UVA School of Architecture Students Contribute to Coastal Resilience Exhibition in Portland, ME
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| Scenes from the opening of Envision Resilience: Designs for Living in a Changing Climate, at Portland Public Library, Feb 7, 2025. Photos: Nick Eaton, Life in Focus Photography | |
Envision Resilience: Designs for Living in a Changing Climate—a newly opened exhibition in Portland, Maine, highlights the innovative work of University of Virginia School of Architecture students alongside peers from seven other institutions, including Cornell, Harvard, Yale, University at Buffalo, University of Maine Augusta, University of Michigan, and University of Toronto. Hosted at the Portland Public Library, this exhibition is the first in a series of three showcasing the 2024 Envision Resilience Challenge—an interdisciplinary collaboration addressing the urgent climate-related changes facing the coastal communities of Portland and South Portland.
On display is a student-driven vision for adapting infrastructure, public spaces, and urban planning to the realities of rising sea levels and extreme weather. UVA students, led by Assistant Professor Michael Luegering, focused their research on Back Cove, a tidal estuary central to Portland’s identity. Their proposals integrate historical watershed dynamics with contemporary resilience strategies, offering solutions that balance ecological restoration, public access, and climate adaptation.
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This marks Luegering’s second year teaching a studio in conjunction with the Envision Resilience Challenge. In 2023, his students traveled to the historic port town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts to explore its rich history and changing landscapes. Continuing this immersive approach, in fall 2024, Luegering’s studio visited Portland, Maine, to gain firsthand insight into the city’s cultural and climate adaptation needs, shaping their design proposals through direct engagement with the environment and local stakeholders.
One of Luegering’s students, Sheen Wang (BS Arch '25), reflected on the resilience she observed in Portland: "I learned just from walking around the city that Portland is really special and the people living there are able to come out of major flooding and storm events with hope and a drive to make change. One of the city’s major civic infrastructure projects, the Back Cove trail that loops around the entire basin, is centered around change with its huge tidal range. The local government and those who live in Portland aren’t afraid to make bold moves to improve the city and how it functions."
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Over the past five months, UVA students have collaborated with local partners, drawing insights from site visits, historical studies, and environmental data. Their projects range from nature-based infrastructure that enhances flood resilience to reimagining civic spaces that accommodate both environmental change and community needs. By engaging with local stakeholders, they have developed proposals that not only address immediate environmental concerns but also contribute to the long-term vitality of the Portland community.
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The Envision Resilience Challenge, an initiative of Remain, has engaged over 450 students from 19 universities since its inception in 2020. By fostering collaboration among emerging designers, local leaders, and scientists, the challenge encourages forward-thinking approaches to climate adaptation.
Portland's Envision Resilience exhibitions, curated by artist Brian Smith, aim to spark dialogue and inspire action by showcasing designs that embrace resilience and adaptability in the face of climate change. Through public programming, panel discussions, and interactive exhibits, visitors can gain insight into the creative and scientific processes behind the proposed solutions, reinforcing the urgency of proactive design in shaping resilient futures.
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Envision Resilience: Designs for Living in a Changing Climate is an exhibition series that rotates to various locations in Portland and South Portland from February–May, 2025, and features the following UVA School of Architecture participants:
Kaelyn Bray (BS Arch '25)
Amanda Devairakkam (BS Arch ‘25)
Charlotte Devine (MLA '25)
Allyson Gibson (MLA '25)
Alyssa Levy (BS Arch '25)
Simin Liu (MLA ‘25)
Steffi Shah (MUD ‘24)
Sean Thiel (BS Arch ‘25)
Madhura Vaze (MLA ‘24)
Sheen Wang (BS Arch '25)
Michael Luegering, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
