The design of this art gallery humanizes the harsh concrete landscape of the Allapattah warehouse district not by creating an isolated oasis, but by embracing the existing material language of the neighborhood and reinterpreting it in a way that feels fresh, uplifting, and intentional. Gallerist Mindy Solomon, together with RGA, shared a strong belief that this site and project could act as an urban catalyst for the area while simultaneously providing a thoughtful and appropriate setting for the display of art.
The project juxtaposes two ubiquitous materials found throughout the neighborhood, concrete block and chain-link fencing, by accentuating their inherent qualities rather than concealing them. The colorless gray concrete block is left exposed, with horizontal grout lines allowed to ooze outward, giving the walls a rough, unfinished, and grounded character. This heavy, solid mass becomes a contrasting backdrop to a delicate, floating veil of chain-link fencing that wraps and folds around the building.
The chain-link’s rust-orange tone distinguishes it from the gray masonry while simultaneously animating the façade through shifting shadow patterns and filtered light created by integrated privacy slats. At the human scale, an exterior stair along the façade leads visitors upward to a rooftop space overlooking the surrounding neighborhood. This circulation path allows one to move between the two material layers, experiencing their contrasting textures, weights, and transparencies up close.
In doing so, the art gallery both responds to and elevates the existing urban fabric, transforming familiar industrial materials into an environment that is simultaneously raw, serene, and well-suited for art, gathering, and reflection.
