October 17, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) – The Cultural Landscape Foundation (“TCLF”) today announced that Beijing-based landscape architect Kongjian Yu is the recipient of the 2023 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize (“Oberlander Prize”). The biennial Oberlander Prize includes a $100,000 award and two years of public engagement activities focused on the laureate’s work and landscape architecture more broadly. Yu is the global champion of the “sponge cities” concept fo...

Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu has been awarded the 2023 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize.

Designer Kongjian Yu’s sponge city concept is saving cities from too much rain. He just won the field’s biggest prize for his work.

01 Problem: city syndrome of Heze -- flood and waterlog, habitat demolishment, loss of local identity, lack of recreation space Background: forthcoming urbanization process Considerable expansion of build-up area Great proportion of inner city renewal 2020 (according to the new general plan of Heze, 2005-2020) Changing pattern and quantity constitution of the city's open space The main problems of the open space of Heze 1. Hydrologic process • Located in the...

Sponge City and Sponge Planet

1．Project Statement Huaiyang, formerly referred to as "Chen," has a legendary history. According to tradition, the tribe leader of Dongyi, Taihao Fuxi, established his capital in Wanqiu. Subsequently, the Yan Emperor Shennong continued the town development and designated it as "Chen," thus marking the commencement of this appellation. Longhu, also known as the "City Lake", gradually took shape over the years through successive dike and city protection. For a thousand years, this expansive ...

1. Project Statement The Huaiyang Fuxi Cultural Park project harnesses the natural topology of the area to engineer a water-resilient landscape. Utilizing the concept of a sponge city, the project aims to alleviate flooding risks in the ancient city and purify contaminated waters. Crater-shaped islands emerge as multifunctional spaces, serving the community's diverse needs while drawing inspiration from ancient Chinese cosmological symbols and the Eight Trigrams. These elements form a ...

1．Project Statement Huaiyang, formerly referred to as "Chen," has a legendary history. According to tradition, the tribe leader of Dongyi, Taihao Fuxi, established his capital in Wanqiu. Subsequently, the Yan Emperor Shennong continued the town development and designated it as "Chen," thus marking the commencement of this appellation. Longhu, also known as the "City Lake", gradually took shape over the years through successive dike and city protection. For a thousand years, this expansive l...

Kongjian Yu was only 10 years old when he witnessed the power of nature firsthand. Heavy rain caused the creek near his village in China’s Zhejiang province to swell and spill over to the rice terraces. When he ran to the river’s edge in excitement, he slipped into the surging floodwaters. Fortunately, he was able to save himself by grabbing onto the willow and reed vegetation that grew all along the banks.

Almost all of China's medium and large cities are now susceptible to floods. And [Kongjian] Yu says 60% of them experience flooding every year. Extreme weather from climate change is exacerbating the problem.