Examples of Topics, Thesis Questions and Projects:

 

 

Topic – Thesis Question -Project

 

Light – How can a building shape light to track the passage of time? – A library

 

Skin – How can the layered and interpenetrating structure of human skin be used as a model for architecture? – A map museum with a climate-controlled storage vault

 

Skin – How can a building skin perform as high-tech clothing? – A 24-hour use warehouse.

 

Tropical Skin - How can the skin create intermediate spaces between inside and outside - A house in Miami

 

Threshold - How can architecture articulate thresholds between large and small, public and private - Rooms for events on Biscayne Bay

 

Urban Sociability – How can intermediate spaces between public and private be designed for sociability? – Art galleries on Lincoln Road

 

Urban Streetscape - How can balconies and porches create social space? - Housing in Little Havana

 

Cultural Patterns – How can Cuban-American patterns of house renovation be used in larger scale buildings? – Addition to a library in Little Havana

 

Cultural Patterns – How can architectural patterns in Guyanas houses inform larger scale design? – A community center in a Guyana village

Sustainability – How can a building shape natural air flow for climate control? – A Meteorological Research Center on Virginia Key

 

Transit-Oriented Development - How to integrate a transit station into a community - Vizcaya Station

 

Parasite Architecture - How to add usable space to the roof - A dance club on the roof of a hotel in South Beach

 

Architecture for Global Culture - How to integrate global architectural forms into a specific locale - A regional airport

 

Biomimetic Design - How to use natural forms to create an building skin that responds to air flow- A highrise on Brickell Key

 

Green Roofs and Facades - How to create habitable spaces for both birds and people in the city - A green highrise

 

Urban Sociability – How can a building faade be designed for sociability –  A new  faade for Sunset Place.

 

Urban Sociability  - How can public and private spaces be interwoven in three dimensions? – A Hotel/Condominium at the mouth of the Miami River

 

Urban Connections - How can architecture knit the urban fabric across the break of a highway - a multiuse highrise in the Design District

Relationship of old and new - Design of a new buildings using principles of vernacular architecture - A new building in old Havana

Urbanism - How can design integrate commercial and residential space - A Commercial/residential street in Coconut Grove

Sustainability – How can an urban high-rise be designed for a tropical climate? – A Condominium on the Miami River

 

Urban Patterns – How can commercial and residential use be mixed – A mixed-use street and building in Coconut Grove

 

Dynamic Architecture – How can a building react to changing circumstances? – A recreation building in New York City

 

Cultural Patterns – How can traditional Cuban patios and porticos be reinterpreted in contemporary design? – A mixed-use building in old Havana.

 

Architecture and Food – How can the simultaneous violence and sociability of eating be interpreted in design? – A restaurant

 

Architecture and Food - How can design of the environment parallel the sensuous qualities of taste - a fresh pizza restaurant and garden

 

Movement and Calm - How can a path be designed to be relaxing - A perfume museum in Kendall business center

 

Philosophy and Architecture – How can the idea of the fold be interpreted in design? – An ecotourism resort

 

Architecture and Landscape – How can architecture be designed as a system of landscape? – An ecotourism resort

 

Light – How can architecture modify the perception of depth? – Experiments in design and perception

 

Temporary and Permanent – How can design articulate temporary and permanent elements? – Addition to a library

 

Infrastructure – How can architecture be designed as urban infrastructure? – An urban sky-park in Miami

 

Life Safety – How can high-rises be designed for better emergency egress? – A high-rise in downtown Miami

 

Portable Architecture – Shelter designed to be carried. – A sleeping structure for the homeless

 

Kit of Parts Architecture – An exploration of standardization for urban construction – A mixed use building in downtown Miami

 

Urbanism – Can design mix pedestrian and automobile traffic to enhance both?  A retail center in North Miami

 

Architecture and Water – Can design enhance both the sensual and symbolic experience of water? – An urban spa

 

Mobile Architecture – How can a mobile building fit a variety of urban locations? – A Floating Museum

 

Landscape and architecture – How can landscape and architectural design articulate temporary and permanent uses? – A farmers market in Homestead

 

Skin – How can building skin enhance sustainability? – An urban eco-tourist hotel

 

Site Analysis – How can detailed site analysis identify precise locations for design intervention?  A link across the Miami River

 

Sustainability – How can architecture respond to a climate of sky and sea?  A marine research center in the Florida Bay.

 

 

Landscape Architecture

Ecosystem Corridors – How can corridors be designed to link wetland habitats? – A greenway in Broward County

 

Landscape and Narrative – How can landscape design reveal the history of a place? – Heritage Trail for Big Pine Key

 

Sound and Landscape – How can design shape the experience of natural sounds? – A riverwalk in Miami

 

Landscape and Dance – How can dance notation and choreography be used in landscape design? – A greenway in Kendall

 

Design for the Senses – How can gardens address all the senses? – An interactive garden for a pediatric hospital

 

Landscape and Narrative – How can new elements in an historic landscape tell a story – Redesign of Henry Nehrling Estate