Jasper Hugtenburg

Background

Jasper studied physical geography at Utrecht University (1996 – 2001) and landscape architecture at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam (2007 – 2014, of which 2 years were deregistered). From 2001 to 2007 he worked as a specialist and policy advisor on coastal and river management at Rijkswaterstaat. After this, at the same time as he started part-time training at the academy, he switched to H+N+S Landscape Architects. At H+N+S, Jasper has developed over the past 15 years into a versatile landscape architect who always knows how to combine knowledge from adjacent disciplines in often leading designs that regularly receive publicity. During this period he also spread his wings outside the agency. In 2009-2010 he worked at the renowned Swiss landscape architecture firm VOGT, and in 2017-2019 he was employed as a landscape architect by ARK Nature Development. He has always brought back the knowledge gained there to H+N+S, and these experiences are still applied in H+N+S projects.

Focus

Social challenges

Partly inspired by H+N+S founder Dirk Sijmons, Jasper enjoys working at the front line of the field. There he is always looking for the contribution that spatial design can make to urgent social challenges, such as the energy transition. A good example is the IABR project 2050 – An Energetic Odyssey, in which it was made possible for international administrators and companies to imagine how an entire landscape such as the North Sea can be activated as an energy landscape. An idea that was later developed in full in a Future Outlook for the North Sea and a National Perspective on Energy and Spatial Planning, and was linked to the task of preserving and developing cultural heritage: The Energy Line. Jasper is currently working with ARK Nature Development and WWF, among others, on solutions for the biodiversity crisis.

Nature development

Jasper's projects are strongly driven by his fascination for (and concern about) nature. In area developments and environmental visions such as those for the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch, nature is given ample scope. In addition, Jasper likes to work on projects that have the development of new nature as their primary goal. In the Binnenduinrand Bergen project, for example, Jasper has sketched an integral perspective for the transition between the dunes and the agricultural polders immediately behind them, based on water system restoration. And for the Meuse floodplains of De Lymen, Jasper has brought nature development goals and wishes from the environment together in a landscape design that fits the DNA of the river.

Controlling water and soil

As a physical geographer, Jasper has an in-depth understanding of the Dutch soil and water system. Since his appointment at H+N+S, he has been committed to better embedding the natural system in spatial planning. He recently saw this confirmed by both the Board of Government Advisors and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. In the NL2100 Future Workshops, he translated the knowledge contributed by water and nature experts into a directional and realistic perspective for the Dutch delta in the year 2100. He also showed how the Subsurface can guide energy. And because high water in particular also needs to be controlled, Jasper also enjoys working on dyke improvement projects, among other things.

Other activities

Education and professional development

In addition to his work at H+N+S, Jasper teaches landscape architecture at the Maastricht Academy of Architecture, and he also regularly gives guest lectures at other training institutes. He was also chairman of the Network for Nature Development from 2017 to 2021.

Neighborhood parks

In his hometown of Maastricht, Jasper is actively involved as a designer in the creation of two neighborhood parks, in which social tasks such as nature development and water storage are given a place in addition to facilities for the residents.

Leisure

Jasper's passions outside work can best be summarized under the heading of 'playing outside': running, flying, cycling, skiing, falling, getting up and going again...