Legba Arts Center
Our site is located in Miami, Florida along the I-95 highway, a racial barrier which divided Miami's African American community between Liberty Square and Little Haiti.
Our site contains the Sheyes of Miami Pre-K, as well as Miami Edison Highschool. Our location contains the dividing Interstate as well as a storage housing facility.
Meanwhile, the old storage facility will be converted into a civic center, allowing elders , artists, and students to converse and educate about Africana and African history.
Featuring housing for artists and religious leaders, the facility will allow students to learn and collaborate on African culture and art. The building features a sculpture garden, theater, gymnasium, pool, and fabrication lab, as well as a private library and archive.
Living facilities are placed on the second floor, leaving elders and artists dry in the event of flooding. Records and archives are also raised.
Our roof, inspired by ancient Yoruban practices, is a large structure meant to be an icon to be seen from the highway
Artist housing provides large operable windows, and ample room for making
The center of the Legba Center is an interior courtyard, designed as a meditation space and containing special herbs with ancient and religious meanings in Vodou and Yoruba practices.
All parts of the construction are recycled from the old storage facility, featuring a fully circular material usage strategy.
By inspiring the construction logic from ancient African practices, the building features natural climatic strategies to circulate air and heat.
Elder housing is entirely flat, with a private library as well as dimensions required in hospital design.
Specialized decking can fold upwards to cover the floor-to-ceiling glazing, allowing for added protection and privacy.
A look at the artist's living spaces showcase a humble material pallet, inspired by Yoruban traditions
Date
Spring 2023
Location
Miami, Florida
Type
Urban Design
Phase
Schematic Design
Team
John Conrad, Sid Martis