Haoyu Zhao

Questions around what makes outdoor spaces welcoming fuel Haoyu’s rigorous approach to design. Her fascination with public space is rooted in childhood memories of a memorial park in her hometown of Zhengzhou, China, a generous open space with cypress and pines that has served as a gathering place for generations of citizens. Creative and interested in design, Haoyu was hooked when she learned that an important aspect of a landscape architect’s work is to design with nature. She earned a BEng in Landscape Architecture from East China University of Science and Technology and an MLA from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. While at the GSD, she received a BSLA merit award for her student work and gained office experience through an internship at SWA. She worked as a project designer at Coen + Partners before coming to Reed Hilderbrand in 2021, where she is working on a public park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In her free time, Haoyu likes to craft things with her hands, including clay sculptures and baked goods.