UF Landscape Architecture Earns Three ASLA National Student Awards, Including Top Honor for Seagrass Restoration Project
Students from the University of Florida Department of Landscape Architecture have received multiple awards and national recognition from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) as part of the 2026 ASLA Student Awards.
“Cleary shows how building community awareness can make hidden natural systems visible and more meaningful to the general public.” – ASLA Awards Jury
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) alumni Desi Roch-Hernandez (BLA ‘26) received the highest honors in the “General Design” category, with an Award of Excellence for the project “The Invisible Meadow: A Perceptive Approach to Seagrass Restoration”, which reimagines seagrass restoration as both ecological infrastructure and public experience. By combining ecological restoration with public engagement, the project presents a framework for coastal intervention that operates across environmental and social scales, supporting both ecosystem recovery and community awareness.
Click here to view the full project award.
“Beautiful, stunning project, lovely graphics, local/place-based analysis and planning” – ASLA Awards Jury
BLA alumni Hayden Germanis (BLA ‘26), received an Honor Award in the “Analysis and Planning” category for the project “A Ground for Change: Regenerating Cultural Landscapes on Pine Island”, which explores how regenerative landscape design, when applied to the cultural landscape, can empower the stewards of coastal-rural landscapes to accommodate climate change while maintaining recognition.
Click here to view the full project award.
“Compelling story of design education and student leadership. Highlights the importance of a critical process of experimenting, learning, and reflection.” – ASLA Awards Jury
Finally, the department’s student-led magazine publication Understory won an Honor Award in the “Student Collaboration” category, being recognized for their focus on the process of making and the importance of collaboration in design thinking. Through Understory’s zines and publications, the club has developed initiatives such as a US Library and student talks that highlight both collective creativity and personal growth.
