Germane Barnes? award-winning research and design practice, Studio Barnes, investigates the connection between architecture and identity. They take this on by examining architecture?s social and political agency through historical research and design speculation. Mining both, he examines how the built environment influences Black domesticity.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Germane received a Bachelor’s of Science in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Architecture from Woodbury University where he was awarded the Thesis Prize for his project Symbiotic Territories: Architectural Investigations of Race, Identity, and Community. Currently, he’s an Assistant Professor and the Director of The Community Housing & Identity Lab (CHIL) at the University of Miami School of Architecture, a testing ground for the physical and theoretical investigations of architecture?s social and political resiliency. Germane’s work has been featured by institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art NY, Chicago Architecture Biennial, MAS Context, San Francisco MoMA, LACMA, The Graham Foundation. Others include The New York Times, Architect Magazine, DesignMIAMI/ Art Basel, Metropolis Magazine, Domus, Wallpaper* Magazine, and The National Museum of African American History where he was identified as a future designer on the rise.
Just last week, Germane’s work was showcased as part of Lexus’ Sparks of Tomorrow event at Milan Desi...