written by Michele Turini, RLA
Landworks Studio was invited to co-teach a Landscape Architecture studio—titled Landscape Visions for Sustainable Design—at Federico II University of Naples in Italy for the fall/winter semester. This past week, we joined the Department of Architecture faculty to review the students’ work.
Throughout the semester, the studio explored several public realm sites in Naples, encouraging students to transform overlooked or underused spaces into cohesive and functional urban landscapes. In his lectures, Michael Blier introduced fundamental strategies for hand sketching and cross-sections, as well as the impact of pocket parks and plazas on the urban public realm, and sustainable strategies for pedestrian corridors. Meanwhile, Andrea Varutti guided students as they chose project sites and refined their designs, addressing grading, lighting, programming, water features, hard and softscape materials, and solutions for parking and traffic mitigation. The students’ enthusiasm and dedication were evident in their final presentations, and we hope they continue applying these teachings by viewing everyday spaces through a new lens and inspiring change in their local environments and beyond.
Representing Landworks Studio on site, Michele Turini offered hands-on support to students, while Michael Blier and Andrea Varutti provided feedback via Zoom. The trip also allowed for an in-depth exploration of Naples’ rich cultural and landscape heritage, and of course a sampling of the delicious food!
Thank you to the University of Naples faculty and everyone who participated in the student review. We enjoyed our time with you immensely.