Laurinda Hope Spear, FAIA, ASLA, LEED AP (born 1950) is an American architect and landscape architect based in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. She is one of the founders of
Arquitectonica
Arquitectonica is an international architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, and urban planning design firm headquartered in Miami, Florida’s Coconut Grove neighborhood. The firm also has offices in ten other cities throughout ...
, the international architecture, planning, and interior design firm, which formed in 1977. In 2005, in order to further explore
sustainable design
Environmentally sustainable design (also called environmentally conscious design, eco-design, etc.) is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of ecological sustainability ...
principles, she co-founded ArquitectonicaGEO (ArqGEO), a landscape architecture, master planning and urban design firm.
Early life
Spear was born in 1950 and has lived in Miami throughout her life. She is the eldest of three children. Her father, Harold Spear was a surgeon. In 1968 she graduated from
Everglades School and in 1972 received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
,
where she later served as a trustee for six years. She received her Master of Architecture from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1975 and a Master of Landscape Architecture from
Florida International University
Florida International University (FIU) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest uni ...
in 2006.
Spear was awarded the
Rome Prize
The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...
in Architecture in 1978.
In 1992, she was made a Fellow of the
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
.
In 1999, she was inducted into the ''Interior Design Magazine'' Hall of Fame.
After years of practicing Architecture she returned to school to pursue a Master of Landscape Architecture at Florida International University which she completed in 2006.
Career
Spear co-founded Arquitectonica in 1977 with fellow architects
Bernardo Fort-Brescia
Bernardo Fort-Brescia is a US-based Peruvian businessman and architect. He is the co-founder of the architectural firm Arquitectonica. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He won the AIA Silver Medal. He is also an heir ...
,
Andres Duany
Andres or Andrés may refer to:
*Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US
*Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France
*Andres (name)
*Hurricane Andres
* "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7
See also ...
,
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (born December 20, 1950) is a professor at the University of Miami's School of Architecture and an architect and urban planner in Miami, Florida.
Plater-Zyberk is considered to be a representative of the New Urbanism scho ...
, and Hervin Romney. In its early years, the Miami-based firm created a number of colorful, geometrically inspired structures — including the Pink House and the Atlantis that quickly became iconic. Spear also introduced a new style of interiors into many of the Arquitectonica buildings, and this move spurred the introduction/development of her line of products for international firms such as Brayton, Wolf Gordon, and Hunter Douglas.
Spear made a contribution as an outside designer for The Modern Fan Company in 2000 before being released to the market in 2001. She brought her taste and creativity to their collection with the innovative glass fan, the "Whirlybird".
After two decades, Spear’s interest shifted dramatically to nature and the interaction between a building and its site and context. “I felt there was something unconscionable about the way architecture was often ignoring the site, even thinking that it wasn’t necessary to visit. About fifteen years ago, I thought, to do it right, you’d have to be a landscape architect as well.” Returning to school, she obtained her master’s in landscape architecture and her license and founded ArqGEO in 2005.
This young firm is a collaborative studio whose projects stem from a broad and deep continuum drawn from Spear’s previous body of work. The intention of blurring the line between building architecture and landscape architecture is embraced and encouraged in every project that ArqGEO undertakes.
Spear works differently now than she did during the early days of Arquitectonica.” I prioritize how the building fits into the site, and I prioritize the site over the building.” GEO is a collaborative studio working on large and small projects with the main purpose of creating resilient landscapes that address our current crisis’: climate change, pandemics, the adversity and inequities faced by people of color in the United States, and around the world.
Spear believes that it is incumbent upon us to rethink our role and the role of nature in this new world context and to ensure that green places are accessible to all. “Planting more trees is what will make a difference.”
“Every project that we do in GEO is about elevating landscape — we’re always thinking of resilience, things that will work in the years to come.”
Writings
Later in 2020, Spear will release a book titled, GEO BIO MIAMI designed by
Irma Boom
Irma Boom (born 15 December 1960) is a Dutch graphic designer who specializes in bookmaking. Boom has been described as The Queen of Books, having created over 300 books and is well reputed for her artistic autonomy within her field. Her bold ...
which addresses many of the topics that interest Spear: green infrastructure, climate change, storm water management, and most importantly, the quantifiable and non-quantifiable value that landscape architecture brings to a project. As Charles Birnbaum eloquently states in the introduction of the new book: “GEO’s work establishes – and broadcasts- the young firm’s holistic approach to the site, and its context, by deploying an arsenal of ideas that leveraged the art and science of landscape architecture”.
Personal life
Spear is married to
Bernardo Fort Brescia
Bernardo Fort-Brescia is a US-based Peruvian businessman and architect. He is the co-founder of the architectural firm Arquitectonica. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He won the AIA Silver Medal. He is also an heir ...
. They live and work in
Coconut Grove, Florida
Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as The Grove, is the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bound by North Prospect Drive to the south, LeJeune Road to the west, S ...
.
References
External links
Arquitectonica websiteArqGEO website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spear, Laurinda Hope
1950 births
Brown University alumni
Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni
Architects from Miami
American landscape architects
American designers
Living people
Fellows of the American Institute of Architects
American women architects
Florida International University alumni
Brescia family
21st-century American women
Arquitectonica people