Grab the spring issue of Florida Design Magazine on shelves now and be blown away with some of the best in architecture and interior design that Florida has to offer. Among the cream of the crop you will find an amazing private penthouse in Miami, specially designed by our friend Alene Workman. This residence was specially engineered to withstand hurricanes, while also providing an entertaining showplace high above the sands and lapis lazuli waters of Miami Beach.

Alene Workman created the vast social space in a 360-degree arc, surrounded by floor to ceiling windows. At the center of this, friends gather around an oversized JOHNHOUSHMAND dining table, No. 0216, to take in the breath-taking vistas of the south Atlantic.

No. 0216 was engineered to perfection to accommodate some very special requirements of this castle in the sky. The client wanted the option of expanding the dining table for especially large dinner parties. The starting length measures 10 feet but can expand to a stunning 22 feet. We engineered a custom system that silently slides the extra table leaves into place. And remarkably, there are no wheels or bearings in the engineering… Having made it with rollers first, these were ditched in place of UHMB sliding strips, as the rollers were too noisy. Additionally, the leaves were hollowed out and aircraft grade aluminum honeycomb was placed inside to make them light enough to lift and place with ease.

Overall a masterpiece of design and engineering, to perfectly match a masterpiece of special design!

Check out the video below to see No. 0216 in action!