Sole UK practice shortlisted for Wynwood, Miami park contest

Colour picked from more than 230 entries

Colour is the only UK practice to be shortlisted for a design competition in Miami.

The London and Newcastle-based urban design, masterplanning and landscape architecture studio is one of 11 finalists selected from 238 entries from 23 countries in a contest to design a park for Wynwood, a former Puerto Rican barrio and manufacturing district that has been colonised by artists and creatives.

The area is short on green space and the competition, run by developer Metro 1, the American Institute of Architects and non-profit Dawntown, seeks to create a 1,300sq m pocket park.

The winning plan is intended to be built as part of the second phase of Metro 1’s Wynwood Gateway complex, a commercial development on the edge of the arts district.

Colour’s managing director, Peter Owens, said the practice had long been interested in designing in America.

“Wynwood in particular presents very exciting opportunities with its vibrant arts scene, changing urban fabric and demographic dynamics,” he said.

“The worldwide interest in this competition was always going to be high, but we always felt that our iterative approach to community, aesthetics and environment was very relevant to the area.”

The shortlisted teams have two months to submit designs with the winner to be announced on August 29.

First place will receive $10,000 in prize money, second $5,000 and third $2,500.

The judges included Enrique Norten, founding principal at TEN Arquitectos, and Terrance Riley, principal at Keenan/Riley and a former director of Miami Art Museum and Museum of Modern Art.

The shortlist

An independent team from Miami consisting of artist Jim Drain, landscape architect Roberto Rovira and architect Nick Gelpi

Agency Architecture, New York

Aranda/Lasch, New York

Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO-IL), Brooklyn

stpmj, Brooklyn

Meyer & Silberberg land architects, Berkeley, California

SFA, Madrid

Colour: Urban Design Ltd, UK

Wayward Plants, UK

AZC: Atelier Zundel Cristea, Paris

ONZ Architects, Ankara

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