András Kuhn – chief gardener of Debrecen – has won the Landscape Architect of the Year award, presented for the 13th time. The public choice award went to Anna Eplényi, while the Junior Landscape Architect of the Year title was awarded to Evelin Hajdu, according to an announcement by organizer Wienerberger Zrt. via MTI.
The Landscape Architect of the Year award was established and is organized annually by the Landscape and Garden Architecture Section of the Hungarian Chamber of Architects, the Hungarian Association of Landscape Architects, and Wienerberger Zrt. The award recognizes active professionals at the peak of their careers, honoring a highly productive creative period of up to ten years. The awards were presented at a gala event held on May 8, 2025, in the ceremonial hall of the Budapest campus of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE).
The ten-member professional jury awarded the prestigious recognition – which includes a one million forint prize – to András Kuhn.
András Kuhn is one of the founders of the Gardenworks landscape and garden design office. He was appointed as Debrecen’s chief gardener ten years ago, where his primary responsibilities include green space development projects and strategic planning.
Junior Landscape Architect of the Year went to Evelin Hajdu. This year, junior applicants submitted entries to the competition titled “Urban Oasis! Or: How to Survive Summer in a Big City?” The public award was won by Anna Eplényi, a lecturer at the Department of Garden Technology within MATE’s Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, and Ornamental Horticulture. Since 2001, she has been involved with the Children and Youth Visual Arts Workshop Foundation and currently leads the organization. Over the past decade, her work has focused on landscape visualizations, garden art, contemporary landform art, garden history, and cartographic art.
According to epiteszforum.hu, Kuhn is a founding member of Gardenworks and has been serving as Debrecen’s chief gardener for a decade. The city was already familiar with his design approach from earlier projects, such as the expansion of the Békás Lake water surface and the transformation of the area around the stadium into a public park. These projects led city leadership to entrust him with the overall development and modernization of Debrecen’s green spaces.
At the time of his appointment, the mayor highlighted two key responsibilities: integrating green infrastructure into the new main railway station and transforming Dósa Nádor Square into an urban garden following pedestrianization. Thus, Kuhn’s role as chief gardener is focused not on planting flowerbeds but on long-term green infrastructure development and strategic planning.
Although his weekdays are filled with administrative responsibilities, Kuhn remains active in design work. He manages the Budapest-based office remotely using digital tools — apparently to great success, as the past decade has seen his involvement in several significant and uniquely styled projects. His career reflects a full commitment to both public service and design, and, most remarkably, an ability to harmonize the two.
(Source: mti.hu, epiteszforum.hu, debrecen.hu)
Photo: debrecen.hu
