Derek Hoeferlin
Derek Hoeferlin, AIA, ASLA (affiliate), is the Raymond E. Maritz Professor of Architecture and Chair of Landscape Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, where he has taught since 2005. He is a licensed architect and founding principal of [dhd] derek hoeferlin design, an award-winning architecture, landscape, urban and design-research practice based in St. Louis.
He is the principal investigator and author of Way Beyond Bigness: The Need for a Watershed Architecture (Applied Research + Design Publishing, 2023), where he collaboratively researches integrated water-based design strategies comparatively across the Mekong, Mississippi, and Rhine River basins.
Hoeferlin lectures on his work internationally, and has published and exhibited in Chasing the City, New Orleans Under Reconstruction, Designing Suburban Futures, The Journal of Architecture, Journal of Architectural Education, The Anthropocene Review, Dwell, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Wallpaper, Metropolis, ‘scape, Scenario Journal, Archinect, Places Journal, Exhibit Columbus, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt. His research was featured in the Mid-America Emmy Award-winning video Navigating the Mississippi.
He led or co-led multiple AIA and ASLA award-winning projects, and jury recognized competitions Designing Resilience International Open Competition (first prize), Rising Tides Competition (first prize), Chouteau Greenway Competition (finalist), Build a Better Burb Competition (finalist), and Dry Futures Competition (honorable mention).
Hoeferlin was a core member for award-winning multidisciplinary projects along the Mississippi River, including Changing Course Competition (STUDIO MISI-ZIIBI), Dutch Dialogues and Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan (Waggonner & Ball), Gutter to Gulf (WashU/University of Toronto), MISI-ZIIBI (WashU/Royal Netherlands Embassy, Washington D.C.), and Unified New Orleans Plan (H3 Studio).
He has received WashU interdisciplinary seed funding from Living Earth Collaborative, The Divided City, and Here and Next Spark and Ignite grants.
He earned Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees from Tulane University and a post-professional Master of Architecture degree from Yale University.
Select Articles, Chapters, and Publications
Way Beyond Bigness: The Need for a Watershed Architecture
The book repositions both meanings of the word “watershed” by providing an understanding of designing with water to integrate with the built environment, as well as by keeping contemporary tipping point events top of mind. The three rivers were studied in-depth by Hoeferlin via multiple field-research trips over the last 15 years, along with WashU research assistants and students.
Drawing on Hoeferlin’s field work, community-based collaborations, and design-research, the book proposes a three-part methodology, which he defines as “Watershed Architecture.” “Appreciate + Analyze” chronicles ecological and infrastructural transformation of the river basins through Hoeferlin’s multi-scaled, comprehensive atlases and photography, as well as guest essays from a multi-disciplinary group of experts conducting work in each river basin. “Speculate + Synthesize” aims to start discussions and nurture big ideas through a series of trans-boundary speculative design-futures. Finally, “Collaborate + Catalyze” inviting a variety of perspectives through innovative community-engaged projects and venues.
“Looking Upstream: The Case for a Watershed Architecture,” in Frameworks for Coastal Change in Landscape Architecture, edited by Kees Lokman (Routledge, forthcoming 2025).
“Nature-Based Solutions to Landscape-Architecture Challenges,” EWN – Engineering with Nature Podcast (with Kotch Voraakhom, 2022)
“Houses We Love,” in Dwell Magazine, by Daisy Zuckerman (2022)
“In Critical Condition,” Terrain Magazine, by Eric Berger (2022)
“The Watershed Architecture of the Mississippi River Basin,” in The Anthropocene Journal: The Mississippi Papers (Sage Publishing, 2021)
“The Mississippi Watershed is Big, Big, Big,” in New Middles, edited by Mimi Zeiger, Iker Gil, Jamie Goldsborough (2021)
Select Exhibitions
“Buoyancy,” Lemp Brewery Complex, St. Louis, MO (2023)
“Lot 49,” The Luminary, St. Louis, MO (2022)
“Grounding the New Deal Superstudio: A Summit on Design, Policy and Advocacy,” National Building Museum, Washington D.C. (2021)
“New Middles: From Main Street to Megalopolis,” Landmark Columbus Foundation, Columbus, IN (2021)
Select Awards and Grants
2023-24 — $20,000 Office of the Provost Here & Next Tier 1 Spark Funding: Proposal Development Grant for “Environmental Arts & Humanities Working Group”
2022-23 — “STLr City / Indigenous STL: The STLr Working Group,” The Divided City initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation, team member.
2020-21 — University Design Research Fellow, Exhibit Columbus
2020-21 — $13,000 Landmark Columbus Foundation for “Tracing Our Mississippi,” University Design Research Fellowship (PI)
