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.
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. §
