Max Strang
Encyclopedia
Max Strang is an architect based in Coconut Grove (Miami), Florida. He was raised in a Mid-Century Modern home designed by Gene Leedy
of the Sarasota School of Architecture
.
Prior to starting his own firm in 2001, Strang worked for Leedy and SHoP Architects
. His professional training also included a brief internship with Pritzker-winning Zaha Hadid
in 1999. Strang received an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Florida
and a graduate degree from Columbia University
. He has received numerous local and state awards and the work of his firm, Max Strang Architecture, has been extensively published.
In 2007, his Schokman Education Center was completed on the grounds of The Kampong
, a botanical garden which is part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden
. "The sensitive and eloquent new open-air education pavilion" allows for long, grand views over the sloping lawn, rare trees and mangroves out to the bay. Strang was commissioned by a Miami art collector to oversee the major remodeling of his home in 2007. Strang has designed a home in Winter Haven, Florida, which is expected to be that city's first LEED-certified home. In 2010, Strang's practice was honored as "Firm of the Year" by AIA Miami.
Gene Leedy
Gene Leedy is an architect based in Winter Haven, Florida.Gene Leedy has been one of the pioneers of the modern movement in Florida and was one of the founders of the now famous "Sarasota School of Architecture," including Paul Rudolph, Victor Lundy, Mark Hampton and others...
of the Sarasota School of Architecture
Sarasota School of Architecture
The Sarasota School of Architecture, sometimes called "Sarasota Modern," is a regional style of post-war architecture that emerged on Florida's Central West Coast...
.
Prior to starting his own firm in 2001, Strang worked for Leedy and SHoP Architects
SHoP Architects
SHoP Architects is an architectural firm based in Lower Manhattan. The firm was founded in 1996 by five partners: Christopher Sharples , Coren Sharples , William Sharples , Kimberly Holden and Gregg Pasquarelli...
. His professional training also included a brief internship with Pritzker-winning Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid, CBE is an Iraqi-British architect.-Life and career:Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.After graduating she worked...
in 1999. Strang received an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
and a graduate degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He has received numerous local and state awards and the work of his firm, Max Strang Architecture, has been extensively published.
Architecture career
Strang's own home in Coconut Grove was featured in the Michael Mann film "Miami Vice".In 2007, his Schokman Education Center was completed on the grounds of The Kampong
The Kampong
The Kampong is an 11-acre tropical garden in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida United States. It is one of the five gardens of the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden , and is open to visitors. An admission fee is charged.-History:The Kampong was bought as their winter...
, a botanical garden which is part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden
National Tropical Botanical Garden
The National Tropical Botanical Garden is a group that sponors preservation of plants native to the tropics in a network of botanical gardens and preserves.-History:...
. "The sensitive and eloquent new open-air education pavilion" allows for long, grand views over the sloping lawn, rare trees and mangroves out to the bay. Strang was commissioned by a Miami art collector to oversee the major remodeling of his home in 2007. Strang has designed a home in Winter Haven, Florida, which is expected to be that city's first LEED-certified home. In 2010, Strang's practice was honored as "Firm of the Year" by AIA Miami.
Honors and awards
- Firm of the Year, AIA Miami, 2010
- Merit Award of Excellence for the Latterner Residence, Florida AIA, 2010
- Merit Award of Excellence for the Stein Residence, Florida AIA, 2010
- DCOTA Stars of Design, Architecture, 2010
- Award of Excellence for the Latterner Residence, Miami Chapter AIA, 2009
- Award of Excellence for the Stein Residence, Miami Chapter AIA, 2009
- Merit Award for Architecture for the McKenna Residence, Miami Chapter AIA, 2008
- Merit Award or Architecture for the Schokman Education Center, Miami Chapter AIA, 2007
- Young Architect of the Year, Miami Chapter AIA, 2007
- Merit Award of Excellence for the Strang Residence ("Rockhouse"), Florida AIA, 2005
- Young Architect of the Year, Miami Chapter AIA, 2003
Significant works
- Schokman Education Center at the Kampong of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Miami, Florida, 2007
- Di Mare Science Village at Fairchild Tropical Garden, Coral Gables, Florida, 2010
- Dr. Jane Hsiao Tropical Research Labs at Fairchild Tropical Garden, Coral Gables, Florida, 2010
- Stein Residence, Miami, Florida, 2009
- McKenna Residence, Miami, 2008
- Latterner Residence, Miami, Florida, 2008
- Tanner Residence, Winter Haven, Florida, 2005
- Strang Residence, Miami, Florida, 2004
- Grove Village (unbuilt), Miami, Florida, 2009.
Further reading
- Wall Street Journal, "Michael Stein's Life in a White Cube", December 2009.
- Miami Herald, "Paradise Imperiled", Feb. 17, 2008.
- MIAMI Magazine, "Inspired Design", April 2010
- Metropolis Magazine, "Paradise Found", March 2008
- Home Miami, "Max Strang: Evolution of an Environmental Modernist", May 2007.
- New Sustainable Homes by James Grayson Trulove, December 2006.
- Architectural Record, "Is There Hope for the Big Box?", August 2005.
- House Beautiful, "America's Top Young Designers", October 2005.
- AAA032, Archivos de Arquitectura Antillana, Miami, 2009.
- Axxis Magazine (Colombia) 2009.
- Interior Magasinet (Norway) July 2006.
- Lakeland Ledger, "Living Green", April 2010.
- Objekt International #43(The Netherlands), "Miami: The Ultimate Space Experience", Pages 48–61, 2008.
- Miami by Beth Dunlop, Rizzoli, 2007, pages 242-245.