We are excited to announce that Naviva®, A Four Seasons Resort—a case study brief curated by three of our talented FIU LAEUD students—has been published in the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s award-winning Landscape Performance Series!
This prestigious online resource features over 200 exemplary landscape projects with documented environmental, social, and economic benefits. The impact of Naviva® was assessed through LAF’s innovative Case Study Investigation (CSI) program, a unique research collaboration among faculty, designers, and students.
Third-year FIU LAEUD students Anne Coke, Sofia Hernandez, and Raquel Rosati were awarded a national grant to participate in the CSI program, which provided them the opportunity to conduct fieldwork and research on-site in Mexico.
This recognition highlights the outstanding work being done within FIU’s School of Architecture and the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts (CARTA)—where we proudly champion a culture of learning by doing.
Anne, who will be graduating in April 2025, is deeply passionate about regional landscape architecture and systems planning, with a focus on sustainability. Her design philosophy prioritizes accessibility to natural areas and emphasizes a pragmatic, holistic approach to creating sustainable solutions that are tailored to the unique characteristics of each site.
As members of the Student Research Team for the Naviva® Case Study Investigation, each student played a pivotal role in conducting the fieldwork and research that contributed to the project’s success. Through her involvement, Anne gained invaluable insights into the significance of landscape performative measures as a core element of the design process. “Performative measure data is essential not only in shaping the design but also in securing the necessary resources to implement impactful landscape architecture projects,” she shared. “These data-driven insights are crucial in advocating for the environmental, social, and economic benefits that address the pressing challenges our world faces today.”
Raquel Rosati, a proud soon-to-be graduate of FIU’s MLA program, reflected on her journey from Agricultural Engineer to Landscape Architect: “Years ago, I graduated as an Agricultural Engineer in my home country (Brazil). Today, I can confidently say: I am a Landscape Architect.” Raquel also emphasized the role of landscape architecture in addressing current environmental challenges: “Landscape architecture can be beautiful and functional in addressing environmental issues faced nowadays. We have resources to use nature as a problem-solver.”
Raquel’s advice for FIU LAEUD students aspiring to achieve similar goals was clear: “Investigate, go deeper in the research.”
We extend our sincere thanks to LAF and EDSA for making this achievement possible, and to Ebru Ozer, FASLA, CELA, FIU Professor and Chair, for her outstanding guidance throughout this transformative project. We look forward to continuing collaborative efforts that support academic excellence and real-world impact.
To view the full case study, click here : https://www.landscapeperformance.org/case-study-briefs/naviva
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