which is considered an urban ecosystem due to its size and scale. 

It’s interesting to note that this is the first major project to break ground since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fatal Champlain Towers condo collapse that occurred in nearby Surfside. 

Miami Worldcenter Legacy Tower Features

Recently, developers announced that they signed one of the largest commercial leases in Miami’s history, with 120,000 square feet of space and 10 floors.

Here are some of the critical features of the Legacy tower:

• 310 MicroLuxe residencies
• 219 hotel rooms
• 10 floors of medical facilities
• Ground-floor retail 
• Large one-acre pool deck
• Seven-floor rooftop atrium with a restaurant, bar and lounge
• Cantilevered pool 500-feet in the sky

Medical Center Features

The state-of-the-art medical complex called The Blue Zones Medical Center alone costs $100 million. Blue Zones are regions where people tend to live longer because of a healthier lifestyle and lower rates of chronic diseases. Environmental influences play a significant role when labeling an area as a Blue Zone. 

Here are some of the components of the medical center:

• Diagnostic lab testing suite for preemptive health evaluations
• On-site lab
• On-site pharmacy and dispensary
• Surgery rooms
• MRI, CT Scan, mammography, x-ray and ultrasound imaging facilities
• Medically-equipped hotel rooms for post-surgical patients

Other Features

In addition to these features, the structure will be outfitted with advanced germ-killing technology to keep everyone inside safe. This is important considering FEMA estimates people catch around 10% of colds outdoors and 90% indoors. Installing hospital-grade ventilation systems is crucial to ensuring the safety of people indoors and can reduce the chances of individuals getting sick. 

UV robots, touchless tech, voice-activated tech, water filtration systems and antimicrobial furnishings all add to the concept of being COVID-conscious. This kind of contactless technology will become popular since everyone is more aware of spreading illnesses. In the case of any future pandemics, staff will equip Legacy with medical glasses and ventilators. 

The new skyscraper will revolutionize the way construction professionals design new structures and how urban environments ensure the safety of their residents. Consequently, It’ll be exciting to see how other structures come to meet new standards alongside vaccine mandates in health care.

The Current State of COVID-19 in Florida

While the COVID-19 situation in Florida is ever-changing, it’s fair to say that there are many hot spots for cases in the state. As the delta variant continues to ripple through the country, there’s been a noticeable surge in coronavirus cases in Florida.

The Mayo Clinic tracks and monitors cases in Florida and updates data accordingly. One of the benefits of building the Legacy right in downtown Miami is to provide a place of safety and comfort to its nearby residents. 

One of the reasons Florida is experiencing a surge in COVID cases may be the vaccination rate. As of February 2022, 64.7% of Floridians have fully vaccinated themselves.

The real estate market in Miami has experienced an explosion as more people fled to Florida to escape high tax rates. Record numbers migrated to South Florida specifically as the pandemic rippled through the country.

Ensuring a Safe Future in Downtown Miami

With the construction of this revolutionary structure, it’s safe to say that Miami residents and tourists alike will reap the benefits of the high-quality medical center and luxurious amenities. 

According to estimations, the project will finish in 2024. By then, the pandemic may be a thing of the past, but maintaining safe, healthy environments will still be a top priority for those in the hospitality industry.