Anita Berrizbeitia
Encyclopedia
Anita de la Rosa de Berrizbeitia is an internationally recognized landscape
theorist, teacher, and author. She continues to play an integral role in the renewed visibility of landscape architecture
as a cultural practice. In studying the many forms of hybridity involved in place making, her work fosters an understanding of historical antecedents as they influence contemporary practices. She was the associate chair of landscape architecture at the University of Pennsylvania
before becoming Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Graduate School of Design of Harvard University
. She lives in New Jersey
with her husband and three sons, born in 1995.
.
, from 1987 to 1993. Large scale projects in which she participated include North Link Park in Battery Park City and D.W. Field Park
in Brockton, Massachusetts
. It is for her contributions to design theories of the modern and contemporary landscape,however, for which she is most recognized. Teaching has been an integral component to the development of her ideas, beginning with an Assistant Professorship of Landscape Architecture at Harvard (1993–98) and continuing as faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, which she joined in 1998. Berrizbeitia currently is Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Prior to her appointment at Harvard she was Associate Department Chair of Landscape Architecture and an Associate Professor at UPenn.
In 2005, Berrizbeitia was awarded the Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture to study “The Ecology of Formal Systems in the Italian Landscape and Garden.” Most recently, she is the editor of the forthcoming book Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates: Reconstructing Urban Landscapes.
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
theorist, teacher, and author. She continues to play an integral role in the renewed visibility of landscape architecture
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
as a cultural practice. In studying the many forms of hybridity involved in place making, her work fosters an understanding of historical antecedents as they influence contemporary practices. She was the associate chair of landscape architecture at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
before becoming Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Graduate School of Design of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. She lives in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
with her husband and three sons, born in 1995.
Formative years
Berrizbeitia was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1957. She attended the College of Architecture and Urbanism at Simon Bolivar University in Caracas, a public institution known for its science and technology orientation. In 1980, she received a B.A. from Wellesley College, and in 1987 earned an M.L.A. from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Career
Berrizbeitia contributed to several award-winning projects while practicing as a landscape architect with Childs Associates, Inc., in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, from 1987 to 1993. Large scale projects in which she participated include North Link Park in Battery Park City and D.W. Field Park
D.W. Field Park
D.W. Field Park is an historic park between Pond Street, Avon and Pleasant Street in Brockton, Massachusetts.The park was added to the National Historic Register in 2000.-External links:* - official site...
in Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
. It is for her contributions to design theories of the modern and contemporary landscape,however, for which she is most recognized. Teaching has been an integral component to the development of her ideas, beginning with an Assistant Professorship of Landscape Architecture at Harvard (1993–98) and continuing as faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, which she joined in 1998. Berrizbeitia currently is Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Prior to her appointment at Harvard she was Associate Department Chair of Landscape Architecture and an Associate Professor at UPenn.
Works
In 1999, with co-author Linda Pollak, Berrizbeitia published Inside/Outside: Between Architecture and Landscape. Organized as an anthology of twenty four design projects from seven countries, the book distinguished itself from other anthologies of the period by formulating a theory of relationships around the concept of design operations, such as reciprocity and insertion, rather than a formal description of design elements. The book was widely praised and is firmly situated in design libraries and on the reading lists of advanced courses in design studies. Berrizbeitia followed with Roberto Burle Marx in Caracas: Parque del Este, 1956-1961 (2004), which was awarded the J.B. Jackson Book Prize in 2007 from the Foundation for Landscape Studies, a prize that recognizes significant contributions to garden history and landscape studies. The book furthers her studies in inter-relationships by examining the Latin American Modernist context of Burle Marx that is noteworthy for its embrace of hybridity. Her study reveals several forms of hybridity including Formal (combining types), Ecological (native/non-native)and Methodological (process/form) in Burle Marx’s Parque del Este that hold particular relevance to contemporary practice in North America. In addition to her two books, Berrizbeitia has also contributed essays to numerous studies in modern and contemporary design including Daniel Urban Kiley: The Early Gardens, Recovering Landscape:Essays in Contemporary Landscape Architecture, Roberto Burle Marx: Landscapes Reflected, CASE:Downsview Park Toronto, and Large Parks.In 2005, Berrizbeitia was awarded the Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture to study “The Ecology of Formal Systems in the Italian Landscape and Garden.” Most recently, she is the editor of the forthcoming book Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates: Reconstructing Urban Landscapes.