Dezeen School Shows: a community centre in Las Vegas, USA, that aims to improve the distribution of drinking water is among the architecture projects from students at the University of New Mexico.
Also featured is an exploration of how water systems in southern California affect wider society and an ecologically-restorative system to tackle burnt forests.
University of New Mexico
Institution: University of New Mexico
School: School of Architecture and Planning
Course: Department of Landscape Architecture
Tutors: Anthony Fettes, Kathleen Kambic, Catherine Page Harris, Katya Crawford and Emeritus Alf Simon
School statement:
“Landscape architecture is more than just the design of physical outdoor spaces. It is a platform for the cross-pollination of ideas, a tool for positive social and environmental change and a living narrative that connects us to our surroundings.
“At the University of New Mexico (UNM), the Department of Landscape Architecture prepares students to think and act critically, enabling them to understand the complexity of our world and address the diverse challenges we face today.
“We foster curiosity and passion for living environments in our students while providing them with the necessary professional skills to become future leaders in the expanding field of landscape architecture.
“The Master of Landscape Architecture degree programme at UNM is committed to providing a comprehensive graduate education.
“It is designed to prepare graduates to enter the profession of landscape architecture as private, public or academic practitioners; and to promote research and inquiry that contributes to knowledge in the discipline.
“The programme is fully accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board.
“The programme has strengths in the following areas: urban ecology and design, indigenous and community design, water systems in arid lands, art and ecology, cultural landscapes and historic preservation.”
Nuclear Landscapes of New Mexico by Amanda Champion
“Champion (MLA 2025) investigated Acid Canyon in Los Alamos, New Mexico through her master’s project, making visible water moving plutonium through public recreational landscapes into the Rio Grande.
“The landscapes of nuclear sites, both historic and contemporary, are designed spaces that tell specific stories about the societies we live in.
“Whether highly visible industrial infrastructure or naturalistic spaces touched by the invisible yet toxic hand of radiation, these landscapes are woven into the fabric of the New Mexican landscape.
“Many of these landscapes are unknown due to the intentional secrecy of the federal government around the nuclear weapons industry.”
Student: Amanda Champion
Course: LA 597 Master’s Project
Tutor: Emeritus Alfred Simon
Relational Waters: Building Resilience In The Lower Colorado River Basin Through a Hydrosocial Approach by Emily Ontiveros
“Emily Ontiveros (MLA 2022) investigated the water systems of southern California’s inland farmlands through a hydrosocial lens.
“With increasing water scarcity in the face of climate change, understanding the characteristics that contribute to the socio-ecological resiliency of water systems is key to adapting.
“Modern water systems often silo hydrology from society rather than acknowledge the ways in which water and society are linked and form each other.
“Water systems built within cultures and societies that recognise an inherent connection with the natural world tend to endure over time and display adaptive capacity in times of water scarcity.”
Student: Emily Ontiveros
Course: LA 597 Master’s Project
Tutor: Kathleen Kambic
Email: emilyjontiveros[at]gmail.com
Encounters with Water: Connect, Orient, Cleanse by Elisha Tamrakar
“Elisha Tamrakar (MLA 2026)’s worked near Las Vegas, New Mexico. Encounters with Water is inspired by the site’s rich relationship with three significant water bodies.
“This project seeks to reconnect people to water, rather than restrict them, while enhancing the ecological health of these systems.
“What makes this site unique is its strong relationship with three key water bodies – Gallinas Creek, Peterson Reservoir and Lake Storrie.
“These connections inspired the project’s core concept: reconnecting people with water, rather than restricting them, while also improving the health of these ecosystems.
“The design is structured around three distinct encounters: connecting, orienting and cleansing.”
Student: Elisha Tamrakar
Course: LA 504: The Water Studio
Tutor: Kathleen Kambic
Email: elishatamrakara[at]unm.edu
Threads of Renewal: Recovery after Wildfire by Kailani Gorman
“This project responds to the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire, which burned forests along the Gallinas Creek.
“It explores how design can support early stages of ecological recovery by focusing on the rhizosphere, the underground zone where roots, fungi, microbes and insects interact.
“After wildfire, this layer is often damaged or erased, yet it holds the potential to restart life.
“All materials in the design are biodegradable. Over time, terraces break down and return to the soil. Meshes decompose and logs rot, sparking a living process where recovery unfolds through cycles of decomposition, succession and collaboration.”
Student: Kailani Gorman
Course: LA 504: The Water Studio
Tutor: Kathleen Kambic
Email: kgorman2[at]unm.edu
Nature Park: Arroyo del Oso by Devaprasanna Ghatak
“The proposed nature park at Arroyo Del Oso is designed to offer a serene, immersive experience, with winding pathways that guide visitors through a landscape of trees and native shrubs.
“Elevated boardwalks span the rain basins, creating vantage points for birdwatching, photography, or quiet reflection.
“The park’s drainage system follows natural topography, allowing runoff from surrounding areas to flow smoothly into the arroyo, preventing flooding or drainage issues.
“Redesigned space includes six U8 soccer fields and two dedicated model plane runways. Movable goalposts enable the area to double as an event or gathering space.”
Student: Devaprasanna Ghatak
Course: LA 502: Urban Typologies
Tutor: Anthony Fettes
Email: dghatak[at]unm.edu
Crossing the Gallinas by Holly Hearn
“This project addresses issues of connectivity, supply distribution and access to drinking water in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
“It is anchored at the historic roundhouse – a long-neglected industrial site situated on the banks of Gallinas Creek.
“Over its 140 years of use, the structure has accumulated a rugged character that reflects the labour and stories embedded in its materials.
“The design aims to preserve the spirit of the place and its working past through thoughtful material choices and adaptive programming.
“The reimagined roundhouse includes space for daily recreation, artistic development, craftsmanship and community gathering.”
Student: Holly Hearn
Course: LA 504 The Water Studio
Tutor: Kathleen Kambic
Email: hhearn97[at]unm.edu
A Hydrosocial Lens to GSI in the South Valley by Thea Swift
“This design concept explores how a hydrosocial approach to GSI can connect and uphold the cultural and hydrologic integrity and identity of a deeply rooted and historically-underserved community, like Albuquerque’s South Valley.
“Employing a regional design conversation allows the project’s nodes A through E to remain relational to one another, while each node also examines a unique aspect of varying hydrosocial GSI approaches based upon their specific cultural and hydrologic orientation in the South Valley.”
Student: Thea Swift
Course: LA 597 Masters Project
Tutor: Catherine Page Harris
Email: thea.rose.swift[at]gmail.com
Partnership content
This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and The University of New Mexico. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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