The University of Miami this year unveiled the B.E. & W.R. Miller BuildLab, a physical space created by and for the Department of Architecture, where students are able to execute a modern architectural project from start to finish in a real-life design/build context.

Designed by Professor Rocco Ceo, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, Design/Build Studio students were tasked with completing the furnishings and interior and exterior details of the open-air building, which has a 40-foot by 40-foot concrete frame with 17.5-feet-high ceilings.

“Kebony was the material of choice for the BuildLab’s louvers due to its remarkable uniformity, density, and ease with which to work,” Ceo said. “Kebony’ is also sustainably produced and therefore is an ideal material to impart the environmental values we aspire to for material selection in our design/build program.”