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Berenblum Busch Architects Designs The New Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce

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Berenblum Busch Architects is designing the new Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce and County Office Building in Wynwood.  Developed by Moishe Mana, construction of the three-story, 35,410-square-foot building at 2900 NW Fifth Ave will begin this fall.
According to the firm’s Founding Principal Gustavo Berenblum, the building will include a ground floor café, retail and meeting spaces, and 6,800 square feet of ground-floor parking. The second floor will host offices for the chamber and county. The third floor will have additional offices as well as a 6,800-square-foot terrace facing south toward 29th Street.
The design of the building draws inspiration from Wynwood’s industrial nature, the mostly one-story warehouses that define the neighborhood’s character, along with the popular murals that have become a tourist destination.
Claudia Busch, BBA’s Founding Principal,  said “It’s an opportunity for the Puerto Rican community to have a place of its own. You already have many Puerto Rican institutions that are there contributing to the health of the local economy there.”
Construction is slated to begin in September. The chamber, currently at 3550 Biscayne Blvd., is expected to relocate by November 2021.
Developer Mana added  that the Wynwood neighborhood was one of the first areas settled by Puerto Rican immigrants who moved to Miami in the 1950s. “It’s important to have the chamber in Wynwood because we don’t want to lose this part of the community,” he said. “We want to keep the culture.”
For more information visit Miami Herald.

BBA’s Claudia Busch in Miami Herald’s CEO Roundtable

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We are proud to announce that Claudia Busch, Founding Principal of Berenblum Busch Architects, has been selected from among South Florida’s top business leaders to be in the latest panel of Miami Herald’s CEO Roundtable. The industries these panelists represent include technology, real estate and architecture, insurance, law, the arts, banking, nonprofits and small business.
Claudia Busch is founding principal of Berenblum Busch Architects in Miami, an architecture, planning and interior design firm. Busch, who has more than 25 years of experience in the field, has designed for major architects such as Zaha Hadid, Richard Meier, Nalbach Architekten, and Bernard Tschumi. She is also a senior instructor at Florida International University’s School of Architecture. Busch, who was raised in Germany, was trained in Hamburg and also has a master’s degree from Columbia University.
For the next six months, she will give her views on the most important civic and economic issues of the day and will also share personal stories of her successes and setbacks and tips on how to succeed in the business world.
For more information, visit Miami Herald.

Lincoln Road Takes A Big Step

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Lincoln Road is home to our OBR headquarters, and we are excited about experiencing a revamp to the look and feel of South Beach’s iconic outdoor mall.

Recently, the City of Miami Beach announced plans to jump-start the first large-scale makeover of the walkway in more than 20 years, and according to reports, property owners agreed to tax themselves at a higher rate to pay for part of the ambitious plan to restore it. But who will cover the remaining cost?

The plans have been a long time coming. In 2014, the City hired James Corner Field Operations to draw up designs for a Lincoln Road makeover. His design includes a reorganization of café tables, new sculptural elements, and more public seating and green space – all much-needed improvements to Lincoln Road.

If the plan moves forward this time, there will also be a touched-up pattern on the ground running up the center of the walkway, reimagined planters, lights and public art. Although the proposal was halted in the planning stages for years, it looks like we’ll finally see some action, but who should cover the cost?

For more information, read the full story in The Miami Herald.

KoDA’s ‘Miami Music Box’ Exhibit is ready for Art Basel

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dsc_0547KoDA will be participating in their first Art Basel Miami event, at this year’s RAW Pop-Up.  The architecture firm always aims to create ambitious designs that examine the environmental, cultural and social context of each site.  See the story in The Miami Herald.

Much has changed in Miami since the days of segregated fitting rooms in department stores.

An important exhibit, “Miami Music Box,” will be on display at the former Burdines in downtown Miami from Tuesday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 9, during Art Basel Week. The pop-up art experience will take place in what used to be the dressing rooms, divided by race, in the popular store.

Organizers said it is a conceptualization of how far our community has progressed. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Miami Music Project’s mission to impact student lives through the power of music.

To read more, visit the Miami Herald.

 

Stambul Acquires the Historic Walgreens Building in Downtown Miami

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Stambul, a family-owned and operated, full-service boutique construction and development firm, finalized the purchase of the historic Walgreens building in Downtown Miami for $19.75 million. Located at 200 East Flagler St., the building was owned by the Alonso family and was once home to La Epoca Department Store. Stambul plans to transform the approximately 50,000 sq. ft. building into a multi-level entertainment complex, which will serve as a catalyst for Downtown Miami’s resurgence.

The iconic Walgreens building at 200 E. Flagler St. in downtown Miami has a new owner with big plans for the future of the historic property.

The Miami-based construction and development firm Stambul paid $19.75 million for the 50,000 square-foot building. The sale closed on Friday.

The building was put up for sale in June 2016 by the Alonso family, who owned the department store La Epoca that had operated out of the location since 2005. The store closed in November 2016.

The five-story building, which was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and cannot be torn down, will be turned into a multi-level collection of high-end restaurants, retail and entertainment venues.

“We are meticulously and thoughtfully curating and overseeing vendors, spaces and activities that will integrate to provide an organic experience,” Stambul’s Principal Daniel Peña Giraldi said in a press release. “Stambul wants to be a key player in the rebirth of Downtown Miami and its evolution into a culinary and entertainment destination for locals and tourists.

To read more, visit The Miami Herald.

Jalal Farooq on Preparing for 2018 Hurricane Season

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Twice a year, the Miami Herald enlists new members for its CEO Roundtable. Jalal Farooq, principal and leader of Al-Farooq Corporation’s team of engineers, was chosen among select executives at small, large and nonprofit businesses. Farooq earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Florida International University and graduated from Stanford University with a master’s degree in structural engineering and geomechanics. Each week, Miami Herald asks its CEO Roundtable a question about a topic of interest to South Floridians.

As South Florida gets ready for what’s expected to be another active hurricane season, Jalal Farooq tells the Miami Herald how he’s preparing his business and what South Florida should be aware of on Miami Herald’s CEO Roundtable.

“As a business, the most important thing to make sure is that our data is secure, and we’ve done that,” says Jalal Farooq, principal and senior project engineer at Al-Farooq Corporation. “We specialize in engineering for impact-resistant windows, doors and building envelopes, and I would remind everyone that South Florida has the toughest hurricane codes in the country. With that in mind, if I were in an older building, I would have it checked out by a structural engineer.”

Al-Farooq Corporation has completed more than 15,000 projects around the country and is considered #1 in product approvals in South Florida. In business for more than 35 years, the Miami-based engineering firm is responsible for more than 50% of all Notice of Acceptance (NOA’s) in South Florida.

To read more, visit Miami Herald.

OBR Participates in 3rd Annual Drink Miami Hostel at the Freehand Miami Beach

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Josh and Aimet Oberhausen, co-founders of the Miami Hospitality Design Awards and judges of the 3rd Annual Drink Miami Hostel, selected Zacapa Rum as the “Best Themed Room.”

Zacapa’s design was intended to make you feel as if you were floating in the clouds of the Guatemala mountains. Cloud-like elements hung from the ceiling & mist surrounded the room as guests sipped on the “Al Cielo” signature cocktail, which means “to the sky.”

Organizers Gabriel Urrutia, Giovanny Gutierrez, and Matt Hirsch, transformed the Freehand into a virtual drinking tour showcasing the best brands, bartenders, and trendsetting cocktails.

As guests traveled through more than 20 experiences throughout the hostel’s rooms and common areas, they sipped on spirits from around the world and got their “passport” stamped. Guests also had the opportunity to learn more about their favorite cocktails through one-on-one interactions with brand ambassadors and bartenders.