Bernardo Fort-Brescia, FAIA, is a founding Principal of Arquitectonica. He studied architecture and urban planning at Princeton University and received a Master of Architecture from Harvard University, where he later taught. He came to Miami in 1975 to teach at the University of Miami. By 1977 he founded Arquitectonica with a group of young architects and set up a studio in Coconut Grove. Today Arquitectonica has designed buildings in 58 countries from offices around the world.

Bernardo’s designs have won hundreds of design awards. His work has been featured in national and international publications and has been the subject of numerous museum exhibitions in the Americas, Europe and Asia. He is the recipient of the AIA Florida Honor for Design Award and the AIA Silver Medal for Design Excellence. He was honored as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was the recipient of the Urban Land Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, marking the first time an architect has won the award.

The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies bestowed Bernardo with the American Prize for Architecture, also known as The Louis H. Sullivan Award. The honor is given to practitioners in the United States that have created a new direction in architectural design and has demonstrated consistent contributions to the built environment.

Globally, Bernardo’s signature designs include the Agricultural Bank of China Headquarters in Shanghai, the International Finance Center in Seoul, Microsoft Headquarters and the Dijon Performing Arts Center in Paris, Solaria and Aria in Milan, Testimonio II Residences in Monaco, and the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Federal Courthouse and Brickell City Centre in Miami.  

Bernardo has taught at Harvard University, University of Miami and Florida International University, and has chaired architectural advisory boards at these institutions as well, including the University of Miami School of Architecture. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Wolfsonian Museum and the New World Symphony. He is also a strong supporter of the National YoungArts Foundation.