RGA designs Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation in Miami

An exterior view of the grey concrete Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation building with palm trees iin front by the main road and people walking in and out of the building

Miami based architect Rene Gonzalez is working on a new home in town for the Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation (BCF)

(Image credit: TBC)

last updated 13 August 2022

Miami is gearing up for the opening of Art Basel Miami Beach and Design Miami, celebrating the city's artistic and wider cultural output, and while officially the events do not kick off quite yet, the internation crowd of collectors and dealers are flying in. Capitalising on the captive audience is Rene Gonzalez Architects which has just unveiled its striking design for the new home for the Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation (BCF) – formerly known as Fairholme Unlimited - which is headed by Chloe Berkowitz.

The new-build structure, that will become the art organisation's new headquarters in 2023, is an impressive building of some 4,000 sq m that will be placed at the heart of the cultural corridor stretching along Biscayne Blvd from downtown to midtown Miami. Featuring a cantilever over the main entrance, which will create a welcoming outdoor plaza, the cast-concrete building engages with its context and provides extra public space in this busy commercial part of Miami.

A digital design for the interior of the left side of the building

The innovative space creates a dialogue with its context through a cantilever and outdoor plaza

Inside, the project will include art galleries for the institution's permanent collection, as well as flexible space for temporary shows. Gonzalez's careful design highlights some of BCF's prized possessions – Richard Serra’s ‘Passage of Time' and James Turrell’s ‘Aten Reign' – adjusting certain areas’ scale and lighting requirements to best showcase these monumental artworks.

‘I am honored to be working with the founder and board of BCF to design and realise its vision for a new landmark building in Miami,’ says Gonzalez. ‘We have worked closely with the Foundation, as well as several of the artists in their collection, to design an immersive and contemplative building that will enhance the city’s cultural landscape.’

Pending planning permission, the new Foundation will break ground in the beginning of 2020

A view of the building with palm trees outside and people walking towards the building. Photographed from across the road ilding from across the road with people walking towards the building — The new built structure will be the permanent home for the organisation’s art collection - formerly known as Fairholme Unlimited

Front view of the building photographed during the day from across the road with palm trees in front of the building, people walking on the staircase into the front entrance — The art space will sit at the center of the cultural corridor stretching along Biscayne Blvd from downtown to midtown Miami

Interior view of the building with the arts on display. Square lit up chandelier hanging from the ceiling. people standing looking at the arts on display and people sitting on a brown seating area — The design of the building was created to accomodate specific artworks

INFORMATION

For more information visit the website of Rene Gonzalez Architects

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).

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