THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
 SCHOOL-WIDE STUDY OF MIAMI WATERFRONT

           The University of Miami School of Architecture focused all studio coursework in the fall 2007 semester on the design of a walkway or promenade along the City of Miami’s almost 5 mile-long public waterfront from Alice Wainwright Park north of Vizcaya to Magnolia Park at N.E. 39th Street and also included the downtown Miami River waterfront.  This academic study involved all of the School’s design studios and more than 300 students. The project was launched at an all-school meeting with City of Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz on August 29, 2007 in the Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center Glasgow Hall on the University’s Coral Gables campus.             According to Distinguished Professor and Dean of the School of Architecture Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, “This was an exciting venture which helped our students understand the complexities of adding public space to existing urbanism. Not since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 has the School as a whole tackled a single issue like the Waterfront study. Our hope was to show our students the many ways the natural and built elements of a waterfront can improve the livability and beauty of a city.  Well designed public space can enrich the daily experience of residents and tourists alike, and enhance the beauty of the city as a whole.”
            Nine upper-level design studios studied the urban design of the waterfront walkway.  Seven studios each focused on approximately ¾ of a mile of bay frontage, and two studios engaged the north and south riverfronts of the Miami River. Assignments for the core studios – first, second and third year students – focused on building design for developable sites adjacent to the waterfront.  All the projects incorporated the pieces of the promenade that already exist as well and proposed design solutions for those areas that have impediments to completion.
            The study took place in four phases with the first two involving study of historical precedents, site reconnaissance, documentation, and analysis.  The third through the fourth phases covered the urban design of the promenade and detail design of specific adjacent sites.  During September 2007, research photos and drawings from the work in progress were exhibited in the Architecture Center’s Gallery, and there was a mid-term school-wide review of students’ work. Several guest speakers, experienced in waterfront design, were invited to campus to present their knowledge and advice, including Alex Cooper of Cooper & Robertson Architects, New York City; and Angel Morua, Madrid.  Mr. Cooper, designer of Miami’s Museum Park as well as the Battery Park promenade in New York City, also spoke at a public lecture on the evening of September 26th.
            The study concluded at the end of the fall 2007 semester.  An exhibition is being planned for the fall 2008 semester, and will feature drawings and models of the entire waterfront including the designs of all studios.  Faculty members Victor Santana and Jacob Brillhart will curate and mount the exhibit along with the aid of student teaching assistants.  A book is also being written to commemorate the study and to record and present the results.
            The Miami Waterfront study also involved faculty from the University’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the Department of Geography Urban Studies Program.  Local government and community groups, including the City of Miami Planning Department, the City of Miami Parks Department, the Urban Environment League, the Miami River Commission and the Miami/Dade County Parks Department lent their expertise to the University’s students.