South Florida Future of Development & Design

Bernardo Fort-Brescia, FAIA, is a founding Principal of Arquitectonica. He studied architecture and urban planning at Princeton University and received a Master of Architecture from Harvard University, where he later taught. Today Arquitectonica has designed buildings in 58 countries from offices around the world. Mr. Fort-Brescia’s designs have won hundreds of design awards. His work has been featured in 6,000 national and international publications and has been the subject of numerous museum exhibitions in the Americas, Europe and Asia. He is the recipient of the AIA Florida Honor for Design Award and the AIA Silver Medal for Design Excellence. He was honored as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame. Mr. Fort-Brescia was honored by the Salvadori Center in New York with the 2000 Founder’s Award. In 2018, he was the recipient of the Urban Land Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, marking the first time an architect has won the award. Mr. Fort-Brescia has taught at Harvard University, University of Miami and Florida International University, and has chaired architectural advisory boards at these institutions as well, including the University of Miami School of Architecture. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Wolfsonian Museum and the New World Symphony. He is also a strong supporter of the National YoungArts Foundation. Mr. Fort-Brescia currently sits on the Urban Land Institute Advisory Board.

With more than 25 years of experience, Lawrence Kline has comprehensive expertise designing majormunicipal projects, corporate offices, and educational institutions. As the ManagingDirector of theMiami studio of Perkins and Will, he has taken a conscious approach to creating a culture ofprofessionalism and inclusiveness inside of the office and outside in the design community. As a residentof Miami, Lawrence is actively involved in the South Florida community, serving on the Board of a not-for-profit arts group and on multiple architectural advisory Boards for local universities

An honor graduate of the University of Miami, Jorge is the driving force behind the firm’s growth and development since 1987. Prior experience includes earning a reputation with highly acclaimed architectural as well as land development firms, where he grew to understand the importance of leadership within an organization, the community, and the unique ability of integrating innovative architecture with rational business criteria in a balanced format. Jorge’s primary focuses are corporate leadership, design, vision, collaboration, and growth development for the firm’s philosophical ideals. Jorge is a licensed architect in thirteen states with expertise in the design of national and international facilities including hotel & resorts, commercial, institutional, mixed-use developments, and residential, projects. He is a sought-after authority on the realities and challenges clients face in the planning, approval and entitlement processes found in today’s challenging development environment.

Michael Wolk started designing professionally in New York while studying at Pratt, and moved to Miami in 1973. Over the next four decades he’s assembled and led an extraordinary team of designers and artisans. He has produced unforgettable interiors for luxury residences, hotels, restaurants, and public spaces. He’s created furniture, lighting, and fabric lines for the world’s top manufacturers. His work has earned numerous awards including AIA Interior Designer of the Year and DCOTA Stars of Design for best product Designer. Wolk Design is recognized in magazines and coffee table books worldwide. “Outstanding client service is one of our major commitments. We listen intently to the client. We consider thoroughly to distill the best solution. We execute exquisitely with precision and grace. In addition to client service our vast experience gives us the expertise to distinguish quality from mediocrity. It allows us to harness our creativity and leverage it into great design. We demand technical excellence from everyone involved in our projects. Ultimately, we gain the trust of our clients in our integrity and assurance of a quality product. They become repeat clients for whom we successfully complete additional projects.”

Monique Salas, MPP, is the North American Director of Health & Wellness at SageGlass. In her role, she focuses on the impact Saint-Gobain SageGlass bears in Healthcare spaces. She has a rich history in the Pharmaceutical Industry and Healthcare Tech space. Monique is passionate about design that incorporates health & wellness as she has a strong belief that it uman performance. Some of her recent clients include Emory Healthcare, Geisinger Health, University of California Davis and University of California Davis Health.

Brian Koles joined PMG in 2016 as Director of Brand & Experience, focused on delivering the most compelling living environment for residents of PMG buildings. This role has expanded to encompass marketing and leasing operations for a national portfolio of luxury residential projects, technology implementations, community event programming and corporate communications. Prior to PMG, he spent ten years leading business development for venture-backed technology companies, starting at cloud telephony provider Vocalocity, which was acquired by Vonage. He then founded a green technology procurement portal and went on to lead customer acquisition for Devpost, where he helped clients like Uber, Microsoft,GE, and Samsung to grow their third-party app ecosystems. Brian graduated from Emory University. When not working, he can be found running, golfing, or cooking for his friends and family.