"The biennial Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize was established to increase the visibility, understanding, appreciation, and dialogue around landscape architecture. The creation of the Oberlander Prize began in 2014, and the most recent laureate was architect Kongjian Yu, pioneer of the "Sponge City" concept. This year, The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) announced that Mexico City-based landscape architect Mario Schjetnan and his firm Grupo de Diseño Urbano (GDU) are the recipients of the 2025 Oberlander Prize."
"Mario Schjetnan, founder of Grupo de Diseño Urbano (GDU), earned his architecture degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico ( UNAM, 1968) and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley (1970). In 1977, he established GDU with architect José Luis Pérez, joined by their respective spouses, Irma Schjetnan and Letty Pérez. Since then, the firm has worked extensively in Mexico, Latin America, the Middle East, China, and the United States, developing projects in landscape architecture, urbanism, and architecture. Nearly half of its work focuses on parks, alongside residential developments, post-industrial sites, museums, and other projects."
"Recognized for advancing urban design grounded in environmental awareness, cultural memory, and quality of life, Schjetnan has promoted a new ethical and aesthetic relationship with the environment. Defining GDU's philosophy, he emphasized that "the landscape is really about culture" and that every project is "site-specific." For him, "if you want to develop a site or a new area, you have to start with a park.""
Mario Schjetnan and his firm Grupo de Diseño Urbano (GDU) are the 2025 recipients of the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize. Schjetnan trained in architecture at UNAM and earned a Master of Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley before founding GDU in 1977. GDU's work spans parks, residential projects, post-industrial sites, museums, and international commissions across the Americas, the Middle East, China, and the United States. Schjetnan advances urban design rooted in environmental awareness, cultural memory, and improved quality of life, insisting on site-specific solutions and prioritizing parks as the foundational element for developing new urban areas.
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