Van Alen Institute, in collaboration with the City of North Miami, has selected three international firms to advance to the final stage of the Keeping Current: Repetitive Loss Properties competition. The finalists - Department Design Office, Office ParkScheerbarth and Resolve Space - will reimagine public uses of the City's flood-prone vacant lots, known as repetitive loss (RL) properties.
The three teams will join Van Alen in North Miami for a three-day program in early July featuring tours and discussions with the community. Over these three days, the finalist teams will be asked to develop a high-level proposal for a pilot activation of an RL site, located at 901 Northeast 144th Street, North Miami. The 18,101.81 SF site is in a residential neighborhood, adjacent to three single-family residences and a street. The proposals will be presented to a jury and a winner will be announced in July.
The winning team will have five months to develop a master plan for RL sites in North Miami and to fully flesh out designs for the pilot project's implementation. The winning team will be awarded $80,000 for master plan development, design, and construction.
A pilot project ribbon-cutting will take place early December 2019. Van Alen will collaborate with Urban Impact Lab and local stakeholders to ensure that the design of this treasured public space will genuinely serve the needs and desires of the North Miami community.