The state of Florida and the country of Italy have comparable geographies and ecological conditions. Florida and Italy, both, are peninsulas and coastal lagoons, so coastal issues around water has had a significant influence on how architecture reacts and responds to ground. Two modern architects, Paul Rudolph and Carlos Scarpa, had great impact on architectural design discourse in their time. This research will ask: how did the environments where they practiced influence their work? How did Rudolph and Scarpa design architecture that not only frames, in a modern way, the coastal and lagoon environments, but also actively advocates for it? Looking forward to today, how can these lessons in design engage the growing conversation about adaptation, resilience, and the future of coastal Florida? This research will involve analyzing three projects from both Rudolph (Healy Cocoon House, Walker Guest House, and the Umbrella House) and Scarpa (Fondazione Querini Stampalia, La Partigiana and Camping Fusina). The study will look at the conditions experienced onsite as drivers of the architectural design. It will analyze how the architects responded to site and environment with a focus on framing landscape, contact to the ground, and water movement through the projects.