Beauty in the Field: Philosophical Aesthetics and the Consolidation of Landscape Architecture as a Field of Study in U.S. Academia

Bernardo Menezes is a landscape critic and historian, serving as a lecturer and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Landscape Architecture (see full Faculty Profile here). His dissertation explores the role of beauty and philosophical aesthetics in landscape architecture theoretical discourse as the profession developed into an academic discipline in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. It analyzes the specific circumstances under which landscape architecture transitioned from an emerging professional practice to a recognized field of scholarly inquiry, offering a robust account of the role beauty played in landscape architecture’s disciplinary formation. It asks how the evolving conceptions of beauty and aesthetic theories permeated landscape architecture’s consolidating structure, examining how those ideas were specifically translated and developed within the field and offering a critical review of their treatment.

Before beginning his doctoral studies, Menezes worked as a designer, researcher, and educator at the University of Porto. He is especially proud to have assisted in the preliminary studies that led to the inscription of the sanctuary Bom Jesus do Monte (Braga, Portugal) as a cultural landscape in the World Heritage List (UNESCO). While at the University of Porto, Menezes taught in the Departments of Landscape Architecture and Heritage Studies on courses such as “History of Landscape Architecture” and “Landscape Policies.” For his role as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the UVA School of Architecture, he was awarded the Class of 1985 Fellowship for Creative Teaching, a recognition that stands among the highest honors a graduate student can earn based on their dedication to teaching at UVA. During the Spring of 2024, he was also selected as a Visiting Scholar in Landscape Architecture at the American Academy in Rome.

Menezes earned degrees in Landscape Architecture (B.L.A., 2009; M.L.A., 2010) and History of Art (B.A., 2018) from the University of Porto, to which he added an M.A. in Garden and Landscape History, graduating with distinction from the University of London (2019). In addition to different UVA research grants, his studies are funded by a Fulbright Grant for Graduate Studies and a Ph.D. Studentship offered by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).

Cultivating Urbanism: The Agroecological Landscape of the Post-Industrial Shrinking City of Detroit. 

Tithi Sanyal is an architectural designer and an urban design researcher. Her doctoral research is on the topic, Cultivating Urbanism: The Agroecological Landscape of the Post-Industrial Shrinking City of Detroit. Her dissertation will theorize the evolving role of Urban Design in reforming a post-industrial shrinking city, using Agroecology- the science, practice, and movement of conservative agriculture. The dissertation seeks to build a thick description and mapping that engages with multiple urban narratives and forces including- social, economic, environmental, and public health, that inform urban agricultural planning within the City of Detroit. The research involves analyses of emerging strategies and current practices in urban agriculture in Detroit to reveal the social and ecological effects of these practices on the Great Lakes Megaregion. These socio-ecological effects of urban agriculture inform current and prospective master planning and urban design efforts, environmental and economic value restoration of vacant lands, real-estate development, prospective amendments to the Urban Agriculture Ordinance (2013), and food access-related policymaking in the City of Detroit.

Sanyal earned her Master of Architecture from Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Bachelor of Architecture with Honors from NMIMS Balwant Sheth School of Architecture, Mumbai. She was previously a Research Associate at RVTR, a research-based practice at the University of Michigan. At RVTR, she had undertaken  design research on sponsored projects examining the applications of complex systems theory to urban design, focused on increasing urban access and the food-energy-water nexus. Before moving to the United States, she was a Junior Designer at Anukruti, a non-profit organization developing community play spaces in informal settlements of Mumbai. Her design-research work is published in Architecture_MPS (UCL Press, 2023); Towards Fossil Free Cities (Cleaner Environmental Systems 4,2022); TransFEWmation: Towards Design-led Food-Energy-Water Systems for Future Urbanization (Springer, 2021); Plat 8.0 (2019); and Agora (vol 12, 2018). She has presented internationally at conferences on Architecture, Urban Design, Urbanism, and Interdisciplinary Research. 
 

Change in the Chesapeake: Community Planning Decision-Making in a Dynamic Coastal Environment

Lincoln Lewis is a PhD Candidate studying how coastal communities – especially those with historic cultural assets – plan for the future amidst dynamic environmental change. He is the Climate Equity Doctoral Fellow with the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture and the Center for Community Partnerships where he works on the Coastlines and People (CoPe) project for Virginia’s Eastern Shore funded by the National Science Foundation.

Previously, Lincoln was a staff member of the World Bank’s Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience, and Land Global Practice based in Washington, DC. His time with the international organization started in the Singapore office and over a period of 10 years based in the city-state he was also a civil servant with the Ministry of National Development focusing on architectural and urban design policy, a researcher at the Future Cities Laboratory studying Central Java, Indonesia, and he practiced as an architect designing and implementing campus plans, institutional buildings, and housing projects in Southeast Asia. Lincoln obtained a Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture, Urban Transformations in Developing Territories, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETH) and a professional Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Kansas where he graduated with highest distinction and was awarded the Thayer Medal, the Alpha Rho Chi Medal, and was a member of Studio 804.

As a Singapore licensed architect, Lincoln is also active in the professions of landscape architecture and planning. He volunteers for the joint Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning and American Planning Association taskforce focusing on undergraduate education and also serves as the national co-lead for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) subcommittee focusing on documenting historic landscapes. His work with Andy Packwood documenting the Tangier Island Watermen Working Landscape won the 2023 Historic American Landscapes Survey Challenge hosted by the ASLA, the Library of Congress, and the National Park Service.

The Evolving Interpretation and Implementation of Authenticity in Heritage Preservation in China (1985 - Present)

This dissertation examines how China has interpreted and implemented the concept of authenticity in heritage preservation since its accession to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention (WHC) in 1985. Moving beyond the early distinction framing that positions Chinese and European approaches to authenticity as fundamentally opposed, this research demonstrates how China's engagement with authenticity has evolved through dynamic processes of negotiation, adaptation, and innovation across different scales and time periods.

The first part of this dissertation investigates the historical and theoretical foundations of authenticity in both European and Chinese contexts, challenging the assumption that these traditions were inherently contradictory. Through extensive archival research and analysis of preservation documents, this study traces how China's pre-WHC preservation traditions already embodied complex dialogues between local and European preservation philosophies, particularly through the work of influential figures like Liang Sicheng. This section also examines how China's national institutions have interpreted and regulated authenticity since the 1980s, analyzing how preservation policies and administrative frameworks have evolved in response to changing political, economic, and cultural priorities.

The second part presents comparative case studies of three waterfront towns in the South Yangtze River region—Zhouzhuang, Wuzhen, and Xinchang—each representing different periods and approaches in China's engagement with heritage preservation. Through a combination of archival research, ethnographic observation, stakeholder interviews, and architectural documentation, these cases illuminate how authenticity has been interpreted and implemented differently across time and space. Zhouzhuang (1980s-2000s) demonstrates an early emphasis on material authenticity and architectural integrity; Wuzhen (late 1990s-2010s) represents a shift toward constructed and performative authenticity oriented around tourism; and Xinchang (2015-present) exemplifies contemporary efforts to preserve "living authenticity" through maintaining community continuity.

By tracing authenticity's transformation from theory to practice at multiple levels, this research reveals how China has used practical preservation actions as a testing ground for different interpretations of authenticity, continuously adjusting its approach to meet changing cultural, economic, and social demands. This study contributes to broader discussions in critical heritage studies by demonstrating how different cultural paradigms adapt, negotiate, and shape understandings of authenticity, moving beyond simple East-West dichotomies to highlight the complexities of cross-cultural heritage management in a globalized era.

Bo Bian is a Ph.D. candidate in the Constructed Environments. Before coming to UVA, he earned an M.A. in Historic Preservation Planning at Cornell University in 2022. Bo received a B.Eng. in Urban Planning in 2017 and an M.Eng. in Urban Planning with a focus on urban history and preservation in 2020 from Southeast University, China. He was a visiting student at Iowa State University in the Urban Design program during Spring 2017. He has been involved in plenty of China and international heritage preservation projects, many of them related to UNESCO World Heritage.
 

Mycelium-Based Living Building Materials and Robotic Additive Manufacturing for Regenerative Construction

This research investigates the integration of mycelium-based Living Building Materials (LBMs) with construction and agricultural waste, using robotic additive manufacturing (RAM) as a means to fabricate biologically active architectural systems. The project explores how living systems—specifically fungal networks—can interface with excavated soil and inert substrates to create structural and performative elements in construction.

Positioned at the intersection of digital fabrication, bio-material research, and environmental architecture, the work proposes a framework where growth, decay, and adaptation are not treated as limitations but as inherent design parameters. Mycelium’s potential to act as a stabilizing and binding agent for soil is studied in both sterile and unsterilized conditions, with emphasis on how its colonization behavior and mechanical performance vary across layered systems and substrate blends.

The central question driving the research is: Can living organisms be integrated into fabrication processes to produce scalable, load-bearing systems that are both ecologically responsive and materially efficient? The research addresses this through a series of controlled experiments that assess radial and vertical growth, compressive strength, penetrative depth, and environmental responsiveness. Robotic 3D printing enables spatial precision and repeatability in testing biological-material interactions, helping define parameters for modular or continuous construction systems.

This project contributes to the growing field of Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) by offering an architecture-centered inquiry into their application. It foregrounds the role of digital tools in steering biological performance and seeks to formulate a new material ecology where construction is approached not as a closed system but as a dynamic interface between living and non-living matter.

Ultimately, the research envisions regenerative construction practices that move beyond extractive industrial paradigms—toward hybrid systems capable of adapting to environmental and spatial contingencies through biologically informed design.

Ipsita Datta is a PhD student in the Constructed Environments. She received a Master's in Advanced Architecture and a Post graduate Diploma in 3D Printing Architecture from Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), Barcelona and her undergraduate professional Bachelor of Architecture from L.S Raheja School of Architecture, Mumbai. She previously taught courses related to design computation, digital fabrication, and material systems as Assistant Professor at NMIMS Balwant Sheth School of Architecture, Mumbai. She has also been involved in organizing and conducting panel discussions for the Digital FUTURES Initiative, where they interact with experts worldwide on topics related to advanced construction technologies and new material ecology. She had industry experience as an architect and BIM manager in various firms before she switched to her research endeavors.

Learning-Based Robotic Additive Manufacturing: Adaptive Motion Control and Material Behavior Modeling for 3D Printing in Construction 

The current reliance on manual labor in the building industry limits design complexity, timely delivery, and cost-efficiency. Additive manufacturing (AM), particularly 3D printing, offers a promising solution for automated on-site construction by rapid prototyping and realization of complex geometry. Traditional gantry-based systems, the mainstream equipment for construction-scale 3D printing, face significant challenges such as limited workspace and transportability. The adoption of robotic arms releases the ability of multi-directional printing and conformal deposition with greater precision and efficiency. Robotic arms, with their six or more degrees of freedom, have emerged as a more flexible alternative, allowing multi-directional printing and conformal deposition with enhanced precision and efficiency. However, widespread adoption is constrained by challenges including kinematic complexity, collision avoidance, and variability in material properties. This research manages to address these issues through a deep learning (DL) framework aimed at optimizing robotic motion planning and material parameters in real-time.

The research focuses on three core areas: (1) Material Characterization and Process Parameter Optimization—developing DL models to classify printing quality using multi-modal data; (2) Motion Planning and Path Optimization—applying reinforcement learning (RL) to optimize robotic trajectories in simulation environments for learning-based printing process; and (3) Simulation and Real-World Validation—utilizing digital twin environments coupled with physical experiments to ensure system robustness and validate learned strategies.

 
Expected outcomes include high-accuracy classifiers, adaptive RL-based control policies, and comparative studies on material performance and print quality. By bridging the gap between autonomous robotic systems and 3D printing, this work contributes a data-driven framework for on-site construction. This research aims to enhance the scalability and efficiency of robotic additive manufacturing, paving the way for automated and cost-effective construction practices.

I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Constructed Environment under the supervision of Dr. Ehsan Baharlou at the University of Virginia (UVA). I hold an M.Arch degree from the University of Southern California (USC) and a B.Arch degree from Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology. My undergraduate experience in craftsmanship and heritage conservation shaped my perspective on fabrication and material practices, inspiring me to rethink and redefine traditional construction methodologies.

During my time at USC, hands-on experience with digital fabrication, responsive materials, and emerging technologies sparked my interest in mass customization and its potential to transform architectural production. Subsequent research and project engagements—spanning design computation, shape-shifting structures, and computer vision applications—introduced me to interdisciplinary collaboration, broadening my expertise and encouraging continuous growth. These experiences reinforced my passion for exploring the convergence of design, robotics, and computational methodologies in digital fabrication.

Guided by my curiosity and desire to engage in cutting-edge research, I joined UVA’s vibrant academic community to pursue a research career in robotic fabrication, machine learning, and material materials. This diverse and professional environment pushes me to seek scalable solutions for digital fabrication and construction automation.

Waterfronts Of The Slave Trade: Littoral Landscapes Of The Long Eighteenth Century

This dissertation focuses upon the waterfronts connected through the notorious “triangle” of the transatlantic African slave trade. My research on select port cities and coastal areas integral to this trade is designed to assess the impact said trade had on the shaping of these liminal spaces. Waterfronts have been largely overlooked, though they were essential to the economies of their continents, the largest forced migration in human history, and the basis for much of our inland landscape. These landscapes also represented places in which enslaved and legally free African and African-Americans took opportunities to learn, communicate, earn wages, and build relationships outside of the parameters European and European-American society created and attempted to enforce. The alteration of the actual waterfront and the buildings used to facilitate the trade are still written into the land- and water-scape. This work looks at extant and disappeared landscapes and argues that these waterfronts’ relevant functions were inextricably linked to their respective topographies. I aim to underscore how vast and pervasive the network of empire was, resulting in a surprising architectural homogeneity and transnational exchange of ideas and typologies which superceded established cultural and geographic architectural norms.

Shaheen is in her third year within the interdisciplinary Constructed Environment PhD program at the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture, and also remains within the Department of Architectural History. She is part of a research team creating an interactive exhibit on the contact- and early colonial-era New Orleans area (Layered Memories project), is a contributing author to an edited volume on the architecture of the greater Caribbean, is a contributing author and co-editor of Conversations in the American Landscape, and has her first book, incorporating her Masters thesis research, under review. She has contributed for five years to the digital documentation of sites of enslavement and memorialization in and around the central Virginia area. Outside of her academic pursuits, Shaheen is an avid gardener, and registered and licensed with the Wildlife Center of Virginia. 
 

Territories in Transition: Exploring Recovery and Governance After Environmental Events

Clara Xavier Marques is a PhD student in the Constructed Environment program at the University of Virginia, advised by Dr. Vanessa Guerra. Her research examines the social, spatial, and institutional dimensions of recovery and reconstruction in the aftermath of environmental disruptions. She is particularly interested in how communities respond to large-scale environmental events and how these responses interact with planning systems and governance structures over time. She is currently examining two case studies in Minas Gerais, Brazil: the 2015 Fundão and the 2019 Córrego do Feijão Tailing Dam ruptures as key case studies.

Clara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil, and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. Since her undergraduate studies, she has been actively involved in research projects and has received multiple scholarships in urban planning and landscape studies.

In Portugal, she was awarded a Foundation for Science and Technology Research Scholarship for her work on the AQUA Project at the University of Lisbon—an international, multidisciplinary initiative at the intersection of urban planning, landscape studies, and the history of science and technology. Her contributions to this project, along with her master’s research, resulted in peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and presentations at conferences in Portugal, Spain, and Brazil. Her work was further recognized with a Fulbright Research Scholarship at Johns Hopkins University’s Department of the History of Science and Technology in Baltimore, Maryland.