Urban-Nature co-existence

When it comes to climate and the relationship between humans and urban nature, Dirk Sijmons is an authority. As one of the founders of the renowned Dutch firm H+N+S Landscape Architects, he did pioneering work in this field. With H+N+S, he redefined the relationship between human and nature: central is the natural functioning of the urban landscape and how people live in it.

Using the term "Urban-by-Nature", Sijmons draws attention to a new way of planning, governing, designing and new ways of looking at responsibility. As a starting point, he takes not humans but landscape-forming forces, such as soil formation and hydrology. The landscape is thus seen as a system of layers that interact between each other. The quality of the design stems from the logic of the layers of the landscape and the meaningful intervention by humans in its natural environment.

By the theme of “Urban-by-Nature”, Dirk Sijmons draws the attention to the emerging anthropocentric condition which redefines the relation human and nature. The condition demands a new way of planning, governing, designing, and new ways of looking at responsibility. The theme of “hybridization” is well presented in the research and work of Dirk Sijmons and H+N+S, who approaches the landscape as a system of layers that interact with each other. The office takes the landscape-forming forces and processes, such as soil formation, hydrology, natural dynamics, infrastructure development and occupation, as a starting point. The quality of the design stems from the logic of the layers of the landscape and the meaningful intervention by humans in its (natural) environment.

The main publication of Dirk Sijmons includes ‘=Landscape’ (1998), ‘Oorden van Ontvangen’(1998), 'Landkaartmos and other reflections on the landscape'(2002), 'Een Plan dat werk' (2006), 'Greeting s from Europe' (2008), and 'Landscape and energy (kWh/m2)' (2014).