May 21, 2013
Images courtesy Visiondivision.
Miami tends to have a reputation for glitz and bombast, whether from the need to impress at the beach, or stemming from the city’s role as a financial and cultural center for Latin America. Miami Sun, a new project from Swedish design duo Visiondivision, capitalizes on this reputation with a proposal for a landmark in Bayfront Park, adjacent to downtown.
Miami Sun is exactly what its name suggests: a giant artificial sun in the middle of the harbor. This installation is meant to attract tourists and residents alike with vibrant digital sunsets, and at night, by turning into a giant moon. Lit from within by solar-powered lights, Miami Sun changes color throughout the day, replicating solar effects while screening viewers from ultraviolet waves.
Behind the Sun’s gridded façade, visitors gamble at a multistory casino topped by an observation deck. Reached by small boats, the Sun aims to be a major attraction for cruise ship passengers as, in addition to the casino, a large pool extends between the Sun and Bayfront Park, peppered with an idyllic archipelago. You may not get a tan from Miami Sun, but you will feel the architectural heat. See below for more images.
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February 13, 2013
Photo: via sheknows
When Frank Lloyd Wright passed away in 1959, he left Florida Southern College with the largest collection of his designs at any one location. The campus, located in Lakeland, Florida, is home to a whopping 12 FLW-designed buildings—just six structures short of the 18 building anthology he had initially envisioned. Well, FSC is in the process of adding six more structures inspired by the storied architect to the central Florida campus. Oh, and did we mention these structures are for cats? Read more.
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February 6, 2013
Of all the things to stop Bjarke Ingels‘ (and that hair’s) incredible winning streak, who would have thought a tree might do the job. A protected 80-year-old tree located on the site of BIG’s Marina Lofts project for Ft. Lauderdale has locals worried about its fate. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the octogenarian rain tree (albizia saman)—the largest in Florida—stands on the spot of one of BIG’s 36-story mixed-use towers that form the heart of developer Asi Cymbal’s plan to revitalize downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Continue.
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January 4, 2013
By Grace Ehlers
Miami’s coolest boutique just got a spiffy makeover! Alchemist’s 1109 Lincoln Road store, a retail mecca on the bottom floor of Herzog & de Meuron’s famed parking garage, re-opened in December, and the renovations, by Rene Gonzalez Architect, look amazing, combining South Beach beer-cooler culture with high-end fashion. Read more!
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December 5, 2012
The eighth edition of Design Miami is officially open! This year, Snarkitecture has designed an inflatable pavilion, ”Drift,” that will greet visitors as they arrive at the event. Luckily for us, Architizer’s fearless leader Marc Kushner is there and has been gracious enough to send us a few shots, up close and personal with the enormous suspended structure. Click through to see the photos!
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October 31, 2012
Now that Frankenstorm Sandy has flooded Lower Manhattan, left 8 million without power, and dumped snow across the Appalachians, we’ve gotten to wondering when our floating cities will be ready. But before we place our lives in the lilypad-shaped hands of Vincent Callebaut, let’s not abandon land just yet. Though they were fierce, the biggest disasters of the past 100 years have in no way conquered the wits of architects and engineers. Here’s a quick tour of eight projects, large and small, that managed to outwit the elements. Click through to see them all!
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October 25, 2012
This December, controversial artist and architect Vito Acconci will be named Designer of the Year in Miami. He will be joined and honored by the thousands of art and design fans who flock to Florida for giant festivals such as Design Miami and Art Basel. In honor of this award, Acconci has created a jungle gym of sorts called the Klein Bottle Playground to be installed in Miami’s design district by 2014. The mathematical model for the playground is somewhat of a visual trick, typical of Acconci, where no inside or outside exists, just one continual surface. Read more!
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October 22, 2012
For anybody who doesn’t know, or for those who may have forgotten (don’t worry, we won’t judge): The third and final presidential debate is tonight, at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. While we’re certainly interested in what the candidates will say this time around, we have to admit that we’re pretty curious about the venue. (We’re an architecture site, after all!)
Click through for more images of the theater!
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October 17, 2012
There is nothing cooler than making an uncool place cool — except maybe making an uncool place cool and then naming it Ice Cream City! Music superstar Pharrell Willliams and Miami architect Chad Oppenheim are planning on doing just that with their new urban fun center in Overtown, Miami. Ice Cream City will be part skate park, part small-business hub, part industrial area for local designers, and, of course, part residential and retail complex. And not unlike the city’s now-famous Wynwood Arts District, Ice Cream City promises to revitalize the run-down Overtown into one of Miami’s hottest neighborhoods celebrating culture, art, and music. (Sounds like a great candidate for an A+ Urban Transformation Award.) Read more!
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October 16, 2012
Can Bjarke Ingels do no wrong? The “It Boy” has won numerous awards, gotten a big profile in The New Yorker, and wowed spectators around the world with his impeccable design and fun personal touches. (He’s also an A+ Awards juror!) Ingels continues to astonish with his latest project, the Marina Lofts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida—a 1,072-unit condo complex with two 36-story buildings that resemble a giant assemblage of LEGOs torn down the center. Aimed to be situated on the town’s New River (no, it’s not “new,” that’s just the name), the project is just short $250 million in funding. But for now we can sit and dream. Read more!
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