CIRCULATORY RESTORATION

“Circulatory Restoration” is a community center in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood designed to reconnect fragmented communities severed by the construction of I-95 in 1957. This intervention addresses the highway’s devastating aftermath which displaced families, fractured a vibrant cultural hub, and led to economic decline. The design reimagines circulation as a unifying typology. At ground level, multiple discrete masses gradually morph into a single continuous path, curving and lifting above roads and train tracks. This elevated structure connects the surrounding communities while creating a central exterior space dedicated to agriculture, preservation, and cultural gathering. Movement through the building celebrates flow and connection, as users transition seamlessly between interior and exterior spaces, ascending and descending through a network of ramps. The design not only restores physical circulation but symbolically bridges historical divides, offering a conscientious response to the urban scars left by the highway. By embracing Overtown’s context and culture, the space rewrites the narrative of imposed fragmentation into one of unity.