On Friday, February 27th (Saturday morning, February 28th in Japan), Fuji TV will air the work of Associate Professor Eric Goldemberg and MONAD Studio partner Veronica Zalcberg.

The television station will feature projects by MONAD Studio and the work it is doing with FIU students for the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. At the Javits Center, MONAD Studio is integrating architecture and music with the collaboration of seven FIU Architecture students. This is a new interdisciplinary project with musician Scott F. Hall to create a sonic installation with music performances at the Javits Convention Center by I.M.Pei from April 16th-17th.

This is part of Professor Goldemberg’s research project for his upcoming book FEEDBACK: Architecture + Music, under contract with eVolo and distribution by ACTAR.

MONAD Studio was founded by the College of Architecture + The Arts’ Eric Goldemberg, Associate Professor, and Veronica Zalcberg, architect. MONAD Studio is a design research practice focused on spatial perception related to rhythmic affect, with explorations ranging from the scale of urban plans to buildings, and from landscape to installations and product design. MONAD Studio’s designs highlight the range and complexity of sensations involved in constructing rhythmic ensembles. The pulsating activity that results from intense computation gives idiosyncractic personality to the topologies of the designs, creating patterns that operate to transition the diverse scales of representation, reinvigorating the capacity of ornament to provide character and inducing moods and atmosphere through the modified, re-tuned lens of spatial perception and affective alliances. Such rhythmic activity of animate forms is translated to the architectural systems of MONAD Studio as “pulsation.” Pulsation thrives on hyper-charged, syncopated rhythms and sensual drive. It operates via smooth aggregation of discrete, holistically articulated components and de-aggregation of volumes in a state of urban friction, unzipping seams and foraging into spatial crevices charged with rhythmic opportunities.

The work of MONAD Studio has been published in The New York Times, Architectural Record, World Architecture (China), ‘Architecture in Formation’ book, ‘[En]Coding Architecture’ book, ‘Architecture Xenoculture’ book, ‘Digital Diagram II’ book, Conditions Magazine (Norway), i4Design (Chicago), Future Arquitecturas (Spain), Miami Herald, Florida InsideOut (Miami), Design Book Magazine (Miami), Summa+ (Argentina), Evolo Magazine (L.A.) among other architecture journals. MONAD Studio was one of the 5 finalists of the 2008 PS1-MoMA competition and the project was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. MONAD’s entry was also exhibited in New York at the PS-1 Contemporary Art Center – YAP 10th Anniversary show. (Source: MONAD Studio)

The header image is of a 2-string piezoelectric violin MONAD Studio is designing – one of 5 instruments for the sonic installation at the Javits Convention Center in New York.

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The 2015 BEA International Scholars and the 2015 Nicolas Quintana Scholars have been announced!

Faculty from the FIU Department of Architecture selected the winners and finalists, who were among a pool of students that applied in January 2015. The BEA International Scholarship Endowment was created to benefit students in the FIU Department of Architecture. This endowment is established in perpetuity. The Nicolas Quintana Scholarship Fund was created to benefit students in the Department of Architecture in memory of architect and educator Nicolas Quintana.

2015 BEA Scholarship Finalists:

Design 4:
Alejandro Gutierrez
Nathalie Restrepo
Ekaterini Kokalias

Design 6:
Brian Rivera
Juan Gatica
Alejandro Diaz
 
2015 Quintana Scholarship Winners:
Santasha Hart
Julia Sarduy

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From February 12th to 16th, Associate Professor Eric Goldemberg, along with MONAD Studio partner Veronica Zalcberg, participated in Art Wynwood.

MONAD Studio exhibited its work “Farfalla,” a modular candleholder system whose individual components can be made to order. The piece was constructed in two days and nights using mixed media, laser cuts, and 3D printing. The work was presented as an installation at Artstop, an event-space of Art Wynwood. It was done in collaboration with fashion designer Luis Valenzuela, showing an interdisciplinary approach to the creation of art. The name of the joint installation was “Colonize” and articulated several scales of mutant butterflies fluttering with menace and grace.

MONAD Studio was founded by the College of Architecture + The Arts’ Eric Goldemberg, Associate Professor, and Veronica Zalcberg, architect. MONAD Studio is a design research practice focused on spatial perception related to rhythmic affect, with explorations ranging from the scale of urban plans to buildings, and from landscape to installations and product design. MONAD Studio’s designs highlight the range and complexity of sensations involved in constructing rhythmic ensembles. The pulsating activity that results from intense computation gives idiosyncractic personality to the topologies of the designs, creating patterns that operate to transition the diverse scales of representation, reinvigorating the capacity of ornament to provide character and inducing moods and atmosphere through the modified, re-tuned lens of spatial perception and affective alliances. Such rhythmic activity of animate forms is translated to the architectural systems of MONAD Studio as “pulsation.” Pulsation thrives on hyper-charged, syncopated rhythms and sensual drive. It operates via smooth aggregation of discrete, holistically articulated components and de-aggregation of volumes in a state of urban friction, unzipping seams and foraging into spatial crevices charged with rhythmic opportunities.

The work of MONAD Studio has been published in The New York Times, Architectural Record, World Architecture (China), ‘Architecture in Formation’ book, ‘[En]Coding Architecture’ book, ‘Architecture Xenoculture’ book, ‘Digital Diagram II’ book, Conditions Magazine (Norway), i4Design (Chicago), Future Arquitecturas (Spain), Miami Herald, Florida InsideOut (Miami), Design Book Magazine (Miami), Summa+ (Argentina), Evolo Magazine (L.A.) among other architecture journals. MONAD Studio was one of the 5 finalists of the 2008 PS1-MoMA competition and the project was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. MONAD’s entry was also exhibited in New York at the PS-1 Contemporary Art Center – YAP 10th Anniversary show. (Source: MONAD Studio)

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Students in the FIU Department of Architecture visited Savannah during the weekend of January 23rd – 25th. 96 students from Graduate Design 6 and Formative Studio were joined on the trip by Jason Chandler (Chair and Associate Professor), Adam Drisin (Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs), Cynthia Ottchen (Adjunct Faculty), Nathaly Haratz (Adjunct Faculty), Glenda Puente (Adjunct Faculty), and Armando Rigau (Adjunct Faculty).

Students examined Savannah’s clear and explicit city edge along the Savannah River, the city’s urban structure, and grand private homes that measure up to the scale of public buildings. They also studied the infill housing structure in the city, the commercial buildings on Main Street, and Savannah’s square and block typology. Students were assigned to create sketches that related and responded to their experiences in the historic port town.

Those who participated in the trip took various walking tours across Savannah. They visited sites such as the Telfair Academy building, 8-10 East Taylor Street on Monterey Square, the Jepson Center, and Telfair Square.

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Gus Berenblum, principal of Berenblum Busch Architecture (BBA), generously hosted the CARTA Advisory Board meeting at his office in the Wynwood district at noon on February 9^th, 2015.

During this very productive meeting, Dean Brian Schriner discussed CARTA 2020, the Miami Creative City Initiative with the direction of Dr. Richard Florida, and the Bauhaus Miami with the collaboration of Dr. Claudia Perren, Director of the Bauhaus Dessau.

Larry Kline from Perkins & Will presented the new partnership with CARTA for the creation of a new Healthcare Design track in the School of Architecture.

Bernardo Fort-Brescia, founding principal of Arquitectonica, was recognized for having the winning bid for the redesign of the Coconut Grove Playhouse.

Alfred Karram Jr, Chairman of the Urban Studios Advisory Board, made a presentation on their involvement with the City of Miami Beach Centennial.

Rick Tonkinson, Chairman of the CARTA Advisory Board, discussed Josh Oberhausen speaking to the Communication Arts students, the status of hiring a Career Development Officer, and the grand opening of the RCCL building at the FIU Modesto A. Maidique Campus on March 20, 2015. Dean Schriner is making arrangements for the board members to attend the grand opening and to receive a private tour.

Rick also discussed the Martin and Connie Silver Award, which is a scholarship for students to explore how to assimilate artwork and collections of art into their architecture designs.

Rick announced the School of Architecture Career Fair on March 25^th and Jason Chandler, Chair and Associate Professor, provided the details at the board meeting.

Rick let the board know that the Department of Interior Architecture is ranked in the top 10 in the nation by Design Intelligence and Janine King, Chair and Associate Professor, stated that 1,108 professional practice organizations participated in the ranking.

Bernardo Fort-Brescia and Julian Kreeger, President of Friends of Chamber Music of Miami for 25 years, had a very insightful conversation that started with Bernardo asking “What is the ideal size of a venue in order to be able to create the right amount of buzz (sizzle) for a theatre or music production?” A discussion ensued over this fundamental and critical question, which that is often never addressed. “Buildings are overbuilt and there is too much capacity so when it is half full, it still looks empty,” said Bernardo. Julian thought that 300 seats is small enough to create a demand for attendance. “This conversation was in essence why the College of Architecture + The Arts are combined at FIU because it brings the two points of view together. At most universities, this conversation would not take place. With most cultural arts centers, they are built over capacity because the decision makers want something grandiose. It is their way or the highway so when it is built, presenters have to deal with trying to fill up the room. Chamber Music does not need a 2,600 seat auditorium,” said Rick Tonkinson. “We just witnessed in a conversation the unique philosophy of CARTA,” added Rick.

Rick was pleased to announce that David Harper, President and CEO of HADP Architecture, is joining the board. He named the atrium of the Green Library at FIU and is a major donor.

The next meeting will be at hosted by Daniel de la Vega in April. Daniel is president of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty.

On Saturday, February 7^th, the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center Concert Hall had a stellar performance of John Fedchock, a Grammy Award nominated arranger and world class trombone soloist.

John played with the FIU Faculty Jazz Ensemble, which included Gary Campbell (its Director), Cisco Dimas, Hal Roland, Jaime Ousley, Osvaldo Vargas, and Tom Lippincott for the first half of the performance.

For the second half, the sizzling sound of the FIU Studio Big Band under the direction of Jim Hacker played with John on seven of his tunes.

“We have enjoyed very special jazz concerts in New York City where John has played for over 20 years and this FIU concert was of a Carnegie Hall quality,” said Rick and Margarita Tonkinson who sponsored the event.

Earlier in the day, John taught a master class to seven high school jazz bands.

John Fedchock enjoyed playing with the faculty and students. “We all had a real great time,” said John.

Header image is of John Fedchock.

John Fedchock and FIU trombonist Tom Savage

John Fedchock and the FIU Studio Jazz Big Band

Left to right: Rick Tonkinson – Sponsor, Jim Hacker – Director of the FIU Studio Jazz Big Band, Bob Dundas – Chair of FIU School of Music, Bill Hipp – Past Chair of FIU School of Music, and John Fedchock – World class trombonist

Last year, the FIU Eco-Couture Recycled Fashion Show attracted more than 300 visitors to the Paul L. Cejas School of Architecture courtyard, at the FIU Modesto A. Maidique Campus. The event will return again this April, with expectations of an even greater turnout and a new display of intelligent, environmentally-conscious designs.

FIU Architecture alumna Amira Ajlouni (M.Arch ’14) started Eco-Couture in Spring 2014. At the time, the fashion show was a part of her thesis project, but she is now continuing it as a new tradition for the FIU School of Architecture with the help of current FIU Architecture student Jennifer Luis. Ajlouni said of the event last year that “the students’ work was well designed, the materials they used were unique, and the way they used them was innovative. Furthermore, the presentation and modeling were high quality, very impressive.” When asked about the genesis of her idea, she said that she “wanted people to see recycled materials in a different light . . . I also wanted people to be inspired . . . Finally, I wanted to start a tradition.”

Eco-Couture was created with the purpose of promoting sustainability through fashion. Through collaborative effort from FIU students, the FIU Office of Sustainability, and Florida International University’s School of Architecture, Eco-Couture features a recycled fashion show competition, giveaways of recycled projects, and recycled art installations. Through this event, Eco-Couture strives to educate and inspire the community about good recycling habits and a sustainable lifestyle. Students from FIU will create and display outfits that are made only of recycled materials, and they will be modeled on a runway at the Paul L. Cejas School of Architecture building. (Source: FIU Eco-Couture)

The FIU Eco-Couture Recycled Fashion Show will take place on Thursday, April 2nd, 2015 at the FIU Paul L. Cejas School of Architecture building courtyard, on the FIU Modesto A. Maidique Campus: 11200 SW 8 Street, Miami, Florida 33199. Free and open to the public.

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FIU Architecture student Kevin Patterson placed first in the 2014-2015 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Essay Contest, hosted by the FIU Office of Multicultural Programs and Services. Kevin’s first place award includes a $2,000 stipend towards his FIU tuition for one academic year, a $500 book award, and a meal award. The Department of Architecture at FIU would like to congratulate Kevin on this great achievement, which he received for his outstanding essay and stellar GPA.

Kevin explained he decided to compete in this particular essay contest; “MLK has inspired me ever since I was a child.  I’ve done book reports and read a lot about him. His vision of peace and equality is a big part of why the United states is where it is today.  It reinforces how education is the greatest demonstration of freedom and how, with it, it is the greatest equalizer.”

Below is FIU Architecture student Kevin Patterson’s winning essay for the 2014-2015 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Essay Contest.

His Vision: Our Responsibility

Kevin Patterson

One of the biggest defining moments in history was the delivery of the I Have a Dream speech given in 1963 in Washington DC by Dr. Martin Luther King. He claimed that day to be the greatest demonstration of freedom that the nation would ever see. His vision for equality of the people of the free world has been realized today, and he would be proud to see what she has become, but he would not be satisfied. Racial inequality is still precedent in our country but we have evolved as more accepting beings with far less hatred in our hearts to those different than us. Today we are faced with a growing divide between the “haves” and “have nots” that is enabling economic disparity to thrive. His vision of ending racial inequality can be fully realized through the power of education.

Today, education is the greatest demonstration of freedom. The best way to unify our nation together as brothers and sisters and heal the wounds of economic distress and racial divide is through equal, accessible, and affordable education. It was Dr. King’s wish that one day people could “…live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (King para. 9). Education is the great equalizer that allows everyone to be judged through the quality of their character and not by their socioeconomic class, gender, or color of skin. Education is the strongest weapon that can be used to inflict change. If education were the main focus in our society and used as a platform to end racial discrimination we can fulfill his vision.

Access to quality education is “still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (para. 3). Once we can overcome this barrier then our nation can truly be free and bask in the sun of freedom and equality if we believe that the system can change. We have forgotten the words of our Founding Fathers upon which our country was built, which promised life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We continue to be fearful of standing up for the change we wish to see in the world and advocate for justice. This is our responsibility that we owe to Dr. King who died for his Dream. It is easy to believe that we can no longer connect to his dream and manifest his vision because racial inequality and civil rights is a time behind us, but his dream is still very much alive. It has merely taken a different shape and we must be critical enough to see it and act upon it in his memory. Dr. King encouraged advocacy for equality and asked his followers to believe that change will come. Our responsibility remains the same as it did in 1963 and we too must still believe that change will come if we are brave enough to advocate for equal and accessible education and start dialogue about the issue to lead a movement as great as Dr. King once did.

Works Cited

King, Dr. Martin Luther. “I Have A Dream” Lincoln Memorial Steps, Washington D.C., D.C.. 28 August 1963. Speech.

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On February 12th, 2015, the FIU College of Architecture + The Arts and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Miami jointly sponsored Designing the Resilient City, a panel discussion offered in conjunction with the exhibition MIAMI 2100: Envisioning a Resilient Second Century.   Addressing a standing-room-only crowd at the Coral Gables Museum, Professors and exhibition co-curators Marilys Nepomechie (FIU Architecture) and Marta Canaves (FIU LAEUD) moderated presentations by Kai-Uwe Bergmann, Daniel Pittman and Daniel Vassini, key members in the internationally renowned architecture and landscape architecture practices of BIG; OMA | AMO and West 8.  The ensuing discussion was stimulating, thought-provoking and robust.  The event brought MIAMI 2100 to wide public attention, and continued to place FIU at the center of important conversations focused on the critical necessity of building resilience to climate change, sea level rise, and, in response to our unique environmental conditions, to the evolving form of our urban region.

MIAMI 2100 takes a comprehensive look at the topic of climate change and sea level rise, with a focus on our region and on the broad range of disciplinary research currently underway on our natural and built environments. FIU Architecture Instructor Eric Peterson, working with a team of architecture and landscape architecture students, configured the exhibition galleries, and constructed a large-scale interactive model of Miami which utilizes LiDAR data to depict the predicted effects of sea level rise on the city over the coming century.

From the exhibition narrative:

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 interactive, 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 will remain on view until March 1st, 2015. For museum admission fees, visit the Coral Gables Museum online.

The header image is provided courtesy of Branko Micic.

This article was written with the help of Marilys Nepomechie and Marta Canavés.

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The Miami Herald‘s Starting Gate online column recently published the below article about FIU’s partnernship with the Creative Class Group in creating the FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative.

FIU, Creative Class Group launch Creative City Initiative

Posted by Nancy Dahlberg

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/the-starting-gate/2015/02/fiu-creative-class-group-launch-creative-city-initiative.html#storylink=cpy

As a featured event of FIU’s Panther Alumni Week (PAW), the Leaders of Design exhibition and its accompanying alumni panel on Thursday, February 5th had a great turnout of students, faculty, and CARTA friends at the College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios. Alumni in the design disciplines came from near and far for a panel discussion about creativity careers and celebrated the opening of an exhibition of FIU alumni work.  The innovative and entrepreneurial work of the students, faculty, fellows, and researchers at the Urban Studios struck a chord with many College of Architecture + The Arts alumni who said they were prouder than ever to be Panthers!

CARTA is very proud of our history of producing a dynamic next generation of Leaders of Design, to solve problems and help transform us locally and nationally into a multi-faceted creative economy.

FIU College of Architecture + The Arts Dean Brian Schriner started the evening with opening remarks and a welcome to the visiting CARTA alumni, students, and faculty. Professor Jason Chandler, Chair of the FIU Department of Architecture, moderated the panel of ten alumni, who graduated from the FIU Departments of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design. The panel discussed a broad range of professional experiences after FIU, many while working in international design firms. The alumni also discussed how their education at FIU prepared them for various opportunities after commencement and how what they learned at the university contributed to their professional careers.

Panelists and visitors at the Miami Beach Urban Studios enjoyed a reception for the exhibit sponsored by Fresh Market, Sazon Cuban Cuisine Restaurant, and Lagunitas Brewing Company. The exhibit presents the alumni’s projects from Perkins + Will, HOK, Gensler, ArquitectonicaGEO, Enea Landscape Architecture, EDSA, CASE Inc., Rene Gonzalez Architecture, STA Architectural Group, Urban Works Architecture, Trachtenberg Architects, Antrobus + Ramirez, and RTKL Associates Inc.

Leaders of Design will run until March 19th, 2015 at the College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios (420 Lincoln Road, Suite 440, Miami Beach, FL 33139) and hopes to become an annual FIU School of Architecture tradition. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The following alumni are represented in Leaders of Design this year:

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 Architects (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’ Exhibition opens at the College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios

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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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