Derek Hoeferlin

Derek Hoeferlin, AIA, affiliate ASLA, is principal of [dhd] derek hoeferlin design, an award-winning architecture, landscape, and urban design practice based in St. Louis. He is an associate professor and chair of the landscape architecture and urban design programs at Washington University in St. Louis. He teaches undergraduate- and graduate-level multidisciplinary approaches to architecture, landscape, infrastructure, and urbanism, and for such was awarded a Sam Fox School Outstanding Teaching Award in 2010 along with teaching recognitions from the AIA, ACSA, and CELA. He collaboratively researches integrated water-based design strategies across the Mississippi, Mekong, and Rhine river basins through his design-research project Way Beyond Bigness: The Need for a Watershed Architecture, which is the focus of his forthcoming book (Applied Research + Design Publishers, 2022).

Deeply informing his current water-based research, Hoeferlin was co-principal investigator on the water-based design research projects MISI-ZIIBI: Living with the Great Rivers, Climate Adaptation Strategies in the Midwest River Basins (2013-2016, with John Hoal and Dale Morris) and Gutter to Gulf: Legible Water Infrastructure for New Orleans (2008-2012, with Jane Wolff and Elise Shelley). Hoeferlin lectures on his work internationally, and his designs, photography, teachings and writings have been published and exhibited widely, including in Chasing the City, New Orleans Under Reconstruction (VERSO), Designing Suburban Futures (Island Press), Landscape Architecture Magazine, Wallpaper, Metropolis and ‘scape magazines, Scenario Journal, Journal of Architectural Education, The Anthropocene Review, Places Journal, Archinect, multiple conference papers, Exhibit Columbus, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt.

Hoeferlin has led award-winning projects and jury recognized competitions, including Designing Resilience International Open Competition (first prize, 2017), Chouteau Greenway Competition (one of four finalists, 2018, and AIA New York Urban Design Honor Award, 2019, with TLS Landscape Architecture & OBJECT TERRITORIES), and with his colleague Ian Caine: Rising Tides Competition (first prize, 2009), Dry Futures Competition (honorable mention, 2016), and Build a Better Burb Competition (finalist, 2010).

Additionally, Hoeferlin has contributed core design roles in complex multidisciplinary projects in south Louisiana, including Changing Course: Navigating the Future of the Lower Mississippi River Delta Competition (one of three winners, 2015, with STUDIO MISI-ZIIBI), the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan (American Planning Association National Planning Excellence Award, 2012, with Waggonner & Ball), and the Unified New Orleans Plan for post-Hurricane Katrina recovery and rebuilding (2007, with H3 Studio, Inc.). Hoeferlin holds BArch and MArch degrees from Tulane University and a post-professional MArch degree from Yale University, graduating both institutions with multiple honors.