SHARE:
Engineers, Architects & Landscape Architects
It's a surprise he has time. Spillis Candela is Miami's oldest architecture firm and Florida's largest. It has 260 employees -- including 90 architects and 60 engineers -- $28 million in revenues and $500 million in projects under construction. It already had an international reach before its 1999 merger with DMJM, a unit of $1.2-billion, privately held AECOM. Since then, thanks to sister company referrals, it's designed a 400-room hotel in Dubai and a housing
development in China.
Havana native Grabiel, 56, joined the firm in 1969 fresh from Michigan's Lawrence Technological University. Spillis Candela is known for the Museum Tower in Miami, USAA's Tampa headquarters and the AAA building in Orlando.
Grabiel, who doubles as head of the leisure market segment, is known for being the principal in charge of the Eden Roc hotel restoration on Miami Beach, Sandy Lane hotel in Barbados and Island Gardens, the new hotel-retail center on Watson Island in Miami. Grabiel wants to expand and empower the design group so that it helps conceive the makeup of projects -- as in a proposed children's museum in Broward -- rather than drawing designs to fit an already established program.
"In today's market, it's no longer designing the building. It's creating an environment that will benefit the users." People "will remember a building, but more than anything else they remember places they have been. They won't remember a single building around Central Park -- maybe The Plaza -- but they remember Central Park."
JULIO GRABIEL
Managing principal / Spillis Candela DMJM
Coral Gables
If he never sees it again: Cheaply done Florida-Mediterranean. "Most of the time it's done very badly."
Secret passion: Playing the congas in a group on Saturdays. "We don't go out in public because we're too embarrassed."
Quote: "Architects are never satisfied. We're probably the most judgmental people in the world -- even with our own stuff."
DESIGNS ON FLORIDA
KATHY SPAIN
Landscape Director, Lion Country Safari
Loxahatchee
Personal Background:
Spain, a Detroit native, discovered landscape architecture in a welfare-retraining course in Alaska. A free spirit, Spain did the award-winning design of Peanut Island Park in Palm Beach County. She took a sabbatical from stifling commercial work and drafted a letter "from my heart" to Lion Country Safari, a 650-acre Palm Beach County attraction. In her spare time, she builds scale-model topographical models.
Currently Working on:
Replacing many of the plants at Lion Country with low-maintenance plants. "I want to make this a tropical paradise ... and do it with low-maintenance (plants), which is a tricky thing." A consideration: Finding plants that animals can safely eat.
Design Thoughts:
Floridians should use fewer queen palms -- high maintenance but a favorite of developers for their low cost -- wild coffee and Norfolk Island pines (shallow roots and soon out of scale for residential properties).
What's Ahead:
Redesigning a 52-acre walk-through botanical garden and a park expansion, including a living maze. Spain, 53, loves her work -- "my days go by so fast" -- and one day may retire to Bora Bora. "Hey, if you're going to dream ... If I were really serious, it might be Anna Maria Island."
CHARLOTTE MADDOX
Project Manager, PBS&J
Tampa
Personal Background:
A Miami native, Mensa member and ardent Gator, Maddox was the 2001 Young Engineer of the Year for the Florida Engineering Society. She was drawn to engineering by her first love: Math. "I really didn't know what engineers did, but I knew they used the tools I loved." She tutored while at UF and has been a guardian ad litem. A national society committee she chaired wrote a mentoring manual for firms. She has a nearly 1-year-old son.
Currently Working on:
The Gulf Coast desalination plant for Tampa Bay Water and the south Tampa area reclaimed water project. Desalination is "definitely one I think I will look back on and be happy I was involved in."
Design Thoughts:
Favors: Large-scale projects involving plenty of entities working together. "It's interesting to listen to people with different points of view."
What's Ahead:
Work as the southeast region representative to a national society advisory committee. The 32-year-old's career plans include management and to "move mountains and all that other great stuff."
MARJORIE MOORE
Lead Environmental Scientist,
South Florida Water Management District
West Palm Beach
Personal Background:
Moore, 49, manages the district's mitigation banking program and regional mitigation areas, including the 13,000-acre Pennsuco area in Miami-Dade. She holds degrees in biology and landscape architecture. She left a private sector firm 10 years ago to better balance family and career and also to "make a difference" with environmental reclamation. She canoes, cycles and kayaks.
Currently Working on:
She lead the preliminary restoration plans for the 1,256-acre Loxahatchee mitigation bank and a 640-acre Lee County bank. In September, the district drowned the Loxahatchee site with two feet of water to kill its Brazilian pepper thicket -- the biggest such drowning ever, Moore says. It enables the native flora to return.
Design Thoughts:
Floridians should use fewer queen palms and ficus. She would like to do a restoration project creating a "necklace" of recreational and educational sites in the region. "There are opportunities to bring that all together," the Florida native says.
What's Ahead:
Take over management of the mitigation bank areas and perhaps develop more banks. "I like being at the level I'm at, quite frankly. I like being a high-level professional so I can manage a program."
MICKEY JACOB
Director of Interiors and Business Development,
Urban Studio Architects
Tampa
Personal Background:
Jacob, 45, co-founded Urban Studio with Richard Zingale, Brian Hammond and Ana Wallrapp 13 years ago. Jacob is the kind of person who pulls off the interstate and doubles back to look at an intriguing building. A Windsor, Ontario, native and University of Detroit graduate, he's a 2-handicap golfer and "big" hockey fan.
Currently Working on:
Urban Studio's major clients include IBM, Americana Ships and Wilson Co. For Americana's Tampa headquarters, Urban Studio designed a maritime-themed atrium with a four-story grand staircase. The 20-employee practice, which has $3 million in annual revenues, also does multifamily projects and restaurants, including Hue in Orlando's Thornton Park and Sidebern's in Tampa.
Design Thoughts:
Would love to: Design a minor league ballpark. "My favorite place to spend an evening here in Tampa is Legends Field."
What's Ahead:
Jacob expects Urban Studio to chase more high-profile projects and corporate interiors. It's developing its multifamily, residential and town center planning practice. "And certainly more restaurants because restaurants are fun to do and very high profile."
