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Design Miami/ 2016: Fauning over Faena

By Samantha Tse 02 : 12 : 2016 OMA : Design Miami : The Faena District

Miami – The Faena District has unveiled its new Forum dedicated to arts and culture that will open in the same week as Design Miami/.

The multipurpose space was designed by Shohei Shigematsu of OMA
It is part of a trio of buildings in the district designed by the Dutch architecture firm, which also includes a car park and a retail space

Faena Forum by OMA, Miami. Photography by Iwan Baan.

Faena Forum by OMA, Miami. Photography by Bruce Damonte.

The geometric building spans almost 43,055 square feet and is divided into two sections, a traditional black box cube and a cylindrical performance space. Flexibility was key and the buildings can either be used together or as separate units divided off into smaller spaces.

Its smooth concrete façade is punctuated with a mosaic of irregular-shaped windows. The Collins Avenue entrance of the circular building features a 46-feet cantilever in the form of a wedge cut out from the bottom of the structure. From the street level, visitors are invited to walk up a curved staircase into the lobby amphitheatre with pink marble-tiled floors. Guests can continue up to the second-floor theatre space, which features a domed ceiling, a central oculus and a full height window overlooking the adjacent street.

Next door to the Forum is the Faena Bazaar, a 20,000-square-feet retail space that houses three temporary pop-up spaces as well as a gallery.