After Hurricane Andrew ravaged the Florida coast in 1992, the city of Miami commissioned a number of architectural agencies to create new lifeguard huts, thirty-six to be exact, located every few blocks along South Beach to stand guard over the thousands of sun seekers and beachgoers that flock to the city every summer. Starting with the Jetty (the faux lighthouse pictured above) on the southernmost tip, and terminating at South Pointe Park, on the northern stretches of the beach.
Much like the Moai figures on Easter Island, they are an expression for identity and culture on Miami Beach. With abstract roof lines and contours, bright colours - often hues of neon, it’s the optimistic futurism of Art Deco blended with the local Cracker Style and the brightness of South Florida’s tropical fauna. True products of their environment.