Forge
DISTRICT STRATEGY | DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENTClIent: Self-initiated, joint venture along with Hanabi
Location: Homestead (South Miami-Dade County), FL
Year: 2025 - present
Partners: Hanabi Forge, University of Miami, Florida International University, Space Florida
Overview
Only through innovation in advanced manufacturing can the United States achieve its objectives for domestic aerospace and defense production. South Florida is uniquely positioned to foster that innovation – but without an integrated design and operations strategy, the region will not attract and promote entrepreneurial activity with generic facilities and random tenants.
Forge starts from a different premise: that innovation in aerospace and defense depends on an integrated ecosystem, including purpose-fit buildings, curated tenants, shared equipment, academic partnerships, and full-spectrum programming. Together, these are designed to accelerate the cycle from idea to scalable product. The campus is designed as an adaptive system – a phased strategy that tests demand and best-fits architecture before committing capital. We project 2,750+ jobs and $358M in GDP contribution at stabilization.
What We Did
As lead development partner, Field States designed the phased development strategy, capital stack, and leasing framework for a ~344,000 SF campus across three areas: core innovation facilities, public-facing amenities, and expansion manufacturing. We built the public-private partnership architecture, securing stakeholder alignment with the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, FIU, Space Florida, and County leadership, and developed the economic case through a full impact analysis.
What We Made
Schematic architectural and public realm design, development proforma and phased capital strategy, investor materials with integrated economic impact study, stakeholder engagement and Letters of Support framework, tenant pre-leasing infrastructure, and Phase 0 activation design – a prototype in shipping containers to validate demand before committing full capital.
Impact
Forge is in active development, with Phase 0 designed to prove the model before full construction. The economic impact study, prepared by the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, projects $128.7M in direct annual payroll and average wages of $108,500 – a transformative proposition for South Miami-Dade.
