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Photo courtesy Yntegra Group
The popular Mexican game known as ‘Padel’ has landed with a splash in Miami in the form of a new floating playing court space built and designed by the real estate investment venture Yntegra Group.
Their temporary platform in Miami Harbor weighs 84 tons and measures 16.4 x 38.4 x 71.5 feet.
Its presence is a sign of the growing influence of the highly sociable racquet sport of pickleball. The project should immediately bring to mind the experiential appeal of the new (and finally approved) + POOL that’s set to grace New York’s East River at Pier 35 beginning this summer.
The court will remain floating in the waters near the private member-only Fisher Island until May 2025 before being relocated to the Bahamas to spread knowledge of the game there as a permanent attraction for a forthcoming high-end resort known as The Exumas.
Yntegra Group was able to construct much of the court using recycled steel and says it can be operated sans battery or the need for an engine. The company finally markets it as “offer[ing] a serene escape for both physical activity and mental rejuvenation” tied to a steadfast push toward greater sustainability in the region.
Elsewhere in Miami, the constantly expanding state of designs for an upscale lifestyle market is set to include new residential projects from OMA, Arquitectonica/Yabu Pushelberg, and SHoP. A David Chipperfield-designed mixed-use development, Kengo Kuma‘s $1 billion MIRAI mixed-use contribution to the Design District, and Thomas Heatherwick‘s new remake of the Sunset Place retail center will also fall in line towards the end of the decade.