AIAS/Modulate Building Institute: Miami Beach Hotel

Clients worldwide have become more demanding. They want aesthetically and creatively appealing designs, better technology to have everything at their fingertips, and facilities that allow them to indulge or relax, just a call away. Also, gone are the days of heavily formal designs in hotels. The new breed of adventurous designers and travelers has made the hotels rethink their set beliefs about guest service and hotel design.

Travelers want to be surprised or wowed each time they walk in. The reason for a more casual ambience in hotels can also be attributed to the need of frequent travelers to feel at home. Only a decade back, renovations and would be carried out at a gap of five to seven years. The periodicity has now increased to three to five years. Additionally, as business travel has increased all across the globe, new hotels are constantly being built in major destination cities.

This has increased the workload on designers, but eased their work because of the hotel’s enthusiasm to experiment. Modular building is one way to help maintain all the aspects of a modern hotel within the newly shortened lifespan and demand for “the next best thing.”

The competition asks students to learn about modular building techniques and systems in the design of a modern and sustainable Miami Beach hotel. Objectives for the competition include:
1.To research, respond to and highlight the unique aspects of designing a modern hotel that serves the selected site and community of Miami Beach, FL
2.To learn about and utilize the modular building process to develop a mutli-story design that meets both the program requirements and promotes advancements for future modular buildings
3.To design a facility that utilizes sustainable features in the areas of thermal comfort, indoor air quality, day lighting, acoustics, energy efficiency, resource strategy, aesthetics, and economic practicality (ability to attain LEED certification is preferred but not required)
4.To develop a design that compliments the existing buildings and natural surroundings of the community both now and into the future
5.To develop a design that reflects the unique culture, history and climate of Miami Beach site

Winning designs will be awarded $2500 for first place, $1500 for second place, $750 for third place, or $500 for each honorable mention (3).

For more information on the competition, to download the program or to register you or your team (teams may be up to four students) please visit the competition Web site at http://www.aias.org/modularbuilding.