Bernardo Fort-Brescia

Fort-Brescia co-founded his firm, Arquitectonica, in 1977 with his wife, Laurinda Spear. Their son, architect Raymond Fort, is vice president of the company. Spear is also founding principal of ArquitectonicaGeo, a sister studio that focuses on landscape architecture, planning and urban design. 

The firm gained early recognition for bold, geometric residential towers in Miami, playing a role in shaping the city’s architectural identity during a period of rapid growth. Their first projects included the now-demolished Babylon Apartments, known for its ziggurat shape, and Atlantis, a condo building with a cube carved out of the center and a red triangle topping the structure. 

“Miami was transforming itself from a place where New Yorkers came for the winter to an international city, the capital of Latin America. We just happened to be here for it,” Fort-Brescia told Hospitality Design. 

Fort-Brescia is deeply entrenched in Miami’s development scene, and can often be spotted at launch parties and groundbreaking events, as well as on industry panels. More recently, the firm’s projects included Swire Properties’ Brickell City Centre and Mr. C Miami. 

Over the decades, Arquitectonica expanded beyond South Florida, taking on large-scale projects across the U.S., Latin America, Europe and Asia. Fort-Brescia and Spear drew controversy after Hurricane Irma hit in 2013, as they were cited for illegally clearing mangroves on their bayfront property, which they later sold.