The Water Below Us

Mar 5

Miami Design Shop partnered with BLUE Missions and Vaco Studio to fabricate and help bring to life The Water Below Us, a public art installation designed to raise awareness about the fragile state of South Florida’s water systems. Installed in the heart of Coral Gables, the project combines sculptural fabrication, environmental storytelling, and augmented reality to create an immersive educational experience for the public.

Working from the creative direction developed by Vaco Studio, Miami Design Shop was responsible for translating the concept into a durable, large-scale physical installation. Our team fabricated the elevated sculptural “well” structure that anchors the piece — engineering and building the installation to invite visitors to step inside and explore the story of Florida’s underground water movement. The structure was designed to act as both a visual landmark and an interactive learning environment within one of the city’s busiest pedestrian corridors.

In addition to the structural fabrication, Miami Design Shop collaborated on the production of custom graphic elements illustrating Florida’s complex hydrological cycle. These visual components help communicate how water flows beneath the state, while highlighting the environmental threats facing South Florida’s aquifer systems.

To further activate the installation, the project incorporates an augmented reality experience developed in collaboration with The Sunken Blimp. Through AR, visitors can interact with animated layers of the Everglades ecosystem, explore a digital reconstruction of the well, and learn about the challenges and solutions surrounding Florida’s water resources.