Wynwood is getting a new park, and it will look kind of like a greenhouse. The plan, for a well-manicured space with grass and trees covered by a thin, translucent structure, was the winner in an international competition sponsored by Tony Cho, CEO of Wynwood real estate firm Metro 1.
"We hope that our park will be a place where people come together with nature and art in an urban environment," the winning team, comprised of artist Jim Drain, landscape architect Roberto Rovira, and architect Nick Gelpi, said in a release, "where everyone can feel at home and where people and nature thrive together."
The park is planned for 2825 NW Second Ave., a space that's currently a parking lot owned by Metro 1. The developer is converting an adjacent building into a retail center.
"I thought, why keep this as a parking lot when I can do something impactful for the community?'' Cho told the Miami Herald.
Cho's competition for the 14,000-square-foot park drew 238 submissions from 38 countries, including Spain, Germany, and Australia, and was judged by a blind jury consisting of architect and design leaders. But when the winning design was chosen last week, it belonged to the only local team who had entered: Drain, Rovira, and Gelpi are all based in Miami.
"We are thrilled to announce Greenhouse as the winning design concept," Cho said in a release. "It's remarkable the only local team to enter the competition was unanimously selected by a blind jury, but I think that serves as a testament to this talented group's true understanding of the project's significance."
The park will be just one of dozens of planned projects scheduled that will change the face of Wynwood once completed. The neighborhood's lightning-fast transition from abandoned warehouses to hip artist haven to gentrified residential zone is zooming forward, with the 250 Wynwood loft condo project under construction and several other projects already approved by the city.
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