10.20.2014
The Highline in New York City was a unique opportunity to take an elevated, derelict railway tract and turn it into a linear park.  Since it’s opening in 2008, it has become a signature piece for the city that has received critical acclaim.  Many cities only hope to duplicate this effort, but without the existing infrastructure, it would be difficult to capture the same magical transformation that made the High Line so successful.  Fortunately, Miami, already has the right infrastructure in place.

Thanks to efforts by Professor Rocco Ceo and a team of volunteers and community activists, the city of Miami may get its own linear park called The Underline. Professor Ceo and Visiting Critic Ray Fort led students through a series of planning studies of the under-used land located underneath Miami’s Metrorail system.  For years, this 10-mile stretch has rarely seen activity, yet it provides an important linear path that can transport riders from South Miami to the heart of Downtown Miami. It is often seen as unpleasant and unsafe, but Ceo and his students provided alternative solutions to make the area more appealing for all citizens.  Its ultimate goal would be to link communities; improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety; create hundreds of acres of new green space with restored natural habitats; encourage a healthy lifestyle; provide an easily accessible place to exercise; create a mobility corridor that integrates transit, car, biking and walking; attract development along US1; and generate significant economic impact.

Currently, an exhibit of this project is on display at HistoryMiami in downtown Miami. The Underline: Make it Yours, interactive exhibition is available for viewing until November 16th. 

Professors Jacob Brillhart and Rocco Ceo presented at the 2014 ACSA Fall Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada this past week. The conference, Working Out: Thinking While Building, hosted by Dalhousie University had a particular focus on the potential of design-build in post-secondary education. Brillhart presented a lecture, “A Machine to Reflect on the Infinite City” that discussed the installation he created for HistoryMiami (in conjunction with Professor Manuel Clavel-Rojo) which provided an interactive look at downtown Miami’s transformation over the years and was the winner of the first DawnTown Design/Build Competition. Ceo gave an overview of SoA’s Design-Build program, with a lecture called “Looking Out and In, Design-Build in the Extreme South.”

The AIAS will be sponsoring a Pumpkin Carving Competition.  The artwork created from this competition will be used as center displays during the Homecoming Reunion on Friday, October 31st.  Stay tuned for more detailed information about the competition on next week's, SoA NOW.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has launched a student competition.  HUD PD&R invites teams from accredited educational institutions in the United States to participate in its Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition. Teams must be comprised of students enrolled in a graduate degree program.  This competition is designed to encourage research and innovation in affordable housing, to raise practitioner and future practitioner capacity and to foster cross-cutting team-work within the design and community development process. The IAH will join the suite of annual PD&R awards for community planning, historic preservation and affordable housing design.  The deadline for teams to register is December 18, 2014. Registration must be completed online.

October 20 The School of Architecture presents the exhibit La Magia de Cartagena: The Architectural Preservation of Cartagena, Colombia. Opening night will begin with a lecture by Marcos A. Contreras Torres and Alberto Samudio at 6:00 p.m. in Glasgow Hall in the Perez Architecture Center; followed by a review of the exhibit and a reception in the Korach Gallery. The exhibit is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

October 23  Places & Spaces: Mapping Science exhibit and “Visualization for Effective Communication” lecture by Stephen Few and John Grimwade. Glasgow Hall in Perez Architecture Center, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

October 27 SoA Currents series lecture by Nicola Borgmann, Architect / Curator / Art Historian, Architekturgalerie München. Glasgow Hall in Perez Architecture Center, 6:30 p.m.

October 31 Dean Rodolphe el-Khoury invites all SoA alumni, students, faculty and staff to SoA's Annual Homecoming Reunion.  This year the event will be on Halloween evening from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. in the SoA Courtyard. Admission is $25.00 per person, with corporate tables for $225.00 (includes corporate name displayed on table and ten tickets). Student tickets are $15.00 per person. To RSVP, contact Julia Pizarro in the Academic Services office at (305) 284-3731.

November 3 SoA Currents series lecture by Vicente Guallart, Chief Architect, Barcelona City Council. Glasgow Hall in Perez Architecture Center, 6:30 p.m.

November 5 SoA Agenda - Call to Order series lecture, “Alternative Destinies” by 2A + P/A. Glasgow Hall in Perez Architecture Center, 6:30 p.m.