If you haven’t passed by the Deuxième Maison (DM) at the Modesto Maidique Campus in the last few days, you will probably be surprised to find a newly renovated space unlike any other at FIU. In fact, even though the courtyard installation was completed a few days ago, the new “Sky Lounge” at DM is already considered one of the 14 most beautiful spots on campus.
“The gentle sway of the nets above, the texture of blue recycled glass on the ground, and the delicate plants that seem to float in mid-air allows for one’s mind to wander and frame the sky” said Roberto Rovira, Chair of FIU Landscape Architecture and Lead designer of the project.
The new DM courtyard features air plants hanging from steel mesh structures, circular modern metal benches and blue glass flooring giving a dramatic impact to the overall designed space. The installation took about ten weeks to finish and was open to the public this week as a completely remodeled and redesigned space. The official inauguration will take place on May 21 st.
Students José Álvarez, Martina González and Luis Jiménez from FIU Landscape Architecture and Mario Menéndez from FIU Architecture, assisted in the project documentation, development and research. Additionally, over 20 students from FIU Landscape Architecture, Interior Architecture, Architecture and the Honors College assisted in the installation of the 3,020 air plants in the space.
Since day one, students have been making great use of the new space and were particularly impressed by its unusual design. “Integrating nature in this installation will raise awareness about the environmental problems we are heading towards right now. I have never seen anything like that, and I can’t wait till the plants are fully-grown.” said, Freshman and FIU Architecture Student, Ayman Gomaa.
