Primary. | New Home! Little River!

Primary is excited to announce our new home. This private residence, designed by the architectural group K/R (John Kennen & Terence Riley), is located in the burgeoning neighborhood of Little River, Miami.

In this digital age, as society speeds toward singularity, we constantly romanticize communal moments. Our personal search for touches of humanity remains difficult but not entirely out of reach. Primary strives to build an intimate alternative to the systematic commercial aspects of the contemporary art space, a sanctuary for ourselves, our families, our patrons, and our artists.

We watch as mega galleries power through with massive growth and we understand the increasingly challenging commitment emerging galleries make as they dig in on discovering new talent. As arguments carry on surrounding the need for traditional brick and mortar, we are here, exploring new ideas on the subject of live/work, affirming our long term dedication to contemporary art in the city that cultivated us. 

Looking forward to your visit.

A Note from the Architects:

Primary Home is a hybrid design with ground level spaces for exhibiting art accompanied by a small area for work. The upper level is a loft-like live space for the partners of Primary, a cultural collaborative.

From the street, Primary Home is seen principally as a white modernist structure - stucco over concrete block and pour-in-place concrete. On the interior, a broader palate of material, often contrasting, is evident: unfinished concrete and concrete block alongside finished plasterboard; laminated wood beams alongside raw plywood.

The geometry of the project recognizes the dual function. At ground level, the façade mirrors the street grid. The living area is separated from the street level for more privacy and the geometry pivots to true north, giving a spatial distinction between the two levels and two modes of living.

Primary Home is a "zero lot line" structure, that is, it sits across the width of the site without setbacks. This condition predicts the denser, more urban condition that is transforming the neighborhood of Little River.

The exterior spaces are created by the building's form, which is equally important as the interior spaces. A wide pathway connects the city sidewalk to a triangular sculpture court - both open to the sky. 

The sculpture court links to a covered terrace below the living loft. The rear yard is thus transformed into a stage before the covered terrace, intertwining the live and work programs that are mirrored in the interior and exterior space.