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MCAD’s BAM Program Helps Mom Start A New Career

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A program of Miami Center for Architecture and Design, Black Architects in the Making was launched by M.C. Harry & Associates to increase African American representation in architecture.

An architectural project manager at M.C. Harry & Associates, Naomi Harrison has already increased their representation through her mentorship of Bernise Muhammad, a BAM mom who went from being on the sidelines to now pursuing a career in architecture at Florida International University.

CBS 4 visited a recent BAM workshop where they learned more about Naomi and Bernise’s relationship and the work BAM is doing in the community.

A Miami woman is on a new career path in architecture thanks to a program designed for students.

Naomi Harrison is an architectural project manager at M C Harry & Associates, which created Black Architects in the Making, also known as BAM.

BAM was created to introduce and educate middle and high school students, primarily African American, to the world of architecture.

Harrison has been involved with BAM for several years, helping expose youngsters to architecture but also working to diversify the industry.

“One of the underrepresented in the industry is also females. 18-percent of architects are females but only .04-percent of the architects in the state identify as black female Americans,” explained Harrison.

Harrison along with other associates go into communities where African Americans live, work, and play and talk to them about architecture.

It was at one of the workshops where she met Bernise Muhammad, the parent of one of the students. For more information, visit CBS4

Stantec Featured in INDULGE Design & Real Estate Issue 2019

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Stantec’s Andrew Burnett, Raed Alawadhi, and Aida Sanchez-Gomez were featured in INDULGE’s 2019 Design and Real Estate Issue. They shared their experience, expertise, and insights in the architecture and design industry.

Andrew Burnett, Senior Principal, says Solitair Brickell is a project that stands out as an example of the firm’s work. The building’s unique façade inspired by the Medjool palm tree stands out from other high-rises in the Brickell area. He adds that architecture is transcendent, and it contributes to our collective sense of place connecting us to each other and our environmental ecology. 

When it comes to design, Raed Alawadhi, Senior Interior Designer, is influenced by his travels, especially Europe, because of their way of intervening a modern addition into an old building. Interior design trends he’s currently seeing include golds and rose golds and clients are very drawn to it, he adds.

According to Aida Sanchez-Gomez, Senior Architect, the Bacardi building has made an impact on her design style because it captures the essence of Miami and its people with its fused art and architecture. When it comes to her approach to architecture, she states that she is more concerned with how a project’s design crafts an experience for its occupants. She looks for the story that drives the design, and sometimes it stems from the natural environment or history of the site.

Read more on INDULGE.

Stantec Featured in INDULGE Design & Real Estate Issue 2019

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Stantec’s Andrew Burnett, Raed Alawadhi, and Aida Sanchez-Gomez were featured in INDULGE’s 2019 Design and Real Estate Issue. They shared their experience, expertise, and insights in the architecture and design industry.

Andrew Burnett, Senior Principal, says Solitair Brickell is a project that stands out as an example of the firm’s work. The building’s unique façade inspired by the Medjool palm tree stands out from other high-rises in the Brickell area. He adds that architecture is transcendent, and it contributes to our collective sense of place connecting us to each other and our environmental ecology. 

When it comes to design, Raed Alawadhi, Senior Interior Designer, is influenced by his travels, especially Europe, because of their way of intervening a modern addition into an old building. Interior design trends he’s currently seeing include golds and rose golds and clients are very drawn to it, he adds.

According to Aida Sanchez-Gomez, Senior Architect, the Bacardi building has made an impact on her design style because it captures the essence of Miami and its people with its fused art and architecture. When it comes to her approach to architecture, she states that she is more concerned with how a project’s design crafts an experience for its occupants. She looks for the story that drives the design, and sometimes it stems from the natural environment or history of the site.

Read more on INDULGE.

Stantec’s Design Expert, Jon Cardello, In INDULGE Miami Magazine

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From Miami’s urban core to the shoreline, Stantec’s Jon Cardello has helped reshape the South Florida skyline with many high-profile development projects. Drawing from over 20 years of planning and design expertise, Jon organizes building forms, building uses, and sustainable design techniques to create dynamic, multi-faceted spaces, which promote enjoyment, wellness, and productivity.

Jon Cardello develops the overall corporate strategy, business development and marketing of Stantec’s growing commercial sector practice in South Florida and throughout the U.S. Cardello’s planning and design expertise in high-profile residential, mixed-use, hospitality and workspace project spans more than 20 years. Projects include Solitair Brickell, Luma at Miami World Center, Eve at the District, Midtown 29, Midtown 8, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach and Atelier in Dallas. Cardello and his team have also helped to reshape the famed Collins Avenue in Miami Beach with the restoration of seven historic Art Deco hotels.

Check out the article to read his interview with INDULGE Magazine.

 

MCAD’s BAM Sparks Interest in Architecture in African-American Students

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Of the 105,000 registered architects in the U.S., less than two percent are African Americans. In an effort to increase their representation in the industry, architect Craig Aquart of M.C. Harry and Associates created Black Architects in the Making.

BAM is a hands-on educational workshop focused on educating students, primarily African-American, on the architectural profession, and is supported by the Miami Center for Architecture and Design and the American Institute of Architects Miami chapter.

The definition of an architect is “a person who designs buildings and advises in their construction.”

So, it makes sense that the American Institute of Architects Miami Chapter would help build a program that focuses on educating middle and high school students, primarily African American, on the architecture profession.

The U.S. has produced very few African-American architects. According to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, of the 109,748 registered architects in a 2016 survey, only 2 percent are African Americans.

In an effort to increase that representation, Miami architect Craig Aquart of M C Harry & Associates created Black Architects in the Making to join the already established Architects in the Making program. The American Institute of Architects Miami Chapter supports both.

“BAM is a seed planting program that we must continue in more communities to diversify the architectural profession,” Aquart said in an email. “Students who knew little or nothing about architecture and the role it plays in their communities, now understand that their involvement in building better communities is essential to their well-being.”

Since its inception in 2015, Black Architects in the Making has designed more than 21 workshops led by African-American professionals. The efforts have reached over 300 students in Overtown, Liberty City, Richmond Heights and Homestead.

To read the full story, visit the Miami Herald.

AIA Miami presents FitCity Miami 5 Conference

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AIA Miami has partnered with AARP, the Department of Health, and the Miami Center for Architecture & Design to host its fifth annual FitCity Miami 5 Conference on Thursday, February 22.

The annual conference delves into the intersection between health and the built environment and explores how the design of our cities – buildings, streets, public spaces and healthy food access – directly influence our community’s health and well-being. FitCity Miami presents the latest health findings for Americans focusing on the chronic diseases most affecting us today, such as obesity and diabetes.

This year’s conference will focus on Age-Friendly Active Design with a stress on public spaces and Senior Living communities. FitCity Miami encourages participants to expand their understanding of how the development of Age-Friendly communities in Miami-Dade has an important, measurable and long-term impact on public health.

Architects, planners, designers, public health professionals, academics, city managers, elected officials, community leaders and residents are invited to this open discourse on how policies, including design standards, infrastructure and building codes can be beneficial to community health and overall quality-of-life.

FitCity Miami 5 will feature keynote speaker Dr. Rodney Harrell, Director of Livability Thought Leadership at AARP; as well as Joanna Lombard, AIA, UM School of Architecture; Gensler’s Karla Valdivia, AIA; Christopher Adams, AIA; Shannon O’Kelley Berler, R.I.D., LEED AP, NEWH; with Adam Steinhoff, CEO of Dedicated IT; Maria Nardi, MDC Parks; Scott Brown, University of Miami Public Health.

FitCity Miami 5 will take place on Thursday, February 22 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Coral Gables Museum 235 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, Florida 33134.

Click here to register.