ABOUT

STUDIO

Upstairs Studio Architecture was founded in 1994 above an avant-garde theatre in Coral Gables, Florida.  We began with a passion for design and a desire to redefine the way our profession is viewed.  Our commissions have taken us around North America, Europe and the Caribbean.  Everywhere we go, we take with us the lessons learned in our backyard- the beauty of tradition, the wonder of nature and the excitement of technology.  

Throughout the years our location and commissions have changed, but one thing is still constant today, and that is our passion and desire to make great architecture.

PRINCIPAL

Maricarmen Martinez, earned her Architecture Degree at Cornell University, after studying at the Vicenza Institute of Architecture in Italy and the University of Florida. She was born and raised in the Caribbean where light, vernacular materials and methods of construction have richly influenced her architecture.  Maricarmen is passionate about the art of building and is very involved in the execution of her designs.

She is the principal of Upstairs Studio, an award winning design studio dedicated to research, education, and the construction of contemporary architecture.  Upstairs Studio, Inc. architects hold acknowledged expertise in architectural problem solving and excel at innovative, quality and idea based design strategies.  The Studio has a fundamental belief in the generation of meaningful space and its relationship to the built and natural environment.  The Studio was founded in 1994 and has been recognized internationally for the work done locally.  

Maricarmen Martinez is a registered and licensed architect and lives in Coconut Grove with her husband, Neal McAliley, and their two kids.