The University of Miami School of Architecture (SoA) and the Center for Computational Science (CCS) will be collaborating with IT ( Information Technologies ) leaders in the Yucatán to create ZenCiti, a “smart city” expected to revolutionize the IT world with its integration of technology into everyday life.
‘The project, which is being designed by UM SoA’s Responsive Architecture and Design Lab (RAD-UM Lab), will be built next to the Yucatán Science and Technology Park (YSTP), established by the National Autonomous University of Mexico. RAD-UM Lab specializes in technology-based designing and the “internet of things,” everyday objects that can collect data and connect to modern tech.’ — The Miami Hurricane
The project, which is being designed by UM SoA’s Responsive Architecture and Design Lab (RAD-UM Lab), will be built next to the Yucatán Science and Technology Park (YSTP), established by the National Autonomous University of Mexico. RAD-UM Lab specializes in technology-based designing and the “internet of things,” everyday objects that can collect data and connect to modern tech.
“We think of it as a start-up opportunity in that sense, in the way that it’s almost like an incubator of ideas that can be reproduced elsewhere,” said SoA Dean Rodolphe el-Khoury, who is also the director of RAD-UM Lab. “And that’s how I think it could have an impact on the university, in the sense that it is for us a laboratory for ideas, providing us opportunities to develop our research but also apply it to real life situations, test it and develop it even further.”
ZenCiti was a result of President Julio Frenk’s initiative, and a collaboration between the University of Miami and the Yucatán State Government. ZenCiti was developed entirely by the University of Miami School of Architecture, the Center for Computational Science and IT leaders in the Yucatán.
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial