The Cube Condo, designed by Oppenheim Architecture & Design, is being marketed as follows. Buyers purchase cube-shaped shells to create their condominium unit (multiple cubes can be purchased to create larger living spaces). The cubes are designed to be modular, allowing the buyer to choose how the unit is arranged - including hanging over the side of the building!
The result seems to be 22-story building put together by non-related buyers stacking legos on top of each other.
I'm reluctant to even suggest the term… but is Miami's Cube Condo an "Open Source" condo project? I don't know, but I don't think so. The cubes seem to be standardized and the "developer" input generally comes in on the design end.
It's not uncommon to purchase unit shells in condo projects which seem to be often associated with higher-end buildings (it's an interesting concept, I guess you are paying for the opportunity to design your own unit). It is also very common to choose they type/size of unit you'd like to purchase within a designed building.
The marketing of this building is interesting - the cubes allow the designers to bring buyers into the building design process. It seems logistically challenging (who gets the best floors if prices are standardized) and a little counterintuitive (you get to customize the building's exterior look by purchasing a standardized unit while also handing the overall building customization to all other purchasers).
I am sort of fascinated with the modular aspect of the building - the idea that cubes could potentially be prefabricated to allow new ways in which to construct multifamily buildings. I'm interesting in seeing how this one progresses!
Resources:
- Self-made Condo Conversions (Money.com)
- Modular Miami High-Rise Lets You Have It Any Way You Want It (Wired.com)
- Oppenheim Architecture & Design
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