Category Archives: News

Ugo Colombo Holds Brickell Flatiron Bash

Developer Ugo Colombo – and Rafael Gill, publisher of Miami’s new gentleman’s quarterly, Toys for Boys – recently held a bash at Brickell Flatiron sales & design gallery to celebrate Ugo Colombo’s latest masterpiece.

Guests mixed and mingled over Moet Imperial Mini’s, Hennessy VSOP Privilege cocktails, tasty truffle infused passed hors d’oeuvres and the latest designs from master swiss time piece maker, Hublot. ‎

Rick de la Croix, Ugo Colombo, & Rafael Gill

Hublot Executive, Rick De La Croix, and Moet Marketing director, Donae Burston, were on hand admiring the 64-story glass façade building model while Miami taste makers including Del Toro founder Matthew Chevallard, Toys for Boys creative director, Camilo Rios, and Casa Tua owner, Miky Grendene, toured the gallery space designed by artist Julian Schnabel which features his original works.

See all the photos from Ugo Colombo’s Brickell Flatiron Bash

Construction Set To Begin on Brickell Flatiron

The CMC Group is in the final stages of preparation to begin construction on their long-anticipated Brickell Flatiron building in downtown Miami.

The developer filed a 25-page Declaration of Condominium for the project in November, with maintenance fees coming in at just above 70-cents per square foot. A permit to remove and relocate old growth trees has been approved by the city, and the popular bar and eatery Baru Urbano served its’ last patrons earlier this year. A parking lot that still functions on the Flatirons land will close at the end of the week, and demolition and construction will begin soon after.

The CMC Group bought the land in October of 2013 for $21 million, and the project’s completion date is currently expected to be 2017.

The Brickell Flatiron: Miami’s New Star

Contracts for a 64-story luxury condominium tower in downtown Miami have started to come together, as a joint venture between CMC Group and Capital Group. This sleek looking glass tower will be called the Brickell Flatiron, and will be a modern adaptation of the New York City skyscraper, the Flatiron building.

This 548-unit development will be the tallest residential property in downtown Miami when finished, and it will offer expansive one- through five-bedroom homes, as well as a limited collection of penthouse and duplexes. Designed by architect Luis Revuelta, each unit will feature CMC Group’s trademark premium custom Italian finishes, professional grade German appliances, as well as a balcony offering the most panoramic and breathtaking views Miami has to offer. A new sales space, which doubles as a public art gallery, is currently featuring the work of legendary artist Julian Schnabel. CMC Group founder Ugo Colombo says “Our goal with each of our developments is to not just build a building; it is to create a significant cultural landmark which engages the community and enhances the neighborhood.”

The Brickell Flatiron will offer luxury living, as well as a private-resident’s movie theater, a state-of-the-art business center, conference room, event space, child’s play area and game room. It will also offer an 18^th-floor pool designed for swimming laps, 24-hour valet and concierge service for all residents, and a covered garage for self-parking. The building will include 40,000-sq ft of retail space, featuring restaurants, shopping, and a modern lobby, all designed by renowned artist, Julian Schnabel.

Ugo Colombo and His Vision for Brickell Flatiron (VIDEO)

Ugo Colombo delivers luxury, condominium high-rises that are nothing short of spectacular and his reputation definitely supersedes him. Ugo Colombo has overseen developments such as Santa Maria, Bristol Tower, Grovenor House, and Epic.

Ugo Colombo’s latest project is Brickell Flatiron. Brickell Flatiron was be centrally located in Brickell at 1001 South Miami Avenue. It will be a luxury, all-glass tower with 64 stories. It will offer spectacular amenities such as a spa, a fitness center, and rooftop pool.

Ugo Colombo discusses Brickell Flatiron in recently released promo video found below. View the video and hear about Ugo Colombo’s vision for his latest project and his goal to see the fusion of great architecture and art.

Ugo Colombo, Julian Schnabel, and Miami’s Brickell Flatiron Park

Miami’s Brickell Flatiron Park has become the new focus for New York Artist Julian Schnabel. Schnabel is working on an art installation for Brickell Flatiron Park that will serve as public art as well as a sales and design hub for CMC Group’s nearby luxury residential development, Brickell Flatiron.

“The Brickell Flatiron Sales Gallery functions as a livable work of art,” says CMC Group founder Ugo Colombo. “As a longtime collector of Julian’s work, I have always appreciated his commitment to applying his artistic vision and eye to whatever it is he does.”

The small building in the park will double as the Sales & Design Gallery for the forthcoming 64-story tower. The building’s exterior will feature Schnabel’s signature broken ceramic plates. The interior will feature an assortment of Schnabel’s original furniture and artwork. In addition to Schnabel’s contribution to the Sales & Design Gallery, he has been commissioned to design the public spaces and lobby of Brickell Flatiron.

“His art is so different from anything else out there and I believe the commonality of crafting something that stands apart from the masses is where our values in design align, particularly at Brickell Flatiron,” says Ugo Colombo.

See the video below of Schnabel working on Brickell Flatiron:

Ugo Colombo Discusses Local Buyers at ULI Event

The Urban Land Institute held the 2014 Miami Condo Symposium late last year and Ugo Colombo was one of the key panelists present at this exciting and informative event. The symposium was held at the EPIC Hotel and it featured lively and informative dialogue with South Florida’s – and the country’s – most successful and recognized real estate professionals. Th event exposed and analyzed various trends, forecasts and opportunities in Miami’s evolving real estate condo market from a host of standpoints.

In his article “Six lessons learned at the Urban Land Institute summit,” South Florida Business Journal’s Senior Reporter, Brian Bandell noted that local Miama buyers are often “missing in action.” While Miami condos tend to be inexpensive from the global point of view, they also tend to be out of reach for many Miami residents. Says Bandell: “Ugo Colombo, head of condo builder CMC Group, said local buyers can’t enter the new condo market unless banks loosen up their construction funding criteria, which would allow developers to lower the 50 percent deposit requirement. ‘The local buyer can not afford the 50 percent deposit,’ Ugo Colombo said. ‘Now the foreigner rents or resells the condo to a local buyer, who can get a 70 percent mortgage.’

Miami’s Condo Market is Booming with Ugo Colombo

The condo market in Miami is flourishing, the projections for new condo units being built has skyrocketed with 1,825 units expected to be completed in 2015 compared to the 33 units completed in 2013. As with anything, this means that the prices are increasing. It is estimated that units currently under construction cost about $500 a square foot, but projects that haven’t started yet, are averaging $600-$650 a square foot. This is especially true for sites on the waterfront because the spaces are all filling up. Most of these projects are luxury condo towers rather than office spaces or lower cost condos.

An important piece of this rise in the condo market is real estate developer Ugo Colombo. Most recently, Ugo Colombo is in the process of proposing the building of a second Brickell tower on Brickell Ave, very close to another one of his projects, the Brickell Flatiron. This second Brickell tower is expected to be extremely luxurious as with all the other buildings Mr. Colombo has undertaken. The Brickell Flatiron will have over 500 condo units at 700 feet tall. Some other projects that Mr. Colombo has developed are the Grovenor House in the Coconut Grove community in Miami as well as Bristol Tower and the Santa Maria on Brickell Avenue. It will be interesting to see what comes of the second Brickell tower. Shown above is a rendering of the Brickell Flatiron rooftop.

Daily Front Row has a Miami Moment with Ugo Colombo

Fashion magazine, The Daily Front Row, prides itself on providing “up to-the-minute coverage on all things fashion, 24/7.”

“If it’s happening, we know it first” they declare and writer, Dena Silver, recently met with Ugo Colombo for their Chic Report series and the two had a “Miami Moment.” In the interview Ugo Colombo shares his 30-year passion for designing high rises and his collaboration with Julian Schnabel on Brickell Flatiron, Miami’s hautest luxury condo building. Says Ugo Colombo:

“I’m good friends with Julian Schnabel, so I thought it would be great to work with him on the common spaces in the building. He picked out the colors, the fabrics, the materials, and the final look of the common spaces, as well as creating some custom furniture pieces.”

Ugo goes on to discuss the most luxurious features of Brickell Flatiron including the glamarous top floor.

Ugo Colombo to Discuss Miami for HauteResidence.com Launch

HauteResidence.com is celebrating a month-long global launch of their new website and Ugo Colombo is slated to speak about Miami at their East Coast event.

HauteResidence.com – an exclusive, membership-driven luxury real estate portal – provides homebuyers the opportunity to find their dream havens with the help of some of the world’s leading real estate professionals. The portal will feature one leading real estate agent in each top market across the globe.

On Monday, October 6th, 2014, Haute Residence hosted a groundbreaking Real Estate Summit in Los Angeles. The following day welcomed a number of slated events including a symposium co-sponsored by Westime and Coldwell Banker International which was held at Soho House L.A. Topics of discussion included the difference between representing foreign versus local clientele, the impact of the Internet on the real estate industry, and the use of social media as a marketing tool.

The second exciting roundtable that Haute Residence will be hosting this fall will take place in New York on October 21st at The Core Club in Manhattan. The event will be moderated by Fox Business Network and wil host Lifetime Achievement Award winner Richard LeFrak along with Ugo Colombo, Kevin Maloney, Edgardo Defortuna, and Don Peebles. This East Coast event will feature a candid discussion that will be centered upon the Miami lifestyle, investment opportunities, and the past, present, and future of the city’s real estate market.

Miami Visits New York Runways

New York Fashion Week is a semi-annual series of events that provides international designers the opportunity to showcase their fashion collections to buyers, the press and the general public. It is consider one of five major fashion weeks in the world and Custo Barcelona’s spring/summer show at Lincoln Center had some major Miami representation.

Custo Barcelona is a clothing company that was founded in the mid 1980s by two brothers Custo and David Dalmau. Custo Barcelona clothing has a very distinct look. The designs are bold, the clothes colorful, and the overall collections reflect a cheerful, careful perspective on fashion and life. Custo Barcelona is sold worldwide. Their flagship stores can be found in Spain, Columbia, France, United States, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Italy, Switzerland, Korea, and Kuwait.

Miami attendees at the show included Adriana De Moura (former Real Housewives of Miami cast member), Academy Award- nominated actress Sally Kirkland (Anna), The Face personality Nigel Barker, Miami soccer stadium pioneer David Beckham, and Principal at CMC Group Ugo Colombo.