LEXUS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI TO PRESENT IMMERSIVE INSTALLATION AT DESIGN MIAMI/ 2021

Lexus announced its return as automotive partner and forthcoming collaboration for Design Miami/, partnering with the University of Miami to realize a vision of an electrified future that embodies the energy of next generation design. The project will be led by Miami-based architect, designer, and educator Germane Barnes, who is widely recognized for his work exploring the intersections of identity and architecture.

Inspired by the Lexus LF-Z concept car, which embodies a vision for the future of the automotive field that is human-centered, carbon-neutral, and impeccably crafted, the project brings together the Studio Barnes team and students form the University of Miami School of Architecture. It will culminate in an immersive installation on view at Design Miami/ 2021 with digital components that will explore the potential for an electrified, carbon-neutral, human-centered future.

The physical installation will be complemented by a dynamic digital experience designed to engage audiences worldwide.

“Lexus has long been an inspiration to my work, as a symbol of luxury, craftsmanship, and a vision of future potential that is recognized across cultures and communities as an icon of quality,” noted Barnes. “The opportunity to realize an installation that explores this heritage while celebrating the potential and vision represented by the LF-Z Electrified concept car is an incredible one. We’re so excited to show the world the potential that the future holds at this year’s Design Miami/ both through the exploration of Lexus’s next generation vehicle, and through the talent, energy, and vision of the next generation of designers working with me to realize this project.”

“We’re excited to partner with Germane Barnes and the University of Miami for this year’s edition of Design Miami/, and we’re looking forward to seeing their vision for a more human-centric and carbon-neutral future come to life,” commented Brian Bolain, Lexus’ global head of marketing. “The LF-Z Electrified represents the next chapter of Lexus, paving the way forward for the next generation. The installation will illuminate that vision from the perspective of future designers.”

Design Miami/ 2021 will be open from December 1 - December 5, 2021 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Additional details on the installation will be shared in the coming weeks.

ABOUT GERMANE BARNES

Germane Barnes is the principal architect of Studio Barnes, and Assistant Professor and the Director of the Community Housing & Identity Lab (CHIL) at the University of Miami School of Architecture. Barnes’ practice investigates the connection between architecture and identity, examining architecture’s social and political agency through historical research and design speculation. Believing strongly in design as a process, he approaches each condition imposed on a project as an opportunity for transformation.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI AND SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

The University of Miami is a private research University and academic health system with a distinct geographic capacity to connect institutions, individuals, and ideas across the hemisphere and around the world. The University’s vibrant and diverse academic community comprises 12 schools and colleges serving more than 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students in more than 180 majors and programs.

The School of Architecture, which enrols more than 500 students in both undergraduate and graduate programs, is at the forefront of preparing students for professional leadership in architecture, urbanism, and related fields. The school employs research, professional engagement, and creative practice to advance knowledge, technology, environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic sustainability.