Miami's Newest Proposed Tourist Attraction: A Gigantic Fake Sun

  1. A.J. Artemel

The giant artificial orb would sit in the middle of the harbor and change color throughout the day to replicate solar effects.

Miami tends to have a reputation for glitz and bombast, whether from the need to impress at the beach, or stemming from the city’s role as a financial and cultural center for Latin America. Miami Sun, a new project from Swedish design duo Visiondivision, capitalizes on this reputation with a proposal for a landmark in Bayfront Park, adjacent to downtown.

Miami Sun is exactly what its name suggests: a giant artificial sun in the middle of the harbor. This installation is meant to attract tourists and residents alike with vibrant digital sunsets, and at night, by turning into a giant moon. Lit from within by solar-powered lights, Miami Sun changes color throughout the day, replicating solar effects while screening viewers from ultraviolet waves.

Behind the Sun’s gridded façade, visitors gamble at a multistory casino topped by an observation deck. Reached by small boats, the Sun aims to be a major attraction for cruise ship passengers as, in addition to the casino, a large pool extends between the Sun and Bayfront Park, peppered with an idyllic archipelago. You may not get a tan from Miami Sun, but you will feel the architectural heat. See below for more images.

All images courtesy Visiondivision. This post originally appeared on Architizer, an Atlantic partner site.

About the Author

Most Popular

  1. Coronavirus

    The Post-Pandemic Urban Future Is Already Here

    The coronavirus crisis stands to dramatically reshape cities around the world. But the biggest revolutions in urban space may have begun before the pandemic.

    1. Ian Klaus
  2. Perspective

    In a Pandemic, We're All 'Transit Dependent'

    Now more than ever, public transportation is not just about ridership. Buses, trains, and subways make urban civilization possible.

    1. Jarrett Walker
  3. photo: San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency employees turn an empty cable car in San Francisco on March 4.
    Transportation

    As Coronavirus Quiets Streets, Some Cities Speed Road and Transit Fixes

    With cities in lockdown and workplaces closed, the big drop in traffic and transit riders allows road repair and construction projects to rush forward.

    1. Laura Bliss
  4. photo: South Korean soldiers attempt to disinfect the sidewalks of Seoul's Gagnam district in response to the spread of COVID-19.
    Coronavirus

    Pandemics Are Also an Urban Planning Problem

    Will COVID-19 change how cities are designed? Michele Acuto of the Connected Cities Lab talks about density, urbanization and pandemic preparation.  

    1. Ian Klaus
  5. A pedestrian wearing a protective face mask walks past a boarded up building in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Governors from coast to coast Friday told Americans not to leave home except for dire circumstances and ordered nonessential business to shut their doors.
    Equity

    The Geography of Coronavirus

    What do we know so far about the types of places that are more susceptible to the spread of Covid-19? In the U.S., density is just the beginning of the story.

    1. Richard Florida
Maps
Click Here
Newsletters
Click Here
Facebook
Click Here
×