By Anna Guy
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I
n April of 2016, Cornelia Hahn Oberland-
er became the recipient of the inaugural
Governor General’s Medal in Landscape
Architecture, an award that raises the pro-
file of Landscape Architecture in this coun-
try to new heights.
If you’ve ever felt welcomed to the National
Art Gallery of Canada’s by its surrounding
garden, inspired by the museum’s collec-
tion of the Canadian Group of Seven paint-
ings and on the Taiga landscape of North-
ern Canada National Gallery of Canada,
then you’ve felt Oberlander’s influence.
Perhaps you’ve enjoyed Robson Square
in Vancouver, or, on the other end of the
spectrum, the New York Times Building
atrium, an astounding the courtyard is
experienced by 360-degrees of uninter-
rupted views from a variety of surround-
ing public spaces and office spaces above
northern Birch trees and planted mounds,
then you’ve felt her influence on not only
the physical environment, but on the field
of landscape architecture.
Landscape Architecture can be widely de-
fined as the design, planning and manage-
ment of urban, rural and natural environ-
ments. Canadian landscape architects, like
Oberlander, are particularly well-regarded
AUGUST 2017
H
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