The Square Folly: Lincoln Road Pavilion
The Square Folly:

Lincoln Road Pavilion

A concept born from an in-depth understanding of the site and context: Mangroves, Palms, and Art Deco. Bold in complexity while exiting simplistically.

Miami Beach | Student Work | 2022

Overview

I was asked to design a small pavilion – an Architectural Folly – at the eastern end of the Lincoln Road pedestrian Mall in Miami Beach. It is to be a square in plan - 27 feet by 27 feet structure and must contain some functions.

Screenshot 2022-10-22 at 2.05.45 PM
Screenshot 2022-10-22 at 2.05.55 PM

Art Deco

Geometric patterns, curves, line weights.

Screenshot 2022-11-06 at 5.33.16 PM
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Mangroves & Palms

Miami Beach was once all but mangroves now converted to palm trees.

[from Wikipedia] Originally, Lincoln Road was a forest of mangroves, as was most of Miami Beach. In 1912, Carl Fisher cleared a strip of the mangroves from the Atlantic (east) side of the island to the Biscayne Bay (west) side of the island and it eventually became the town's social center featuring premium retail destinations. In the 1950s Miami Beach architect Morris Lapidus, was commissioned to redesign Lincoln Road. Lapidus' design for Lincoln Road included gardens, fountains, shelters, and an amphitheater. The road was closed to traffic and became one of the nation's early pedestrian malls.

Abstraction

Maze-Like

Complexity

I began with a series of over 15 process models and in-person site visits to generate a unique yet flowing transition from existing to new. My model was inspired by the painting Abstraktes Bild by Gerhard Richter. The painting calls back the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I decided to utilize this principle of order, yet confusion in my design. Site lines are blurred and a structured maze-like in execution.

Design for the community

The Folly was to be conceived as an extension of Morris Lapidus’ garden that runs throughout the length of the mall – designed as a symbolic entry into Lincoln Road.

Isometric View SW
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