UF Landscape Students Help Design Whitney Living Laboratory
Recently, students from the University of Florida Department of Landscape Architecture, alongside former department Chair Dr. Jules Bruck, worked to design the new Whitney Living Laboratory at the UF Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in St. Augustine, Florida.
UF Landscape Architecture students conducted a site analysis, explored constraints and opportunities, and prepared initial design concepts. Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) student Veronica Cancio took the project into the next stages alongside Dr. Bruck.
“This project represents a meaningful intersection of my professional and academic journey. After spending two years working in marine biology following my undergraduate studies, I chose to pursue a Master’s in Landscape Architecture to apply scientific understanding to design. Designing the outdoor space for the Whitney Laboratory provided a unique opportunity to bring these two disciplines together. I was excited to contribute to a landscape that not only supports but also celebrates the laboratory’s groundbreaking scientific work,” said Cancio.
The goal of the Living Laboratory is to bring learning outside to allow the natural environment to serve as a teacher. The Whitney Living Laboratory is an extension of the Discovery Lobby in the Whitney Marine Research Center. Visitors begin their experience inside the lobby with hands-on exhibits that introduce them to science and a sense of place, and are then invited to continue their journey outside, reinforcing the core themes of exploration, stewardship and science in action.
The design aims to convert a section of the coastal campus just behind the Whitney Marine Research Center into a vibrant hub for environmental education, community engagement and hands-on learning focused on coastal resilience and estuary health. The Living Laboratory will feature areas for outdoor instruction, interpretive exhibits and direct access to the adjacent Matanzas Estuary and Whitney Pond, all set within a landscape of native Florida plants.
Learn more about this collaboration and the Whitney Living Laboratory.
Cover photo credit: The UF Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience
