The Porsche Design Tower in Miami s’enfonce

Just north of Miami lies a string of barrier islands home to some of the most opulent luxury apartments on the planet. But that may not be the case for much longer if Mother Nature has anything to say about it. Many of these structures are sinking at an “unexpected” rate, including the 195-meter-high Porsche Design Tower, according to a new study.

Opened in 2014, the Porsche Design Tower was the city’s first residence branded by an automobile manufacturer, and one of the first buildings in the world to have a car elevator. It has since spawned competitors such as the Aston Martin skyscraper just down the street, and more automaker residences are expected to spring up soon for brands such as Bentley, Mercedes-Benz and even Pagani .

But today, some of those companies might want to reconsider their skyscrapers.

A new study from the University of Miami shows that 35 buildings along Sunny Isles Beach and surrounding coastal areas sank as much as seven centimeters between 2016 and 2023. These include the Porsche Design Tower, the Ritz-Carlton Residences and the two Trump Towers. These events come less than four years after the collapse of a 12-story residential tower in Surfside, Florida, just a few miles away.

“Almost all the buildings on the coast itself are sinking” Falk Amelung, a geophysicist at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science and lead author of the study, said in an interview with the Miami Herald. “It’s a lot.”

The researchers looked at satellite imagery that can measure subsidence (i.e. land subsidence) to within fractions of a centimeter. In this case, researchers found subsidence ranging from 2 cm to just over 7 cm in places like Sunny Isles Beach and Surfside. Two buildings in Miami Beach – the Faena hotel and the L’atelier condominium – and a building in Bal Harbor were also affected.

For now, experts believe there is no cause for alarm. No structural problems have been reported so far, and many newer buildings – such as the Porsche Design Tower, which is only 10 years old – naturally sink into the ground years after completion due to their weight .

Researchers are nevertheless keeping an eye on the situation.