Cornelia Hahn Oberlander

Date of birth

1921

Point of origin

Germany

Oberlander was born in a German-Jewish family who escaped Germany to the USA after Kristallnacht.

Ideas & Innovation

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander stands with four men, all wear high-visability jackets and work helmets.

Although she has contributed to landmark projects around the world, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander’s design work is particularly evident in the outdoor public spaces of Vancouver where urban construction intersects with nature.

Courtesy of the Vancouver Courier/Glacier Media

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander talks to another woman, both wearing medals hanging from ribbons around their necks.

Governor General Michäelle Jean (right) promotes Cornelia Hahn Oberlander (left) to Officer of the Order of Canada, 2010.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Sean Kilpatrick

colour design drawing of a children's playground.

When Canada hosted Expo ‘67, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander designed the children’s recreational landscape around the Canadian Pavilion.

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander fonds, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Gift of Cornelia Hahn Oberlander. ARCH252723

Portrait of Cornelia Hahn Oberlander in front of urban landscape.

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander designed Vancouver’s Robson Square, a public space centred on a series of interconnected rooftop gardens. Oberlander is pictured here during a 2005 update to the plantings.

Vancouver Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, 1921- , Germany.

Oberlander was born in a German-Jewish family who escaped Germany to the USA after Kristallnacht. She graduated from Harvard in 1947 as a landscape architect. She moved with her husband to Vancouver in 1953 and continued her career, thoughtfully shaping urban environments in Vancouver and around the world, from playgrounds to airports.