Canada's premier landscape architect, she is known for integrating her designs in the overall architectural project with the natural environment, yet always adding a unique new vision and dimension. Her expert technical knowledge is coupled with her concern for expressing cultural, social and environmental concepts in her work and is reflected in her many projects for the young, the old and for the public at large.
Officer of the Order of Canada
Awarded on: 2009-05-25
Invested on: 2010-06-18
As one of the world's leading landscape architects, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to promoting the harmonious fusion of building and site. A fearless innovator, she has set new standards of excellence through her socially conscious and environmentally responsible landscape designs. Grounded in extensive research, her work has made use of local plants and natural settings to help reduce our ecological footprint and environmental degradation of our urban milieu. Through countless projects undertaken both in Canada and abroad, she has inspired and challenged the public to view future development and growth from a perspective of ecological sustainability. This is a promotion within the Order.
Companion of the Order of Canada
Awarded on: 2017-12-12
Invested on: 2018-05-10
Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, C.C., O.B.C.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Cornelia Hahn Oberlander is considered one of the world’s most influential leaders in landscape architecture. For over 60 years, she has created environments where grace and pragmatism intertwine to benefit people of all ages. With ongoing and conscientious effort, she imagines and promotes socially conscious and environmentally responsible designs. At the height of her craft, she continues to renew her practice while expressing a lifelong passion for the natural world.
This is a promotion within the Order.