On Thursday, February 5th, from 6:00PM – 9:00PM, various alumni from each department of the FIU School of Architecture will participate in a panel discussion and display their work in Leaders of Design.

The exhibition at the College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios will present the designs of former students who once walked the FIU campus and who are now working at well-known firms such as Perkins + Will, HOK, Gensler, ArquitectonicaGEO, and CASE Inc., to name a few!

Work by the following alumni will be exhibited in Leaders of Design:

FIU Architecture Alumni
Leo Alvarez, Perkins + Will (BS ’79)
Liliana Andrade, ArquitectonicaGEO (MA ’07)
Jessica Ball, Rene Gonzalez Architecture (BA ’07)
Pina Del Conte, Rene Gonzalez Architecture (M.Arch ’06)
David Fano, CASE Inc. (BA ’03)
Frederico Hurtado, STA Architectural Group (M.Arch ’06)
Alexandra Pagliery, Rene Gonzalez Architecture (MA ’13)
Maria Pellot, Urban Works Architecture (BS ’94)
Daniel Romero (MA ’01)
Jordan Trachtenberg, Trachtenberg /// (BA ’05)
Monica Vazquez, Rene Gonzalez Architecture (MA ’00)

FIU Interior Architecture Alumni
Diana Farmer-Gonzalez, Gensler (BS ’96)
Marlene Liriano, HOK (BA ’89)
Ruby Ramirez, Antrobus + Ramirez (BA ’01)
Yohandel Ruiz, RTKL Associates Inc. (BA ’98)

FIU Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design Alumni
Jose Alvarez, EDSA (MLA ’13)
Margarita Blanco, ArquitectonicaGEO (MLA ’05)
Sefora Chavarria, EDSA (MLA ’11)
Kristen Hoover, EDSA (MLA ’12)
Ben Hutchens, ArquitectonicaGEO (MLA ’06)
Joanna Ibarra, EDSA (MLA ’12)
Carolina Jaimes, ENEA (MLA ’11)
Chelsi Liane Rome, Perkins + Will (MLA ’11)
Alejandro Perez, ArquitectonicaGEO (MLA ’11)
Maria Pizano, Perkins + Will (MLA ’12)
Suhey Rojas, ArquitectonicaGEO (MLA ’14)
Andrea Sandoval, Perkins + Will (MLA ’14)
Laurinda Spear, ArquitectonicaGEO (MLA ’05)

Leaders of Design will run from February 5th to March 19th, 2015 at the College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios: 420 Lincoln Road, Suite 440, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Free and open to the public.

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In support of CARTA 2020 and our engaged mission to use the power of architecture + the arts to create, innovate and inspire solutions to social, economic, and environmental problems, I am pleased to announce a partnership with Dr. Richard Florida and the Creative Class Group and the launch of the FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative.

Strategically based at CARTA | Miami Beach Urban Studios, the 3-year research initiative promotes an understanding of the factors accelerating greater Miami’s transformation into a creative economy, and specifically, CARTA’s impact on Miami’s creative talent base in the areas of arts, architecture, culture, design, and communication.

CARTA faculty and students will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with Dr. Florida and the Creative Class Group on research projects and to participate in CCG-FIU joint workshops, design charrettes, and creativity salons.

The first creativity salon will be held on January 29th at the Wolfsonian-FIU and will feature Roberto Rovira, Chair of Landscape Architecture + Urban and Environmental Design; Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine; CCG Founder Richard Florida; and FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. I invite you to RSVP today, as seating is limited.

The FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative immediately positions CARTA with the opportunity to become a regional and national thought leader in how creativity, design, and culture drive economies. It is through dynamic partnerships such as this—partnerships that integrate research, learning, engagement, and entrepreneurship — that we will achieve our vision of becoming the nation’s preeminent College of Architecture + The Arts.

Please join me in welcoming Richard Florida, Rana Florida, and the Creative Class Group to FIU and CARTA. The University’s official press release announcing the partnership is included below for your reference.

Warmest regards,

Brian Schriner

Dean

MIAMI (Jan. 20, 2015)- FIU and the Creative Class Group (CCG), founded by Richard Florida,  have joined forces to launch the FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative, a project to harness creative and entrepreneurial forces that can help accelerate greater Miami’s transformation into a creative economy.

The FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative will engage political, business and cultural leaders, faculty, students, alumni and the greater community in a dialogue on how creativity, culture and design can drive a regional economy.

“At FIU we see creativity and the arts as equal partners with technology and entrepreneurship in moving our economy and job creation forward,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “The FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative is our way of helping to galvanize these forces in our community so that we create solutions, take full advantage of the opportunities that exist and create new ones.”

The three-year initiative, which will be based in the College of Architecture  + the Arts‘ Miami Beach Urban Studios, on Lincoln Road, will kick off with an event on Thursday, January 29^th at 6 p.m. at the Wolfsonian-FIU, 1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach.

This first salon will focus on the topic of creating public spaces that ignite creativity and promote community, often referred to as “place making.”  The discussion will feature Florida in conversation with Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and FIU Department of Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design Chairperson Roberto Rovira. Florida, Levine and Rovira will discuss Miami Beach’s creative future around arts, design, culture, innovation and entrepreneurship and invite ideas on how to further support the revitalization and creative energy around the Miami Beach Convention Center, Lincoln Road and Washington Ave. area. The event is free and open to the public but seating is limited. Please RSVP here.

“The key asset to any city is talent,” said Levine. “We are creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem where existing talent will want to stay and work and where new talent will want to launch startups.”

In addition to other salons throughout the year, CCG will conduct research to further understand and define Miami’s creative economy and its impact on the region. The study will examine Greater Miami’s talent base, greatest needs and talent-based advantages.

“Greater Miami is at an inflection point,” said Florida.  “Its economy, historically based on tourism and retirement, is shifting to a more robust creative economy, built around its stature as a global city: its ability to attract talent from Latin America, Europe and around the world; its global airport, its natural assets and quality of place; its arts and culture; educational institutions, and the ongoing resurgence of its urban core. These assets will be critical economic drivers for Miami’s future. We are looking forward to partnering with FIU to bring the city some insights.”

FIU Provost and Executive Vice President Kenneth G. Furton noted that this initiative is directly tied to goals in the strategic plans of the College of Architecture + the Arts and FIU.

“Traditionally universities have served as catalysts for the creative economy, helping to create ecosystems where creative talent and enterprises thrive,” said Furton. “We want to use all of our resources, including the talents of students and faculty in the College of Architecture + The Arts, to spur economic development in Miami and beyond.”
-FIU-

About CARTA:  
FIU College of Architecture + The Arts engages our local and global communities by deploying the power of architecture and the arts to create, innovate, and inspire solutions to social, economic, and environmental problems. Offering 9 graduate and 8 undergraduate degrees within 7 academic departments, our more than 2500 majors have the unique experience working with our award-winning faculty in nationally ranked programs in the heart of Miami and Miami Beach — two of the country’s most vibrant, diverse, and creative cities! For more information, visit us at carta.fiu.edu.

About FIU:
Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida’s anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.

About CCG:  
The Creative Class Group (CCG) is an advisory services firm composed of leading next-generation researchers, academics, and business strategists. Utilizing its unique approach and metrics,  CCG works with companies and governments worldwide.  Founder, Richard Florida, the Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at The University of Toronto’s, Rotman School of Management and Global Research Professor at NYU.  He is Senior Editor at The Atlantic where he cofounded and serves as Editor-at-Large for City Lab and is a Visiting Fellow of the FIU, Miami Creativity Initiative.  Rana Florida, CEO of who writes on business and entrepreneurship for Fast Company and the Huffington Post, serves as Director of the FIU, Miami Creativity Initiative.  Steven Pedigo, Director of Research at CCG is a Visiting Fellow.  Reham Alexander, CCG’S Director of Events will run the events programming for the FIU, Miami Creativity Initiative.  www.creativeclass.com

Media Contact:    
Isabel Gamarra
305-348-6944
igamarra@fiu.edu
news.fiu.edu

Our issue of FIU Architecture eFolio, Fall 2014 highlights some of the semester’s accomplishments made by students, faculty, and alumni of the FIU Department of Architecture. The Folio can be viewed by the College of Architecture + The Arts family and those beyond the College and University!

To view the FIU Architecture eFolio, Fall 2014 issue, click here!

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On Thursday evening, January 15th, Shallow Depth: Seeing and Making Miami opened at the College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios.

The exhibition includes work by Jason Chandler (Chair of the FIU Department of Architecture), Jacek J. Kolasinski (Chair of the FIU Department of Art + Art History), and Roberto Rovira (Chair of the FIU Department of Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design).

Shallow Depth drew more than 50 viewers that included students from the University of Kansas School of Architecture, Design & Planning. In attendance were also CARTA Dean’s Distinguished Fellow Alastair Gordon and Christian Larsen, Curator of The Wolfsonian-FIU.

Shallow Depth is the first collaboration of Jason Chandler, Jacek J. Kolasinski, and Roberto Rovira, an architect, an artist and a landscape architect, respectively. The exhibition collapses the disciplinary boundaries of these three educators to reveal the complexities of the city in which they live and work. For each of them, Miami is a context that frames and provides source material for their individual métiers. Miami’s surreal aura of geological flatness and precarious nature, mixed with the global ambition and subtropical context of a famously diverse city, enriches and challenges the work of this trio.

This collaboration reflects a long and sporadic conversation about how three individuals could make a shared exhibition that would be greater than the sum of its parts. The three represented disciplines are closely allied, and each participant is engaged in practice. Drawing, photography and the making of books and printed material were valued modes of representation.

Shallow Depth: Seeing and Making Miami will be on display until March 5th, 2015 at The College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios: 420 Lincoln Road, Suite 440, Miami Beach, FL. Free and open to the public.

Jason Chandler, A.I.A., is an architect and an Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture at the College of Architecture + The Arts at Florida International University. Before teaching at FIU, he taught at the University of Miami and at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design for its Career Discovery Program. He was appointed chair of the Department of Architecture at FIU in the fall of 2013. Professor Chandler’s research has been supported by grants and fellowships from the National Institute for Architectural Education, the International Hurricane Center, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Knight Foundation, the Cejas Family Foundation, the Metropolitan Center at FIU and the United States Department of Education. Chandler’s writing has been published in both national and regional ACSA proceedings and he has co-authored with Shahin Vassigh on Building Systems Integration for Enhanced Environmental Performance (2011). Chandler is the founder and principal of Chandler and Associates in South Miami, Florida. He is the architect of Plaza 57, a mixed-used building in downtown South Miami, as well as a series of infill warehouses in Miami. Chandler has received several distinctions in design competitions: Second Prize in the 81st Paris Prize Architectural Design Competition, Honorable Mention in the 2001 Scattered Housing Competition, First Prize in the 2004 Miami Beach Design Life Competition and Honorable Mention in the 2008 Dawntown Waterworks Competition. His built and unbuilt design work has received awards from the Miami and Florida chapters of the American Institute of Architects. Jason Chandler’s design work has been published by the Princeton Architectural Press, Trama, Florida/Caribbean Architect, and The Miami Herald and has been noted in the New York Times and the MIT Press. Chandler holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University and a Master of Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.

Jacek J. Kolasinski is a New-Media artist, Associate Professor of Visual Arts and the Chair of the Art and Art History Department at Florida International University. He came to the United States from Poland, where he studied history and philosophy at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. Kolasinski received his MFA and BFA from Florida International University in Miami. Through his creative work, Kolasinski has tested complex video installations, single and multiple channel projections, as a well as site-specific projects in the context of public architecture. His art work has reached large international audiences through presentations and exhibitions in numerous venues including: the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Festival Internacional Cervantino, Guanajuato, Mexico; 61 Festival de Cannes – Short Film Corner; Cinema Politic, Barcelona, Spain; and Digital Fringe, Melbourne, Australia, to name a few. Most recently, his interest in “socially engaged academic performance art” has provoked several large-scale trans-disciplinary projects such as TAG (“The Art of Giving”) in Haiti and “Tree of Unity” in Liberty City. These projects are testing boundaries between art and the “aesthetics of philanthropy” by mobilizing a number of what he describes as social actors or archetypes — from cheerleaders and athletes to art students and younger school children – to bring attention to the marginalized communities ridden by serious societal problems.

Roberto Rovira is Chair of Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design at Florida International University (FIU) and principal of the interdisciplinary Studio Roberto Rovira, recognized for its creative approach in the fields of landscape architecture, public art, and design. He completed a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in 1990, and a Masters in Landscape Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1998, where he was Dean’s Scholar, recipient of the Award of Merit from the ASLA, and founder of the installation group Guerrilla Gardens. Roberto has lived in Latin America, Europe, and Japan and is a former U. S. Naval Officer, having served primarily in Asia and the Persian Gulf from 1990 to 1994. Roberto has been guest critic at Harvard, UC Berkeley, RISD, California College of the Arts, and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya among others, and his research and creative work have been supported by grants from the Van Alen Institute, the US Department of Transportation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Broward, to name a few. Roberto Rovira’s work has been published by Princeton Architectural Press, Routledge/Taylor-Francis, HarperCollins, Landscape Architecture Magazine, ACSA, CELA, Univision, the Miami Herald, Fairchild Tropical & Botanical Garden Magazine, Design Book Magazine, Curbed, Miami Today, South Florida Business Journal, Trama, El Nuevo Herald, and others. He was recognized by the American Institute of Architects as Landscape Architect of the Year in 2007, as one of FIU’s Top Scholars in 2009, and in over 10 open and public international competitions including First Place in the Miami Monument Competition in 2005 and an Award of Distinction at the San Francisco Botanical Garden Circle competition in 2009.

The Chairs would like to thank the following exhibition assistants: Martina Gonzalez, Ivan Torrenegra, Brennan Baxley, Esther Monterrey, Ludovico Ferro, Ricardo Lugo, and Joe Locke.

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Commonwealth Financial Network® (CFN) founded in 1979 by Joe Deitch, Chairman, has grown to be the nation’s largest privately held broke dealer. It is headquartered in Boston and has 1,450 advisors nationwide. CFN had their Chairman’s Retreat at the Mandarin Oriental from January 10th to the 13th with the top management and advisors. Joe Deitch presented the theme “Arts Architecture and Innovation.”

Joe, who has lived in Key Biscayne and South Beach, is fascinated by the innovation in the Miami Dade area through arts and architecture.

Rick Tonkinson, Chairman of the CARTA Advisory Board, who was one of the advisors in attendance, was most pleased to learn that Joe and CFN, in essence, embrace the linkage of CARTA with the business community. Joe believes that the Miami and Miami Beach area is the best example in the country of how arts and architecture are a major part of the community’s commercial success. As a prominent financial service organization, CFN and their advisors fully support and appreciate the local dynamics.

Joe Deitch wisely selected Bernardo Fort-Brescia to make a presentation titled “Making Dreams Come True.” Joe and Bernardo had a Q&A session with the 75 attendees where Bernardo expressed his insights into Miami, architecture and running a family business. He started by saying that Miami is an “open city to start a business and that anything can happen.” In his case, Bernardo started Arquitectonica with his wife in 1977 in Miami and together they have developed the firm into a global success with 10 offices and over 60 major projects completed throughout the world.

Bernardo humbly admitted that as an architect, he is “blessed to be able to touch and see his completed works” and that “his wife has been a major part of the family business’ success.”

Bernardo enjoyed describing the balance between functionality vs. creativity and that he does not cut short on the content (functionality).

Bernardo enjoyed how the continual innovation of glass in the past 20 years has allowed him to significantly enhance the projects environment through the full use of day light.

Joe and the attendees thoroughly enjoyed Bernardo’s passionate presentation.

We are indeed fortunate to have Bernardo as a CARTA Advisory Board member. His enthusiasm for CARTA and Miami makes him an outstanding spokesman for us. He has become and will continue to be a prominent part of the community. He is a visionary.

*(From left to right in photo: Bernardo Fort-Brescia, Joe Deitch and Rick Tonkinson)

The College of Architecture + The Arts’s Nick Gelpi (Assistant Professor of Architecture) has been awarded a 2014 Curbed Young Gun award by Curbed!

Curbed Young Guns is an annual search for the next wave of up-and-coming architects and interior designers. Curbed Young Guns wants to find these individuals, showcase them, and celebrate them. To qualify, nominees must be under the age of 35 or have been in the profession for under five years, and they must be based in the United States. Once nominations are in, Curbed shows the work of nominees to a panel of industry leaders, which includes top architects, interior designers, and design thinkers and who help pick the best of the nominees. (Source: Curbed)

Gelpi, has been named a Curbed Young Gun based on how he works technology into his passion for material analysis and innovation. He is principal of his own design office based in New York, and his practice has been producing a diversity of projects from experimental structures and pavilions, to commercial retail design, and high-concept furniture and prototypes. Gelpi’s research is concerned with materials and representation, often incorporating procedures of fabrication and the conventions of testing through Mockups.

To view the the featured Curbed article on Gelpi, click here.

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Associate Professor Thomas Spiegelhalter and Professor Shahin Vassigh’s peer-reviewed publication “Best Practice Net-Zero-Energy Building Design Instructions Methods” was presented by Spiegelhalter at the 30th International PLEA Conference in India. Their paper was presented in the category of “Low carbon cities and neighbourhood development” at the CEPT (Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology) University, in Amedabad, India.

PLEA is an autonomous, non-profit, network of individuals sharing expertise in the arts, sciences, planning and design of the built environment. Founded in 1981, PLEA (Passive and Low Energy Architecture) organizes international conferences and workshops; expert group meetings and consultancies; scientific and technical publications; architectural competitions and exhibitions. The goal of the 30th International PLEA Conference (PLEA 2014) was to promote discussion and debate on the learnings, opportunities and challenges in passive low energy architecture and design in a rapidly growing world. Within this conference, participants deliberated on the choices we have and the choices we need to make in order to move towards a more sustainable habitat, especially for developing societies and emerging economies. The local theme of this international conference spoke to the urgent need to reduce energy use in new and existing buildings in cities that are witnessing rapid growth and urbanization. During the course of this conference, deliberations helped participants in deploying various dimensions of architectural and design science to help realize buildings, neighborhoods and cities that have minimal impact on natural resources, while satisfying the comfort requirements and aspirations of a fast developing society. Among the sponsors of the conference are BAYER Material Science, Germany, and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of the Government of India. (Source: PLEA2014)

Spiegelhalter is a long-term member of the Scientific Committee of PLEA, along with Prof. Vivian Loftness (CMU-USA),  Prof. Alessandro Rogora (Milan’s Polytechnic, Italy), Prof. Dr. Asawa Takashi (Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan), Prof. Brian Ford (University of Nottingham, UK), and Prof. Dr. Werner X. Lang (TU Munich, Germany), among others.

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On Saturday, December 6th, 2014 at the Miami Center for Architecture and Design, Professor of Architecture Marilys Nepomechie was a panelist in Principled Design, part of the Harvard GSD | Art Basel Design Weekend.

In the field of urban planning, theorists including Henry Mayhew, Lewis Mumford, Herbert Gans, and Jane Jacobs, have integrated moral principles into urban planning, such as the aim to foster inclusive and equitable societies. Principled Design assembled women holding leadership positions in architecture practice and education to discuss the professional values they hold dear, and how those values frame their approach to design, education, and practice.

Principled Design, during Harvard GSD | Art Basel Design Weekend

Emerging from discussions about the inclusion of women in design professions, Principled Design built upon related recent dialogues. For example, in March 2013, GSD Women in Design launched a Petition to the Pritzker Architecture Prize to recognize Denise Scott Brown for her critical role in the work that earned the 1991 Prize. Additionally, the Missing 32% Project is a nation-wide initiative that documents and seeks to redress the leaky pipeline for women in the architecture profession. In 2014, Julia Morgan became the first woman to receive the AIA Gold Medal, posthumously honoring a prolific, respected practice that spanned several decades during the first half of the 20th Century. As part of Harvard Design Weekend, Principled Design sought to extend the reach of that critical conversation.  It was conceived by Caroline James, GSD MArch ’14 and Jaya Kader, AIA, and advised by Denise Scott Brown.

Panelists:
Louise Braverman, FAIA, Founding Principal, Louise Braverman Architect, New York, NY
Marilys Nepomechie, FAIA, Professor of Architecture, Florida International University; Founding Principal, Marilys R. Nepomechie Architect, Miami, FL; President-Elect, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture
Lourdes Solera, FAIA, Principal, M.C. Harry and Associates, Miami, FL; Past President, AIA Miami
Carie Penabad, Assoc AIA, Founding Principal, Cure & Penabad, Miami, FL; Associate Professor, University of Miami
Caroline James (Moderator), Associate, Maryann Thompson Architects, Watertown, MA
Jaya Kader, AIA, (Introduction) Founding Principal, KZ Architecture, Miami, FL

(Source: Harvard GSD)

This article was written by Marilys Nepomechie, Professor of Architecture.

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Eric Goldemberg, Associate Professor has been invited to do a mini-tour of lectures, a critique session, and a design workshop in Northern Italy from Monday, December 15th to Tuesday, December 16th. He will participate in these events at the prestigious universities of Politecnico di Milano and the University of Engineering & Architecture of Bologna.

Goldembeg is an architect, with a professional degree from the University of Buenos Aires and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University, New York. He worked for Peter Eisenman as Senior Designer for the City of Culture of Galicia, Spain as well as heading design teams in several competitions. He was also Project Architect for Asymptote Architecture (Hani Rashid & Lise Anne Couture) on projects in Malaysia, The Netherlands and the Guggenheim Museum in Guadalajara, Mexico. In Buenos Aires he collaborated with Clorindo Testa and Estudio STAFF – the latter founded by his parents Jorge Jose Goldemberg and Teresa Bielus, with over 20,000,000 sf of social housing projects built in South America.

Goldemberg is currently the Digital Design Coordinator and Associate Professor at the Florida International University College of Architecture + The Arts, where he teaches graduate studios and advanced digital design and fabrication courses. Previously, he taught at Pratt Institute, Columbia University, New York Institute of Technology, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of Buenos Aires, and IAAC – Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona. He is the author of the book Pulsation in Architecture, which highlights the range and complexity of sensations involved in constructing rhythmic ensembles. He lectured about his design research at Cooper Union New York, Architectural Association London, Die Angewandte Kunst Wien, Politecnico di Milano, Studio-X Columbia University, ETSAB Barcelona, Iaac Barcelona, MIT Boston, University of Puerto Rico, MOCA Miami, Wolfsonian Museum Miami, University of Miami, University of Buenos Aires, Di Tella University. (Source: MONAD Studio)

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The College of Architecture + The Arts’s Jordan Trachtenberg (Adjunct Faculty of Architecture and FIU Bachelors in Design and Architecture ’04) has been named a Curbed Young Guns 2014 finalist by Curbed.

Curbed Young Guns is an annual search for the next wave of up-and-coming architects and interior designers. Curbed Young Guns wants to find these individuals, showcase them, and celebrate them. To qualify, nominees must be under the age of 35 or have been in the profession for under five years, and they must be based in the United States. Once nominations are in, Curbed Magazine shows the work of nominees to a panel of industry leaders, which includes top architects, interior designers, and design thinkers and who help pick the best of the nominees. (Source: Curbed)

Trachtenberg, as a Curbed Young Gun Multitasker, became a finalist because of his overarching roles as architect, developer, and patron of the arts.

To view the biographies of the Curbed Young Gun 2014 finalists, including Trachtenberg, click here.

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On Monday, November 17th, the College of Architecture + The Arts Dean Brian Schriner visited ZYSCOVICH Architects to meet with the over 20 CARTA alumni that work on the firm’s staff.

Over 35% of ZYSCOVICH Architects employees are FIU and CARTA alumni, two of the employees are adjunct FIU professors, and two have served on department boards within the College. Leading the ZYSCOVICH Architects teams are two FIU alumni: Anabella Smith (FIU Bachelor of Architectural Technology ’81), Principal at ZYSCOVICH Architects, former 2011 FIU Torch Award recipient, and current CARTA Board member, and Jose Murguido (FIU MBA Alumnus), Principal at ZYSCOVICH Architects.

Dean Schriner met with FIU alumni and the rest of the ZYSCOVICH leadership team to discuss engagement with alumni and internship, scholarship, and career opportunities for current students. He also asked the alumni and team for feedback about CARTA’s curriculum, presenting the question of what FIU graduates need to know in order to be successful in the profession.

The College of Architecture + The Arts’s Nick Gelpi (Assistant Professor of Architecture) has been named a Curbed Young Guns 2014 finalist by Curbed.

Curbed Young Guns is an annual search for the next wave of up-and-coming architects and interior designers. Curbed Young Guns wants to find these individuals, showcase them, and celebrate them. To qualify, nominees must be under the age of 35 or have been in the profession for under five years, and they must be based in the United States. Once nominations are in, Curbed shows the work of nominees to a panel of industry leaders, which includes top architects, interior designers, and design thinkers and who help pick the best of the nominees. (Source: Curbed)

Gelpi, has been named a Curbed Young Gun Technopioneer finalist based on how he works technology into his passion for material analysis and innovation.

To view the biographies of the Curbed Young Gun 2014 finalists, including Gelpi, click here.

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If you’ve visited the Coral Gables Museum recently, you might have seen a new exhibition by students from FIU Architecture and FIU Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design. Miami 2100: Envisioning a Resilient Second Century is co-curated by FIU College of Architecture + The Arts faculty Marta Canavés, FIU LAEUD Associate in Design and Marilys Nepomechie, FAIA, FIU Professor of Architecture. The exhibit takes a comprehensive look at the topic of climate change and sea level rise, with a focus on our region and the history of research on the topic.  (For more information, click here.)

The city model in the exhibition is perhaps the most obvious part of Miami 2100. Measuring 25-feet-long and 17-feet-wide, the model fills up a whole gallery room at the Museum and incorporates lighting and sophisticated design. FIU Architecture Instructor  and Fabrication Lab Manager Eric Peterson, working with a team of architecture and landscape architecture students, configured the exhibition galleries and constructed this large-scale model of Miami, depicting the predicted effects of sea level rise on the city. Peterson offered a background on the making of the model.

Teams Behind the Miami 2100 Model

The team of students and faculty began working on the Model in June 2014. The initial study models were produced over the summer by Tom Pupo and Daisy Nodal under the direction of Eric Peterson. In the fall, Peterson and four fabricators developed the final design of the model. The team consisted of student team leader Julia Sarduy and Erika Olson, Monica Cordera, and Claudia Fernandez. A team of 3D modelers developed files for 3D printing the buildings and laser cutting the land masses, roads, and infrastructure. This team, lead by MAA student Marny Pareda consisted of Dontavious Pittman, Bobbi Walker, Miguel Pio, and Branko Micic. This team was equally instrumental in developing the final design of the model. All teams met regularly with Professor Nepomechie and Professor Canavés to review the design and ensure that we were able to produce a model that demonstrated the information and ideas that they wished to convey.

The Design of the Miami 2100 Model

It was important for the teams to find a way to show how close to sea level Miami lies. Professor Canavés and Professor Nepomechie were clear in their desire to show as much of the city as they could, from Miami Beach to the airport. The teams chose to work at 1 inch = 200 feet, as it was the best compromise that allowed them to show the city, the infrastructure, and the buildings in a way that a viewer could easily understand. This resulted in a model that is 25-feet-long and 17-feet-wide. Because Miami is so flat and ground elevations vary so little, it is nearly impossible to depict variations in height in a model of this scale in a way that has any meaning for the viewer. To show how close to the water Miami lies, the teams chose to use sanded clear acrylic for the ground. They raised this acrylic surface an inch above the base of the model and then cut out shapes of land masses, rivers, bays, roads, and other infrastructure elements in clear and colored acrylic. 3D printed buildings were then placed on top of the translucent ground. The result is that the city appears to lie low to the water and hover gently above the sea.

To show variations in sea level, the teams used a Geographic Information Systems Map that relied on LIDAR data to plot elevations of the city of Miami that corresponded to the area of our model. From this data they produced a computer model that displayed a grid of points depicting the areas of the city that would be submerged due to various levels of sea level rise: 3 feet, 4 feet, and 6 feet. Teams used these points to drill holes using a CNC machine and inserted over six thousand LED lights wired in three separate electrical circuits. By pressing a series of buttons on a wireless remote, visitors to the museum can see which areas of the city will be inundated by 3 feet, by 4 feet, and finally by 6 feet of sea level rise. The lights shine from below the sanded clear acrylic, giving the impression of a rising force that becomes quite dramatically overwhelming when the final button is pushed, showing six feet of sea level rise. At this point, all of South Beach is inundated as well as much of downtown Miami. The Miami River widens considerably and the airport is almost completely submerged.

Despite the overwhelming aspect of the city model, the work, along with the rest of the Miami 2100 exhibition, “is met with scientifically grounded optimism,” as noted in the exhibition narrative. Miami 2100 provides a solution grounded in “architecture, landscape architecture and urban design strategies that can support the adaptation and transformation of existing infrastructure, neighborhoods, structures and regulations to ensure resilient future development.”

The Miami 2100 model was produced entirely by FIU students using funds from the Cejas Family Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

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College of Architecture + The Arts Dean’s Fellows Alastair Gordon and Bruce Carter hosted special events at the Miami Beach Urban Studios and at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, November 12th. Both events were attended by enthusiastic crowds.

Alastair Gordon (author, curator, critic, filmmaker, publisher, and public speaker) held a talk at the College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios called Infinity Machines and other Radical Environments of the Psychedelic Sixties. Gordon discussed the “revolutionary and alternative ways to live, love, and entertain” that started in the sixties, and the radical spaces constructed to house these lifestyles. He has written a book about this subject, as well, entitled Spaced Out: Radical Environments of the Psychedelic Sixties:

Stimulated by the psychedelic drug culture, rebel designers and architects distorted space to create womblike coves and isolation chambers, forging a spatial vocabulary that still reverberates today. At the same time, the tune-in-turn-on-drop-out message lured youths into far-flung communes, often under the roofs of brightly painted geodesic domes draped and tie-dyed fabric. Idealistic and anarchic enclaves with names like Drop City and Morning Star redefined the concept of community, inventing a wildly spontaneous way of building and dwelling. For the first time, these ephemeral spaces are brought together in Spaced Out. The many never-before-published photographs and an inventive text by acclaimed author Alastair Gordon show in detail the spirit and ideas of this radical period. (Source: Amazon)

‘Interdisciplinary Approaches to Understanding the Creative Experience’ moderated by CARTA Dean’s Fellow Bruce Carter and including architect and FIU Professor of Architecture Eric Goldemberg, artist Michael Scoggins (on-screen), and composer Carson Kieveman.

Bruce Carter (arts educator, researcher, and National Council on the Arts Member) moderated the panel discussion Interdisciplinary Approaches to Understanding the Creative Experience at the FIU Wertheim Performing Arts Center. The participants in the discussion included architect and FIU Professor of Architecture Eric Goldemberg, artist Michael Scoggins, and composer Carson Kieveman. Each participant expressed the interdisciplinary aspects of his own creative process within his field. To add to the exciting topic of discussion was the technology involved in the event: Scoggins joined the panel from Brooklyn with the help of Google+ Hangouts.

For more information on the College of Architecture + The Arts Dean’s Fellows for 2014-2015, click here.

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FIU’s School of Architecture was recognized for various achievements at the 60th Annual AIA Miami Design Awards Gala on Friday, November 7th, which was held at the historic Alfred I. DuPont Building in Downtown Miami.

The following awards were given to students and faculty of the FIU School of Architecture:

AIA Miami Student of the Year (FIU)
Ksenia Kosykh

Student Design – Merit Award (FIU)
Darius Bounds

Leadership in Education
Jason Chandler, AIA, Chair of the FIU Department of Architecture

Divine Detail-Merit Award
FIU Deuxième Maison Sky Lounge, Studio Roberto Rovira
Led by Roberto Rovira, Chair of FIU Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design

Ksenia Kosykh, AIA Miami Student of the Year at FIU for 2014 and FIU Master of Architecture candidate

Ksenia Kosykh, the AIA Miami Student of the Year at FIU for 2014, is a Master of Architecture candidate at Florida International University. Born in Moscow, Russia, Ksenia received her Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture in 2013 at Moscow Architectural Institute, where she received a full-tuition scholarship. Ksenia chose FIU for her further architectural education because of her desire to bring the diversity into her qualifications through graduate studies in a recognized university abroad.

Keeping her academic scores high, Ksenia manages to stay involved in school and community activities. She was a participant in the FIU Eco-Couture fashion show, for which she received an Honorable Mention for her paper dress design. During her Summer semester, Ksenia traveled to Tokyo as a part of the FIU Tokyo Study Abroad program with the Department of Architecture. This trip gave her a fresh look at contemporary architecture and inspired her successful studio project that was exhibited at the BEA International Gallery at the Paul L. Cejas School of Architecture building. She was chosen as a Graduate Assistant for the next Tokyo Study Abroad program.

Ksenia is now interning at Moss Architecture and Design, where she is currently working on an Architectural Competition organized by the World Health Organization.

“I value my FIU architecture education as a tool, more specifically as a key,” said Ksenia. “I believe that putting . . . time and effort into my education will not only give me a job of my dreams, but will also open many doors throughout my life. FIU education teaches a way of thinking, a way of shaping the mind, a way to look at the world that’s not just about buildings. It is an education that tends to transform me into an illustrator, a drafter, a model-maker, a graphic designer, a photographer, [and] a critic of every painting and sculpture I see. Thus, an architecture degree from FIU will give me passion and appreciation for the visual beauty around.”

The Sky Lounge at FIU’s Deuxième Maison (DM). Photograph by Manuel Perez-Trujillo.

The Sky Lounge, the recipient of the Award of Merit for “Divine Detail,” is a redesign of the FIU Deuxième Maison (DM) courtyard. The Sky Lounge transforms one of Florida International University’s earlier buildings and takes advantage of the courtyard’s dramatic height, while being mindful of the constraints of maintenance and existing infrastructure underground. It creates a protected and flexible space that can serve for quiet study, conversation, contemplation, gathering, and occasional presentations. The minimum maintenance design solution provides users and passersby a destination unlike any other on campus. Over 3,000 air plants hang from light stainless steel braided shapes overhead and large circular benches, custom-designed for this project, provide a place to sit back, relax and take in the sky above, the blue glass underfoot, and the vines that will eventually cover the surrounding walls. Read the coverage in Landscape Architecture Magazine here. (Source: Studio Roberto Rovira)

“It’s a great honor to be a part of this year’s AIA awards and to be recognized among colleagues whose work and leadership I respect and admire,” said Roberto Rovira. “FIU had a great showing this year and I’m happy to have been a part of it. The Sky Lounge is the kind of project that bridges across disciplines, and I feel privileged that it is being recognized with an Award of Merit by the AIA.”

Sky Lounge Project Team:
Roberto Rovira, Lead Designer and Chair of FIU Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design
José Álvarez, Martina González, Mario Menéndez & Luis Jiménez, Studio Associates
Sylvia Berenguer, Director Of Construction, FIU Facilities
Jim Piersol, Architect Of Record, Principal, MCHarry Associates
Barry Stevenson, Project Manager, Stobs Brothers Construction

Sky Lounge Air Plant Installation Team:
Alejandro Rovira, Andrea Sandoval, Brian Vazquez, Chris Cabezas, Christine Garcia, Corky The Dog, Daniela Menendez, Dava Thompson, Giovanni Guadarrama, Joel Bohorquez, Jose Alvarez, Kevin Arrieta, Kurt Schubert, Lola Bellaflores, Martina Gonzalez, Odette Barrientos, Roberto Rovira, Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Rovira, Santiago Arroyave, Sergio Pantoja, Vanessa Salcedo, Vicente Rovira, Yemail Sanchez

The header image is provided courtesy of AIA Miami.

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The following is a statement about the exhibition:

Experts predict that over the next 100 years, significant portions of our city will be substantively affected by rising sea levels. Miami 2100: Envisioning a Resilient Second Century is an exhibition about planning for climate change and sea level rise in Greater Miami presented by the Florida International University School of Architecture. A topic that hits close to home is met with scientifically grounded optimism in this solution-oriented exhibit of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design strategies that can support the adaptation and transformation of existing infrastructure, neighborhoods, structures and regulations to ensure resilient future development.

Supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Cejas Family Foundation, and the CINTAS Foundation, the multi-media exhibition integrates broad expert and community voices as it poses key questions regarding climate science, while presenting both the challenges and the opportunities created by changing environmental conditions and rising sea levels. The exhibit incorporates student projects completed over a 3-year period through graduate research studios and seminars in the Departments of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Florida International University….[E]xhibit curators Marta Canavés and Marilys Nepomechie directed academic explorations that can inform the important community planning that will allow Miami to remain a vibrant and increasingly desirable place to live for years to come. (Source: Coral Gables Museum)

Miami 2100: Envisioning a Resilient Second Century opened to the general public on Friday 7 November 2014, at the Coral Gables Museum: 285 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134.  It will remain on view until March 1, 2015.  For admission fees, visit the Coral Gables Museum online.

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Daniel Azoulay, architectural photographer, opened PAMM Under Construction on Thursday, November 6th at The College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios. The exhibition presents a series of photographs Azoulay took during the construction of the Pérez Art Museum Miami, which opened in December 2013. In addition to the opening reception, Fernando Vilela of John Moriarty & Associates lectured about Azoulay’s images.

An Art Basel Reception will be held for PAMM Under Construction on Friday, December 5th, 2014 from 6PM-8PM at The College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios: 420 Lincoln Rd. Suite 440, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Free and open to the public.

“Daniel Azoulay is an award winning architectural and documentary photographer, entrepreneur, art collector, and gallerist. Much like the city he now calls home, Azoulay’s photographic career has gone through several metamorphoses. Picture taking has been the steadfast part of his professional DNA. From studies in photography to prolific fashion shoots, his hand always clutched the camera. Azoulay finally succumbed to what he dreamed of documenting from the very beginning. Architecture and design have held a magic spell over the photographer [as] does the magic city that kept Azoulay busy with endless documentary opportunities to focus his lens on its ever-changing skyline – like the development of Perez Art Museum, Frost Museum of Science, and Miami Tunnel Project. Azoulay documents architecture with extravagant detail transmitting the architectural beauty while focusing on form, lights, and shadows revealing unique angles and perspective. He is an active member of the art community in Miami lecturing, conducting portfolio reviews at major art schools, and sponsoring photography scholarships at universities. Much of his current work is also part of his philanthropic activity; proceeds from his books are donated toward scholarships and programs that support young talent.” (Source: Daniel Azoulay)

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For the 25^th year in a row, FIU Department of Architecture Professor Jaime Canaves challenged his students to create floating shoes and race across a 175-foot-wide campus lake on the north side of the Steve and Dorothea Green Library. The result was Walk on Water, the university tradition that comprised more than 40 students scrambling to cross without getting wet.

The first student to cross the lake was Anibal Herrera (pictured above), who won a $500 scholarship from FIU Architecture. All other students who crossed the lake received an “A” grade for the project and the opportunity to drop their lowest grade.

In addition to being a class assignment, Walk on Water was hosted by FIU in commemoration of Architecture and Design Month. This year, FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg and FIU College of Architecture + The Arts Dean Brian Schriner attended the event and supported the participants.

The event was covered by the ABC, NBC and CBS Florida news stations, and was on on Channel 7 News at 6 PM that day.

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