Faena Forum, the new cultural core of the Faena District in Miami Beach, has opened to the public in time for the Design Miami global forum.

A procession down the city’s Collins Avenue congregated in the Forum's new canopy plaza and witnessed the official opening of the complex’s three buildings, which have all been designed by architecture studio OMA.

To celebrate, a dance performance with scenography by the building’s lead designer Shohei Shigematsu was held.

The Faena Forum is a 50,000sq ft (4,600sq m) culturally-inspired real-estate initiative masterminded by Argentine developer and hotelier Alan Faena.

Formed of a cylindrical and cubic structure, connected by a central assembly hall, the complex offers flexible spaces for dance, theatre, arts and debate space as well as hotels and condominiums. The exterior public plaza along Collins Avenue has been formed by removing a wedge from the front of the building.

“Our creative partnership with Faena began with identity research and has evolved into urban design, programming, building-making and scenography,” said Shigematsu. “These diverse investigations had a profound impact on the Forum's ability to accommodate the programmatic demands of functioning as a new typology for interaction."

The Forum is part of a billion dollar waterfront project that also includes new residential properties by Foster + Partners and the revamp of the art deco Savoy Hotel – with interiors by film director Baz Luhrman and Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, and a spa developed by consultant Inge Theron.

Faena has previously described the overall scheme as “a new kind of cultural enterprise” that “encourages thinkers and practitioners from across a range of disciplines to collaborate and creatively collide in ways that push their practices and produce new works, new experiences, and new ideas.”

It has been a busy few weeks for OMA. They have received approval for a sports and leisure district in Rotterdam, submitted their plans for the Factory cultural centre in Manchester and celebrated the opening of the Design Museum’s new home – for which they led the design – in London.