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For the first time, Design Miami/, the pre-eminent international fair for limited edition design, has commissioned a new temporary structure to house the main body of the show. Created by emerging award-winning New York architectural practice, Aranda\Lasch, the 43,000 ft2 (4,000 m2) space is located at the intersection of NE 39th Street and 1st Court in Miami’s Design District.

The commission marks a thrilling addition to the Design Miami/ curatorial program, underlining the show’s objective to highlight the inseparable relationship between design and architecture. “We’ve always staged Design Miami/ in wonderful historical buildings, such as the Moore Building in Miami and the Markthalle in Basel, but this year we decided to use our venue to make a bold architectural statement reflecting the future of design rather than the past,” Ambra Medda, Design Miami’s director explains.

“There were two key things we wanted to accomplish,” Ben Aranda of Aranda\Lasch explains of the final design. “We wanted to make the interior ample and light-filled. When you’re exhibiting furniture and design objects, you need a taller, more spacious exhibition area than when you’re hanging things on a wall. We are using a standard tent system but making modifications to accommodate the design show’s needs, and bringing in light in a way which is not normally done in these structures,” Aranda adds.

Another objective was to emphasize the fair’s presence in the neighborhood. Noting that a key element of Design Miami/ is its exuberant outdoor nature, with fair-goers spilling onto the streets and enjoying the warm climate in December, Aranda\Lasch incorporated a breezeway around the perimeter of the structure, which, “creates a subtle transition between inside and outside and provides people a space to hang-out.” “One of the challenges of working with standard tent technology is that it’s hard to create a ‘public’ building,” Aranda explains. “Traditionally, public buildings usually have staircases or loggias where people can gather, but with a tent there’s just a vinyl wall, there’s no transition.” Aranda\Lasch’s breezeway is the solution to this dilemma, situated behind a highly customized 30ft tall façade.

While Design Miami/ will continue to host Satellite Exhibitions and other events throughout the Design District this December, the new venue will serve as the heart of the show, the centerpiece for the neighborhood during its annual celebration of cutting-edge art and design.