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Berenblum Busch Architects Designs The New Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce

Berenblum Busch Architects is designing the new Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce and County Office Building in Wynwood.  Developed by Moishe Mana, construction of the three-story, 35,410-square-foot building at 2900 NW Fifth Ave will begin this fall.
According to the firm’s Founding Principal Gustavo Berenblum, the building will include a ground floor café, retail and meeting spaces, and 6,800 square feet of ground-floor parking. The second floor will host offices for the chamber and county. The third floor will have additional offices as well as a 6,800-square-foot terrace facing south toward 29th Street.
The design of the building draws inspiration from Wynwood’s industrial nature, the mostly one-story warehouses that define the neighborhood’s character, along with the popular murals that have become a tourist destination.
Claudia Busch, BBA’s Founding Principal,  said “It’s an opportunity for the Puerto Rican community to have a place of its own. You already have many Puerto Rican institutions that are there contributing to the health of the local economy there.”
Construction is slated to begin in September. The chamber, currently at 3550 Biscayne Blvd., is expected to relocate by November 2021.
Developer Mana added  that the Wynwood neighborhood was one of the first areas settled by Puerto Rican immigrants who moved to Miami in the 1950s. “It’s important to have the chamber in Wynwood because we don’t want to lose this part of the community,” he said. “We want to keep the culture.”
For more information visit Miami Herald.

FRONTIER Building Completes Wawa’s 200th Florida Store

Our client, FRONTIER Building has recently completed Wawa’s 200th Florida store in Naples. The experience-focused national contractor celebrated this major historical build with a grand opening event that took place last month. This milestone comes a little more than seven years after the Wawa brand launched into the Florida market, ahead of initial projections and schedules.
“As we reflect on our Florida journey, beginning with a single store in 2012 and now opening our 200th store in 2019, we are deeply grateful to our customers and associates who have made this expansion possible,” said Gheysens. “Thank you for supporting us over the past seven years. We can’t wait to see what the future of Wawa in Florida holds!”
Located at 12456 Tamiami Trail East at the Price Street Plaza, the brand-new convenience store and gas station now offers an additional fueling option for east and west bound drivers along U.S. 41.
The new 7,211 square foot convenience store is located on a 90,000 square foot lot and features eight fueling pumps and 55 parking spaces. FRONTIER’s Derek Hopkins was the onsite project manager overseeing the ground-up construction.
“FRONTIER is honored to have been selected to build out Wawa’s 200th Florida store,” said Hopkins. “Being based in Florida, we hope to continue to build for the national brand as it continues to expand its presence in the state.”
FRONTIER Building is currently building out another Wawa convenience store and gas station in North Miami, Florida. The Miami-based national firm also has two additional Wawa projects underway in Rosedale, Maryland and Manassas, Virginia.

Our Newest Client, Saladino Design Studios

Oberhausen Marketing & Public Relations is proud to announce its newest client, Miami-based Saladino Design Studios. The collaborative studio of creatives, designers, engineers, architects, and artisans is fueled by the individualized narrative they curate for every project. Experts in their industry, Saladino has become the go-to team for hospitality design work throughout South Florida. OBR will be managing the group’s public relations and communications.

Saladino Design Studios was recently recognized at the 2019 IIDA SFC BRAGG Awards, which celebrates and showcases design excellence in our community. The team took home two awards including Best Sustainable Project for the interior design of Midtown 29 and Honorable Mention for their design of Suviche Doral.

A few key elements featured in Midtown 29 include custom furniture pieces in the common areas, wall design of the lobby, large custom herringbone inspired bookshelf with old books from a former Miami public library, chevron wood paneling throughout, and natural stone used in community bar.  Suviche Doral’s interiors were inspired by the vibrant colors of traditional Perruvian materials and fabrics.  The restaurant features the city’s first Pisco Bar, swinging chairs and colorful handwoven rope mural.

Saladino’s other notable projects in South Florida include Los Altos, Novecento, Ovlo Eats, Beaker & Gray, Bird & Bone, Funky Buddha, among others. For more information about the designers and their work, check out Saladinodesign.com

Two OBR Clients Honored at 5th Annual South Florida Business and Wealth Up & Comers Awards

The 2019 South Florida Business & Wealth “Up & Comers Awards” celebrates young professionals under the age of 40 who have achieved excellence in their careers, shown a commitment to their community, and demonstrated leadership.

This year our clients, Adriana Jaegerman, Senior Principal of Stantec and Jalal Farooq, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Engineer of Al-Farooq Corporation, were recognized as honorees in the Real Estate & Construction category.

This unique awards program focuses on their achievements in the workplace and their charitable and civic contributions. Many honorees have made their mark in senior-level positions or are on the fast track to do so. The selected winners were based on nominations by the public and SFBW research, and results were evaluated by the publication’s editorial team.

The event took place on Wednesday, June 12th at Sport of Kings Theatre at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach.

Berenblum Busch Architects Designs New Fro-Yo Store Concept in Wynwood

Miami-based architecture and interior design firm, Berenblum Busch Architects, has reimagined a former warehouse in Wynwood into the future frozen yogurt shop, g.l.o.w. The first U.S. location, all proceeds from the store will benefit the girl empowerment nonprofit, Global G.L.O.W. (Girls Leading Our World.)

BBA’s design captures the power of femininity and celebrates young girls and the story of the nonprofit.

Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood is set to welcome new F&B concept g.l.ow., a frozen yogurt shop launched by female empowerment nonprofit Girls Leading Our World (G.L.O.W.). All proceeds from the store will benefit the nonprofit.

Local firm Berenblum Busch Architects conceived the design through a feminine lens. Beyond the façade mural by local artist Tatiana Suarez, the contemporary, minimalist setting will be adorned with coral, pink, and peach hues.

The 200-square-foot space embraces its industrial origins with exposed ceilings and concrete flooring. A large gallery wall will showcase photography the Global G.L.O.W. community. Planters and a polka dot-patterned canopy will be installed as well.

Read the full story on Hospitality Design.

The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce 7th Annual City National Bank Better Beach Awards Winners

The Better Beach Awards honors the people, projects, and places that make Miami Beach a better place. Talented architects and designers are recognized for their work in preserving historical properties and designing innovative commercial and residential spaces. This year our clients Choeff Levy Fischman, KoDA, and Stantec were recipients of these awards.

Choeff Levy Fischman won Silver for Historic Preservation of their 27 Star Island project. The original structures were built during 1924 and 1926. CLF and the current owner worked very closely with the City of Miami Beach for several years to develop a plan to preserve and restore the historic structures, while allowing for a sizable development site for a new residence on the east end of the property. In an effort to preserve the historic home, the owner elected to demolish all non-historic additions, and physically relocate the historic structures to another area of the site, where they will be remediated and restored.

Wesley Kean, Principal and Founder of KoDA, won “Next Gen” Gold Award along with an Innovation Architecture/Residential Gold award for Meridian Court Residence. The house was designed to maximize outdoor space, while honoring the programmatic requirements of the family. It is comprised of a sequence of interior and exterior, public and private spaces that reveal themselves as one progresses through the site. By utilizing warm materials and referencing local and historical context, the design of this home becomes a cohesive addition to the neighborhood.

Lastly, Stantec won a Silver Innovative Design Award/Commercial for the interiors of Wix’s 24,000 square-foot office and technical center. Stantec created a space that is not only technologically innovative but also bright and colorful with ample lounge areas where staff can interact and unwind.  Design details included polished concrete floors and open exposed ceilings. Light wood tones and pops of yellow, green, orange and blue colors provided employees with a tropical feel.  There are bright green swings in the reception, cabana-style “hang out” spaces and a living wall at the entrance made of green moss displaying the Wix logo while also bringing the outside in. 

Architect Wesley Kean of KoDA, Shares His Big Idea That Might Change The World With Authority Magazine

Big ideas are hard to come by, especially ones that have the potential to change the world.

KoDA architects and designers are experts in connecting architecture with nature and finding radical solutions to sea-level rise and other environmental concerns. KoDA’s Principal and Founder Wesley Kean believes that the use of Metabolist principles can change the narrative on sea level rise from one of fear to one of opportunity. This design approach is the award-winning architect’s “Big Idea That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years.”

As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Wesley Kean. Wesley is an architect, Principal & Founder of Miami Beach-based KoDA.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I found my passion for architecture at a young age in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire where I grew up. I learned the tools of the trade from my father, a builder and carpenter, who remains a key influence in my work today. My father used to say, “measure twice, cut once!” and I apply the same philosophy to design today. I measure using analysis of site, program, and culture and evolve the ideas into architecture. In my opinion, skipping past the measuring phase would yield a completely meaningless architecture. While studying architecture, I learned that it was more than a construction and development industry, but that it can actually impact lives on a broader scale. I’ve understood the weight of responsibility that comes with design and its impact on our communities. The fact that ideas have the power to change the world, is what gets me up and excited to go to work every day.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

My firm KoDA was asked to design a project in a very controversial location in Miami. Controversial because of its location within a public park, which carried with it political, environmental, historical and cultural pressure. We approached the design first by evaluating the viewpoints of each of these individual stakeholders and then re-built the design concept up from there. The result became an iconic symbol for the city in which the Mayor came to the City Commission meeting to personally speak on behalf of the project calling it “iconic” for the City. It was very inspiring to see the profound positive impact an idea about a structure can have on a community.

Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?

There has been some recent momentum on the discussion of sea level rise in the world. More often than not, however, the conversation turns apocalyptic very quickly. After all, this is an overwhelming subject and one with myriad physical, emotional and political challenges that force many to avoid the topic altogether. Most of the discourse among architects, planners and stakeholders revolves around ideas about sustainability and resiliency. However, we need to also be thinking about transformation, adaptation and preservation.

Read the full interview on Authority Magazine.

PCCSF Treats Baby With a Congenital Heart Disease

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Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida
 recently cared for Xander, a South Florida baby born with a congenital heart disease called critical aortic stenosis. PCCSF provided pre- and post-operative round-the-clock care ensuring that Xander’s condition remained stable before and after his heart transplant.

Pregnancy brings many wonderful moments: announcing the news to family and friends, baby showers, nesting and picking out cute outfits for the little one.

But for some couples, these happy moments are overshadowed by fear and uncertainty when they found out their baby faces a serious medical problem.

Alyssa Hopkins and Ray Nunez, of Boca Raton, was one such couple. They were happy to find out a son was on the way and the pregnancy seemed to be going well with the 20-week anatomic ultrasound appearing normal.

Though there was no indication of a problem, Hopkins decided to have another ultrasound at 34 weeks because “I was gigantic and thought he was going to come out 10 pounds. Little did I know at the time, it was a message from God because my results came back abnormal.”

To read the full article, visit the Sun Sentinel.

Two OBR Clients Honored at 5th Annual South Florida Business and Wealth Up & Comers Awards

The 2019 South Florida Business & Wealth “Up & Comers Awards” celebrates young professionals under the age of 40 who have achieved excellence in their careers, shown a commitment to their community, and demonstrated leadership.

This year our clients, Adriana Jaegerman, Senior Principal of Stantec and Jalal Farooq, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Engineer of Al-Farooq Corporation, were recognized as honorees in the Real Estate & Construction category.

This unique awards program focuses on their achievements in the workplace and their charitable and civic contributions. Many honorees have made their mark in senior-level positions or are on the fast track to do so. The selected winners were based on nominations by the public and SFBW research, and results were evaluated by the publication’s editorial team.

The event took place on Wednesday, June 12th at Sport of Kings Theatre at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach.

Choeff Levy Fischman Design Available for $25M Featured on Forbes

https-blogs-images-forbes-com-amydobson-files-2019-02-bal-bay-drive-exterior-1200x798Imagine living in a brand-new, tri-level waterfront home with an open-concept floor plan, plenty of room for entertaining, and floor-to-ceiling expansive sliding glass doors with curtain wall windows to complete indoor-outdoor resort-style living. As featured on Forbes this month, take a tour of this newly listed dream home designed by award-winning architects at Choeff Levy Fischman!

There’s a new home overlooking Biscayne Bay that could become the highest priced single-family home in Bal Harbour if it sells for its $24.95 million asking price. Designed by team Choeff Levy Fischman—the same architects behind the ‘floating’ home of a certain famous rapper—this 8-bedroom, 9-bath house makes use of a similar architectural approach so that the whole home feels like it is floating both indoors and out. Bal Harbour is at the very northern tip of Miami Beach and has some of the highest priced real estate for the area.

To read more on this “floating” home visit Forbes.