In a recent discussion, the University of Miami leadership has announced that the demolition of the Hecht Residential College (built by Connell, Pierce, Garland and Friedman in 1968) on the UM Coral Gables campus, which had been postponed due to the pandemic, will soon begin. The historic, brutalist towers will be completely replaced by the glittering Centennial Village. Too often the University’s campus planning relies on this strategy – to erase and rebuild. We –a group of faculty and students from the University of Miami School of Architecture– believe this is a missed opportunity to rethink the Campus strategy and be more thoughtful with respect to re-using existing structures.  We are affirmed in this assessment by the most recent Pritzker Prize (the highest distinction of the Architecture discipline), which has been awarded to the French architects Lacaton Vassal. “Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal have never demolished a building in order to construct a new one”, explained the New York Times. Isn’t it too big a waste of materials to demolish Hecht? Doesn’t this building deserve an opportunity to be reinvented for today’s needs with fresh, creative eyes?    

We are convinced that a commitment to a more restorative architecture would be more environmentally sustainable, more purposeful, and especially valuing the UM campus history. We challenge the University to honor its commitment to resiliency not only through enthusiastic statements but also through their actions regarding the built environment. After all, resiliency includes caring for what is already there. We are hoping that this petition, which probably comes too late, may provoke a more open debate and dialogue about the future of our campus.