If you missed the ULI townhouse design and development panel discussion at Miami Dade College, you can watch the video on uVu, WPBT’s website of community educational events.  The video is about an hour long, and is divided into 6 parts: Frank Martinez on his townhouse renovation in Boston; Jorge Hernandez on Old Spanish Village; Fernando Menoyo and Teofilo Victoria on Almeria Row; Alex Gorlin on his townhouses in Seaside, Brooklyn (affordable and prefab, see photo above), and elsewhere; Steve Gretenstein and Lizz Plater-Zyberk on the townhouses at Aqua; and finally a brief Q&A.  Follow along with the videos with this Flickr set of many of the panelists’ slides, in order.  The overall effect is a remarkable introduction to the history, rich architectural possibilities, and development challenges embodied in the simple townhouse.  (At the end of the Flickr set are samples of townhouse designs by UM students from a studio last semester, which were shown before the panel began.)

DawnTown’s main competitor for Miami-based architecture competitions, Arquitectum, has launched its latest topic: a civic center somewhere near the Freedom Tower.  Questions are due February 16, registration closes on April 14, and materials are due on April 21, see the Arquitectum website for more details.

More massive condo towers may be a decade away, but some Miami neighborhoods may see development sooner, thanks to market opportunities identified by the city’s consultant Social Compact, that has uncovered population, income, and unmet community needs in neighborhoods that are often overlooked.  Business opportunity for architects in small-scale urban infill?

All are invited to an Urban Land Institute event “Townhouses in Miami: Case Studies,” a panel discussion on townhouse design and development on Wed, Jan 27 from 8:30 to 10 AM at Miami Dade College’s Chapman Conference Center in downtown Miami, 245 NE 4th St, with free parking across the street, see details in this flyer.

The panel will feature:

• Steven Gretenstein, COO of Dacra, developer of Aqua
• Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Dean of UM School of Architecture and Principal of DPZ, architect of Aqua
• Fernando Menoyo, Partner at Coral Gables Rentals, developer of Almeria Row
• Teofilo Victoria, Principal of DLGV Architects, architect of Almeria Row
• Jorge L. Hernandez, Board member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Principal of JLH Architect, architect of Old Spanish Village
• Alex Gorlin, architect and author of “Creating the New American Townhouse”

The event, sponsored by Miami Dade College, will be moderated by Frank Martinez, professor at UM School of Architecture, and myself, and includes continental breakfast.  Price is $20 for ULI members, $25 for non, to register click here.  UM, FIU, and MDC architecture students get in free if they register through their schools, and hopefully the schools have let the students know how to register.

LAST MINUTE!  Adriaan Geuze is back in Miami, this time Miami Beach, to present West 8’s concept for the park that will be next to the New World Symphony’s new building.  The presentation is tomorrow, Thurs, Jan 21 from 5:30 to 7 PM at the Miami Beach Community Church at 501 Lincoln Road in Hice Hall, which is behind the church.  You don’t want to miss this, and let me know in the comments how it goes.

Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti, who are experiencing so much suffering.  Please contribute to a charity that is or will be helping with relief efforts.  For the architecturally minded, Architecture for Humanity has partnered with Yele Haiti and AIDG (Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group) and is accepting contributions.

The EPA announces the results of the Lifecycle Building Challenge 3, a contest to design a structure that is eco-friendly not only in construction but also de-construction.

Another competition for you to enter: open-source house!

Back in 2007, I had an idea that Miami’s Edgewater area could benefit from an activated waterfront, including public access to the waterfront for picnics and a bike/running path so residents could more easily commute to downtown.  Being from Boston, I stole the idea from the Charles River Esplanade, and Miami waterfront expert Spencer Crowley contributed two refinements: the intervention could also include mangrove groves and stormwater treatment.  I asked architects Tony Leon and David Schwach to do a quick photoshop of the seawall between Rts. 395 and 195 and the Esplanade, and the result is above.  Thoughts on the concept?

Adriaan Geuze, keynote speaker from DawnTown 2010 award ceremony, and his firm West 8 are up to all kinds of wackiness in Toronto.  Landscape Architecture magazine recently reported on the wavy boardwalks that are part of the West 8-led design for the Central Waterfront.  While the piers look fun, they were an engineering, safety, and accessibility challenge that ultimately has been worth the work for the activity that the boardwalks have returned to the waterfront.  3 of 4 total planned boardwalk segments are completed, and the 4th will not only be a boardwalk, but also will cover a stormwater treatment facility.

Aside form Miami, another city that has experienced a recent urban transformation is Medellin.  Ernest Bellamy recently visited for a month and kept a detailed blog of his urban planning and design insights.  Spend some time with this blog for a great introduction to a city we all can learn from.  What do you like about what Medellin has done?  Pitfalls to avoid?

Just before the DawnTown 2009 award ceremony, DawnTown had the chance to go to Amsterdam for some architectural sightseeing.  The highlight?  Spending a day in the area of  the Eastern Docklands, aka Borneo-Sporenburg.  This former industrial district was master planed by West 8 and then filled with townhouses designed by MVRDV.  True townhouses seem not to get built anymore, or at least not in great quantities, but the Eastern Docklands have block after block of new townhouses, some repeated, some with slight variations, some totally unique.  Have a look!

From a fellow Miami architecture blog, Urban City Architecture, video of a sneak preview of the New World Symphony building’s massive video wall and ultra high-power, high-resolution projectors that will bring live orchestral concerts and other multimedia works out into the city.  Also check out parts 2, 3, and 4.  DawnTown was actually there for the sneak-sneak preview the night before, but kudos to Urban City Architecture for better cinematography and just more goodness.

The Financial Times raved about the nearly-completed parking icon known as 1111 Lincoln.  Choice quote: “It strips architecture back to its sinewy muscles and the US city back to its autopianism.”  Choice British backhanded compliment: “The garage is sited on a corner at the point where Lincoln Road, a street of cafés and the Miami Beach passeggiata, segues into the single-storey urban sprawl, scruffy backlots and curving concrete freeways,” i.e. Alton Road, Miami Beach’s great gateway boulevard.

Video of the winning design from DawnTown 2009, from team “Office 24/7.”  Thoughts?  Please comment liberally.

Photos of some of the boards on display, welcoming remarks from Bernardo Fort-Brescia, announcing the winning designs, and keynote by Adriaan Geuze.

Animation of Metromover train arriving at proposed station.

Check out this Flickr gallery of the winning entries for DawnTown 2009.  New views, larger images, design magic.

Video of the DawnTown 2009 award ceremony, including clips from the winners and mind-blowing keynote speech by Adriaan Geuze.  Video is in 4 parts, link above is to part 1 with sidebar links to parts 2 thru 4.  Adriaan’s speech is the bulk of parts 3 and 4.

Second Prize: team #02887, See you Sunday*, Saran Chaiyasuta and Prachaya Vanagul from Bangkok, Thailand.