Gustavo Berenblum is founding principal of Berenblum Busch Architects, (BBA), an architecture, planning, and interior design firm based in Miami specializing in port, residential, hospitality, and education projects.
Having won numerous awards including South Florida Business Journal Community Excellence in Architecture Award and First Prize in several International Design Competitions, we are very grateful to have Gustavo on our Advisory Board for Cruise Ship Interiors Expo 2019.
In this feature you’ll hear about how the cruise industry is accelerating, advice for up and coming architects and interior designers and what trends and opportunities are available within the cruise interiors industry.
Hi Gustavo, can you tell us about your current role and key responsibilities?
As co-founder and principal of Berenblum Busch Architects I oversee client and business relationships while being personally involved in all our projects.
What inspired you to start working in the cruise industry in particular?
I got involved in the cruise industry as a young architect in the 90’s while working for a firm that did port architecture. I discovered an industry that is dynamic, positive and complex, but the design of the terminals at the time was quite boring as it focused mostly on functionality but not the guest experience. It gave me an opportunity to develop an architecture that would enhance the cruise lines and ports alike, and that passengers would enjoy.
What project are you particularly proud of and why?
An excellent example of our design passion and one that I am proud of is Tenerife’s Cruise Terminal, which won last year Design Insight’s best new terminal award. It is a forward-looking architecture that combines existing and new structures to create a building with a seamless passenger experience in a beautiful setting. All while achieving Europe’s highest mark for energy conservation.
With your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to an up and coming architect or designer?
Passion for what we do is what makes the difference. Devout yourself to design with commitment, heart and focus, the rest will come.
Are there any key opportunities or challenges your industry faces at present?
We see that changes in the cruise industry are accelerating and will continue to do so in the next few years. With larger capacity ships being launched, any glitches in the embarkation and debarkation processes are augmented exponentially so one of the challenges is to design buildings that provide fluent unhindered movements while enhancing passenger experiences.
The current design trend is to create bespoke buildings specifically tailored to the user (cruise line) providing more and better options for gathering, check-in, waiting and debarking.
For architects and designers, these are very exciting times, because we are at the forefront of change, planning and designing future buildings that are completely aligned with the cruise brands they represent, that are socially responsible and that guests will want to come back to.
The interior design of ships relates to a future architecture that is more sustainable, technologically advanced and pleasant to inhabit. If anything, these trends will continue and be more pronounced.
What do you hope to achieve at Cruise Ship Interiors Expo 2019?
Cruise Ship Interiors Expo is a unique event showcasing design where we will exchange knowledge with experts of a global and dynamic industry. It is a special opportunity for us to network, meet friends, clients, and colleagues in a relaxed setting that we call home, since we are lucky enough to be based in Miami!
The expo will quickly become a tradition that no one will want to miss, tailored to improving the design that enhances the traveler’s experience.
Want to attend the next edition of Cruise Ship Interiors Design Expo Americas? Find out more about the next event here.