Saadia Rais

Expanding the Framework of Postmodern Design Theory

Postmodern theory has been misunderstood and now discarded within design disciplines. Postmodernism in design is usually associated with styles of architecture within the 1980s that incorporate eclectic historic symbolism as well as kitsch. However, postmodernism in landscape architecture has a much different approach, and can still be observed in today’s landscape design practices. Postmodernism in landscape architecture begins with the phenomenological turn as well the ecological turn, both starting in the 1970s. Emphasis on landscape experience as well as ecological restoration changed how landscape architects approached site designs, as well as their roles as designers. Multidisciplinary teams tackled new kinds of projects that emerged from the fallout of global modernization. While postmodernism is no longer in fashion as a term, postmodern thinking continues to shape how we view and approach design and its role in the world.

This dissertation explores case studies of landscape architecture projects from the 1950s through today to reformulate how we define postmodernism within design disciplines. These case studies include the Ridgewood residence of Modernist landscape architect James Rose (1952-1991), Sea Ranch by Lawrence Halprin (1963-1970s), Guadalupe River Park by Hargreaves Associates (1992-2005), and Las Salinas by Sasaki (2012-2017). Each case embodies different postmodern landscape values in their designs. James Rose's Ridgewood residence marks a shift away from Modernist design values, looking towards traditional Japanese landscape design approaches as inspiration in the context of suburban New Jersey. Lawrence Halprin’s Sea Ranch community is an early example of both the ecological turn in landscape architecture as well as the discipline’s phenomenological turn. Halprin’s multidisciplinary team spent over a year on-site making qualitative observations to inform the site’s design decisions. Hargreaves’ Guadalupe River Park is a more contemporary example of the fusion of the ecological turn and the phenomenological turn in landscape architecture. Hargreaves Associates created flood models in order to reconfigure the US Army Corps’ flood mitigation efforts, designing a 2.6-mile long linear park weaving through downtown San Jose with waterfront access. Finally, Sasaki’s Las Salinas transformed a brownfield site in Vina del Mar, Chile to establish greenway corridors from the hillsides to the shoreline, creating pedestrian access for both human and non-human residents.

While “postmodern” may no longer be a popular term to describe contemporary design, the lineage of landscape architecture practices of the last half-century offer a renewed framework for how to characterize postmodern design. Jean-Francois Lyotard’s declaration that postmodernism marks “the end of grand narratives” denotes that there is no unified way to describe the postmodern era. My hope is that a deep survey of landscape case studies can be used to ground and situate postmodern philosophy in the context of design theory, shifting not only how we define postmodern design but also how we define modern design.

Saadia Rais is a landscape designer, sociologist, and artist. She earned her Master of Landscape Architecture degree from University of Georgia College of Environment + Design (2020), while working for the Center for Community Design & Preservation. She holds a Master of Science degree in Sociology (2016) with a concentration in Gender & Sexuality studies, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy (2013) with a minor in Biology from Virginia Tech. Saadia practiced as a landscape designer for several years in Houston, Richmond, Charlottesville, and the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, specializing in high-end residential and institutional design. She joined the UVA A-School as a Ph.D. student in 2024. 
 

Saadia’s MLA thesis "Modernism Reconsidered" used the residence of Modernist landscape architect James Rose as a case study to examine the definition of modernism within the discipline of landscape architecture. Saadia lived and worked at the residence in 2018, now the James Rose Center for Landscape Architectural Research & Design. She remastered a 1986 documentary by Rose titled "The Heavenly Environment", released in tandem with his book by the same title. She also produced a short film there exploring Rose's concept of the heavenly environment. Rais continues to engage in scholarship on James Rose, especially in her dissertation research. 
 

Saadia’s MS Sociology thesis consists of a documentary video and writings discussing how first-generation immigrants use digital communications technology to form their identities and communities within the diaspora. The documentary includes oral histories from first-generation Bangladeshi Americans in her community.
 

In her free time, Saadia enjoys hiking, foraging, trail running, watching and creating films, sketching, and exploring cities on foot or on bike. She is heavily involved in the underground music scene - she performs in a solo multimedia performance art ambient project, as well as in a no-wave band as vocalist, guitarist, and synth player. She often collaborates with musicians and dancers to choreograph site-specific land-based performances.