Grand Projects: Water as Infrastructure

Pingyao Sun is a Chinese urban planner, landscape designer, freelance researcher, and executive director of the start-up company Co-hab Design Consulting (Zhuhai) Co., Ltd. She holds a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and in Town & Regional Planning from the University of Sheffield in England. Between her studies, she gained 6 years of professional experience at the Zhuhai Institute of Urban Planning & Design, where she advanced to Project Manager and Urban and Rural Planning Engineer. Her passion for environmentally friendly design and the relationship between natural and cultural landscapes led her to pursue a degree in Landscape Architecture at Delft. During her graduation project in the Circular Water Stories lab (2022), she explored the UNESCO heritage site, the Canal du Midi, which deepened her interest in adaptive water design, cultural landscapes, and sustainable development. After graduation, she continued to enhance her expertise through entrepreneurship and ongoing research in her free time.

Keng Ching Chen works as an assistant in the County Government of Yilan, Taiwan and is also a designer and passionate researcher. He holds a master’s degree focusing on the Dutch lowlands and their potential futures, particularly the polder landscapes and their engaging character. After graduation at University of Technology (TUD) in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Netherlands in the Circular Water Stories lab (2023) he returned to Taiwan to work as an independent researcher, drawn to the river delta and its traditional water systems while exploring their renewed meanings today. His interests include participatory research, and with support from the NHBOS Institute (2024, Talent grant), he applies multi-method approaches to study public perceptions of landscape. As a government worker, Chen is enthusiastic about lobbying for funds for landscape projects, promoting farsighted visions, and acting as an intermediary among officials, designers, NGOs, and the public. He believes that, in addition to political means, serving people and the country is best achieved through environmental quality, thoughtful spatial design, robust communication, and cooperation.

Nicole Filippoli is a junior landscape architect based in Bergamo, Italy. She earned a bachelor’s degree in architectural design from the Politecnico di Milano and a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Delft University of Technology (TUD) taking part in the Circular Water Stories lab (2023). Currently working at Studio Architettura & Paesaggio (SAP) in Bergamo, Filippoli focuses on projects that merge ecological restoration, urban design, and community resilience. Her recent work includes the landscape design for the restoration of the Geirato stream in Liguria, integrating nature-based solutions and adaptive strategies to mitigate flood risks and enhance biodiversity. Believing that design can actively shape resilient and livable territories, she explores how landscape architecture can reconnect people and place through ecological awareness and spatial innovation. Filippoli is also a member of the Associazione Italiana di Architettura del Paesaggio (AIAPP), which is affiliated with the International Federation of Landscape Architects Europe (IFLA Europe).