Posts

McKENZIE Renovates Historical Overtown Building into New Co-working Space

/in /by

copy-of-171222_mk_tribe_0010-1

McKENZIE has completed the renovation of the historical New Providence Lodge building in Overtown into Tribe Urban Innovation Lab and Cowork, a multi-use, co-working space that will focus on serving local, African American youth and the South Florida entrepreneur community.

McKENZIE’s design creates a flexible workspace that contains design elements that are in tune with the evolving workplace and the needs of today’s entrepreneurial workforce.

Owned by Felecia Hatcher and Derick Pearson, both successful entrepreneurs working to provide opportunities for African Americans to thrive in the tech industry, Tribe will house Code Fever and BlackTech Week, two nonprofits founded by Hatcher and Pearson that help build and diversify startup ecosystems and support African American entrepreneurs, as well as several black-owned businesses.

McKenzie, a boutique design, build, and custom fabrication firm recently completed the renovation of the two-story, 3,700-sf New Providence Lodge building in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami.

The building, which once housed a Freemason chapter during the Jim Crow era, is now the Tribe Urban Innovation Lab and Cowork, a multi-use, co-working space with a maker lab, classrooms, and collaborative event and hangout spaces. The idea is for the new space to primarily serve local, African-American youth.

Many of the building’s original features were preserved, such as the original wood ceiling and steel beams. These restored historical elements add a visual contrast to the collaborative workspace’s clean and modern finishes.

To read the full story, visit Building Design + Construction.

McKENZIE Transforms Bus Into BE TIME, A High-End Mobile Meditation Studio Serving Busy New Yorkers

/in /by

betimejanuary-07-2018mroy0884_preview

New York City is home to high-strung investment bankers, overworked executives, and countless entrepreneurs with busy, fast-paced lifestyles synonymous with the Big Apple. Determined to bring mindfulness and peace to the city that never sleeps, Carla Hammond, an experienced nonprofit employee for startups across New York, commissioned Miami-based McKENZIE to convert a mid-size Temsa TS35 coach bus into BE TIME, New York City’s first-ever unique and upscale mobile meditation studio.

Officially rolling into the streets of New York today, BE TIME will provide busy New Yorkers a quiet, cozy space where they can practice meditation and get away from their hectic schedules. Read more about the bus and McKENZIE’s work in designboom below.

The people of New York City will be receiving its first-ever unique mobile meditation studio this month. BE TIME, CEO and founder, Carla Hammond, an avid non-profit worker in the new york to many start-up organizations for many years found her love for meditation and wellness at the age of 15 and now busy with twins, decided to build a distinctive meditation studio to bring mindfulness to busy new yorkers at their convenience — BE TIME will offer a launch event to the general public on Monday, January 22nd at Madison Square Park for free classes 8am-2pm.

BE TIME has been created to provide a space that is quiet, cozy, unexpected and can hold people in their meditation practice while taking a break from busy days. The moving studio will have experienced instructors guiding in-person meditation classes at 30-minute intervals. Because the BE TIME is mobile, its able to access more people and more places. ‘You move, we move,’ Carla says. On top of the 30 minute guided practices, BE TIME will also offer ‘open space’ hours where meditators are welcome to hop in and perform their own practice. BE TIME invites people to come in, and take a breath from the urban hustle while in a serene space that incorporates self-care bonuses: aromatherapy, light + chromotherapy and weighted blankets to add to your meditation experience. BE TIME is a fully transformative 30 min ‘mind break’ with extra add-ons to help soothe you through the practice.

The BE TIME bus was designed by a power duo couple of architects (Rolando Rodriguez Leal and Natalia Wrzask), founders of Aidia Studio. The duo has worked with Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel’s Louvre in Abu Dhabi and more. McKENZIE, a Miami-based boutique design, build and custom fabrication firm partnered with Aidia Studio to make the design vision come to life. McKENZIE transformed the vehicle into a high-tech mobile studio through the custom fabrication of unique laser cut wall panels, and coordination of the design of all the audio and lighting components, ensuring all the complex design features came together harmoniously. Additionally, they built out all technicalities in the process: generators, sound insulation, extra-air conditionings, best systems to sustain paneling and led structure.

To read the full story, visit designboom.

OBR Marketing Gains McKenzie as New Client

/in /by

mckenzie-logo

Oberhausen Marketing & Public Relations is proud to announce the addition of McKenzie to its premier client list. McKenzie is a boutique Miami-based design, construction and custom fabrication firm that works with some of the most recognizable brands and high-end residences throughout the South Florida area. Their work reflects their passion for creating beautiful projects and spaces that improve the quality of life for those who utilize and inhabit them. They provide high-quality construction and craft fabrication services while implementing sustainable building practices whenever possible.

Whether working with an outside architect’s design or constructing an in-house design-build project created by one of their architects, McKenzie strives to make the built product as beautiful as its original concept. Their projects in construction and craft showcase their love for working with wood, metal and concrete.

McKenzie’s most recent works include the design and construction of Michael Schwartz’s latest concept, Genuine Pizza. Part of Genuine Hospitality, Genuine Pizza was formerly known as Harry’s Pizzeria. The new outpost officially opened its door inside Aventura Mall’s new expansion wing early December and is part of a multi-city expansion to 18 new locations – all of which are scheduled to be designed by McKenzie.

McKenzie also worked with French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec to install a modular sun shade and seating system made from steel and colored glass in Miami Design District during Art Basel Miami Beach 2017. The permanent cloud-like canopy connects Paradise Plaza and Palm Court.

Additionally, McKenzie is serving as the executive architect and general contractor for Central Fare, a 50,000 square-foot food hall located at MiamiCentral. McKenzie is coordinating the design, construction and millwork of the project, and construction on Central Fare is slated to be completed by spring 2018.

Stay tuned to learn more about McKenzie’s upcoming projects.