faulders studio plans wynwood garage façade in miami

faulders studio has unveiled plans for a permanent 50,000 square foot façade to clad an 8-story parking garage and mixed-use building in miami. the striking elevation covers parking on the intermediate levels, extends onto top-floor offices, and drops down to embrace ground level retail outlets. located within the wynwood arts district, the design team were tasked with developing a proposal that reflected its specific content.

the permanent façade will clad an 8-story parking garage and mixed-use building
all images courtesy of faulders studio

wynwood arts district’s concentration of wall paintings transforms the region’s everyday architecture into a 3-dimensional urban canvas. responding to the neighborhood’s legacy of painted building exteriors, faulders studio’s design proposes a new kind of skin typology that can be curated with art, and engages directly with the region’s ethos.

the striking elevation extends onto top-floor offices and embraces ground level retail outlets

a non-uniform scale-change is established throughout the façade, with patterned regions more expansive as the building ascends. conversely, focused areas of geometric articulation nearer to street level direct sightlines to pedestrian life, shops, and public activities. no pattern repeats across the entirety of the elevation.

the design team were tasked with developing a proposal that reflected the site’s specific content

volumetric massing is rounded at both the southeast and northeast corners of the building, while an additional design strategy references the mural-based ‘take-overs’ seen throughout the district. here, painted interventions over-ride the more regular lines of the architecture, meaning that multiple readings and perceived experiences of buildings become increasingly layered and complex.

the skin typology can be curated with art, engaging directly with the region’s ethos

the new façade reprograms the typical building envelope, allowing changing displays of artwork to exist within a free-form platform of white painted aluminum canvases. these ‘blankspots’ range in scale from 50 square feet to over 6 stories in height. digital files and/or CNC cut panels can be sent directly to artists as blank slates, before the painted versions are integrated into the overall building pattern. the result is an ‘urban skin’ that regenerates over time, engages directly with its street art context, and is realized partially through information sharing platforms.

the façade reprograms the typical building envelope, allowing changing displays of artwork

the white painted aluminum panels are custom perforated to ensure natural ventilation into the building’s garage levels. to achieve the visual contrast of dark patterned figuration against the white overall surface, the building is painted black directly behind the façade. the cladding, and the 250,000 square foot building it covers, are scheduled to finish construction in 2017.

the building is painted black directly behind the façade

‘canvases’ range in scale from 50 square feet to over 6 stories in height

digital files and/or CNC cut panels can be sent directly to artists as blank slates

the white painted aluminum panels are perforated to ensure natural ventilation

façade location and 2nd floor plan

the cladding, and the building it covers, are scheduled to finish construction in 2017

project info:

façade architect: faulders studio, oakland, CA, USA
façade architect of record: wolfberg alvarez & partners, miami, FL, USA
façade manufacturer: a. zahner company, kansas city, MO, USA
façade lighting design: design lighting consultants, inc., miami, FL, USA
owner/developer: goldman properties LLC, miami, FL, USA
building architect: wolfberg alvarez & partners, miami, FL, USA

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