Way Beyond Bigness

Designing with water and not against it. In this lecture, St. Louis–based architect Derek Hoeferlin distills a decade of work in the Mississippi, Mekong and Rhine basins into a clear three-part method: “Appreciate + Analyze,” “Speculate + Synthesize,” “Collaborate + Catalyze”, for resilient river landscapes. Drawing on Way Beyond Bigness, he reflects on Room for the River and sponge-city strategies. Introduction by Fransje Hooimeijer (TU Delft). Tuesday 21 October, 17:00–19:00.

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At a time of rising sea levels, extreme floods, and accelerating climate uncertainty, the traditional model of water management, based on levees, dams, floodwalls, and channels designed to contain or redirect water, is reaching its limits. In response, alternative approaches are emerging. In the Netherlands, Room for the River has sparked a paradigm shift by restoring space for rivers through the relocation of dikes, lowering floodplains, and creating bypass channels. And globally, the sponge city concept is transforming how landscape architects design with water, offering a model for urban areas to naturally absorb, store, and reuse rainwater.

Drawing on years of fieldwork, mapping, photography, and speculative prototyping, he illustrates how designers can work across basin scales, from watershed logic to neighborhood projects, to create multifunctional, adaptive landscapes. Rather than prescribing a single solution, the talk offers transferable principles, tools, and project tactics for practitioners, students, and policymakers seeking practical ways to live well with water.
On this afternoon Derek Hoeferlin will present the insights of his research, that recently resulted in the publication “Way Beyond Bigness: The Need for a Watershed Architecture.” The presentation will be introduced by Fransje Hooimeijer, Associate Professor Environmental Technology and Design and lead of the Delta Urbanism Research Group at TU Delft.

Program

Speakers

Derek Hoeferlin is Professor of Architecture and chair of Landscape Architecture at the Sam Fox School, and principal of [dhd] derek hoeferlin design in St. Louis. His research and practice focus on water-based design worldwide, with award-winning work including first prizes in the Designing Resilience International and Rising Tides competitions and contributions to the Chouteau Greenway.

Fransje Hooimeijer specialises in integrating technical systems into urban design. Trained in design (Willem de Kooning Academy) and research (Erasmus University), with a PhD from TU Delft, she views the city as a technical reconstruction of the landscape. Her work advances climate-resilient, nature-based cities through ecosystem participation and reversed engineering. She coordinates the interfaculty Delta Futures Lab, leads the Delta Action Program, and works on national and international projects.