James Corner

James Corner holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from the Metropolitan University of Manchester, a master’s in Urban Design from the University of Pennsylvania as well as an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Munich and doctorate in Design (honoris causa) from the Metropolitan University of Manchester. He is recognised by TIME and Fast Company magazines as one of the “Ten most influential designers” and one of the “Top 50 Innovators”.

James Corner Field Operations has undertaken multiple internationally renowned and acclaimed projects. Among those in the public sphere are the acclaimed High Line in New York, the Underline in Miami, South Park Plaza at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, Tongva Park in Santa Monica, Navy Pier in Chicago, Public Square in Cleveland, Race Street Pier in Philadelphia, Salisbury Garden in Hong Kong and the Tsim Tsa Tsui waterfront promenade and Shenzhen’s new coastal city, Qianhai, home to 3 million people.

Some of his work has been recognised with awards like the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, the Daimler-Chrysler Award for Design Excellence and the D&AD Black Pencil Award. His work has also been widely published and exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, the National Building Museum, the Royal Academy of Art in London and the Venice Biennale.

He combines his professional work as a landscape architect and urban designer with teaching. He is emeritus professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, where he was chair between 2000 and 2013. He also forms part of the Urban Design Forum Board, the Advisory Board of the Shenzhen Government and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts & Letters. His passion for teaching, public speaking and writing has led him to write five books: The High Line: Foreseen/Unforeseen (Phaidon, 2015), The Landscape Imagination (Princeton, 2014); Recovering Landscape (Princeton, 1999) and Taking Measures Across the American Landscape (Yale, 1996). These books have also enjoyed the participation of other artists, particularly photographers and graphic artists such as Alex MacLean.

James Corner defines elements on a human scale, designing urban objects that people can enjoy in the outdoor space. He is the creator of the Perisphere bench (2016), designed as an updated version of and homage to the iconic New York bench, an interpretation that optimises functionality and ergonomics while maintaining its unique character.