Oppenheim Architecture + Design have unveiled plans to build an art storage facility in Miami, USA.

The facade of the 11-story, 140,000 square foot building will display artwork by emerging and established artists.

Designed for art services company Artemundi & Company and referred to as The Vault, the development will include a conservation laboratory, showrooms and exhibition spaces.

Construction is due for completion in 2010.

The following information is from Oppenheim Architecture + Design:

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OPPENHEIM ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN AND ARTEMUNDI & COMPANY ANNOUNCE PLANS TO BREAK GROUND ON “THEVAULT” DURING ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2008

Art collector’s paradise with over 140,000 square feet of storage, concierge services, and top-level security housed inside of a “blank canvas” facade designed by Chad Oppenheim

During this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach (4 -7 December 2008), award-winning Miami- and Basel-based Oppenheim Architecture+Design, in partnership with Javier Lumbreras of Artemundi & Company, will break ground on Art Vault & Valuables Services (AV&VS) or as art insiders are calling it, “The Vault” in the trendy Wynwood Design District. The development of this 11-story, 140,000 square foot storage facility is slated for completion in early 2010.

As an important art collector with an extensive background in depository warehouses including Rodolphe Haller in Port-Franc, Switzerland, Day & Meyer in New York, Cadogan-Tate in London and Paris, SIT in Madrid, and Welti-Furrer in Zurich, South Beach-based investor Javier Lumbreras understands the importance of conservation and management.

“We seek not only to minimize the burden of managing art collections and other valuables but offer our members the ability to enhance and refine them,” states Lumbreras.

Lumbreras chose noted Miami-based architect Chad Oppenheim of Oppenheim Architecture+Design, the firm behind Ten Museum Park and one of today’s foremost young architects, to collaborate on the project.

The exterior of The Vault will serve as an important public art installation. With constantly revolving panels featuring art by emerging and established artists, the prototype facility will look unlike any other storage location in North America.

“Like the art to be housed inside, the facade of The Vault will engage the public in a dialogue and become a kind of social architecture that will enrich the lives of all who come in contact with it,” describes Oppenheim.

Oppenheim’s design of The Vault will also include a high-tech art storage facility with concierge-level services for owners seeking peace of mind and new ways of expanding collections. Client services will include a state-of-the-art conservation laboratory, collection and logistics management, and premium financial and insurance services. Members will have access to exclusive showrooms and exhibition spaces for their collections.

The development of The Vault is yet another example of the City of Miami establishing itself as a major player in the international art scene. During Art Basel Miami Beach, Lumbreras and Oppenheim will host a private collectors’ dinner featuring Lumbreras latest book, The Art of Collecting Art that discusses the impact of the economy on the art world and the importance of investing in art during challenging economic times.

About Artemundi & Company
Artemundi & Company is a multi-branch art services company with a specialty in investing in fine art from the Early Renaissance to the Post-War era. The company’s in-depth experience, buying and selling acumen, and absolute discretion have enabled Artemundi & Company to broaden its offerings to include all services related to growing, maintaining, transporting, selling, and financing an art collection. The company’s diverse scope of business offers its global clients full coverage in all aspects of enhancing one’s experience in appreciating and collecting art. His background in finance and art will be brought together with the introduction of the Artemundi Global Fund, a unique art investment fund.

About Oppenheim Architecture+Design
Oppenheim is a full-service architecture, interior design, and planning firm. Founded in 1999 and today with a staff of 50, the firm operates globally from offices in Miami, Florida (USA) and Basel, Switzerland. From villas, hotels, resorts, and mixed-use towers rising over 1,200 feet to private islands and eco-cities for populations of more than 150,000, we specialize in creating powerful, pragmatic, and ecological solutions for complex projects. Extracting the essence of context and program for such vanguard companies as Mandarin Oriental, Morgans Hotel Group, Hard Rock, Marriott, Starwood Capital, Tishman Speyer, Kempinski, KOR, EMAAR, Omniyat, andMubadala, Oppenheim negotiates the delicate equilibrium of drama, sustainability, and economic viability.