Archinect City Guide: Dive Into Miami With Germane Barnes of Studio Barnes | Features
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Illustration by Archinect (background photo courtesy Adam Thomas/Unsplash)
Traveling to Miami soon, but not sure what’s really worth exploring? Today’s Archinect City Guide is hosted by Germane Barnes, award-winning founder of research and design practice Studio Barnes. Besides receiving Harvard GSD’s 2021 Wheelwright Prize, a 2021-22 Rome Prize, a 2022 USA Fellowship, the 2022 Miami Design District Annual Neighborhood Commission, and more recently, Exhibit Columbus’ Miller Prize, he is a member of the Black Reconstruction Collective, as well as an Associate Professor and the Director of the Master of Architecture Graduate Program at the University of Miami School of Architecture.
In this City Guide, Barnes reveals his favorite Miami spots for dining, relaxing, and discovering new design and architecture.
Are you a Miami local with your own go-to spots? Or have a city you think we should cover next? Share your thoughts, suggestions, and favorite places in the comments.
Favorite restaurant?
My
favorite restaurant is a Miami staple, Mignonette. It opened in 2014,
a few months after I moved to the city. It’s a seafood-focused
oyster bar with great food! It has no Michelin Stars, no James Beard
awards — the kind of stuff architects are usually drawn to. But it
does have great food and the best bread pudding dessert in the city!
Favorite bar?
I’m
not much of a drinker. I’ll go out somewhere occasionally with
friends, but there is no bar that I frequent and everybody knows my
name. I do, however, really enjoy going to Lagniappe. It’s a super
chill spot with live music and a wonderful courtyard filled with
secondhand tables and chairs. Think of a tree-filled backyard in wonderful weather, with an expansive wine cellar that you can select a bottle from. You can also make your own custom charcuterie board as
well!
Favorite cafe?
Zak the Baker, next question.
Favorite bookstore?
Books & Books in Coconut Grove. Any other answer is disqualified.
Favorite museum?
The
ICA, it’s free! And cultural spaces should be FREE!
Favorite public space?
The
Pérez Art Museum Miami’s front porch. Herzog & de Meuron’s
building has a lovely front porch that overlooks the bay. It’s free
to sit on the steps and just relax.
Favorite new architecture?
I
don’t have a favorite new piece of architecture; however, I do love
visiting the Miami Design District and seeing the new installations
and stores designed by renowned architects.
New or upcoming projects by your firm in the city?
We
have a new project that starts construction soon in Delray Beach, FL.
That’s about 30 minutes north of Miami city limits. It’s for
Community Holdings, a non-profit based in the Historic West Settlers
district of Delray Beach. It’s a remodel of an existing home into
the first Black-owned café in the city!
Archinectors, what are your personal favorite picks for Miami? Let us know in the comments!
About the Author
Alexander Walter
Alexander Walter grew up in East Germany with plenty of Bratwurst. He studied Architecture and Media Design at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany, and participated in foreign exchange programs with Washington-Alexandria Architecture Consortium in Alexandria, Virginia and Waseda University in …
