The Towering Tower Crane at SLS Lux Is Coming Down – How Do They Do That?
The tower crane that erected the nearly sold-out SLS Lux to its height of 60 stories is being removed this weekend. Allen Morris, the co-developer of SLS Lux has joked that the tower crane is the State Bird of Florida and while I chuckle, he does have a point. During the high point of the building boom, I’ve counted as many as 33 tower cranes in the skyline.
Many people have been curious about the process of building and disassembling such monstrous tools. How do you build something that is designed to build a building that tall? There is no tool tall enough or strong enough to take it down when the job is complete, so how do they do it? Interestingly enough, it takes itself down.
The tower portion (also called the mast) is designed in a way that it has a brace, allowing workers to raise the crane with hydraulics, then the crane lifts the next piece and workers slide it into place. This happens gradually as the tower rises, and then the opposite happens when they are finished. When the tower is low enough, a mobile crane will arrive and disassemble the rest.
Here is a short video that demonstrates how the cranes build themselves up:
Below is an image taken from Brickell Heights next door. You can see that the crane is being lowered for disassembly. The jib (arm) is moved into the North/South position so that it does not damage the building, and is slowly shrinking from its tallest height of 700 feet. According to the workers onsite, the process takes about a week.
SLS Lux is expected to open later this year. All of the residences and designer suites have been sold, but 2 penthouses remain available. We had the opportunity to preview the penthouse views when the building topped off in December.
SLS Lux Reduces Prices On Final Inventory Of Penthouses
I have long said that the best time to buy in a new development is either in the very beginning or at the very end of the sales cycle. That is when the buyer gets the best deal.
In the beginning, the developer offers lower pricing in exchange for being among the first to participate in the project. You don’t receive a tour of the building and many times the sales center isn’t even completed yet. At the end of the project, the developer has a handful of units remaining and is eager to move on to their next project, so are less likely to hold on to top dollar for those last few purchase opportunities.
My personal favorite time to sell an apartment is at the very end of the sales cycle. At that point, the buyer can have a tour of the project, they know that it will actually happen because they can see it, and many times they can still choose their finishes. Some people think that the last few units remaining are the dog apartments of the building, but that is not what my experience has shown. It is typically penthouses because they are so unique.
So, here we are at SLS Lux. After opening sales in the summer of 2014, the partnership between Related Group and The Allen Morris Company is now on the home stretch to Sold Out status. They have five remaining units, all penthouses. In an effort to close out the building as quickly as possible and reflect the new market, they have repriced the last inventory. Here are the new prices:
Penthouse 04
This one has northern exposure, looking over Brickell City Centre to see Downtown Miami and the Biscayne Bay. It has 2,777 square feet and 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a den. There are three of these remaining.
Lower Penthouse 04 has been reduced to $2,599,900 from $2,999,900.
Middle Penthouse 04 has been reduced to $2,649,900 from $3,149,900.
Upper Penthouse 04 has been reduced to $2,699,900 from $3,199,900.
The 01 penthouses have 1,888 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 3 baths and a den. They are on the northwest corner of the building, looking over Brickell City Centre into Downtown Miami. Two of these remain, both priced at $1,599,900. The previous price was $1,999,900.
In addition to the amenities and standard finishes in SLS Lux, the penthouses will have upgraded kitchens, 12 foot ceilings, summer kitchens on the terraces and 2 assigned parking spaces. Completion is expected late this year. Here is a preview of the views from the various penthouses.
SLS Lux Tops Off At 58 Stories – Here Is A Preview
Carlos Rosso Demonstrates The Front Desk.
The 58-story SLS Lux has topped off on schedule and to celebrate, the folks over at Related Group invited us for a construction tour to preview the project. We were able to go up to the 55th floor for a candid tour of the views and then to some of the lower floors to have a peek at the finishes and the layouts.
We started in the construction elevator, which offered a thorough preview of the views from each floor. From this vantage point, I was also pleased to see that the views were turning out true to the renderings shown on the sales material with the deep and curved terraces overlooking the city and bay.
When we reached the top, the support beams were still installed for reinforcement and we were able to see the views from all around while discussing the project with Carlos Rosso, President of Related Group’s Condo Division and Allen Morris, CEO of the Allen Morris Company and co-developer of the project. We learned that it takes over 500 workers to construct the project and they expect completion around this time next year.
The project has been a big success for both developers, with only a handful of apartments remaining priced at around $1,100/square foot (the remaining opportunities are all penthouses). The penthouses include upgraded kitchens, 2 assigned parking spaces, 12 foot ceilings and summer kitchens in addition to the standard features.
Rosso joked that he is planning to surround Stephen Owen’s “fort” (Brickell City Centre), once One Brickell is ultimately launched. That project is on hold for now but they hope to relaunch it in 2017 after seeing the success of Aston Martin Residences and Tibor Hollo’s planned ultra-luxury tower at 1201 Brickell Bay Drive.
Morris reminisced of his beginnings in Brickell, back when his company built the first office tower, 1000 Brickell Avenue. He enjoyed being a part of the transformation of the neighborhood into what it is today and I have to say that I agree – even though my time here only dates back to 2008.
Here is a sample of the views:
SLS Lux East View
SLS Lux East View – Brickell Key
SLS Lux – South View
Next we went down to preview some of the apartments and condo/hotel suites. There are 450 units in SLS Lux as well as 78 condo hotel suites. The bathrooms and kitchens were being installed already, so there was a lot of dust but here was the view from the condo hotel suites.
Afterward we walked through the amenities and lobby area. The ground floor restaurant, Katsuya is beginning its $22 million finish out. On the amenity deck, the form sets for the swimming pools were being poured and then the rock climbing wall, tennis courts and outdoor theater will go in. All in all, SLS Lux is shaping up to be a fine addition to our skyline. It will be exciting to see it this time next year once all of the dust has settled and everything is shiny and new!
