As a founder of the ever growing AIA International component, I thought this project would be interesting.
While living in Florida, and now with this project in the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, my experience working for over 47 years internationally came into play. USVI may be a Territory of the USA with similar national laws. But the entire experience here is similar to working in any of the 51 countries I have touched through my career:
No labor force with the skills needed to construct a 5 star luxury branded hotel, marina, and signature residences.
No natural or locally manufactured materials and supplies.
Most everything is imported and being a Territory they can be sourced worldwide without tariffs.
Having hospitality experience designing similar projects and volumetric steel modular design and construction experience as well as actually teaching both disciplines at the School of Architecture, University of Miami, has led to developing this project at my firm, Innovation Architecture. This has been strengthened with having partners,—originally Gustavo Ribeiro, AIA—and now Ed Mayer, AIA and Zac Cronin, Assoc. AIA, as well as a team of consultants including Illya Azaroff, FAIA, and Stacy Bourne, FAIA who have similar experiences. Again these were sourced through my connections worldwide and that included relationships with major hotel management companies, manufacturers of factory built modules, and the AIA’s new agreements using factory built components.
This is a 48 month design and build 550,000 sq.ft. (51,100 sq.m.), budgeted $440,000,000 USD, 88 key resort hotel with 120 boat slips in our own deep water harbor as well as 154 condominiums, townhouses, and villas, with an employee and affordable housing village. Additionally there is a retail component with our own electric, sanitary, potable water and trash plants on 190 acres (76.9ha) about 49% of our own hilly island creating St. Thomas harbor.
We will be using consultants and sources from UK, China, Vietnam, the GCC, and the USA and probably other countries.
What fun and satisfaction as I complete my 60th year in our profession.
Steven Miller, FAIA, RIBA
Representative to the College of Fellows AIA International
Principal, INNOVATION Architecture
Professor School of Architecture, University of Miami
Louise Blanchard Bethune Fellow
Past President AIA Continental Europe
Founder AIA Middle East and AIA International
Member and Past Chairman AIA Global Practice Committee
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