Bo Zhang

News and Activities from Last Year

● Zhang participated in an invited national roundtable discussion published in the July issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine (edited by Jennifer Reut) alongside prominent design scholars to address policy and systemic pressures facing contemporary landscape architecture education.

● At the CELA 2026 Cincinnati conference, Zhang was announced as the CELA President-Elect.

● Project Fayuanli Courtyard designed by Zhang's team has been officially honored by the Brick Industry Association with a Silver Award in the annual Brick in Architecture Awards. The project will be honored in Orlando in April 2026.

● Zhang’s work published in the Landscape Architecture Magazine 2026 March issue. In 'Breaking down facades,' Zach Mortice writes about the Fayuanli Courtyard and its innovative use of glass blocks. The project demonstrates how contemporary design can be thoughtfully written into the fabric of a historic district.

● The Cowboy Journal (Vol 28-1) features on OSU Landscape Architecture students and the Park(ing) Day event they hosted in downtown Stillwater. https://issuu.com/cowboy.journal/docs/volume_28_number_1_-_winter_spring_0ed345b6a2d048. 

● Zhang has been honored with a jurorship for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) 2025 National Professional Awards.

● Led a team for the Soul of NOLA Sketch Crawl at the ASLA 2025 Conference in New Orleans.

● Serves as Editor-in-Chief of Landscape Research Rrcord (LRR), increasing paper submissions to a historically high number and managing the anticipated online publication of Issue 14 in December 2025.

● Zhang has led an annual LA-Arch joint studio with Architecture Program at UPC in Lima, Peru, exposing students to diverse cultural contexts and early design training for more than 10 years. Read more about the Studio Exchange Program, covered by Sophia Fahleson. https://news.okstate.edu/articles/agriculture/2025/studio-exchange-program.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJZh2RleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUi897vKr2bplXb1annldUgCzUidtKyeOb0Jc8SOajkS_Q7plK-KWFmovQ_aem_-6k3QNdm1zLCr_yxcs5Kvg 

●The ASLA Central States 2025 Conference awarded Allison Mixon's "Hope and Healing: The Last Nuclear Bombing Memorial," a project from LA Studio 6 with instructor Bo Zhang, in the Unbuilt Category. The project will be honored in March 2025.

● Zhang started a new position as Vice President of Research (VPR) at Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) after the 2024 CELA St Louis conference.

● On the American Society of Landscape Architects 2024 Central States Meeting, BLA student Melanie Monbrod' project OKlahoma City Farmers Market from Zhang and Mihalko's studios was given the Student Merit Award in Design (Unbuilt category).

● The renovation for the School of Architecture and Art at Beijing Jiaotong University, co-led by Prof Zen and Dr Zhang, has been recognized by the prestigious Better Future Melbourne Sustainability Design Silver Award (2024).  https://betterfutureawards.com/MEL24/project.asp?ID=31795 

● Prof Bo Zhang, with Prof Yiwei Huang, received the 2023 Inter-institutional Innovative Teaching Awards from The Association of Public Land-Grant Universities in December 2023.
● A Zhang-led project "A Framework for Evaluating Human-Nature Interaction in A Public Place," has been recognized for the Landscape Research and Digital Innovation Award (finalist) by the esteemed Landscape Institute, the major professional society for landscape architects in the UK. More LI awarded projects can be seen here https://awards.landscapeinstitute.org/li-awards-2023.../
● Zhang, along with Prof Jessica Fernandez and Prof Xiwei Shen, delivered an 90-minute presentation on "How Big Data Benefits You" at the 2023 ASLA Conference on October 28th in Minneapolis.
● Zhang was invited to deliver a lecture 'Design with Data for the Future of Urban Public Space' at Nevada University at Las Vegas on September 22nd, 2023.
● On the American Society of Landscape Architects Oklahoma Chapter 2023 Annual meeting, BLA student Daisy Shadley' project Verde Village Farmers Market from Zhang's studio was given the Student Honor Award in Design (Unbuilt category).
● The Oklahoma State Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) awarded Pros Bo Zhang and Cheryl Mihalko with the Excellence Award for their project 'The Significance of Organized Programs in Public Open Space: Examining Activities and Effects'.
● The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) awarded Zhang the 2023 National Faculty Award of Excellence in Teaching (Junior Faculty) during the annual CELA conference in San Antonio on March 17th.


Bio

Dr. Bo Zhang is an award-winning landscape architect, urban designer, architect, and LEED-certified professional. Currently a full professor at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Zhang's research interests span a wide range of topics, including crowdsourcing data methods in design disciplines, ecological design and planning methodologies, and intercultural communication in 19th-century American designed landscapes. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the ASLA National Professional Honor Award of Research (2019), the CELA National Award of Excellence in Teaching (2022), the EDRA Place Award in Research (2023), and the LI (Landscape Institute of the United Kingdom) Landscape Research and Innovation Finalist Award (2023). His research has been supported by prestigious institutions such as the Winterthur Research Fellowship, Rockefeller Archive Center, Chiang Ching-two Foundation, Oklahoma Humanities Council, and Oklahoma State University. Beyond his research, Dr. Zhang is a dedicated educator and has shared his expertise through teaching, lecturing, and conducting over 100 workshops and courses on research methods for architects, landscape architects, and urban planners both domestically and internationally. His commitment to knowledge dissemination is further evidenced by his authorship of the book "Research Methods in Architecture, Urban Planning, and Landscape Architecture" (612p), published in March 2023.

Dr. Zhang is passionate about teaching and design. His studios are featured for the emphasis on artistic quality, imagination, experimentation, rigorous hand and digital skills, and contemporary theoretical issues. Committed to enriching student experiences, Dr. Zhang fosters creativity through collaboration and community engagement. For the past ten years, he has led an annual joint studio with UPC in Lima, Peru, exposing students to diverse cultural contexts and early design training. Additionally, he has co-led an interdisciplinary Architecture-Landscape Architecture program at OSU. By integrating numerous real-world projects into his studio curriculum, Dr. Zhang bridges theory and practice, creating impactful learning opportunities. His students have achieved recognition in over 35 domestic and international competitions and awards. Dr. Zhang is deeply committed to academic mentorship and welcomes invitations to serve as a committee member or advisor for Ph.D. students advancing research in landscape architecture, urban planning, architecture, and environmental design.

Dr. Zhang is an accomplished designer with an active practice in landscape architecture and urban design. His work has been featured in prominent publications such as Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM, 2020, 2026) and Architect's Newspaper (2020). His recent design awards include the World Landscape Architecture (WLA) Built-Small Landscape Design Shortlist Award (2024) and the Better Future Melbourne Sustainability Design Silver Award (2024).

Dr. Zhang is actively involved in several professional organizations, serving on the boards of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA), the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA), the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF), and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Oklahoma Chapter. He currently holds the position of Vice President of Research at CELA, Co-Chair of the Recognition Committee at EDRA, and Secretary of the Oklahoma Chapter of ASLA. Additionally, Dr. Zhang has contributed to the field as an editorial board member for two academic magazines and as a juror for numerous domestic and international design awards, competitions, and research grants.

Dr. Bo Zhang maintains an active profile in professional practice and community outreach, regularly providing expert consultation and lead services across all phases of the built environment—including master planning, landscape design, architectural design, pre-occupancy programming, and post-occupancy evaluation (POE). His collaborative portfolio spans engagements with private design firms, municipal and federal government agencies, and non-profit organizations seeking evidence-based spatial solutions.