'Zoi House' approved as Orlando's tallest building

ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Downtown Orlando's skyline will soon have a new addition, as the city has approved a planned high rise project.

"It’s going to be the tallest building in Orlando. It’s going to be retail, office and apartments," explained  architect Wayne Dunkelberger, as he described Zoi House. "'Zoi' means 'life' in Greek, so at the very top is going to be a pool and pool deck that looks over the city of Orlando, 300 apartments, underneath that will be 6 floors of office, and below that, parking deck."

Developers said Zoi House will be taller than the Orange County Courthouse, as well as the SunTrust Center.

"The Courthouse is around 419 feet, and SunTrust around 427," Dunkelberger said. 

The 41-story Zoi House will stand at 467 feet tall, according to Dunkelberger.  However, in order to build it, developers will be knocking down the building next door, which is home to Fratelli’s Italian Restaurant, a neighborhood favorite next to the courthouse.

"We haven’t discussed with the owner, but there’s plenty of pizza space in the new building," Dunkelberger said.

Construction is expected to take about two years.  Dunkelberger said Zoi House will be Orlando’s next landmark, located at the southeast corner of Orange Ave. and Livingston Street.

"It becomes the jewel piece of this intersection."