BC No. 3: Sustainable Design in Miami

Brickell Harbor – Stage 1

Project Goals

The Brickell Harbor project is located along the inter-coastal waterway of Miami-FL. The unit has its North facade facing the water and the East facade allowing for a partial view of the same. The client communicated that one of her goals was to maximize the views of the water, since this is her vacation home and a place to relax. A second goal for this project was to take advantage of natural lighting to illuminate the unit as much as possible. Another challenge to be addressed is that the client likes to cook while entertaining but the current kitchen plan is isolated from the living spaces, therefore the proposed scheme has to provide a plan with a better visual/physical connection between the kitchen and the living room. Since this condo unit is the client””s vacation home, she expressed a preference for a Zen/Asian design aesthetic with simple geometry and natural materials.

Assembling the Team

For Brickell Harbor, BC3 has assembled a team of architects and interior designers to tackle the interior architecture challenges. The team members working on this project are:

Jason Tapia

Anaclaudia Magalhaes

Patricia S. Borba

Claudia Aravena

Jahmairi Sainz

Concept

Building Center No. 3 starts examining ideas to solve the project””s challenges. The concept of an open kitchen adjacent to the living spaces begins to develop. The proposed kitchen plan would allow the client to cook while also entertaining her family and guests as she desires. As for maximizing natural lighting, the team studies the idea of using a translucent material on some of the walls and doors between the bedroom and living area to allow natural light to penetrate deeper in the interior spaces. The project””s Interior Designer Jahmairi Sainz and Senior Designer Claudia Aravena, research on materials and finishes that support the clients wishes for a zen and relaxing atmosphere. After the required research, Brickell Harbor begins to further develop its concepts.

-PSB

Sustainable Design in Miami

http://www.bcnumber3.com

Affordable Housing as Spite?

A recent article “Pyrrhic Victory for Foes of a New Lucasfilm Project” in the New York Times discusses how George Lucas had designs on growing his film studio in Marin County, California but was met with opposition from the local wealthy community. He abruptly pulled the plans, fearing endless lawsuits and perpetual delays in construction, and has decided to find another location. His plans for the property are now to sell it to a developer of affordable housing. Cynical residents accused Lucas of trying to spite them for having opposed his plans. Regardless of the motives the housing market could use more of these “spiteful” projects.

Jason Tapia

Building Center No.3

Sustainable Design in Miami

BCC Project Manual Win

(source:http://www.skyscrapercity.com)

Building Center No. 3 was hired by Arquitectonica and Arquitectonica Geo to write the specifications for Brickell City Center. The scope of work includes generating the project manuals for the architecture and landscape component of the project. BC3 is working closely together with the above firms in an integrated approach to deliver successful technical specifications.

-PSB

Sustainable Design in Miami

http://www.bcnumber3.com

Prime Air Progress Report- Stage 1

Project Goals

Prime Air project begins its design phase. The team starts researching the site and getting familiar with the client””””s perception of value for the project. Prime Air is a supplier of airplane parts to worldwide clients and specific program requirements get the team doing their homework!

The studies lead the team to conclude on four main design ideas for Prime Air Headquarters:

integrate the three disciplines of architecture, interior design and landscape in the design of the project.
provide a solution to assist the company in the transition of employees having private offices to an open work-space environment.
maximize user groups”””” access to natural light
maintain the original industrial aesthetics in the indoor spaces while also strengthening the Art-Deco cues on the existing facade.

The program component of Prime Air also has challenging goals. The team must keep the extended work area within a 3,000 sq ft footprint so not too much space is taken from the storage area required. Addition of conference and fitness rooms must be addressed as well. Building Center No. 3 starts sketching schemes that comply with the desired goals for Prime Air.

Assembling the Team

BC3 puts together a team of two architects, a landscape architect and an interior designer to develop the design and construction document phases of this project. The team members are:

Jason Tapia AIA, LEED AP, NCARB is a registered architect in Florida and New York. He earned a B. Arch at Cornell University and an M.S. in Architecture Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been practicing architecture for fifteen years and is a Principal at Building Center No. 3, LLC. Areas of expertise include the design of buildings using life cycle assessment tools, building performance modeling and passive design strategies. He currently resides in Miami, FL.

Anaclaudia Magalhaes is a landscape designer who completed her studies at Florida International University. She earned her Associates in Arts in the discipline of architecture at Miami Dade College. She is originally from Brazil but has resided in Miami, FL for the past 10 years. Her academic work focus includes investigating context-driven concept solutions fostering community and environment. She currently works at Building Center No.3.

Patricia S. Borba earned a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Florida International University. She is working on her professional Bachelor of Architecture as well as a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Florida Atlantic University. Patricia is a designer and trained architect currently at Building Center No. 3. She is originally from Brazil and has lived in South Florida since 2001. Her career focuses on researching and practicing environmentally responsible design while producing high performance buildings.

Yamile Leon is an Interior Designer at Building Center No. 3. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design and minored in Fine Arts at Florida International University. She is currently working on a Master of Arts in Architecture. Her work focuses on meeting the needs of the user through an aesthetic, conceptually-driven design that relates to the exterior environment.

Research-Based Concept

BC3 decides to target the project””s goal of integrating the three disciplines by the creation of a Green Zone that will tie the outside area with the insides spaces of the building. The transition from private office to an open work-space will be eased by using the concept of “neighborhoods” to define a more private zone within an open area. Natural light will be addressed with the positioning of the rooms on the South side of the workspace, leaving the open area facing the facade with the most glazing. Prime Air is now ready to enter phase 2…

-PSB

Sustainable Design in Miami

http://www.bcnumber3.com

Praça da Cultura – Stage 3

After six weeks from its beginning, Praça da Cultura is now complete. The team has designed a public square with spaces that are flexible for multiple uses and also unique to the context of the city. The concept of the linkage element has evolved and this element became the pathways interconnecting the programmatic zones. These zones developed a circular motif defining their boundaries physically and visually while opening up when the motifs meet the linkage element. The main water body retained its conceptual expression of a central feature in the design.

The recreational space provides an open field for playing sports, such as soccer which is very popular in Brazil. The fitness area provides the users with fixed workout stations while having access to the linkage element that guides one through the other amenities. The main boulevard separates North and South zones and it is hierarchically differentiated by lining the street edge with Tabebuia trees. This street is converted into pedestrian-only public space and can be closed off for special events. In order to strengthen the relationship between the community and the civic entities, the space directly South of the courthouse was designed to be a seating area that can be converted to a local artist exhibition space for community events. A water feature containing jets gives the pedestrians a closer connection with the water. The skating rink is a familiar amenity for Brazilians and the design creates a relationship with the water body. At the Northwest terminal point the design provides for an outdoor theater where a range of cultural activities can occur.

The design closely follows precepts of LEED by creating an area for bicycle racks, applying universal design requirements, maintaining the site””””””””s open visibility, creating shaded pathways, and promoting community involvement. The project also addresses concerns of appropriate plant selection to mitigate water usage. The plants chosen are indigenous or have proven to be hardy in the city””s climate. In addition, there are areas where pervious paving is proposed in order to help recharge the water table after rainfall.

The design proposal successfully combines sustainable strategies with meaningful amenities for the local population. The linkage element provides multiple pathways cutting through the site and guiding the pedestrians to the amenities. There are spaces dedicated to specific uses as well as flexible spaces for events and community gatherings. The design brought back the connection between the town’s residents and a water feature while providing emotional and environmental significance.

-PSB

Sustainable Design in Miami

http://www.bcnumber3.com

Architectonica Geo Hires BC3 as a Consultant

source:http://www.miasci.org/blog/

Arquitectonica Geo has hired Building Center No. 3 to write the specifications for the landscape component of the Miami Science Museum. BC3 is providing the technical expertise to assist in making the project successful. The building””s expected construction completion is in 2014.

-PSB

Sustainable Design in Miami

http://www.bcnumber3.com

Praça da Cultura – Stage 2

Praça da Cultura has now entered schematic design phase. Research of precedence studies and seed inspirational images begin to generate ideas for the development of the project (01-04). The team also studied the native plans of the area and their connection to the local culture which could influence the design of the project. In discussions with the locals it was observed that they lamented the loss of the water body located on the site years ago. The design ideas seek to reconnect the people with the water and give back the sense of nature in the site.

: 01

: 02

: 04

: 03

Programmatic diagrams are developed to analyze the optimal functions of the proposed site plan. A hybrid study of programmatic zones is then created to establish major functions such as the insertion of a water body as a central element in the project and the creation of recreational spaces for the public (05). The team then starts developing design schemes to express these ideas. Image 06 shows a scheme where the green areas represent a strong physical and visual connection with the Northeast side of the park. The design is expressed through rectilinear motifs that would later dictate the placement of landscape and courtyards. Image 7 takes the more literal interpretation of the water as a central element and emphasizes the central placement of the water body. Circulation happens around the periphery of the site and an athletic center is proposed on the North side. Image 08 is a scheme that expresses the idea of the linkage element concept. This linkage element runs along the park interlinking the programmatic zones. The water in this scheme runs along the edge of the project to attract pedestrians into the square. This water sequence then connects to the main body of water on the Southern area of the site. With so many ideas, the team now needs to develop a hybrid design that addresses the successful strategies of each scheme. To be continued…

(06)

-PSB

Sustainable Design in Miami

http://www.bcnumber3.com

Praça da Cultura – Stage 1

Project Goals

The Praça da Cultura Competition is located in a public square in Alagoas, Brazil. The theme of the competition is open but the sociocultural impact and sustainability are questions that must be considered by the teams. The inclusion or exclusion of urban facilities could be proposed thus determining the future use of the square. The Praça da Cultura project may be LEED certified in the future by the Green Building Council of Brazil and for that reason the project needs to meet the requirements to be certified at the basic level, which requires a minimum of 40 points. The goals of the project were to provide a site plan that took advantage of the spaces views of the location while ascertaining the needs of the end users.

Assembling the Team

BC3 has arranged a team of three architects and a landscape designer who are ready to tackle this competition. One of the architects resides in Brazil and is familiar with the local culture of the site. This international and multidisciplinary group of skilled team members will work together to solve the challenges of this interesting site.

Jason Tapia AIA, LEED AP, NCARB is a registered architect in Florida and New York. He earned a B. Arch at Cornell University and an M.S. in Architecture Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been practicing architecture for thirteen years and is a Principal at Building Center No. 3, LLC. Areas of expertise include the design of buildings using life cycle assessment tools, building performance modeling and passive design strategies. He currently resides in Miami, FL.

Deborah Buelow LEED AP has eight years of experience practicing architecture New York and Boston. She earned her B.Arch from Iowa State University and an M.S. in Architecture Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a focus on Architecture and Urbanism. Her projects have ranged in scale from furniture to urban design, but her interest lies in making urban space more habitable. She currently resides and is practicing in Boston, MA.

Sergio Augusto Faroni is a registered architect and a civil engineer with a degree from FAAP – Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado – Sao Paulo – Brazil. Sergio is currently working in the city of Sao Paulo and is the principal/owner of Faroni Paisagismo Ltda. He works with landscape and sustainability projects internationally.

Research-Based Concept

Our research of the site revealed the opportunity for the project to serve as a civic as well as a recreational space. The Praça da Cultura project starts to explore the design of spaces that are flexible and unique to the context of the city of Penedo while also enhancing civic pride and possibly becoming a tourist attraction. The concept idea consisted of a linkage element that interconnects the project””s programmatic zones physically and visually. This linkage element also organizes these zones in a ritual path from the North to the South side which are separated by the pedestrian axis. The programmatic zones become expressed by motifs that repeat itself throughout the site. The ideas are rolling and Praça da Cultura will soon start developing its shape.

-PSB

Sustainable Design in Miami

http://www.bcnumber3.com

Sweet & More Project Complete

Building Center No. 3 has completed Sweet & More project and the store has now opened the doors to clientele. Sweet & More is a creamery retail store located in South Beach- FL. BC3 worked closely with the client to meet the their space and aesthetic requirements.

-PSB

Sustainable Design in Miami

http://www.bcnumber3.com

WLR Project: Energy Performance Strategies

The WLR project is an addition to a residence located in Key Biscayne-FL. The BC3 team has designed this addition by using energy performance strategies throughout the development of the project. The exterior walls were insulated with 1 inch extruded polystyrene rigid foam insulation R-7 to mitigate heat gain. The windows were chosen to be aluminum insulated and impact resistant glass with polyurethane foam insulation around the perimeter of all windows to reduce air infiltration. The roof was designed with R-30 fiberglass batt insulation. With these strategies, the addition now has an annual energy performance of 17 kWh/sf, a carbon intensity of 171,248 lbs/sf over 60 years, and a total natural resource depletion of -472 lbs/sf. Athena software was used to the life-cycle assessment of the project and Design Builder was used to calculate the energy performance.

-PSB

Sustainable Design in Miami

http://www.bcnumber3.com