Peking University, October 10, 2023: The American National Design Award for Landscape Architecture was recently presented to PKU Professor Yu Kongjian in recognition for his visionary Sponge City approach, which has been implemented across China.

Professor Yu Kongjian, who serves as the Dean of the College of Architecture and Landscape of Peking University, was honored with the prestigious award during the National Design Week hosted by Copper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum from October 2 to 7, 2023. This highlights how China’s achievements in ecological landscape planning, such as the construction of sponge cities, are gaining international recognition.

Professor Yu Kongjian

During the National Design Awards Special Event on October 5, Maria Nicanor, the director of the Museum, presented the award to Professor Yu. In her speech, Nicanor highlighted the influential concepts introduced by Yu, including the innovative sponge city approach, the national ecological security pattern, and natural climate adaptation strategies. These concepts have not only been successfully implemented in over 200 cities across China but also represent China’s advocacy for healing the planet with ecological solutions.

In his speech, Yu said, “Over the past quarter-century, my team has undertaken more than 600 projects spanning across 200 cities to test the concepts of sponge cities and even sponge planets.” “This award is not just a recognition of my own efforts but also a tribute to the relentless hard work by my team and those who are tirelessly working towards healing our shared planet, especially in underdeveloped regions.”

On October 7, the Museum held a special conversation with Professor Yu, introducing his years of design experience and methods in dealing with climate crises such as floods and storm surges to the world.

Poster of the special conversation with Professor Yu Kongjian

The (American) National Design Awards were established in 2000 by the Copper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Recognized as one of the official initiatives of the White House Millennium Council, the awards honor excellence in various design domains, such as architecture, landscape design, interior design, and fashion. Through recognizing the works of recipients, the Awards aim to raise awareness for the profound influence of design across multiple facets of our everyday lives.

Written by: Fu Jiaqi
Edited by: Wu Jiayun
Source: PKU News (Chinese)