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, 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, 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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