Design & Real Estate

Beachside Treasure

The masterpiece 240-unit luxury condominium, Oceana Bal Harbour from developer and art mogul Eduardo Costantini is expected to break records in South Florida with a $1.3 billion sell out. It’s already revered as one of the most successful real estate developments in Miami.
Text by Sandy Lindsey | Photos courtesy of Oceana Bal Harbour | May 7, 2018 | Design & Real Estate

The site once known as the world-famous Bal Harbour Club is now the spectacular all-new Oceana Bal Harbour — a condominium paradise defined by complete flow-through residences, 5-star resort-style amenities, unobstructed views of South Florida beaches, the Atlantic, Biscayne Bay and city highlights like Bal Harbour Shops, and most notably, a museum-worthy art collection co-owned by the residents. “The importance of art at Oceana Bal Harbour is a reflection of Miami’s place in the world, both in the realm of contemporary art and in terms of international cache,” says Eduardo Costantini, Founder of Consultatio Real Estate. “Unlike other projects, Oceana is offering residents collective ownership of its multi-million-dollar Blue Chip Collection composed of master works by internationally-acclaimed artists including Jeff Koons, Callum Innes, An Te Liu, Jorge Mendez Blake, Taryn Simon, Juan Usle and Garth Weiser. The residents own a percentage of each art piece, managed by the Homeowner’s Association, which can each be sold after the property’s 5-year anniversary with an 80% winning vote.”
The two gems of the property include the larger-than-life sculptures, Seated Ballerina and Pluto and Proserpina by one the world’s most prolific living artists, Jeff Koons. Prior to calling Oceana home, they toured some of the top museums around the world, including the Whitney in NYC, the Pompedou in Paris, the Guggenheim in Spain and arguably the most important Latin American modern and contemporary art museum, MALBA in Buenos Aires, which was founded by Eduardo Costantini. “My philosophy in real estate as well as in collecting art is to have the best,” he says. “In all of my projects, prime location, 5-star service, innovative design and the latest technology are all musts…likewise, in collecting works of art, I choose only certain pieces — the most important — by a given artist in hopes that those surrounded by the works experience more personal contact with art in their daily lives.”
Filled with attention to detail and yet remarkably understated, Oceana Bal Harbour is the only development to sit completely parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, maximizing on its scenic ocean views. The LEED-certified building is recessed back 100 feet from the main street, Collins Avenue, with two westerly entry points that connect, creating a symmetrical oval space. Its entryway serves as the treasured focal point of the property with its two towers linked by a bridge structure, approximately 40 feet in the air, that create a 5-story, monumental breezeway framing the sky to the east and the beloved, stainless steel Pluto and Proserpina.
The glass-enwrapped towers are a nod to the minimalist architecture expression, where its perimeter is outlined by deep, expansive terraces, doubling as outdoor living spaces, with glass rails that follow the gentle curves of the tower’s façades. What’s more, the design paints the illusion of a light and transparent building that blends into its natural blue surroundings made up of water and sky. By marrying architecture and international contemporary art, Oceana Bal Harbour’s North and South lobbies liken themselves to art galleries. The overall design celebrates the natural beauty of the elite enclave that is Bal Harbour with the expansive green lawns and water views at the forefront.
The project also boasts a world-class residents-only restaurant by the name of Ballerina run by Starr Catering Group, founded by renowned restaurateur Stephen Starr and Simon Powles. As one of the only residential restaurants in the city (if not the only one) in Miami to have a liquor license, Ballerina, is composed of seasonally-inspired contemporary cuisine infused with Mediterranean influences. The restaurant is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, acting as an extension of the residents’ kitchens. Residents can also indulge in pool-deck gourmet bites and cocktails, in-condo room service deliveries and dinner-party catering services with on-site chefs and waitstaff, all which can be requested and scheduled through the development’s mobile app. The name Ballerina was inspired by world-renowned artist Jeff Koons’s Ballerina, the multi-million-dollar sculpture that lives in the beachside garden.
Oceana Bal Harbour, which was completed in January 2017 with units priced between $3 million and $30 million, is a collaboration of a star team including Costantini, renowned Architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia of Arquitectonica, acclaimed Italian Interior Designer Piero Lissoni and artful Landscape Architect Enzo Enea. The property offers resort-style amenities including 24-hour concierge service, a world-class spa, valet parking, private cabanas, a relaxation pool and Olympic-style lap pool, a grand salon with chef’s kitchen and bar, a kid’s activity room, a cinema, and much more. Private elevators deliver residents right to their front door, keeping them secluded from neighbors and noise. The units, ranging from 2 to 5 bedrooms, boast Gaggenau kitchen appliances, Italian cabinetry, marble counters and backsplashes, top-of-the-line smart home technology, treated Ipe wood floors and textured marble walls in wet areas as well as Italian-manufactured bathtubs and washbasins from Boffi and Zuchetti.
Moreover, the innovations at this residential marvel are as impressive as its aesthetics. Spending roughly 15% more than competing luxury developments to deliver first-class soundproof features significantly reduces noise pollution. The entire building is wrapped with two layers of insulated glass: one layer of laminated glass, followed by an inch of air duct to absorb noise, and then another layer of laminated glass. One of the more unique design features at Oceana Bal Harbour is its innovative underground parking garage, which will offer residents an elegant visual connection between the street, the building’s lower amenity level, the pool and most importantly, the ocean. Unlike the majority of new developments being built with sky-high parking decks, Oceana Bal Harbour’s two-level garage will be entirely underground, going down about 30 feet in order to preserve the building’s quality as well as its street level connections to the ocean.
The award-winning project is just the latest distinctive achievement in a long line of accolades for visionary Eduardo Costantini, whose father held 3 different jobs and was always a strong supporter of education. Costantini completed an Undergraduate Degree in Economics in Argentina, and by the time he was 28, he’d saved enough money to go to London to achieve a Master’s in Quantitative Economics at the University of East Anglia in England. When he returned to Argentina, he went into the banking field, became a stockbroker, and later acquired an important equity holding in a prestigious bank, BBVA Banco Frances, of which he became the Vice Chairman. “I was always interested in the real estate market from a young age, but my connection with it was always as an investor,” he says. “Then, in the 1970’s I started playing with the idea of developing instead of investing, because I like the idea of creating and bringing value to the world around me. My first real estate investment in Argentina was a plot of land I purchased in 1976, which I purchased for $240,000. In just a few months, I was able to sell the same plot for $1 million.”
In 2008, Costantini decided to undertake projects outside of Argentina to expand Consultatio’s portfolio, reach and influence. “Being abroad gives us a greater opportunity to create masterful projects because you get to learn from a roster of international interior designers, architects, landscapers and even other developers,” he says. “When we started looking for metropolitan cities, we considered Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo and Paris, but in the end we found the perfect spot in Key Biscayne and Bal Harbour.” And the rest, as they say, is history.
Oceana Bal Harbour is located at 10201 Collins Avenue. For more information or for sales inquiries, call 786.453.7205 or visit OceanaBalHarbour.com.