Florida International University School of International & Public Affairs

Please provide an overview of the project.

To achieve FIU’s vision, the new building provide a state-of-the art venue for many activities outlined in the classes, lectures, workshops, performances, conferences, and faculty and graduate student research.

The structure stands to represent the founding idea of the school as an International University, recognizing the multicultural community of Miami as the crossroads of trade, finance and culture. Faculty from various departments merge to advance the study of social and political sciences, international relations and humanities to foster interdisciplinary, thematic, and professional degrees and programs alongside the traditional disciplinary offerings. The buildings provide a striking physical symbol of the international dimension of the University’s mission and identity.

What are the main ideas and inspirations influencing the design of the building?

Bernardo Fort-Brescia speaks earnestly about the shape of building, its billowing forms recalling the Spanish galleons that brought Florida into the Western sphere, and, in the diplomatic vein, its shape recalls a dove. Fort-Brescia and partner Laurinda Spear choose to see the floating, iconoclastic form as a declaration of independence from a campus architectural program that includes Mediterranean Revival-style buildings, among other deviations from the modern canon.

To what extent did the clients and/or future users of the building influence the design and the outcome of the building?

The design of the 56,000 SF, 5-story building took into consideration the overlapping uses this center will house with its population of students, faculty, administrators & leaders in the field of international relations. In doing so spaces were created throughout the facility where one can indulge in both social and intellectual interaction. The auditorium has been positioned to act as a focal point of the building, housing both academic lectures and convocations of international educators and leaders. The technology incorporated within will allow for the broadcasting of these events to the global community along with the presentation of such happenings elsewhere in the world to the FIU population.

The understanding of this building as public research and education facility is felt as the classrooms, graduate study suites and labs areas are housed on the ground and 2nd levels, accessed via the grand stair at the lobby atrium allowing for a feeling of open cohesiveness. The Atrium space at the heart of the building has been designed for both everyday academic gatherings and as a function space for visiting dignitaries to the events held within the  auditorium. 

The Faculty and Administrative departments, which now find commonality as a defined school of study, are sited on the upper 3 floors, overlooking the new courtyard and the Avenue of the Professions. Within these centers open areas were designed for interaction between departments and keeping in mind the advantages of bringing natural light within the building.

Were there any significant challenges that arose during the project? If so, how did you respond to them?

One significant challenge faced during the design phase of this project was garnering support and funds allocated for its green roof. Acknowledging that the design work began back in 2006, as the completion date approached and green roofs became better understood, both client interest and dedication to raising funds became paramount, and ultimately, achievable. 

How does the building relate to contemporary architectural trends, be it sustainability, technology, etc.?

The green roof, planted with indigenous grasses and groundcover, in curvaceous patterns reminiscent of the Everglades as seen from the air, confer on the building the status of true sculpture, as all surfaces, including the roof, contribute masterfully to the entire composition. This remarkable space is both the first and one of the largest green roof in the State of Florida, with an area of just over 9,000 square feet. Designed by allied office ArquitectonicaGEO, it is with this exquisite garden that they decisively challenge their contemporary colleagues in landscape architecture.  Fort-Brescia expresses authority at the benefits both aesthetic and practical of green roofs. “How many times,” he demands “have you looked down from a building and seen the awful gravel roofs covered in utilities?” And “how rarely are we asked,’ he asks rhetorically, “to address roofs by all the design review boards we deal with?”

How would you describe the architecture of Florida and how does the building relate to it?

The architecture of Florida is rich in history and known internationally for its more celebrated styles of Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival-style buildings. While using indiginous materials like stucco, thie project advances Florda’s modernist agenda, and by championing the advancement of green roofs with this work, Fort-Brescia hopes that dissemination of this pavilion for learning will contribute to an emerging global conversation among designers and technologists about the future of green roofs and their architectural and environmental benefits, and another trend set by Arquitectonica here in Florida.

Email interview conducted by John Hill.