Hall Of Fame Inductees

Robert Cardoza *

FASLA - President / CEO
Nuvis Landscape Architecture

 

Robert R (Bob) Cardoza, FASLA is Founder, CEO, President, and Chairman of the Board for NUVIS, a California corporation and certified Minority-owned Business, specializing in landscape architecture and site planning.  Forty years ago, in April 1971, he and his original partner, Peter DiLallo, established, what at that time was known as Cardoza DiLallo Associates. In 1994, the name was changed to NUVIS, “Nu Visions”.

 With offices in Costa Mesa and San Ramon, California, in addition to Las Vegas, Nevada and Scottsdale, AZ; NUVIS influences integrated design solutions for people, environments, and experiences. The firms goal is to create inspired outdoor venues that exhibit a sense of place, opportunity for interaction, and dramatic results from texture, form, color, and pattern.  NUVIS markets include residential community living, public spaces, natural experiences, image infrastructure, urban sustainability, transportation corridors, and retail/entertainment, mixed use lifestyle strategies; both domestic and international (in particular Mexico and Pacific Rim).  Several of the firm's projects are LEED certified and have received local and national design awards from ASLA, HBA MAME, Global Aquatexture, CPRS, Land Development, and PCBC.

Bob is a Class of 1964 Bachelor of Science Landscape Architecture graduate of California State Polytechnic College in Pomona.  Bob currently serves on Cal Poly Pomona’s Partner’s Circle and was the schools 2003 College of Environmental Design Distinguished Alumni recipient.

He holds licenses in California and Hawaii, as well as national registration with CLARB. Bob's background in urban planning developed while working for Rossmoor Leisure World, the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission and Bechtel Corporation, where he participated in several studies for new towns, including a 35,000 square mile project in Iran.

Bob has always been a leader- actively donating his time and energy to industry  professional organizations.  First with the American Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) where he served several years as a director and officer in the local chapter and at the international level.  As President of the Los Angeles Chapter in 1974 and 1975, he represented the Chapter on the California Environmental Landscape Council.  On the international level, Bob served as chairman of AILA’s International Convention in 1977, which hosted Burle Marx and was held at the South Coast Plaza Hotel in Costa Mesa, California.  He was their International President from 1978-1981.  As International President, he was the key to the ultimate unification of the American Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in 1981.

For his outstanding service and dedication to the profession, Bob was nominated and elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) in 1981 and College of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in 1982.  Bob then served as a national Trustee for the American Society of Landscape Architects and a member of their Headquarters/Administrative and Nominating Committees.  He represented ASLA Southern California Chapter for three years in an advisory capacity with the Corridor Management Design Group/Caltrans District 12 on erosion control specifications and irrigation and planting details to their Aesthetic Guidelines and Standards Committee for the Foothill, Eastern and San Joaquin Hills Corridors.

Statewide, Bob has served as secretary and vice president of the California Council, American Society of Landscape Architects; as the chairman of the Finance Committee and Public and Professional Relations Committee, and represented the Council at the California Green Industry Board.  In 1981, the Council bestowed upon him their Distinguished Citation for leadership in the field of landscape architecture.  Bob has severed the State Board of Landscape Architects on the Oral Board Committee, the Examination Committee, and the Enforcement Committee, which reviews activities related to licensure infractions.

Bob is a founding member, Past President, and current Scholarship Chair of the CLASS (California Landscape Architects Students Scholarship) Fund, which was established by principals of the American Institute of Landscape Architects' (AILA) and the American Society of Landscape Architects' (ASLA) for the purpose of soliciting and receiving contributions to be used for scholarships and the granting of scholarships for students in landscape oriented fields of study within California.  In 1990, Bob was named CLASS Fund’s Professional of the Year.  In early 2011, Bob was instrumental in implementing one of CLASS Fund’s 30 year goals – awarding Cal Poly Pomona the organizations first $100,000 program/ research grant for its new program, CCLAWS (California Center for Land and Water Stewardship) and presenting the check at the annual conference of CELA (Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture) in Los Angeles.

His civic duties have included serving from 1968 to 1971 on the City of Cypress (California) Planning Commission as vice chairman for two years and chairman for two years, during which time the Housing Element and the Townscape Urban Design/Open Space Element of the City's General Plan were developed and adopted.  More recently he has served on the City of San Juan Capistrano’s Parks, Recreation and Equestrian Commission, Planning Commission, and Design Review Committee.  Bob served approximately one year as a State Commissioner on the California State Park and Recreation Commission and has been a member of the Girl Scout Council for Orange County's Board of Directors.  For seventeen years (from 1990 to 2007) he was responsible for orchestrating several Professional Exchange Programs with Hermosillo, MX for the Irvine Sister Cities Foundation.