Second Place Winner
Climate-Resilient Waterfront Architecture
Design by
Giovanna Burigatto & Valerie Wertenstein
Juror’s Comment:
Strong long-term sea-level adaptation (2025–2125) with elevated civic healing infrastructure and clear phasing strategy.
Work on:
Define structural system and ecological shoreline integration more precisely; strengthen embodied carbon strategy.
Giovanna Burigatto & Valerie Wertenstein
Giovanna Burigatto and Valerie Wertenstein are Master of Architecture candidates at Florida International University in Miami, where they will complete their degrees in May 2026. Their academic work focuses on climate-responsive design, social equity, and the intersection between architecture and community resilience.
Giovanna was born in Miami and raised in Brazil, an experience that deeply informs her architectural perspective and sensitivity to cultural and socio-spatial contrasts. Valerie, originally from Venezuela, brings a strong commitment to social impact and community-driven design shaped by her multicultural background.
The award-winning project was developed during their Design Studio 10 and holds deep personal significance for both of them. The project was dedicated to their fathers, who passed away last year. Through this work, they sought to honor their families by creating architecture that embodies resilience, memory, and hope.
Together, Giovanna and Valerie are committed to designing spaces that bridge divides, strengthen communities, and respond thoughtfully to the environmental and social challenges of our time.
Celebrating Creativity & Vision
Winner’s Spotlight: An Exclusive Interview
Discover the story behind the victory — from concept to creation.
1. Concept & Vision
What is the central idea behind your proposal, and how did you interpret the theme of designing for a resilient future in the face of climate uncertainty?
Our proposal reimagines resilience as coexistence rather than resistance. Instead of defending against rising sea levels, the project embraces water as a future condition of Miami Beach, transforming vulnerability into a civic wellness and rehabilitation infrastructure. We interpreted resilience as a long-term, phased adaptation strategy (2025–2125) that allows architecture to evolve with climate uncertainty.
2. Climate Adaptation Strategy
Which specific climate challenges (floods, wildfires, heat waves, droughts, storms, etc.) does your project address, and what key strategies enable it to adapt and withstand these conditions?
The project addresses sea-level rise, storm surge, tidal flooding, and erosion. The building is elevated on structural piers, allowing lower levels to flood safely while maintaining upper program continuity. Phased planning anticipates increasing water levels, ensuring the structure remains functional over time. Passive cooling, solar energy, and water harvesting systems strengthen environmental autonomy.
3. Resilience as Regeneration
Beyond protection and survival, how does your design promote ecological restoration, biodiversity, or long-term community well-being?
Beyond protection, the project restores ecological relationships between land and water. It integrates aquatic therapy spaces, hydroponic systems, and permeable landscapes that enhance biodiversity and water filtration. The design promotes long-term community well-being by combining health, ecology, and public space into one regenerative framework.
4. Site & Context Response
Did you select a real-world vulnerable site or develop a speculative future scenario? How did this context inform your architectural decisions?
We selected a real, highly vulnerable site at 1 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. Its low elevation and exposure to sea-level rise directly informed our elevated structural system and water-integrated public plazas. The context shaped both the architectural language and the long-term adaptation strategy.
5. Materiality & Low-Carbon Innovation
How have you integrated local materials, traditional knowledge, or low-carbon technologies into your proposal? What role do they play in strengthening resilience?
The proposal prioritizes durable, locally appropriate materials designed for marine exposure. Elevated construction reduces ground disturbance, while passive design strategies lower operational carbon. Renewable energy integration and water harvesting support a self-sufficient, low-impact infrastructure model.
6. Social & Community Impact
How does your project support communities socially and economically while responding to environmental risks?
The project functions as a civic healing center that supports both physical rehabilitation and public engagement. By transforming future flooded zones into accessible blue plazas, it creates inclusive community space rather than abandoned territory. Economically and socially, it reframes climate risk as opportunity for collective resilience.
7. Scalability & Future Adaptability
Can your design be adapted, replicated, or scaled to other regions facing similar climate threats? How does it remain flexible over time?
The structural strategy and phased adaptation model can be replicated in other coastal cities facing sea-level rise. Its modular elevated system allows for expansion, reprogramming, and adjustment as climate projections evolve. Flexibility is embedded in both structure and planning timeline.
8. Message for the Future
If your project were realized, what lasting impact or message do you hope it would convey about architecture’s role in shaping a climate-resilient world?
If realized, the project would demonstrate that architecture can lead climate adaptation through optimism and intelligence. Rather than retreating, cities can transform with water. Resilience is not just survival—it is renewal.
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