The idea behind the first prize design of the Metromover Station by Office-247 is that of a folded landscape that, through its form, generates a series of connections at different levels, transforming the urban condition of downtown Miami. Their proposal aimed to shift the position of the station and place it laterally, in between the two new museums in Dawntown Miami.
The proposal is meant to create a third urban parameter that, enclosing the plaza towards the highway, opens up the space southwards Bicentennial Park. Performing such an urban action, the station becomes a new space within the city, where a new kind of civic condition can be expressed. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Formally, the station is a folded volume generated through the flow and movement of passengers and visitors creating a series of internal and external ramps that bridge the metromover train lines. The aim is to connect both sides of the station while at the same time creating an internal sloping landscape that flows continually to the plaza outside. The proposal is comprised of an interactive façade that looks both sides, towards the station and the plaza. The idea is to generate a diaphragm that you will need to cross under, to access the plaza in your way towards the museums. We propose a new activity that generated a new urban landscape between both museums by utilizing the potential of an infrastructural construction.
Materially, the station volume is proposed as a white concrete perforated lattice that allows for a continuous airflow with the filtered Caribbean light creating a glittering ambiance in the inside by day; but with the changing atmospheric effect in the afternoon and night by creating moving patterns in the illumination towards the outside by trains and passengers.
The proposal submitted for the metromover station obtained a first prize in the 2009 contest organized by www.dawntown.org which focuses in extending the debate and generate proposals for central Miami through a series of annual competitions. The proposal registered and submitted by the team office-247: Rosalea Monacella, Craig Douglas and Armando Oliver Suinaga, was developed working for the Office of Urban Transformations Research at RMIT University in 2009. OUTR Research laboratory key designers: Rosalea Monacella and Craig Douglas.
Jury Report:
1. Addresses the mission of a solution for one space while finding a solution for the most critical adjacent space, one which unifies both museums and creates a public theatre. 2. A profound gesture yet is of a scale that makes sense. 3. Exciting and engaging because you arrive on so many different levels. 4. Metromover tracks and platform reconfigured in a logical and efficient manner. 5. Iconic and functional. 6. Addresses people, activates plaza and creates a community. 7. Ability to celebrate and share art with the public. 8. Serves as a dynamic public space for both museums to program together. 9. Screen and plaza provide revenue generating opportunities for Miami Dade County.
Architect: Office-247 Location: Bicentennial Park, Miami, Florida, United States Year: 2009 Function: Metromover station Jury: Terry Riley, Harpal Kapoor, Luis Revuelta, Mera Rubell, Dennis Scholl, Gillian Thomas, Paul Zamek Co-authors: Armando Oliver Suinaga, Rosalea Monacella, Craig Douglas Client: www.dawntown.org; Andrew Frey, Executive Director Project: International Anonymous Competition Area: 2,000 m2
