The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies have bestowed Bernardo Fort-Brescia, FAIA MArch ’75 and Laurinda Spear with the 2019 American Prize for Architecture, also known as The Louis H. Sullivan Award. The honor is given to an outstanding office and/or practitioner in the United States that has created a new direction in architectural design and has demonstrated consistent contributions to the built environment. Rarely does one have such an impact on the appearance of a city quite the way Arquitectonica has with the Magic City skyline. With more than 40 years of designing buildings that dot Miami’s waterfront and urban core, Bernardo Fort-Brescia and Laurinda Spear were recognized for their contribution to shaping the built environment of the city as well as cities around the world.

The firm’s designs have defined modern Miami, and their celebrated projects in cities around the world include skyscrapers, opera houses, resorts and new cities. Bernardo Fort-Brescia led the charge of expanding the firm across the country and abroad. The firm is known as one of the pioneers of globalization in the architecture profession. Arquitectonica now has projects in 58 countries around the world with offices in Miami, New York and Los Angeles, Europe, Southeast Asia and South America.

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