HKU Team Wins Big at World Landscape Architecture Awards

A team from the Division of Landscape Architecture at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has received an Outstanding Award at the annual World Landscape Architecture (WLA) Awards. The accolade, awarded in the University Studio category, highlights the team’s success in integrating rigorous fieldwork with progressive pedagogy to address complex environmental and urban challenges.

The winning studio, titled “Dynamics and Encounters: Fieldwork as Placemaking”, was developed by Professor William Shivers, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture; Francisco Cevallos Barragan, Lecturer of Landscape Architecture; and Professor Ivan Valin, former scholar of the Division. Over the past eight years, the programme has guided students to tackle spatial, environmental, and urbanisation issues facing Hong Kong through hands-on engagement with site-specific conditions.

Central to the studio’s methodology is fieldwork conducted in Shap Long on Lantau Island. Students employ critical diagramming and mapping of natural features to understand changing ecological patterns. This approach encourages them to connect local observations with broader environmental and cultural contexts, fostering nuanced, forward-thinking landscape interventions.

The WLA Awards are among the most respected international honours in the discipline, showcasing excellence in practice, research, and education globally. The University Studio Award specifically recognises top-tier pedagogy and transformative design teaching methodologies from landscape architecture programmes worldwide.

“It’s an honour to have our studio programme awarded at such a level,” Professor Shivers said in a statement. “This award reflects not only the dedication of our team in developing progressive, site-responsive teaching over the past eight years, but also the exceptional talent and hard work of our students.”

The Division of Landscape Architecture offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes that integrate ecology, earth sciences, geography, sociology, cultural studies, fine arts, architecture, urbanism, and engineering. By bringing together an international faculty and diverse student cohorts, the Division aims to train young landscape architects to address the complexities of today’s built environment through sustainable solutions and effective communication.

“We are committed to equipping all students with the tools and agency needed to address complex climate and urban realities, particularly within Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region,” Professor Shivers said.