Snøhetta
For 30 years, Snøhetta has designed some of the world’s most notable public and cultural projects. Snøhetta kick-started its career in 1989 with the competition-winning entry for the new library of Alexandria, Egypt. This was later followed by the commission for the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo and the reconstruction of Times Square in New York City, among many others. Recently completed works include Temple University’s Charles Library and Plaza in Philadelphia, Calgary's new Central Library and Plaza in Canada, and the Ford Dearborn Campus Master Plan in Michigan. Since its inception, the practice has maintained its original trans-disciplinary approach, integrating architectural, landscape, interior, graphic, and product design in its projects.
Michelle Delk is a partner and landscape architect with Snøhetta. She is an active board member for the Urban Design Forum in New York City, a member of The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s Stewardship Council, and she lectures at conferences, universities, and communities throughout the world. Currently, she leads several efforts, including the design of the Willamette Falls Riverwalk in Oregon, a re-imagining of the twenty-acre Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, and the re-design of a significant public plaza in midtown Manhattan.
Elaine Molinar, an architect and managing partner at Snøhetta, has been with the firm since its establishment, working on the competition-winning Alexandria Library competition in Egypt. She has been a design leader for many of the firm’s notable works, including the Norwegian National Opera and the National September 11th Memorial Museum Pavilion. She is currently leading the design of the El Paso Children’s Museum in her hometown of El Paso, Texas. In 2005 she helped found Snøhetta’s U.S. practice and opened the New York office.
Statement: Cornelia’s career and passion set a critical precedent for women in landscape architecture to take on leadership roles and to transform the profession. We hope that with the establishment of the Oberlander Prize, landscape architects around the world will have and take opportunities to expand the possibilities of landscape architecture, continuing Cornelia’s mission to promote diversity and equity through great design.