Bernardo Fort-Brescia
Founding Principal
Miami Connection
Fort-Brescia's firm has defined modern Miami's urban landscape through landmark projects including the Atlantis Condominium and Brickell City Centre. Arquitectonica's bold modernism sparked a renaissance in Miami's architectural identity, with the firm becoming known as one of the pioneers of globalization in architecture and carrying Miami's design reputation internationally. His work established Miami as a major architecture and design hub while maintaining the firm's Miami headquarters as a global center of operations.
About
Bernardo Fort-Brescia is a Peru-born architect and businessman who moved to Miami in 1975 to teach at the University of Miami. In 1977, he co-founded Arquitectonica with a group of young architects, establishing their studio in Coconut Grove. He studied architecture and urban planning at Princeton University and earned a Master of Architecture from Harvard University, where he later taught. Under his leadership, Arquitectonica became a pioneer in globalizing the architecture profession, expanding to over 850 architects with projects across 60 countries. Fort-Brescia is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and recipient of the AIA Silver Medal and ULI Lifetime Achievement Award. He remains active on the University of Miami School of Architecture Advisory Board.