What could Virginia Key look like in the future?

Senior students from DASH and MAST Academy competed in the 15th annual Architecture and Industrial Design Competition, challenged to reimagine Virginia Key's Marina Park on the former Seaquarium site. Over eight weeks, teams researched the site, took field trips to the Seaquarium, UM's Rosenstiel School, and the Rickenbacker Causeway coastline, and developed proposals under teachers Eric Hankin, Maria Castillo, Lynn Paisley, and Melissa Fernandez, with input from architect James Brazil. MAST Academy students interviewed community stakeholders to inform the DASH designs.

Student proposals included modular observatories elevated above the bay, renewable energy systems, ferry and tram networks connecting Virginia Key to the mainland, and elevated walkways designed to deepen visitors' connection to the landscape. Nearly every team addressed climate resilience and the balance between development and the natural environment.

The competition was founded in 2010 by Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz with Knight Foundation support. Following Rosa's passing and the closure of the de la Cruz Collection, KBCF stepped in to continue the program. The 2025 winners were Amelia Jamault, Julian Leon, Isabella Ramirez, Valentina Rodriguez Arteaga, and Melanie Parras, whose project "Healing Pathways" focused on unifying people and ecological systems. Judges were Patricia Matamoros, Jordan Recchia, Robert Werthamer, and Patricia Woodson.