The Delmore Surfside Offers a Bold, New Design for Oceanfront Development
by David Hay
August 2025
When construction on The Delmore is complete in 2029, the new luxury residential development will overlook 200 feet of unobstructed coastline in Surfside, between Miami Beach and Bal Harbor. And like many high-end condos in South Florida, it will lavish an enviable suite of amenities and services upon its residents. But what truly promises to make this project one for the ages is the breathtaking design from one of the world’s most renowned architecture firms.
The first U.S. project from Dubai-based developers DAMAC International, The Delmore showcases the work of Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). From the wraparound balconies that ingeniously marry form and function to the ways in which the overall design mirrors the contours and textures of the coastal setting, The Delmore proffers an all-too-rare example of putting architecture at the center of the luxury living experience.
With marketing and sales underway (led by Douglas Elliman Development Marketing), I was lucky to talk recently with The Delmore’s two key players from ZHA in London: Patrik Schumacher, the firm’s principal, and Chris Lepine, the project director.
Mansions in the sky
I asked them first about the curving balconies that intermittently wrap around the windowed façade of The Delmore’s two wings. These certainly add to the “wow” factor and bring to mind the motion and feel of an ocean liner. But more critically, as the architects noted, they are designed to promote the superior function of the building.
According to Schumacher, the balconies extend the curved corners of the building to “create more physical space and thus greater shade and protection from the elements.” In turn, this invites the sensuous Florida climate through an indoor-outdoor continuum that allows it to gently enter the living spaces.
The balcony structure not only wraps around horizontally but also plunges down vertically at points. Referring to these as features as “fins,” Lepine notes that they “visually break down the solid mass of the building” and add a sense of movement along with a sense of security.
The Delmore will feature 37 distinctive residences—marketed as “mansions in the sky”—along with eight smaller residences purposed for guests or resident’s staff on the lower floors. The main apartments start at 4,400 square feet. Each of the five penthouse residences is 12,000 square feet and offers spectacular 360-degree views.
“It’s not often you’re asked to design interiors with such scale on a residential project,” says Schumacher. “Our goal was to create spaces throughout that took advantage of the amazing site.”
Life aloft
While the design initially captivates with its sweeping gestures, ZHA’s vision goes well beyond the gestural. The architects saw that for their signature balconies to create a particular sensation, they needed to detail their edges in a particular fashion. They gave them a beautifully organic, rippling effect, strikingly similar to the patterns of windswept sand on the beach. This homage to the shoreline continues in the choice of material for the building’s exterior.
“I literally collected sand from the beach in front of the site and told the GFRC supplier to match exactly the color, texture, grain, sparkle, etc.,” recalls Lepine, referring to the glass-fiber-reinforced concrete material used. “They were able to provide a finish that looks almost indistinguishable from the sand.”
The facades themselves are very robust, he assures me, as are the high-performance glass in the glazed components—utilitarian gains that don’t compromise the visual impact.
Along with these “micro design choices” was particularly spectacular one: the decision to create a canyon between the two towers. And what a spectacle it is. Spanning this canyon and suspended 125 feet from the ground is a glass-bottomed swimming pool that affords incredible eastward views over the Atlantic and back west across the Miami skyline.
The canyon also offers airiness and further opportunity for light and shade to sweep in the and wash through the spacious residences. The sense of life suspended mid-air continues in the entry to the towers, where The Delmore’s glass-lined lobby allows unobstructed views to the ocean no matter where you are. It’s an invitation to the elements not often evident in modern living spaces—akin, I think, to living on a free-floating carpet.
To be sure, the renown of high design talent has long been a draw for high-end purchasers looking for a bold, new vision for luxury living. But the one offered at The Delmore is truly on a whole new level.
David Hay is a well-known architectural writer and playwright. His stories have been featured in The New York Times, Dwell and New York.
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