Word: arquitectonica
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Modern architecture-the uncluttered, functional kind-has come to be a synonym for boredom in many quarters. But not in Miami, where a brash young firm called Arquitectonica is creating unadorned, mechanical-looking buildings that startle the eye with their loud primary colors and jazzy architectural stunts. Consider, for example, the firm's Atlantis condominium, an apartment tower with a bright blue grid on one side. Twelve stories up, a huge hole has been cut into the slab. The open-air décor of this "sky court" features a swaying palm tree, a curved yellow wall...
Such exuberance is Arquitectonica's way of trying to make up for modern architecture's shortcomings in social purpose and aesthetic satisfaction. These faults have sent other architects to the attic for historic forms and ornaments. Arquitectonica is building on the spirit of daring and experiment that characterized the avant-garde earlier in this century. "We are not trying to create a new style," says Laurinda Spear, 33, one of the founding partners. "We are just trying to make modern architecture more lively and up to date...