Walter Hood

Walter Hood is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a distinguished Master of Fine Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2013), an MLA and MArch from UC Berkeley (1989), and a BLA from North Carolina A&T State University (1981). His work focuses on integrating cultural narratives with urban landscapes, emphasizing community participation and environmental justice.

He leads Hood Design Studio, a practice committed to redefining public spaces through projects like the Solar Strand in Buffalo and the Oakland Museum of California Master Plan. Awards include the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award (2009) and the AIA Collaborative Achievement Award (2011). His studio’s projects span museums, urban revitalization, and public art installations, often merging ecological and social dimensions. Hood’s teaching philosophy emphasizes research-driven design, blending archival history with improvisational methods to create spaces that resonate across generations.

Notable projects include the De Young Museum landscape, the Greenprint urban vision for Pittsburgh’s Hill District, and the Venice Biennale exhibition. His work has been featured in venues like the Smithsonian Design Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.