ABOUT ME
giancarlo.joyner@gmail.com
@giankiboy
Design, at its best, is an act of empathy, a way of wholeheartedly acknowledging the communities, cultures, and histories that give a place its soul. As a designer, I am driven by the belief that architecture is one of humanity's most enduring forms of storytelling, capable of carrying culture forward and honoring identity, ultimately shaping how people experience a sense of community and belonging. These convictions sit at the heart of how I see the world.
With a foundation in literature, art, and human geography, my design practice is rooted in deep analytical research, clear communication, and a relentless curiosity about how communities relate to the spaces they inhabit. My work strives to untangle complex social, economic, and environmental challenges, and to leave behind spaces that are visually and functionally sound, but above all, profoundly felt and meaningful to the people they serve.
MY EDUCATION
University of Miami
Bachelor of Architecture, Minor in Sustainable Development & Geography
2026
University of Miami School of Architecture
Rome Program
Spring 2025
Bishop O’Dowd High School
2021
MY EXPERIENCE
Architectural Design Intern
H-Level Architecture
2026
Creative Studio Consultant & Assistant
University of Miami Libraries
2024–2025
Architectural Intern
Stofft Cooney Architects
2023-2024
MY SKILLS + EXPERTISE
AutoCAD
Rhinoceros 3D
Grasshopper
Revit
ArchiCAD
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Lumion
Enscape
ArcGIS
Ultimaker Cura
Bambu Studio
Gendo AI
Microsoft Office
Google Suite
Lightroom
Python
Figma
Claude
Perplexity
LANGUAGES I KNOW
*each “+” denotes additional proficiency level
English
+++++
Italian
+++++
Spanish
+++
HONORS & AWARDS
University of Miami School of Architecture
Undergraduate Design Studio Award Nominee
2024
University of Miami
Provost’s Honor Roll
2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
University of Miami
Dean’s List
2021, 2022
COMITES
Maria Manetti Shrem Award
2021
University of Miami
‘Canes Achievement Award
2021
College Board
AP Scholar with Honor
2021
MY CERTIFICATIONS
LEED Green Associate
USGBC(US Green Building Council)
In Progress...
Learning Revit 2026 by Paul F. Aubin
LinkedIn Learning
2026
Miami, FL, USA, 2026
Miami's urban core ranks among the most park-deficient in the United States — a condition created by a critically low ratio of green space per capita, downtown tree canopy coverage languishing at just 5%, and a public realm dominated by heat-absorptive hardscape that amplifies the urban heat island effect within an already subtropical climate. As residential and commercial density continues to intensify, the resulting deficit of accessible nature, air quality, and thermal relief constitutes a measurable public health condition for those who live and work within it.
Compounding this ecological deficit is a parallel crisis of food access: numerous neighborhoods, including downtown itself, remain without adequate infrastructure for fresh, healthy food. Pulmón operates as a direct architectural response to both conditions simultaneously — proposing a vertical urban park that mixes productive ecology, farm-to-table food systems, as well as civic life within a single high-rise structure at the city's core.
The proposal embeds a vertical farming system directly into the tower's floorplates and façade, transforming structure into productive agricultural surface. This integrated cultivation supplies the building's food and beverage program with hyper-local produce, extending access to fresh, locally grown food to residents, workers, and visitors alike, all while eliminating the environmental overhead of long-haul supply chains.
Beyond their agricultural function, the tower's planted surfaces perform a more subtle ecological labor: capturing particulate matter, generating oxygen, attenuating traffic and urban noise, buffering wind loads, and casting shade that meaningfully reduces ambient heat exposure. Positioned against a global backdrop of densifying cities, mounting climate vulnerability, and shrinking urban green space, Pulmón poses a deceptively simple provocation: what if the city itself could be the park?
Collaborators: Giancarlo Joyner
Studio: ARC510
Professor: Juan Yactayo
Fifth-year Spring Semester, 2026
University of Miami School of Architecture