The B.E. & W.R. Miller BuildLab is a physical space created by and for the Department of Architecture, where students are able to execute a modern architectural project from start to finish in a real-life design/build context.

Designed by Professor Rocco Ceo, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, Design/Build Studio students were tasked with completing the furnishings and interior and exterior details of the open-air building, which has a 40-foot by 40-foot concrete frame with 17.5-feet-high ceilings.

The BuildLab is currently operational and housing projects underway. Prior to its construction, students’ projects were built outside, exposed to the elements; the BuildLab provides a dedicated, protected space for students to see their concepts become reality.

As part of its construction, a series of containers were outfitted to hold building materials and tools surround the structure’s perimeter, allowing the main space to remain open and useable for physical work. The building’s walls are composed of louvered Kebony modified wood panels with inset doors that encourage air circulation and secure the site during off-hours.

A double-height roll-up door located on one side of the building, with a built-in ramp, is dimensioned to the Florida Department of Transportation’s specifications to accommodate loading projects on a flatbed truck for transportation to the site for assembly.

The BuildLab also enables students to construct their designs in a setting streamlined for the projects they undertake, from eco-tents for the Everglades National Park, to a mobile orchid propagation lab for Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. And the space is scaled for modular buildings that, once completed, can later be transported to the communities they will serve. It is an as an incubator of projects that solve real problems in tangible and meaningful ways while deepening the school’s commitment to immersive learning.

Credits: Rocco Ceo University of Miami

Credits:
- University of Miami - AIA, LEED AP, NCARB - Rocco Ceo