There are few other presentation techniques more ubiquitous than the interior designer’s materials board. Besides the Mood Board (generally digital) which establishes the overall aesthetic and conceptual direction for the project, creating the materials board marks a major milestone in any project’s development.
Read MoreHow It Is Used In Our Practice
In this post we focus on the equipment in the office and discuss why this approach to helps the client.
Read MoreFabrication Lab
Our office draws inspiration from the notion of being able to make (almost) anything. We have assembled the essential tools to position our office to move from simply prototyping to rapid prototyping.
Read MoreRapid Prototyping in Design Firms
At BC3 a prototype is the completion of a thought; an expression of an idea; a physical commitment to a concept.
Read MoreBroward Specialty Center: BC3 Mini-Movie
Construction is completed for the Broward Specialty Center in Coconut Creek, FL. This project was a collaboration between Design Architect: 2 Point Perspective and Architect of Record: BC3; Landscape Designer: BC3. We put together a short 1 minute mini-movie that describes our approach to the landscape design from concept through installation. Design team at BC3 included: Jason Tapia, Paolo Ferrera, and Daniela R.
Get To Know Your Florida Plant - Pigeon Plum [03]
Pigeon Plum - This native Florida tree is medium sized but can also grown as a sturdy multi-stemmed shrub with low branches (good for privacy hedges). In nurseries the plant can be trained to have a single straight stem (which is our preference). The tree attracts birds on the account of its small pear shaped, dark red/purple fruit (ripening in late fall and early winter); Coccoloba means “lobed berry” in Latin.
The plant is dioecious with flowers varying in gender from one individual to the next. Flowering peaks in spring and summer. An interesting characteristic of the species is its flaky, peeling bark; revealing blotchy shades of color (similar to Gumbo Limbo and Simson Stopper).
We like the tree because it is native, salt and drought tolerant. The leaves are broad full creating dense foliage and good canopy characteristics. When the trees are planted lining a street or edge condition the color variation in the flaking bark creates an interesting textural dimension to the scene.
BC3 Begins Pro Bono Work for the Miami Center for Architecture and Design
The design team at BC3 began design and construction document work for the Miami Center for Architecture and Design, the Non-Profit 501c arm of the American Institute of Architects Miami Chapter. The scope involves converting the original bank lobby into an exhibition/office/conference space to house the Chapter's Headquarters and weekly events.
Facade Renovation Completed for CAN Community Health
The design team at BC3, lead by Pawel Hanusowski, completes the design for a facade renovation and exterior landscape improvement project in the Little River District of Miami. The client is CAN Community Health. The building is a double height structure and BC3 has teamed with the Interior Design firm: MRA Design. Their design from their office is being lead by Interior Designer, Paul Edwards. Together with Paul we relocated the existing entrance and created a new, architecturally stronger, entrance to the far right. The ribbon moving across the facade is proposed to be a powder coated metal cladding mounted on top of the painted stucco facade. Leading up to the facade is a new paved path lined with small trees and shrubs to escort visitors from the sidewalk to the front entrance. The landscape design work is being lead by BC3 Landscape Designer, AnaClaudia Magalhaes.
The design team at BC3, lead by Pawel Hanusowski, completes the design for a facade renovation and exterior landscape improvement project in the Little River District of Miami. The client is CAN Community Health. The building is a double height structure and BC3 has teamed with the Interior Design firm: MRA Design. Their design from their office is being lead by Interior Designer, Paul Edwards. Together with Paul we relocated the existing entrance and created a new, architecturally stronger, entrance to the far right. The ribbon moving across the facade is proposed to be a powder coated metal cladding mounted on top of the painted stucco facade. Leading up to the facade is a new paved path lined with small trees and shrubs to escort visitors from the sidewalk to the front entrance. The landscape design work is being lead by BC3 Landscape Designer, AnaClaudia Magalhaes.
Architecture building usage and its occupants were a top consideration for the landscape concept. Irregular pavers walkways softened the pedestrian arrival to the building’s main entrance. The water feature, sounds, and bright plantings were intended to be a focal point. These key sensory stimulations sought to trigger a sense of well-being from building occupants as they navigate through the small garden. The species selected are Celosia Spp., Alachis glabrata, Heptepluram arboricola, Codiaeum variegatum.
Get To Know Your Florida Plant [02]: Lignum vitae
Guaiacum Sanctum - Lignum vitae, "Tree of Life" is commonly cited as an endangered plant species in South Florida. We couldn't find the plant on any endangered species list but we accepted the general consensus and sought to do our small part to reestablish it in one of our projects, Broward Specialty Center. Part of the landscape concept for this project is "Discovery and Continuity" so we specified six Lignum vitae in the project as the "discovery" part of the concept. We placed them in areas where the architecture is less interesting and could benefit from the vibrant periwinkle colors when the tree is blooming in spring and summer.
The tree's characteristics are: drought and salt tolerance, slow growing (which we don't like) dense, hard wood that is decay and pest resistant. We visited this plant at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden and Fairchild Botanical Gardens and the specimens we saw were 8-12 feet tall.
Reestablishing this plant in the State's landscape will happen one project at a time--and will take local homeowners planting one or two in their own yards. Start by downloading our data sheet on the plant.
BC3 Principal, Jason Tapia Appointed to AIA National Post as Florida Representative
Miami - Building Center No.3 (BC3) Principal, Jason Tapia, AIA, NCARB, CDT, LEED AP was appointed to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Small Firm Exchange (SFx) as the Florida Regional Representative. The appointment is a two year commitment which involves meeting twice a year in person, and bi-weekly conference calls.
SFx Mission
The mission of the AIA Small Firm Round Table is to advance the mutual interests of architects practicing in small firms. Objectives of the AIA Small Firm Round Table are three-fold.
(1) Advocate for small firms within the AIA and in outside organizations and agencies.
(2) Promote leadership in Small Firm professional development and practice
(3) Facilitate and support the local component round tables and small firm networks.
“I am looking forward to contributing at the national level and using this opportunity to establish, with the support of the AIA Miami Chapter, a Miami Small Firm Round Table. The goals would be to build the network of small firm practitioners, encourage other architects interested in starting their own practice, and offer, through the Miami Center for Architecture and Design, periodic learning seminars to assist practitioners with the successful management of their firms.”