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<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />

Committee on Design eNewsletter | |<br />

Redlines<br />

<strong>2007</strong> Conference Chair Michael Ross, FAIA, and<br />

Miami Conference Chair Roberto Espejo, AIA<br />

A Note from the Chair<br />

With this issue we inaugurate re: Design,<br />

the COD eNewsletter. It is part <strong>of</strong> our<br />

attempt to make the COD’s activities<br />

more valuable to more AIA members. We<br />

are especially grateful to Ann Gray, FAIA,<br />

<strong>of</strong> Balcony Press for sponsoring this<br />

issue. We hope you enjoy this newsletter<br />

and welcome your comments at<br />

elCommuniCODo@mmense.com.<br />

This year we are considering “The<br />

Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> Cities on the<br />

Water.” Our first conference exploring<br />

this theme was in Miami in April, and we<br />

want to thank Roberto Espejo, AIA, and<br />

all <strong>of</strong> our hosts in Miami for their efforts.<br />

The fall conference, On the Waterfront,<br />

will be held September 27-30<br />

in Minneapolis. Both cities experienced a<br />

boom in the early 20th century and a<br />

decline in the later part <strong>of</strong> the century,<br />

followed by a total renaissance at the<br />

start <strong>of</strong> the 21st century. Come<br />

experience the unique architectural expressions <strong>of</strong> the Minneapolis design community.<br />

—Michael Franklin Ross, FAIA, <strong>2007</strong> COD Chair<br />

Calendar<br />

AIA COD Fall <strong>2007</strong> Conference: On the Waterfront: Renaissance Through<br />

Design Excellence<br />

September 27–30, <strong>2007</strong><br />

Minneapolis<br />

Register online l Conference information<br />

AIA COD Spring 2008 Conference<br />

April 3–6, 2008<br />

Detroit and Cranbrook<br />

AIA COD Fall 2008 Conference<br />

August 31–September 3, 2008 (note new dates)<br />

Copenhagen, Denmark<br />

Designations<br />

News for and about the Committee on Design<br />

2008 AIA COD Design Ideas Competition: Living—out <strong>of</strong> the car . . .<br />

A challenge to resolve infrastructure, architecture, and product design through ideas<br />

<strong>of</strong> combining an energy system, garage, and automobile. Look for the entry invitation<br />

this fall.<br />

AIA Honor Awards in San Antonio<br />

http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_cod.cfm?pagename=cod_nwsltr_current[12/7/2010 9:11:09 AM]<br />

<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />

This issue is generously<br />

sponsored by Balcony Press<br />

to celebrate its new<br />

magazine FORM.<br />

In This Issue<br />

Preserving Modern<br />

Architecture<br />

AIA COD <strong>2007</strong> Design<br />

Ideas Competition<br />

April <strong>2007</strong>: The<br />

Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong><br />

Cities on the Water


<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />

As a part <strong>of</strong> its commitment to excellent design, the COD established a process to<br />

seek and support qualified nominees for certain AIA honors. This year the following<br />

successful COD-nominated candidates were celebrated at the AIA <strong>2007</strong> National<br />

Convention in San Antonio:<br />

Architecture Firm Award: Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Boston<br />

Twenty-five Year Award: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, designed by Maya Lin with<br />

Cooper Lecky <strong>Architects</strong><br />

Honorary AIA Fellows<br />

David Chipperfield, Hon. FAIA, United Kingdom<br />

Emilio Ambasz, Hon. FAIA, Italy<br />

Francine Houben, Hon. FAIA, The Netherlands<br />

Dominique Perrault, Hon. FAIA, France<br />

Eduardo Souto de Moura, Hon. FAIA, Portugal<br />

<strong>Institute</strong> Honors for Collaborative Achievement<br />

Bryan Bell, advocate for architecture for indigent communities<br />

Francis D.K. Ching, author<br />

The Directory <strong>of</strong> African <strong>American</strong> <strong>Architects</strong><br />

Harvard Design Magazine<br />

Thomas S. Hines, architectural historian and educator<br />

Public Architecture, San Francisco<br />

Witold Rybczynski, Hon. FAIA, author<br />

For further information about these and other award winners, see the AIA National<br />

Honor Awards Web page.<br />

Preserving Modern Architecture<br />

As <strong>American</strong> Modern architecture matures, more and more <strong>of</strong> it faces the possibility<br />

<strong>of</strong> demolition to make way for progress or insensitive modification. The AIA<br />

Committee on Design wants to help preserve those works that may have more design<br />

value than historic value.<br />

Read the full article<br />

Fountain <strong>of</strong> Use: Winners <strong>of</strong> the AIA COD <strong>2007</strong> Design Ideas Competition<br />

by James Bowen, AIA<br />

The downtown Miami waterfront provided the background for exploring the<br />

meaningful use <strong>of</strong> water as a component <strong>of</strong> urban planning—thus the title <strong>of</strong> the<br />

<strong>2007</strong> COD International Design Ideas Competition, "Fountain <strong>of</strong> Use." The competition<br />

jury announced two winning entries on April 14 following a reception at the<br />

Wolfsonian Museum in Miami:La Nueva Costanera de Miami (The New Miami<br />

Waterfront), designed by Mike Mense, FAIA, with Ron Andersen and PALM (Planting in<br />

the Aquifer for a Livable Miami), designed by Wendy Evans Joseph, FAIA, with with<br />

Jonathan Lee and Farzana Gandhi.<br />

Read the full article<br />

COD Meets in Miami for the<br />

Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> Cities<br />

on the Water<br />

by Eduardo Quintero<br />

The <strong>2007</strong> AIA COD conference in<br />

Miami, held April 12–15, <strong>2007</strong>, was<br />

enthusiastic, diverse, provocative,<br />

and a whole lot <strong>of</strong> fun. The<br />

Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> Cities on<br />

the Water, was carefully planned to<br />

explore the exciting developments<br />

along Miami’s several waterfronts."<br />

Most <strong>of</strong> the talks and tours focused<br />

on this exciting, already commenced<br />

transformation, which promises to<br />

secure Miami’s role as the gateway<br />

to the Americas.<br />

Conference attendees enjoyed a rich and<br />

insightful walking tour <strong>of</strong> Miami Beach,<br />

highlighting its Art Deco architecture.<br />

Population and geography could both significantly drive Miami’s architectural<br />

resolution. Newly termed during our conference as "geo-fabulous,” this tropically hot<br />

topic <strong>of</strong> a city was explored by the attendees and rediscovered as possibly one <strong>of</strong> the<br />

most important emerging cities in the world in terms <strong>of</strong> social infrastructure and<br />

architectural growth.<br />

Read the full report<br />

http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_cod.cfm?pagename=cod_nwsltr_current[12/7/2010 9:11:09 AM]


<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />

Do You Remember?<br />

Peter Lizon, FAIA, has agreed to prepare a history <strong>of</strong> the COD. You can help. What is<br />

the most memorable presentation you remember from past COD events? Who made<br />

the presentation, when, and where? What made it memorable? Please send your<br />

answers to eLcommuniCODo@mmense.com.<br />

Links<br />

World Architecture News<br />

Sarasota Architectural Foundation<br />

Design Journal<br />

BuildingGreen<br />

DOCOMOMO<br />

Imagine Miami<br />

Houston Mod<br />

AIA Online Publications<br />

Site Map | Privacy | Contact<br />

Us<br />

http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_cod.cfm?pagename=cod_nwsltr_current[12/7/2010 9:11:09 AM]<br />

©2009 The <strong>American</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architects</strong>, All Rights Reserved.<br />

<br />

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Preserving Modern Architecture<br />

Committee on Design eNewsletter | |<br />

Preserving Modern Architecture<br />

As <strong>American</strong> Modern architecture matures, more and more <strong>of</strong> it<br />

faces the possibility <strong>of</strong> demolition to make way for progress or<br />

insensitive modification. The COD wants to help preserve those<br />

works that may have more design value than historic value.<br />

<strong>American</strong>s are all for saving architecture that’s older than your<br />

great-grandmother and looks like it. Newer architecture, that might<br />

remind you more <strong>of</strong> your punk cousin, doesn’t receive the same<br />

affection. Probably every generation has had a similar experience,<br />

but ours feels unique because <strong>of</strong> the apparently drastic divide<br />

between 2,000 years <strong>of</strong> architecture, detailed in a historical manner,<br />

and the last hundred years or so when much <strong>of</strong> that detail was<br />

stripped away.<br />

Architecture is different from arts and crafts because older buildings<br />

can’t be moved (well, almost never) to make room for the new. It’s<br />

much easier to preserve vintage arts and crafts objects. For<br />

buildings that’s much harder, and <strong>of</strong>ten harmful to the surrounding<br />

environment. Adaptive reuse may be impossible to accomplish<br />

without destroying the building’s character.<br />

Nonetheless, why is it that history seems a more legitimate reason<br />

to preserve than architectural value? We don’t burn Aristotle’s<br />

books, even though most <strong>of</strong> his truths are thoroughly discredited.<br />

It’s our job as architects to make sure the public knows what’s at<br />

stake when it proposes to tear down a fine work <strong>of</strong> architecture, or<br />

even the work <strong>of</strong> a fine architect. It’s our job as architects to know<br />

about the important work in our community and to react when that<br />

work is threatened.<br />

In Baltimore, the Morris A.<br />

Mechanic Theater, by John M.<br />

Johansen, FAIA, shown at the left,<br />

is not immediately threatened, but<br />

some local architects are seeking<br />

landmark status for it in hopes <strong>of</strong><br />

avoiding such a threat in the<br />

future. Said Michael Murphy, AIA, a<br />

member <strong>of</strong> Baltimore’s Commission<br />

for Historical and Architectural<br />

Preservation, "I think there is a national epidemic going on that<br />

requires concerted action before much <strong>of</strong> the best work <strong>of</strong> the '60s<br />

and '70s is lost. My message to the AIA Committee on Design is<br />

'Help!'”<br />

Paul Rudolph’s Riverview High School in Sarasota, Fla., is<br />

http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_cod.cfm?pagename=cod_a_<strong>2007</strong>08_mod_arc_prsv[12/7/2010 9:16:04 AM]<br />

<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />

This issue is generously<br />

sponsored by Balcony Press<br />

to celebrate its new<br />

magazine FORM.<br />

In This Issue<br />

Preserving Modern<br />

Architecture<br />

AIA COD <strong>2007</strong> Design<br />

Ideas Competition<br />

April <strong>2007</strong>: The<br />

Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong><br />

Cities on the Water


Preserving Modern Architecture<br />

threatened with demolition to make room for a parking lot. The<br />

Sarasota Architectural Foundation has won a reprieve until March<br />

2008 to find a viable design and financial alternative that meets the<br />

property owner’s objectives and preserves the work. They are<br />

presently advertising a competition to find that alternative. Click<br />

here for more Information on the competition. Statements <strong>of</strong><br />

qualifications are due September 14, <strong>2007</strong>.<br />

The organization Houston Mod is active in the appreciation and<br />

preservation <strong>of</strong> Modern design in Houston and throughout Texas.<br />

The COD sees the stewardship <strong>of</strong> Modern architecture as an<br />

important part <strong>of</strong> its mission. If you know <strong>of</strong> Modern work that is<br />

threatened, please contact eLcommuniCODo@mmense.com. The<br />

AIA HRC Historic Structures Advocacy Team is also interested in<br />

these issues.<br />

Site Map | Privacy | Contact<br />

Us<br />

http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_cod.cfm?pagename=cod_a_<strong>2007</strong>08_mod_arc_prsv[12/7/2010 9:16:04 AM]<br />

©2009 The <strong>American</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architects</strong>, All Rights Reserved.<br />

<br />

<br />

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function showHide(targetName) {<br />

if( document.getElementById ) { // NS6+<br />

target = document.getElementById(targetName);<br />

} else if( document.all ) { // IE4+<br />

target = document.all[targetName];<br />

}<br />

if( target ) {<br />

if( target.style.display == "none" ) {<br />

target.style.display = "inline";<br />

} else {<br />

target.style.display = "none";<br />

}<br />

}<br />

}<br />

<br />

The web site you are accessing has experienced<br />

an unexpected error.Please contact the website administrator. <br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

The following<br />

information is meant for the website developer for debugging purposes. <br />

<br />

<br />

Error Occurred<br />

While Processing Request <br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

Variable GETLINK is undefined.<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

&nbsp;<br />

<br />

Resources:<br />

<br />

Enable Robust Exception Information to provide greater detail about the source <strong>of</strong> errors. In<br />

the Administrator, click Debugging &amp; Logging &gt; Debugging Settings, and select the Robust<br />

Exception Information option.<br />

Check the ColdFusion


AIA COD <strong>2007</strong> Design Ideas Competition<br />

Committee on Design eNewsletter | |<br />

AIA COD <strong>2007</strong> Design Ideas Competition<br />

Fountain <strong>of</strong> Use Winners<br />

James Bowen, AIA<br />

Fountain <strong>of</strong> Use, the <strong>2007</strong> COD International Design Ideas<br />

Competition, announced two winning entries on April 14 following a<br />

reception at the Wolfsonian Museum, Miami Beach. Mike Mense,<br />

FAIA, with Ron Andersen and Wendy Joseph Evans, FAIA, with<br />

Jonathan Lee and Farzana Gandhi were recognized for their ideas<br />

illustrating the responsible use <strong>of</strong> water within a developing urban<br />

waterfront. The competition site along the downtown Miami<br />

waterfront provided the background for exploring the meaningful<br />

use <strong>of</strong> water as a component <strong>of</strong> urban planning.<br />

The competition jurors were Julie Sinclair Eakin, executive editor <strong>of</strong><br />

CITE: The Architecture and Design Review <strong>of</strong> Houston; Raymond<br />

Jungles, FASLA, a Miami landscape architect; Peter Magyar,<br />

founding director and pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> the Florida Atlantic University<br />

School <strong>of</strong> Architecture; and Chad Oppenheim, AIA, founding<br />

principal and lead designer at Oppenheim Architecture + Design,<br />

Miami.<br />

Mense’s submission, titled La Nueva Costanera de Miami (The New<br />

Miami Waterfront), explored a myriad <strong>of</strong> ideas organized along a<br />

canal that displaced Biscayne Boulevard. The jury commented,<br />

“Exuberance and wit characterize the Mywater concept, and it<br />

ultimately proved irresistible among a few other entries that also<br />

made a canal <strong>of</strong> Biscayne Boulevard. The vision proposed here is<br />

one we would actually enjoy experiencing—a return <strong>of</strong> wildlife to its<br />

habitat, for instance, together with the recognition <strong>of</strong> and respect<br />

for the site’s urban bones.”<br />

Evans's very different approach created an idea <strong>of</strong> a desalination<br />

system devised as a series <strong>of</strong> palm-like elements, programmed to<br />

clarify the aquifer below the site and Biscayne Bay. The jury<br />

commented, “Notably, PALM (Planting in the Aquifer for a Livable<br />

Miami) was the only project that specifically mentioned<br />

sustainability in its description. The designers’ original approach to<br />

thinking about the city’s (and specifically this site’s) future won us<br />

over. They identified a genuine need, and in proposing this<br />

desalinization initiative, interpreted the competition’s program<br />

challenges in a meaningful way. The technology is appealing in its<br />

simplicity—we felt that some version <strong>of</strong> the idea could actually be<br />

made to work.”<br />

James Bowen, AIA, was this year's COD competition coordinator.<br />

Site Map | Privacy | Contact<br />

Us<br />

http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_cod.cfm?pagename=cod_a_<strong>2007</strong>08_fou_win[12/7/2010 9:16:20 AM]<br />

<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />

This issue is generously<br />

sponsored by Balcony Press<br />

to celebrate its new<br />

magazine FORM.<br />

In This Issue<br />

Preserving Modern<br />

Architecture<br />

AIA COD <strong>2007</strong> Design<br />

Ideas Competition<br />

April <strong>2007</strong>: The<br />

Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong><br />

Cities on the Water<br />

©2009 The <strong>American</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architects</strong>, All Rights Reserved.


April <strong>2007</strong>: The Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> Cities on the Water<br />

Committee on Design eNewsletter | |<br />

April <strong>2007</strong>: The Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> Cities on the Water<br />

April 12–15, <strong>2007</strong><br />

The Standard Hotel<br />

Miami<br />

The <strong>2007</strong> AIA COD conference in Miami was enthusiastic, diverse, provocative, and a whole lot <strong>of</strong> fun. The<br />

marathon <strong>of</strong> organized events carried the zeitgeist <strong>of</strong> Miami, full <strong>of</strong> optimism, excitement, and progress<br />

while also discussing Miami’s current challenges. This energy was apparent in the dedication <strong>of</strong> the several<br />

tour guides who donated their services, the creative range <strong>of</strong> restaurant choices and diverse dishes, and<br />

most, by the incredible development in downtown Miami.<br />

The conference, The Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> Cities on the Water, was carefully planned to explore the<br />

exciting developments along Miami’s several waterfronts. The physical indication <strong>of</strong> this transformation is<br />

the number <strong>of</strong> condominium towers and construction cranes that overpopulate the skyline. But the catalyst<br />

<strong>of</strong> this development is found closer to the ground and is intended for the benefit <strong>of</strong> all. The private and<br />

public sector have teamed up to transform the city from “Tropi-cool” to “Tropi-cultural” through the<br />

marketing and construction <strong>of</strong> various art and culture facilities nestled among the various city parks and<br />

urban corridors. Most <strong>of</strong> the talks and tours focused on this exciting, already commenced transformation,<br />

which promises to secure Miami’s role as the gateway to the Americas. The pr<strong>of</strong>ound four-day discourse<br />

among panelists and participants illustrated that this “Capital City <strong>of</strong> the Americas” also has its serious<br />

pressure points. In addition to Miami’s population diversity, the group experienced first hand the<br />

metropolis’ range <strong>of</strong> geographical conditions, including the Florida Keys to the south, the Everglades to the<br />

west, Biscayne Bay, the Miami River, and the Atlantic Ocean. Population and geography could both<br />

significantly drive Miami’s architectural resolution. Newly termed during our conference as “Geo-Fabulous,”<br />

this tropically hot topic <strong>of</strong> a city was explored by the attendees and rediscovered as possibly one <strong>of</strong> the<br />

most important emerging cities in the world in terms <strong>of</strong> social infrastructure and architectural growth.<br />

The four-day conference began on Thursday with a warm welcome from Miami’s Mayor Manny Diaz. First<br />

elected in 2001, and then reelected to a second term in 2005, Mayor Diaz has led Miami towards a<br />

visionary rebirth <strong>of</strong> prosperity and opportunity. A torrential morning rain had become a beautiful afternoon<br />

when the mayor greeted the AIA conference on his private terrace at the Miami City Hall. This building is a<br />

former Pan-<strong>American</strong> Airways terminal from which “snow birds” shuttled to the Keys and Cuba in the<br />

1920s and ‘30s.<br />

Overlooking the bay and the Coconut Grove Coral Reef Yacht Club, the mayor pointed out the dynamic<br />

changes to the city in his talk, The Past, Present, and Future <strong>of</strong> Miami. In just a few minutes, the mayor<br />

accomplished the difficult task <strong>of</strong> laying out his gigantic plans for the city, which include the complete<br />

overhaul <strong>of</strong> the City’s zoning code, named “Miami 21”; the creation <strong>of</strong> an art and culture campus on<br />

Biscayne Bay; and an ambitious sustainability program to make Miami responsibly “green.” The mayor was<br />

accompanied by Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, dean <strong>of</strong> architecture at the University <strong>of</strong> Miami. Plater-Zyberk, as<br />

a partner <strong>of</strong> the <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong> Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ), is responsible for the Miami 21 program. This<br />

program’s goal is to revise the city’s zoning codes and regulations so as to support higher density and<br />

greater sustainability. At the end <strong>of</strong> the ceremony, Michael Ross, FAIA, presented a proclamation from the<br />

AIA COD to Mayor Diaz, recognizing his continuous political commitment to Miami’s architecture and<br />

design.<br />

To take advantage <strong>of</strong> the spectacular sunset from a water’s view perspective, the conference mobilized to<br />

Bayside Marketplace to board the Nautical Queen for a boat tour <strong>of</strong> Miami’s coast, led by history pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />

http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_cod.cfm?pagename=cod%5Fcrp%5F<strong>2007</strong>04%5FMiami[12/7/2010 9:17:52 AM]<br />

<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />

This issue is generously<br />

sponsored by Balcony Press<br />

to celebrate its new<br />

magazine FORM.<br />

In This Issue<br />

Preserving Modern<br />

Architecture<br />

AIA COD <strong>2007</strong> Design<br />

Ideas Competition<br />

April <strong>2007</strong>: The<br />

Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong><br />

Cities on the Water


April <strong>2007</strong>: The Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> Cities on the Water<br />

Paul George. Aboard this spacious boat, the conference attendees were privileged with panoramic views <strong>of</strong><br />

the Miami area from Biscayne Bay and an inside look on downtown and Brickell Avenue from the Miami<br />

River. Aided by continuous refreshments, George <strong>of</strong>fered an insightful overview <strong>of</strong> the downtown’s history<br />

and today’s urban riverfront renewal. During a short pause between Biscayne Bay and Government Cut,<br />

the attendees were presented with a distant view <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> the upcoming tour venues, including Ten<br />

Museum Park (TMP), a condominium tour by Oppenheim Studio, and the Carnival Center for the<br />

Performing Arts by Pelli Clarke Pelli <strong>Architects</strong> (PCPA). The boat then took everyone back to the dock at<br />

the conference hotel, The Standard, passing by various man-made islands, where many <strong>of</strong> today’s<br />

celebrities have homes, a tradition that dates back to the days <strong>of</strong> Al Capone.<br />

Friday, the second day <strong>of</strong> the conference, was dedicated to touring some <strong>of</strong> the<br />

most distinguished contemporary construction in Miami. The selected buildings<br />

encompassed the variety <strong>of</strong> typologies going up in the city today. The first stop was<br />

the recently completed Federal Courthouse, by Arquitectonica, in downtown Miami.<br />

Laurinda Spear, a partner in Arquitectonica, led the tour with help from other staff<br />

members, <strong>of</strong>fering an enthusiastic insight into the challenges and satisfactions <strong>of</strong><br />

designing General Services Administration buildings in Miami. The courthouse is<br />

located at the termination point <strong>of</strong> the Miami Dade College main pedestrian walk and<br />

its iconic figure has redefined the downtown area. The building is the home <strong>of</strong> 16<br />

court rooms, individually designed for each judge, and a large number <strong>of</strong> carefully<br />

detailed gathering spaces. The building is fully covered with Italian limestone <strong>of</strong><br />

different tones, laid out in a rhythmic pattern that extends onto the floors and<br />

ceilings as well. Incorporated into the design <strong>of</strong> the courthouse is the work <strong>of</strong> more<br />

than 100 artists. Among them is Maya Lin, recent recipient <strong>of</strong> the AIA Twenty-five<br />

Year Award for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, who designed the contoured east lawn <strong>of</strong> this building.<br />

The second stop was the residential condominium project TMP, the most prominent<br />

example <strong>of</strong> the new residential towers on Biscayne Bay north <strong>of</strong> downtown. Chad<br />

Oppenheim, codeveloper and architect <strong>of</strong> the building, led the tour. The building<br />

serves as an example <strong>of</strong> the impact architecture can have on the value <strong>of</strong><br />

condominiums, even in a highly commoditized real estate market. TMP broke all<br />

records when it entered the market. In eight days, all units were sold at<br />

unprecedented levels, with prices more than 50 percent higher than those <strong>of</strong><br />

neighboring buildings. This success is partially attributed to Oppenheim’s sensibility<br />

and ability to capture the desired lifestyle in Miami through residential units uniquely<br />

open and connected to the local context. In addition, the building is the setting <strong>of</strong> 18<br />

meticulously designed private pools, its own in-house spa, Clinique La Prairie, streetlevel<br />

restaurants, <strong>of</strong>fices, and retail spaces.<br />

The group next visited the Espirito Santo Building, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox.<br />

The project manager, Senior Associate Principal Peter Gross and Design Partner in Charge William Louie,<br />

FAIA, led the conference attendees through various spaces <strong>of</strong> this spectacular mixed-use tower. Located<br />

on Brickell Avenue, the building has become an icon in the city due to its unique and inviting carved-out<br />

parabolic west façade. The building houses the <strong>American</strong> headquarters <strong>of</strong> the Portuguese Espirito Santo<br />

Bank and the Conrad Hotel and Residences. Louie explained some <strong>of</strong> the extensive provisions creatively<br />

incorporated in order to withstand the potential floods and hurricanes <strong>of</strong> Miami. The building features a<br />

naturally ventilated atrium with a glass-bottomed pool that serves as a massive skylight for the building<br />

vehicular drop-<strong>of</strong>f below, and a multilevel hotel atrium on the 25th floor with an intricately detailed curtain<br />

wall and louver system that overlooks Biscayne Bay.<br />

The conference then convened for the annual AIA COD business meeting in the historic Freedom Tower on<br />

Biscayne Boulevard. Built in 1920 and formerly known as the Miami News Tower, the Freedom Tower<br />

became a refuge for Cuban immigrants in 1959. It served as a sort <strong>of</strong> Ellis Island and Statue <strong>of</strong> Liberty as<br />

the Immigration and Naturalization Services and Red Cross rented the building for many years and<br />

processed hundreds <strong>of</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong> these immigrants. Building developer David Martin <strong>of</strong> Terra Group<br />

welcomed the group with a brief history <strong>of</strong> the building and his personal association with it. Roberto Espejo<br />

pointed out the creativity <strong>of</strong> BFA seniors from the New World School <strong>of</strong> the Arts, who were enjoying their<br />

first exhibit in the newly renovated gallery space. Attendees then discussed the merits <strong>of</strong> many candidates<br />

for the AIA Gold Medal, the AIA Firm Award, the AIA Twenty-five Year Award, and Honorary Fellowship.<br />

The fourth and final stop was the Carnival Center <strong>of</strong> the Performing<br />

Arts, designed by PCPA. PCPA Senior Associate and local conference<br />

chair Roberto Espejo, leading the tour, passionately described the<br />

urban and acoustical significance <strong>of</strong> the building. The walk-through<br />

started at the Thompson Plaza for the Arts, located between the Ziff<br />

Ballet Opera House and the Knight Concert Hall. With a brick-andmortar<br />

cost <strong>of</strong> around $360 million, the Carnival Center is the largest<br />

private/public partnership in the United States. As an urban design<br />

element, it is the pioneer and catalyst <strong>of</strong> the current wave <strong>of</strong><br />

development in the immediate area. Together with theater planners<br />

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April <strong>2007</strong>: The Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> Cities on the Water<br />

Fisher Dachs and ARTEC Consultants guiding the acoustics, PCPA designed a 2,500 seat ballet/opera<br />

house with unprecedented theatrical capabilities, including one <strong>of</strong> the largest stages and highest fly l<strong>of</strong>ts in<br />

the United States. On the opposite side <strong>of</strong> Biscayne Boulevard is a 2,200-seat concert hall with infinite<br />

acoustic flexibility and a warm, rich maple interior. This hall features a 128,000-pound movable acoustic<br />

canopy which can lower to adapt to the sound <strong>of</strong> a soloist, for example, or raise to best fit the sound <strong>of</strong> a<br />

large orchestra. In addition, 84 electronically operated doors weighing between five and 12 tons each<br />

surround the hall and can be opened up onto a huge reverberation chamber that can prolong the life <strong>of</strong><br />

sound for up to nine seconds. By the end <strong>of</strong> the tour, it became clear why the building has become an<br />

international destination and a strong testament <strong>of</strong> the city’s commitment to its cultural and artistic<br />

mission.<br />

On Saturday, the third day <strong>of</strong> the conference, the attendees met at the<br />

Miami Art Museum (MAM) to participate in a discussion <strong>of</strong> the<br />

transformation <strong>of</strong> downtown Miami’s Bicentennial Park. The distinguished<br />

panel <strong>of</strong> speakers included Terence Riley, chief curator <strong>of</strong> MAM; Gillian<br />

Thomas, president <strong>of</strong> the Miami Museum <strong>of</strong> Science (MMS); Alex Cooper,<br />

principal <strong>of</strong> Cooper Robertson; Timothy Schmand, <strong>of</strong> the Bay Front Trust;<br />

and Michael Spring, <strong>of</strong> the Miami Dade Cultural Affairs Council. Riley<br />

started by introducing Cooper, who presented the park master plan for<br />

the newly-named Museum Park. Because the master plan includes the<br />

new sites for the MAM and MMS, Riley then continued with a talk that<br />

described the selection process used to choose the architect <strong>of</strong> the new MAM. The finalists included<br />

Mansilla y Tullon, Renzo Piano, Tadao Ando, and Zaha Hadid, among many other internationally renowned<br />

architects. The selection committee was looking for an architectural <strong>of</strong>fice with vast experience and a track<br />

record <strong>of</strong> innovation, which led them to award the Swiss architectural <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong> Herzog & de Meuron with<br />

the commission. Following Riley, Thomas introduced the conference attendees to the programmatic<br />

features <strong>of</strong> the future MMS, which include a planetarium, aquarium, and a science theater.<br />

The two museums will sit next to each other in Museum Park and will complete the campus <strong>of</strong> cultural<br />

institutions <strong>of</strong> downtown Miami. Together with the <strong>American</strong> Airlines Arena and the Carnival Center <strong>of</strong> the<br />

Performing Arts, Museum Park promises to realize the city’s waterfront renewal and create an acropolis <strong>of</strong><br />

modern cultural institutions.<br />

After a rich and insightful walking tour <strong>of</strong> Miami Beach’s Art Deco architecture, led by<br />

Allan Shuman <strong>of</strong> the University <strong>of</strong> Miami and other guides, the conference met for<br />

cocktails at the Wolfsonian. In the lobby <strong>of</strong> this magnificent museum that holds some<br />

most interesting artifacts <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> and European origin, the attendees enjoyed<br />

wine and hors d'œuvres before starting the evening presentation. During a relaxed<br />

and sometimes comical presentation, the winners <strong>of</strong> the <strong>2007</strong> Ideas Competition<br />

were introduced and the legendary Members Slide Show was presented. Attendees<br />

showed their works to each other during a fast-paced hour-long presentation. As a<br />

final bonus, Minneapolis Conference Chair Tim Carl <strong>of</strong> HGA made a brief slide<br />

presentation, giving a glimpse <strong>of</strong> the Part 2 <strong>of</strong> this exciting conference series.<br />

Registration for this conference is now open.<br />

On Sunday morning, at the end <strong>of</strong> the conference, the attendees participated in a<br />

panel that included some <strong>of</strong> the most distinguished architects in the community.<br />

Plater-Zyberk moderated a panel that included Trenton Baughn <strong>of</strong> Zyscovich <strong>Architects</strong>, Chad Oppenheim<br />

<strong>of</strong> Oppenheim <strong>Architects</strong>, Jean-Francois LeJeune <strong>of</strong> the University <strong>of</strong> Miami, Roberto Espejo <strong>of</strong> PCPA,<br />

Bernardo Fort-Brescia <strong>of</strong> Arquitectonica, Terence Riley <strong>of</strong> the MAM, and Daniella Levine <strong>of</strong> Imagine Miami.<br />

During a breezy morning at Sardinia Ristorante the group covered a range <strong>of</strong> topics which emphasized the<br />

exciting prospects and the difficult challenges that Miami is facing today.<br />

Oppenheim opened with a positive outlook <strong>of</strong> Miami as the city <strong>of</strong> opportunity and optimism, where there<br />

is a spirit <strong>of</strong> continuous possibility. He described the city as a place that is constantly looking forward and<br />

searching for ways <strong>of</strong> improvement; a dynamic place that makes everyone feel at home. Fort-Brescia<br />

introduced some <strong>of</strong> the challenges the city is encountering, such as the privatization <strong>of</strong> the waterfront and<br />

the resulting mobilization <strong>of</strong> the middle class farther away from downtown. He also noted that the city is<br />

reaching its natural boundaries and will be forced to become denser as the population grows.<br />

The candid discussion continued with Baughn, involved in the new Master Plan for downtown Miami, who<br />

<strong>of</strong>fered a more general perspective by noting that many cities in the United States are still struggling to<br />

promote their decaying downtowns with any type <strong>of</strong> development. He pointed out that Miami, on the other<br />

hand, is successfully on its way to renew its downtown, and although the concentration <strong>of</strong> residential<br />

development might be unbalanced, the area is evolving in the right direction. Riley used his opportunity to<br />

remind the conference that historically, density has been perceived as unhealthy and unsustainable, a<br />

notion which is still embedded in the minds <strong>of</strong> most <strong>American</strong>s.<br />

The conference took a more social approach with the anecdotes provided by Espejo, who explained that<br />

Miami is constantly receiving recurrent waves <strong>of</strong> immigration from Latin America. He points out that<br />

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April <strong>2007</strong>: The Rejuvenation <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> Cities on the Water<br />

although most <strong>of</strong> these immigrants initially perceive Miami as a transient location, most immerse into the<br />

city and come to see it as their new hometown. Levine elaborated on Roberto’s comments with many<br />

solutions her group is advocating in order to provide a platform in which to sponsor the integration <strong>of</strong><br />

people from all economic status.<br />

LeJeune closed the panel with a global perspective. He noted that the problems Miami is facing are similar<br />

to those from other towns such as Vancouver or Philadelphia, where developers, for example, are also<br />

dictating the growth <strong>of</strong> the city. He concluded by urging architects to become participants in the<br />

improvements <strong>of</strong> their hometowns. After various rounds <strong>of</strong> applause in appreciation <strong>of</strong> the panelists’ time<br />

and energy, the AIA COD presented a prize to Plater-Zyberk and Espejo who distinguished themselves<br />

with their generous dedication to the AIA COD Conference in Miami.<br />

See you in Minneapolis!<br />

Eduardo Quintero obtained a BArch from the University <strong>of</strong> Arkansas and an MArch from Cornell University.<br />

Since the beginning <strong>of</strong> <strong>2007</strong> he has been a project architect at Oppenheim Architecture & Design. Previous<br />

to that he worked with PCPA since 2001. He arrived in Miami in 2004 as project architect for PCPA’s<br />

construction administration <strong>of</strong> the Knight Concert Hall <strong>of</strong> the Carnival Center <strong>of</strong> the Performing Arts.<br />

Quintero was invited to volunteer as scribe for this conference by his good friend and colleague Espejo,<br />

with whom he worked on the Carnival Center.<br />

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