OBJECT LESSON

Furniture Designer

Quinaz

Ethereal Experiences Into Collectible Artifacts

James Quinaz has intimate knowledge about the theme of his latest series, The Sidewalk, a collection of low-profile tables made of solid wood that reimagines the Miami walkways he knows well. “I did a lot of walking in my teenage years, so I think I had a different experience than a lot of Miamians do,” says the designer, who moved back to the city at the height of the pandemic in 2020. “In high school, I had a studio on Biscayne Boulevard and 81st Street. That meant that I’d sometimes walk the 40-plus blocks from [school] to the studio and then all the way home to El Portal. Even today, living in downtown, I walk all the time. It’s my way of staying connected and experiencing the city.” Recasting personal experiences as tangible objects has been part of Quinaz’s work for some time now, and it’s a trait that’s served him well. “I just love when people look at something familiar like a chair or a table and sort of do a double-take. Like, ‘what I am looking at?’” says Quinaz. “The BAY STORE was a prime example of this.” That would be his collection of furniture using discarded objects found in Biscayne Bay and the Miami River as building materials. “Sometimes you make your point with materials that no one would expect, like junk from the bottom of a river,” says Quinaz. “Other times, you can get the same effect by using a high-end material in an unexpected way, like Guanacaste wood made to look like a sidewalk.” Experimentation like this has been par for the course for Quinaz, who learned building and carpentry from his father, since early on his career. He certainly got to do plenty of it as a window display artist for Saks Fifth Avenue. “I ran a 10,000-squarefoot wood shop in Queens, managed a team of carpenters, and worked with some of the largest fashion brands in the world,” says Quinaz. “Those lessons come in handy almost every day.” Even if these days, his schedule is much looser. “I work in sprints where I get a lot of work done in a short period of time and then take a break,” he says. “But after a week or two, I’m ready to get back to the shop and test out new ideas.” quinazstudio.com

When Laurinda Spear and Margarita Blanco opened ArquitectonicaGEO in 2005, the two principals often found themselves educating skeptical clients about the importance of landscape architecture and sustainable design practices.

“It was difficult in the beginning,” says Blanco. “In general, consumers are now more aware of how critical landscape architecture is to the success of their projects, and they are open to implementing sustainable strategies, adding green infrastructure, and using native plants. When we started out, it was a struggle even proposing some of these to the design team.” What a difference 18 years make.

Today, ArquitectonicaGEO is one of the country’s go-to studios for outdoor spaces with wow-factor and eco-conscious integrity. Their multi-prong philosophy is as forwardthinking as mantras get: Design with connectivity, sustainability, and adaptive landscapes. Explore new ideas and methods through active and inclusive dialogue. Cultivate artistic expression through the seamless fusion of architecture, art, and landscape. Educate by improving the human experience in public spaces. “We like projects that are challenging and allow us to experiment with new ideas and methods,” says Spear. “Being able to incorporate our core values in design has allowed us to build a reputation that is specific to our design philosophy.” The firm’s portfolio speaks for itself with commissions such as PortMiami, Lakeside Village at the University of Miami, Canopy Park in Miami Beach, and the big ones: Brickell City Centre, where their Climate Ribbon (an architectural feature that keeps the mall cool by directing breezes) has become an example to landscape designers around the world, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami, where they addressed the global threat of sea level rise through a number of practices. As for the future?

“We started our international expansion in 2022 and opened offices in Malaga, Spain and Bogota, Colombia,” says Blanco. “We are confident that in the coming years we will be able to establish the firm in new markets that are still behind when it comes to landscape architecture.” arquitectonicageo.com