Alison Spear, AIA

Alison Spear, AIA, is the principal of her own firm in Miami and Manhattan. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University and a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University. Ms Spear is a licensed architect in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida and is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the New York Architectural League, the National Council of Registration Boards and the Miami Design Preservation League.

Ms. Spear has traveled widely in the United States, and also in the Caribbean, South America, Central America, Mexico, England, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, India, China, Japan and Thailand studying the architecture of these locales. Her travels have given her a cosmopolitan outlook, which influences her designs.

Ms. Spear's career began as a Junior Designer in the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and the New York City office of Arquitectonica, a Miami and world-wide architecture firm, the principals of which are her sister, Laurinda Spear, FAIA, and her brother-in law, Bernardo Fort-Brescia, FAIA. In 1989, she went out on her own with her first project for Bright Lights, Big City author, Jay McInerney, published in October 1989 in House & Garden Magazine. This was followed by projects for Francis Ford Coppola and Katie Ford, owner of Ford Models. In 1999, Ms Spear designed the award winning 20,000 square-foot Holly Hunt show room in Miami Design's District; and in 2002, Andre Balazs of New York City's famous Mercer Hotel chose Ms. Spear to revamp his Miami Beach 107 room Lido Hotel Spa. Ms Spear has designed many Upper East Side residences and downtown lofts in New York City along with residential work in Long Island, Washington D.C., and California. Her twelve story, sixty-six loft type residential condominium in Miami Beach for the luxury 'New Urbanism' development Aqua by developer Craig Robins has recently been completed along with other Miami residential and commercial projects. One of her current preeminent Miami designs is the residence of Alberto Ibarguen, publisher of the Miami Herald. Commercial projects of note include a popular Fifth Avenue restaurant, an entire floor of the former Tower One of the World Trade Center and a warehouse renovation for the well-known carpet and textiles showroom of Odegard Inc.

Current projects include a renovation of the South Beach Miami store for Nicole Miller; the pied-a-terre' for Bottega Veneta Creative Director, Tomas Maier; the kitchen and family area for House Beautiful's Allison Island Miami Showcase home; and the lounge suite for Metropolitan Home in the Nicki-O boutique hotel in Chicago (in negotiations).

The firm has received two American Institute of Architects Awards of Excellence and was selected as Interior Design Firm of the year. For the last three years, Ms Spear was included as one of the top 125 Interior Designers of the year by House Beautiful Magazine and in 2006, was named as one of the "Design Stars of Tomorrow" by the Design Center of the Americas.

Most recent publications include: Spring 2006 O at Home Magazine (Oprah Winfrey), titled, "Here Comes The Sun" for a modernist home renovation in Coral Gables, FL; December 2005 Elements of Living Magazine named Alison as one of "The Insiders" (Who's Who list of US Architects); December 2005, House Beautiful Magazine article titled "Miami Heat" of a 3,700 square foot apartment on the 24th floor of the Murano Grande; November 2005 Ocean Drive Magazine acknowledgement as Architect for Andre' Balazs's renovation of The Standard Hotel in Miami; and in the fall/winter 2005 issue of Florida Design's Miami Home and Décor Magazine, an Ocean Drive interior of a famed restaurant owner in South Beach.