The Cultural Landscape Foundation recently announced that Kongjian Yu was named the 2023 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize.

 
Yu is known for his work in climate based design and the sponge city theory which integrates water absorbent flood and stormwater management systems. The theory was adapted as national policy in China in 2013 because it prioritizes infrastructure like wetlands, and bioswales that prevent urban flooding.

He has been in the industry for more than 25 years and has worked tirelessly to achieve environmental stewardship. Yu went on to research Ecological Security Patterns and Ecological Infrastructure, Negative Planning and Sponge Cities. He is also the founder of the Graduate School of Landscape Architecture, land the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Peking University. The world-renowned landscape architect is also the founder and principal designer at the firm, Turenscape.

The biennial prize comes with a $100,000 award and two years of public engagements that will help propel the industry forward.

The prize is based on German-Canadian Landscape Architect, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander. Landscape Architect, Julie Bargmann, was named in 2021 as the inaugural Oberlander winner.