FIU School of Architecture

We are thrilled to announce that FIU’s School of Architecture has ranked among the Top 15 in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject! 🥳🙌✨ This incredible milestone reflects the passion, creativity, and excellence of our students, faculty, alumni, and the entire CARTA community. As we continue to elevate our impact and push the boundaries of design and innovation, we encourage our community to keep striving, creating, and leading. Congratulations to everyone who helped make this achievement possible 👏 your dedication and vision continue to set us apart! 💙💛 @fiuinstagram @fiucarta @fiu_carta_dean @ebushozer @nnedev @chandler.architecture @nepomechie_fiu #CARTACreativeForcesAtWork #FIUSOA CARTALeads #FIULAEUD #FIUINTERIORS #FIUARCHITECTURE

The Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design Industry Advisory Board convened at FIU on May 6 for its Spring Board Meeting. Chair Ebru Ozer, Associate Dean of Strategic Communications John Stuart, and Associate Dean of Architecture Marilys Nepomechie welcomed members and thanked them for their continued guidance, insight, and support of the department, college, and institution. The meeting highlighted award-winning students, faculty and alumni achievements, curriculum updates, student and faculty activities, and the department’s continued growth and accomplishments. Thank you to our board members and representatives: Ben Hutchens ’06 (@arquitectonicageo ), Carolina Monteiro ’10 (@cladlandscape ), George Puig (@kimleyhorn ), Jennie Rogers ’07 (@curtisrogersstudio ), Justine Velez (@urbanrobotassociates ), Laura Reyes (@edsaplan ), and Patricia Matamoros ’19 representing Barry Miller and @savinomillerdesignstudio . Special thanks to Helen Cohen for moderating the deliberation and voting process for the ASLA Student Honor and Merit Awards presentations. Congratulations to our outstanding students: ✨ ASLA Student Honor Award recipients: Brittney Silva, Cesar Deschamps, and Maya Alawa ✨ ASLA Student Merit Award recipients: Andres Beltran, Joseph Andrew Higgins, and Manuel Echeverri Cesar Deschamps and Maya Alawa will also present their work at the ASLA Florida Annual Conference in Orlando this July. We are deeply grateful to our board members and ASLA leaders for their steadfast support and invaluable contributions to the continued success of our department. @fiu_carta_dean @fiucarta @ebushozer #CARTACreativeForcesAtWork #FIUSOA #FIULAEUD

FIU Architecture Master Project Awards 2026 ✨ Congrats to our recent grads! Read and swipe to learn more about their featured projects. Jaime Canaves Studio: Expanding Territories for FIU Paulina Hurtado, FIU BBC Expansion: Arts, Media and Performance Campus Daniela Pujala, FIU Marine Gateway ————————————————————- Paulina Hurtado, FIU BBC Expansion Arts, Media and Performance Campus The proposal expands FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus into a multidisciplinary arts district integrating film, music, theater, and dance within a collaborative, culturally and ecologically engaged environment. Rooted in South Florida architecture, it emphasizes climate responsiveness, indoor-outdoor continuity, and a porous system of shaded walkways, courtyards, and elevated volumes for passive cooling. Organized around a central courtyard linked to the nature preserve, it balances intimate rehearsal spaces with larger venues, while landscape supports biodiversity, water management, and microclimate More than an arts campus, it embeds Biscayne Bay’s ecosystems into daily experience, fostering environmental awareness and stewardship. @fiu_carta_dean @fiucarta #CARTACreativeForcesAtWork #FIUSOA #FIUArchitecture Daniela Pujala Spring 2026 FIU Marine Gateway This project reactivates the Miami Marine Stadium site by transforming it into a dynamic hub for marine research, education, and public engagement, strategically positioned to bridge FlU and MAST Academy. By leveraging its adjacency to MAST’s maritime program, the design fosters collaboration between secondary and higher education, creating a shared ecosystem for learning and innovation. The project introduces direct open-ocean access to significantly enhance FlU’s research capabilities, allowing for more efficient deployment, testing, and data collection in real conditions. At its core, the proposal establishes a living microbiome. An immersive, controlled-yet-authentic environment where coral restoration, robotics, and water quality research can be piloted and observed-ultimately turning the site into a functional interface between architecture, science, and the marine landscape.

RDF Lab and the Institute of Environment welcomed high school seniors for a Living Shorelines Field Trip focused on 3D printing, 3D modeling, and future-ready design skills. Students were introduced to basic principles of 3D modeling and 3D printing, engaged in Q&A’s before exploring EcoShores, an RDF Lab developed WebApp that allows students to customize ecological seawall tiles and prepare them for 3D printing. Through this hands-on exercise, students connected digital fabrication with coastal resilience, design thinking, and environmental innovation. Team: Ata Bayraktar, Biayna Bogosian, Jose Tashakori, Khadeine Ali, Ryan Montero, Shahin Vassigh, Sheila Vasco @fiu_carta_dean #cartacreativeforcesatwork @fiuenvironment #fiuenvironment @noaa

FIU Architecture Master Project Awards 2026 ✨ Congrats to our recent grads! Read and swipe to learn more about their featured projects. Alfredo Andia Studio: Archipelagos of Retreat, High-Density Habitatas on Biscayne Bay ————————————————————- Mariah Barbosa, Ecotone Complex The project proposes an architectural design inspired by the concept of an ecotone, a transitional zone between two ecosystems to create a building that acts as a living threshold between Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. The architecture emerges from the landscape and blends natural and urban systems. It creates a gradual spatial transition from water to city through layers allowing ecological processes and human activity to coexist. A key idea is controlled perception through shifting horizons, inspired by Lençóis Maranhenses. @fiu_carta_dean @fiucarta #CARTACreativeForcesAtWork #FIUSOA #FIUArchitecture Anthony Barney, Inifinty Buildings A striking mixed-use landmark, the building combines luxury residential units, upscale retail, and shared amenities within a sculptural spherical form. Its layered concrete frame and expansive glass façade create a rhythmic interplay of solidity and transparency, while carved terraces host lush sky gardens. Elegant and iconic, it merges beauty, function, and waterfront living seamlessly. Podium levels activate the waterfront with dining and public space, while upper floors offer panoramic bay views, private terraces, and penthouses, enhanced by natural light, cross-ventilation, and a refined material palette. Dior Crooks Cloud A skyscraper that ties the infinite narrative of a cloud to the Miami urban work envronment. The Cloud is encapsulate one with it use of light and shape that gives a feeling of serenity andbeing something beyond luxury, but to become one with the very concept of being infinite. Zachary Pinthieve, Sunsets Rift Located on the Venetian Islands in Miami, this high-rise explores the tension between destruction and beauty. The building reads as a singular mass disrupted by subtle vertical fractures voids that carve through the form like scars left behind by natural events.

RDF Research Lead and visiting Prof. @bhavleen_narula89 conducted a 2-day Clay 3D Printing Workshop with students and faculty from FIU’s Art Department. The workshop focused on material-driven methods for robotically fabricated clay artifacts. This marks the beginning of what we hope will be many future collaborations with @fiuart Congratulations to all participants for their thoughtful and exciting outcomes. Special thanks to Art dept. Chair Tori Arpad-Cotta and Prof. Shahin Vassigh for initiating this collaboration. Participants: Joseph Canizales, Sage Lever-Russell, Melissa Olivera, Mario Valdes RDF Team (A-Z): Alexander Moore, Julen Asencor, Julio Aparicio, Sheila Vasco, Sujay Kumarji

On February 19-20, FIU brought together leaders from academia, government, and industry to address the evolving challenges of higher education as part of Horizon Summit 2026 hosted at Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) At the Summit, we presented our collaborative work with the Institute of Environment (IOE) on robotically 3D-printed living shorelines project focused on coastal resilience. RDF Team (A-Z): Alexander Moore, Ata Bayraktar, Bhavleen Kaur, Biayna Bogosian, Giancarlo Perez, Giselle Rivero, Jesus Perez, Jose Tashakori, Julen Asencor, Julio Aparicio, Khadeine Ali, Ryan Montero, Sara Pezeshk, Shahin Vassigh, Sheila Vasco, Sujay Kumarji @fiu_carta_dean #cartacreativeforcesatwork

Honored to share that Dual Pavilion has received a Special Mention at the Architizer A+ Awards in the Architecture + Learning category. Conceived as a dialogue between intuition and computation, art and science, DUAL explores how design can become a tool for resilience—transforming material, ideas, and processes into a platform for learning and collaboration. Rooted in Pininfarina’s philosophy of blending tradition with innovation, the project reflects our belief that meaningful progress happens where creativity and technology converge. #ArchitizerAwards #Architecture #Design #Pininfarina #ComputingForResilience

Congratulations Department of Architecture! 🥳 On Monday, April 27, families and friends gathered ahead of commencement for a final celebration, as the 2026 School of Architecture Awards were held in the BEA Gallery during the 2026 School of Architecture Graduating Class Exhibition. In a moment to reflect on the talent, dedication, and merit displayed over years of hard work, we’re happy to say the Spring 2026 semester concluded on a celebratory note! We’re excited to see where our talented alumni go next 🥳 @fiu_carta_dean @fiucarta @chandler.architecture #CARTACreativeForcesAtWork #FIUSOA #FIUArchitecture

Congratulations to the FIU Interior Architecture Class of 2026! Our chapter wishes each of you continued success in your professional paths. 🎓🤝 @fiu_carta_dean #fiu #CARTACreativeForcesAtWork #classof2026 #interiorarchitecture #designers

Congratulations Class of 2026! Your journey has been marked by courage, growth, and an unwavering commitment to your craft. You showed up, pushed through challenges, and continued to believe in what you’re capable of becoming. No wonder we’re ranked among the Top 15 in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject in Architecture & Built Environment | U.S. Public Universities 🥳🤩 It’s been an honor to witness your evolution and to be part of your story. Graduation is more than a celebration of what you’ve achieved. It’s a reflection of who you’ve become and the impact you’re ready to make. Your future is bright, and it’s yours to shape. We’re so proud of you and excited to see where life takes you next. Sincerely FIU SoA 🤩🥳💫 @fiucarta @fiu_carta_dean @fiuinstagram #CARTACreativeForcesAtWork CARTALeads #FIUSOA

Congratulations to the FIU LAEUD Department and the Class of 2026 on an exceptional semester, celebrated with a memorable awards ceremony held on Earth Day, April 22. The event honored talent, dedication, and achievement across the program, with proud families and friends in attendance. LAEUD faculty and professionals in the field also took part in presenting awards. Students were recognized with scholarships and honors from leading organizations, including the Rotary Club of Miami, the Landscape Architecture Scholarship Fund, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Landscape Architecture Foundation, the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, the Honor Society of Sigma Lambda Alpha, and FIU LAEUD Faculty Awards. The evening also marked the presentation of the inaugural FIU SOA LAEUD Outstanding Alumni Awards. A special recognition goes to MLA student Krystal Schneider, who was awarded a $2,500 scholarship by the Rotary Club of Miami in acknowledgment of her outstanding work. The award was presented by RC Miami President Angel M. Rodriguez. Congratulations again to all of our students, award recipients, and supporters. 🥳💫 @fiu_carta_dean @fiucarta @ebushozer #CARTACreativeForcesAtWork #FIUSOA #FIULAEUD #