The Water Bender

To Turenscape's Yu Kongjian, the future of sustainability lies not in carbon management, but in redefining the relationship between the built environment and water—and he's got a massive body of work to show for it By Asih Jenie

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Few names in contemporary landscape architecture resonate as profoundly as Yu Kongjian. The most recent winner of the prestigious Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize—a distinction on a par with the Pritzker Prize in architecture and accompanied by a US$100,000 award—Yu has been recognised for his groundbreaking contributions to ecological urbanism. His ability to merge ecology with cutting-edge urbanism has led to transformative interventions in cities worldwide, challenging the conventions of water management with an artistic yet pragmatic approach. A Harvard-trained architect and founder of Beijing-based Turenscape, one of the most decorated landscape firms in the world, Yu has spent over two decades pioneering nature-based solutions for flood-prone cities.

His Sponge City concept reimagines urban landscapes as living, breathing ecosystems that can absorb, store and slowly release water, much like a sponge. Instead of rainwater hitting concrete and rushing into drains—leading to floods and wasted resources—a Sponge City incorporates green roofs, porous pavements, wetlands, and urban forests to let water seep into the ground.

Streets are lined with rain gardens, and parks double as temporary reservoirs during heavy rain. This approach prevents flooding, reduces heat, improves air quality and restores biodiversity. Embraced as national policy in China and increasingly adopted globally, from transforming degraded industrial sites into thriving wetland parks to advising governments on climate resilience, Yu's work challenges conventional urban planning.