FIU CARTA @ Mana Wynwood

During the fall 2015 semester, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the coordination effort of two FIU Architecture graduate studios sponsored by Mana Wynwood. These studios developed architectural visions for their 30-acre site located in the southwest area of Wynwood comprised of approximately 13 development blocks. The goal for the studios was to design for the “creative class,” a workforce that includes knowledge workers, creative professionals, artists, and intellectuals that prefer to work and live in communities that are highly tolerant and attractive to unconventionally innovative people – as identified by social theorist Dr. Richard Florida.

Wynwood in the past five years has transformed into an urban laboratory for the “creative class” in the City of Miami. A diverse network of enterprises that range from new coffee shops to startups, art galleries, and street artists have reinvented this area of the city. The proposals developed in this workshop celebrate what has emerged in this neighborhood and explore design visions in an area that is destined to become the core of Wynwood’s future.

As part of this project, I worked closely with fellow architecture graduate student, Matthew Wasala, as graduate assistants. We were responsible for coordinating with architecture firms working for Mana Wynwood to develop a comprehensive digital 3D site model, as well as a physical model to represent the current proposals from those firms and site locations that the FIU students would use for their designs. They encouraged designs from the students of the studios while giving them the tools and skills to realize those designs. This led to collaborative exchanges between the two design studios, architecture firms, and the developer, that sparked great discussions about design and the future of Wynwood.

I am grateful to have worked with the project team in developing the future of Wynwood. The semester culminated with a large-scale exhibit showcasing architectural visions by 28 FIU graduate architecture students utilizing the digital and physical models curated by FIU professors Alfredo Andia and Claudia Busch. The final work was exhibited at the Mana Convention Center during Art Basel week in December 2015 and was seen by more than 1,000 visitors. None of these amazing opportunities would have been possible without the generous support and dedication Moishe Mana has for FIU.

Thank you!
Patricia Elso

carta.fiu.edu