A Quarter-Century of Transformation

The landscape architecture and urban planning firm Valentien + Valentien is one of the first German planning firms to have worked continuously in China.

The exhibition showcases projects spanning nearly a quarter-century of work in China and provides insight into the firm’s design approaches and planning methods. Parks, gardens, urban developments, and large-scale regional planning projects illustrate the special role of landscape and open space within China’s profound urban transformation. Among the works presented is the visionary design for the expansive Chenshan Botanical Garden in Shanghai.

Accompanying the exhibition is the launch of the new publication “Freiräume / Open Spaces in China 1998–2022.” In a discussion, Donata Valentien and Dayana Valentien, together with Regine Keller and Jörn Walter, reflect on their experiences from 24 years of planning practice in China, as well as on the changes in planning culture, the city, and the landscape.
Valentien + Valentien is an internationally active firm for landscape architecture and urban planning based in Weßling near Munich. Its areas of focus include ecological, landscape planning, and urban planning studies, competitions, as well as design and implementation planning in national and international contexts. The firm was founded in 1971 by Donata and Christoph Valentien in Stuttgart.

Opening: September 23, 2026, 7:00 p.m.