Cornelia Hahn Oberlander: Genius Loci
Cornelia Hahn Oberlander is one of the most eminent landscape architects in the world, and aged 99 continues her career which has spanned seven decades.
The German-born great is the subject of an exhibition currently on at the West Vancouver Art Museum.
The museum writes of Oberlander: “Her landscape designs demonstrate her desire to create terrains that are less an interruption and more an amplification of what already exists on a site. Her training in modernist design and a desire to connect people with nature is immediately apparent in her landscapes.
“At a time when our relationship to the earth is of paramount importance, Oberlander’s projects reveal consistent and significant stewardship of the natural environment. Many of her designs—even those from 50 years ago—remain largely unchanged, testaments to her technical skill, research techniques, and judicious selection of flora.”
Born in 1921, Oberlander moved from Germany to the United States in 1939 where she studied at Smith College in Massachusetts. In 1944 it was off to continue studying at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.
Cornelia Hahn Oberlander at Harvard in the 1940s. Image courtesy of the Cultural Landscape Foundation.
The Museum tells us, after completing her studies “she designed her first projects in New York City and Philadelphia. In 1953, she moved to Vancouver and undertook a number of residential, social housing, and playground projects. From the early 1970s, she began collaborating with Arthur Erickson, working with him on the Robson Square Provincial Government Complex and the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. She continues to create designs for universities, governments, schools, and private residences.”
The exhibition is called Cornelia Hahn Oberlander: Genius Loci and runs until mid-March. “Genius loci, meaning the protective spirit of a place, is embodied in the seven decade span of her work,” writes the Museum.
So respected in her field the Cultural Landscape Foundation has established the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize. The CLF says it is the first and only prize in landscape architecture to include a US$100,000 monetary award.
Image taken by Susan Cohen, 2008. Courtesy of TCLF.
“Conferred biennially beginning in 2021, the Oberlander Prize will also feature two years of related public engagement activities to honour a living practitioner, collaborative, or team for their creative, courageous, and visionary work in the field of landscape architecture,” says the Foundation.
The West Vancouver Art Museum says Oberlander has been awarded many honours, “including the Companion of the Order of Canada and the highest award from both the American Society of Landscape Architects and the International Federation of Landscape Architects.”
The West Coast Modern League organised a virtual panel discussion earlier this year (January 2021) about Oberlander and her work. You can see that in the video below.
