South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center by Arquitectonica

The design concept is inspired by motion, and the Cultural Arts Center's two complementary buildings allow patrons to freely circulate. The flow of movement begins with ramps skirting the exterior of the main concert hall and continues inside where a brushed aluminum grand staircase delivers each patron to the orchestra and balcony levels above. The drama of entry is sweetly enhanced by the expertly interwoven public art installation by highly regarded artist Robert Chambers. "Light field" uses digital technology and LED lighting to create a field of ever-changing colors that adds an electric aesthetic to the already dynamic architecture. What's more, Robert Chambers also designed two large-scale marble sculptures that are based on Johannes Kepler's laws of planetary motion and the geometric formulas of prehistoric tools and they echo Arquitectonica's entry feature to further add to the congruence of public art and architecture.

At 71,504 sq. ft., the Main Building dominates the cultural campus (and houses a 966-seat state-of-the-art theater); but its dominance is supported, indeed enhanced, by the proximity of its smaller sibling, the 7,538 sq. ft. Activities Building, which houses classrooms, rehearsal space, and room for smaller-scale performances. Between the two buildings an outdoor promenade, bisected with newly planted bamboo, leads gently to a sloping lawn at the rear of the complex, where outdoor concerts can be held. The rear of the property is defined by the Black Creek canal, and from this vantage point the center takes on an entirely different form of elongated rectangles perched on top of one another, whilst the smooth, undulating landscape stretches to the canal. Surrounded by nature at the back and urban vacancy at the front, the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center gives the effect of an island of artistic defiance standing against the forces of both, whilst the landscape architecture of Curtis & Rogers Design Studio and Jessica Jerez provide the interstitial backdrop that brings the whole composition neatly together.

The South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center grew out of an idea to reinvigorate the area after Hurricane Andrew devastated much of this part of South Miami-Dade County in 1992. As the building now stands it is conspicuously alone, awaiting further development of a new downtown, but it stands as a bright beacon of optimism for a region that is so under served by facilities devoted to arts and culture.

---

A special thanks to Robin Hill for contributing the content found in this article.
Be sure to stop by robinhill.net to see more of his photography.

---