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Miami Center for Architecture & Design Moves into New Space

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The Miami Center of Architecture & Design recently celebrated the grand opening of its new space. Located at 310 SE 1st St., it is in the heart of Downtown Miami, bringing visibility to the organization, and the design and build of the environment.

With community meeting space and educational programs, MCAD is the place for anyone who is interested in enhancing their appreciation for the city’s vibrant and unique architecture and design. MCAD is home to AIA Miami as well as the Downtown Miami Welcome Center, in partnership with the Miami Downtown Development Authority. The Welcome Center is everything Miami – cultural events, attractions, maps, history and more.  MCAD educates the public through exhibitions, lectures, tours, film series and other programs that aim to reveal the richness of design in Miami.

To stay up to date with MCAD’s events. Visit https://miamicad.org/.

SoLē Mia Continues Free Construction Training Program with CBT College for High School Students

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Earlier this year, Oleta Partners, developer of SoLē Mia, launched a free construction training program with CBT College for North Miami Senior High School seniors. After five months of hands-on training, a total of 10 students successfully graduated from the pilot program in August with diplomas in Building Construction Technology. Due to its success, Oleta Partners is continuing the program with 15 new NMSHS seniors.

The program is part of Oleta Partners’ commitment to providing opportunities that support the local North Miami community and that promote the growth in the industry. The program will help address the shortage of skilled laborers plaguing the construction industry by fostering a new generation of qualified construction workers.

For the next six months, the students will take courses in Plumbing, Electricity & Systems, A/C Systems, Building Construction, and REVIT 3D Modeling, among others that will introduce them to the construction industry. Students will learn from experienced faculty and receive at least 50 percent hands-on training time in the school’s laboratories.

Once students have completed the program, they will have earned a total of 21 college credits and will receive a diploma in Building Construction Technology. With their training and diploma, they will be prepared to enter the workforce as building construction technicians or assistants.

Wix and Stantec Redefine the Office

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When you think of an office, grass-colored carpets with cabanas, a pool table and hanging lounge chairs probably don’t come to mind, unless you work at Wix. Wix’s new office in Miami Beach redefines the office setting. Although they do a lot of web building, they left the architecture and design of the office to Stantec in Miami. Stantec kept in mind what Wix stands for and their innovative work ethic. They created a bright and energetic space with a lot of natural light, colors, and unique features, which were recently shared on Forbes.

Web building and design disruptor Wix has made it simple and fun for people of all skill levels to drag-and-drop design a business website. The platform is praised for its intuitive UX, attractive designs and supportive community. I took a tour through Wix’s Miami office, and chatted with Shelly Cohen, head of WixStores Business Development, and with U.S. Operations Manager Dax Pedraza about how Wix’s physical work spaces reflect the company’s open-minded and collaborative philosophy.

Regardless of what continent or country the office may be, “Wix has an open-minded environment and a unique vibe—and it starts with the office design,” says Cohen.

The interior design of every Wix office is characterized by bright colors, clear windows and proximity to the beach. In Miami, the office is located within footsteps of the Lincoln Road pedestrian thoroughfare, not to mention many famous restaurants and nightspots. That being said, the office still feels like a workplace—distant from the chaotic noise and odors of Miami Beach.

Designed by architecture firm Stantec, the Wix Miami office is an aesthetic treat from the minute the elevator opens into reception. The Wix sign is stenciled over a green wall, so the three letters are actually green moss. Immediately inside reception, three grownup-sized swings, with fake roses intertwined, beckon guests to come and kick their feet up.

To see more of this unique office space, visit Forbes.

Wesley Kean, Principal & Founder of Award-Winning Architecture and Design Firm, KoDA

© Azeez Bakare Studios

© Azeez Bakare Studios

Architect Wesley Kean, Principal & Founder of Miami Beach-based architecture and design firm KoDA, is designing with ambition for its clients and optimism for the world. He is an expert in connecting architecture with nature and finding radical solutions to sea-level rise and other environmental concerns conducive to South Florida and other coastal communities.

Wesley and his team specialize in offering creative solutions and design services for all scales and types of architecture including retail, residential and large urban projects.

The award-winning firm uses analysis and research to develop the design of highly distinctive buildings, landscapes, interiors and experiences. Wesley is a leader in Metabolism, a post-war Japanese architectural movement that fused ideas about architectural mega structures with those of organic biological growth. His view on “How Metabolist Ideas Can Potentially Solve Sea-Level Rise Vulnerability” has been published in AIA’s Florida/Caribbean Architect magazine.

An active member of the AIA and NCARB and a visiting critic at the University of Miami, Florida International University and Miami-Dade College, the New Hampshire native is also a champion of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and a member of the Miami Music Project soundboard. For the upcoming Miami Art Week, Wesley will be showcasing his artistic talents. As part of a creative campaign for the Miami Music Project, KoDA’s “Miami Music Box” exhibit will be on display at RAW POP UP art show that’s taking place at the historic Burdines flagship building in downtown Miami.

Head to KoDA’s website or follow them on social media @kodamiami.

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.

 

PCCSF’s Dr. Duncan Joins Women in Medicine Panel Discussion at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital

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Three decades ago, just over a third of medical students were women. Today, women make up roughly 50 percent of medical students, which means women could make up 50 percent of the physician population in the near future.

To talk about this positive growth, FHI Communications invited PCCSF’s Dr. Teresa Duncan and two other leading female healthcare professionals to be a part of its 5th annual Women in Medicine Discussion: Celebrating the Legacy, Embracing the Future hosted at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital on Tuesday, October 16th.

Dr. Duncan was and the panelists shared their unique story of the challenges they had to overcome and the opportunities that lie ahead for women in medicine.

“As women, we need to support each other,” said Dr. Duncan. “We benefit by openly talking to each other and understanding where we come from and where we’re going.”

Dr. Duncan began her training with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from West Virginia University. She then obtained her doctor of medicine degree and continued her matriculation at Marshall University, also in West Virginia. Meanwhile, she was also completing her Pediatric Residency, where she served as chief resident.

Dr. Duncan went on to move to South Florida to complete a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care at Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami. She enjoyed living and working in Miami so much that she remained a “local” and has practiced critical care with Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida since 2003. Her interests include the care and transport of children who require specialized critical care needs and volunteer outreach services for the under served.

With more women like Dr. Duncan entering the field, it provides a new perspective, and proves that women are just as talented and capable in the medical profession.

Local Architects Aim to Bring Diversity to the Industry

blog-10-15-2Over the years, the U.S. has produced few African American architects. Noticing the lack of diversity, architect and co-owner of MC Harry & Associates, Craig Aquart, launched Black Architects in the Making to introduce African American youth to the field.

CBS 4 News visited Aquart’s firm to learn more about BAM and meet the students.

Craig Aquart is a veteran architect and co-owner of M C Harry & Associates headquartered in Miami.

Even though he has dozens of projects in development, he is on a mission to spread what he calls the gospel of Architecture.

CBS4 recently visited Aquart while he and his staff hosted a group of students from the community to expose them to various career opportunities in the field.

“I did some research and found out that of the 113-thousand registered architects in the United States, less than two-thousand architects were actually black and the statistics were even worse when you look at black females. There were only 430 in the field. I realized there was a disparity there and one of the reasons for that is the awareness in the black community is severely lacking,” said Aquart.

In response, Aquart created BAM, which stands for Black Architects in the Making with the support of the Miami Center for Architecture & Design (MCAD).

For the last two years he and his staff have hosted workshops for students in Overtown, Liberty City and Richmond Heights just to name a few.

“We encourage students to sketch regularly, and like everything else practice makes perfect,” said Aquart. He advises students to at least sketch one image per day.

Aquart says BAM has reached more than 300 students in two years.

To read more, visit CBS4 here.

 

Choeff Levy Fischman Design Featured in Ocean Home Magazine

screen-shot-2018-10-08-at-1-44-40-pmChoeff Levy Fischman has designed countless of luxury Tropical Modern homes throughout South Florida and beyond. Principals Ralph Choeff, Raphael Levy, and Paul Fischman have elevated the firm’s quality of design to garner the attention of global entrepreneurs, C-suite executives, NFL players, MLB players, and Hollywood celebrities. Their designs have been recognized for combining indoor-outdoor living and environmentally conscious elements into their designs.

Most recently, the firm was recognized in Ocean Home Magazine where they were included in the magazine’s November issue for a home they designed in Miami Beach for racing legend Eddie Irvine. Ocean Home has also recognized CLF as one of the country’s Top 50 Coastal Architects for the past three years.

The former Formula 1 driver for Ferrari and Jaguar – he won four Grand Prix races in 1999 – splits his time between Europe, the Bahamas, and Florida. He’s also building houses, and very nice ones at that.

“He builds really spectacular Tropical Moderns in Miami and Miami Beach,” says landscape architect Christopher Crawley. “He has impeccable taste.”

For his newest home in Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach, Irvine approached Ralph Choeff, principal with Choeff Levy Fischman. Known for cutting-edge design, the firm has come to redefine the midcentury modern style in Florida. And they’re acknowledged masters of the Tropical Modern idiom.

To read more, visit page 53 in Ocean Home Magazine’s digital version here.

Stantec Completes Solitair Brickell, Miami’s Newest and Boldest Residential Building

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Stantec has made its own unique mark in the Miami skyline with the design of the new 50-story Solitair Brickell residential building. The tower features a unique zig-zagging façade that’s inspired by the Medjool date palm tree.

Miami’s architectural landscape, especially surrounding Brickell City Centre, is synonymous with reinvention. The latest beacon of change is Solitair Brickell, a bold residential tower designed by Stantec and developed by ZOM Living. The 50-story high-rise sports a unique angular basket-weave facade that riffs on the Medjool date palm tree commonly seen in South Florida. Inside, 438 residential units ranging from studios to two penthouse suites come with millennial-friendly amenities such as a billiards lounge, luxury cabanas, one of Miami’s highest rooftop resort–style pools, a fitness center, outdoor yoga space, and 6,200 square feet of ground retail space.

To read more visit Interior Design.

Hospitality Leaders Discuss Industry Trends at Miami Hospitality Designs Awards Panel

dsc_4812-copyTop leaders in South Florida’s hospitality industry gathered yesterday for the Miami Hospitality Design Awards’ inaugural panel discussion, Distinctive Hospitality Design in Miami’s Evolving Neighborhoods.

 Hosted by the award’s founders Oberhausen Marketing & Public Relations, the Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association and AIA Miami Chapter and in support of IIDA South Florida, the panel took place at the Hyatt Centric Brickell.  The panelists included Stantec Director of Interiors, Susan LaFleur; The Barlington Group Co-founder, Bill Fuller; and The Genuine Hospitality Group Chef and Owner, Michael Schwartz.

Moderated by Indulge Magazine Editor in Chief, Evan Benn, the panelists discussed how consumer demands are affecting hospitality architecture, design and programming.

 Downtown Miami, Brickell, Wynwood, Little Havana, and Coconut Grove are some of these evolving neighborhoods that have emerged with their own distinctive identity.

“We take into account what speaks to us about the neighborhood and translate it into the architecture and interiors to make each project relatable to its location,” said Susan LaFleur.

“Although the food has to be great, I’ve always said it’s not the one thing that makes a restaurant successful,” said Michael Schwartz. “We want our restaurants to fit with the neighborhood, so we look at where we are, what we’re trying to accomplish and how that plays into the design.”

“Little Havana is a passion project for me because of my Cuban American background,” said Bill Fuller. “We seek out historic properties in Miami to give them a new life, but always wrap the property’s history into what we do to keep the building’s and neighborhood’s authenticity.”

The panel is part of the awards’ program leading up to the second annual Miami Hospitality Design Awards to be held in spring 2019. The awards will honor the architects and designers whose hospitality projects have enriched Miami’s built environment. Next year’s awards will include new categories, giving additional designers an opportunity to showcase their work.

Stay tuned for details on the 2019 Miami Hospitality Design Awards by visiting http://miamidesignawards.com.

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