10 Years of Constant Improvements at the Plaza Brickell
A building that doesn't move forward constantly, goes backward...
Backdoor Entrance
Replacement of the heavy basic push-door by an automatic sliding door, with an aluminum stylish canopy with a maximum of light fixtures, larger tiles to define the entrance, large planter to separate the bathrooms entrance, and plants.
The corridor was also decorated and additional security cameras were installed.
This challenging project took 3 years and was able to be completed thanks to the diligence of Frank Musumeci and Staci Fernandez from Miami Management.
Garage Automatic Doors
The Plaza Brickell was originally delivered with a simple gate barrier arm. It was requiring a permanent security guard to secure the premises.
It was then replaced by 3 automatic gates, and they were optimized later to open towards the entrance, or towards the exit.
It was very difficult at the beginning to get a company to design a solution. The doors were then greatly enhanced by Gustavo Passarella our engineer and Staci Fernandez Manager from Miami Management. They found a way to have the doors opening in the right direction, which saved us lots of money in repairs.
Children Playroom
The Children Playroom at the Plaza Brickell was a major accomplishment and was done in 3 years at a minimum cost.
The Club-Room was shortened to create this unique space for children. It was the new engineer Gustavo Passarella from Miami Management who found the technical solution to create a door to the hallway, and the design was done by Staci Fernandez and fer administrative staff.
Private Cabling Installation
The Plaza Brickell 950 Brickell Bay Drive didn’t own their technical cabling. It was the property of Hotwire, who was able to maintain a monopoly in the building.
It was a major accomplishment to install our own cabling, Ethernet Cat-5 and Cat-6, co-axial and fiber. It gave us the opportunity to create competition, obtain a better contract with DirectTV, and sign WebPass as our Internet provider with great speed at a very competitive price.
Frank Musumeci & Staci Fernandez from Miami Management were vital for this project, that saved the Association $250,000 every year since.
Garage Cameras
We installed several cameras with various angles to be able to capture vehicles entering and exiting the garage, at different heights to capture cars, SUV, vans, pickup trucks, etc.
Staci Fernandez and Gustavo Passarella from Miami Management ensured that we had the best angles and the best quality available at these times.
Hallways Carpet
Our Carpet Committee should be get the credit for their hard work. They were able to source a commercial rate carpet, and have it installed at a very low price because we didn’t have to remove the baseboard. Getting a new look at a reasonable cost.
Staci Fernandez and Gustavo Passarella were in charge of supervising and installing this project, with a keen eye on limiting the costs.
Pool furniture & Hammocks
With the diligent help of the Pool Committee we did change and improve the pool furniture twice, with the introduction of the Hammocks and the Orbital beds. The introduction of the Hammocks was a success as it created a luxury resort vibe on the pooldeck.
Franck Musumeci and later Staci Fernandez, from Miami Management, were in charge of these projects, to ensure that we got the best results for the lowest cost. We were not replacing the chairs, we were resurfacing the frame and just changing the fabric.
Barbecue Area
This was also done in coordination with the Pool Committee, we were able to add to the Plaza Brickell as a new amenity the Barbecue, which has been an amazing success, for a very reasonable cost.
We were able to nest the barbecue away from the 2 pools in order to not inconvenience the pool users with meat smell.
Staci Fernandez and Gustavo Passarella from Miami Management were in charge of implementing this successful project.
Pool Landscape improvements
Hurricane Irma in 2017 did lots of damages to our trees and landscape. Instead of just putting the same trees, we used the resources of one of our residents, Rituparna Simlai, a Harvard Landscape Architect, who came up with flexible trees who can better resist to high winds and hurricanes, at a lower cost than just replacing the trees. Staci Fernandez from Miami Management was in charge of supervising this important project.
Lobby Renovation
The Lobby is one of the most important piece of our building. The original design was aging and we needed to replace it. The first replacement was not successful due to a very restricted budget. We changed designers and came to a beautiful result, while staying under budget. 9 years later it is still beautiful.
Staci Fernandez and Gustavo Passarella from Miami Management were in charge of implementing this project.
PSV Electricity Savings
If you open your AC closet you will find this strange apparatus. This was proposed to us and implemented by Frank Musumeci from Miami Management, and is a dispositive that cuts the water coming to the AC when the AC is not running. It saves the building thousands of $ every month and the investment paid by itself in 8 months. It was so successful that we convinced the West Tower to install it as well.
Bicycles Cages
The Bicycles Cages were improved starting in 2013 with Brigette Carpio from Miami Management. They were better organized with hooks to be able to store more bicycles, and the security was drastically improved. Then later Staci Fernandez and Gustavo Passarella created more bicycle cages in the parking garage to absorb the demand. It is a highly successful amenity, and we added a motorcycle parking area with additional lights and cameras for residents to park their expensive bikes.
Gym Remodeling
Our Gym equipment was becoming old, and needed to be replaced. We constituted a Gym Committee with heavy gym users, and determined with them the best equipment they needed. We removed some furniture that were taking space, and the gym is now a total success.
Staci Fernandez and Gustavo Passarella from Miami Management were in charge of implementing this project.
Business Center Enhancements
This is a good example of how the building was managed and improved. The Business Center is heavily used and was starting t o look dated. We didn’t want to dedicate lots of money for that, but Staci Fernandez and Gustavo Passarella from Miami Management were able to modernize and enhance the Business Center at minimal costs.
Plaza Brickell Wine Bank
This area was used as a storage in the basement. The Board identify it as being a revenue generating area and we rented it to the Wine Bank. Plaza Brickell International Realty Inc was in charge of negotiating the lease with the tenant, at no cost. This generated around $1,000,000 for the Plaza Master Association.
Landscape Improvements
We had there a very banal grass area, that was actually attracting dogs to relieve themselves. We used the services of the same landscape architect to develop an edgy landscaping looking like an Urban Amazonia. We implemented also a small barrier to prevent dog entrance and preserve our beautification investment.
Monuments Lights
The Monument Lights at the Plaza are this orange neon light at the top of the building. We were very dissatisfied when they stopped working after only 6 years, and then the Management company at the time quoted a replacement for $92,000. We didn’t want to spend this amount on the same exact technology, that doesn’t last long when exposed to the heavy rains we have in Miami.
Fortunately when Miami Management came in control, Frank Musumeci was able to find us a solution with LED, for a mere $19,000. We didn’t want the version that could change colors, we preferred a solid version in Orange, that resisted all rains since 2015.
Electronic Voting
We put together a Committee to research and implement Electronic Voting. They selected several solutions and recommended one company that was contracted by the Board at the time to implement Electronic Voting. Staci Fernandez from Miami Management was in charge of having all owners registered and connected to the system, at the time.
Signage in front of the Plaza
The Plaza Brickell, the two towers, where delivered without any signage. The name of the building was not apposed anywhere, which was strange.
Staci Fernandez from Miami Management decided to get these very nice signs, very upscale with the backlight, and install them on both towers, which enhance drastically our appearance.
Art at the Plaza Brickell
We had at the Plaza Brickell some very strange and controversial art, which were photos, some of them of underpasses of bridges, or AC units from affordable buildings, etc.
When we did the remodeling of the lobby it was impossible to keep these photos.
Our Board President at the time, Paul Steinmyller, identified a French woman, artist, who accepted to lend us her art for 6 months at no cost. It was a perfect match for our lobby. We did sell a few pieces for her, but then we negotiated a very deep discount for all the remaining pieces and we were able to improve our lobby appearance at a very reasonable cost.