Ninghung Kao
Landscape architecture
Manchester School of Architecture
Specialisms: Landscape / Garden Design / Sustainable Design / Design for Social Good
Location: Manchester, United Kingdom
Ninghung Kao
First Name: Ninghung
Last Name: Kao
Specialisms: Landscape / Garden Design / Sustainable Design / Design for Social Good
Sectors:
My Location: Manchester, United Kingdom
University / College: Manchester School of Architecture
Course / Program Title: Landscape architecture
About
Hi, I’m a landscape designer currently completing my Master’s in Landscape Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture, UK. My work explores the relationship between people and nature, with a focus on ecological thinking and cross-scale environmental strategies that address social and environmental challenges.
Before moving to the UK, I gained over five years of interdisciplinary experience in Taiwan, spanning urban planning, community engagement, and curatorial practice. This background has shaped my interest in linking ecology with culture and local context, and in using design as a tool for meaningful placemaking.
This project uses rewilding as a tool for ecological repair and social renewal. Through a combination of habitat restoration, nature-based flood management, and community engagement, the design supports biodiversity while reconnecting people to place and ecological processes. At its core, the project aims to protect the endangered freshwater pearl mussel—with the River Ehen supporting the largest remaining population (Margaritifera margaritifera) in England—and to reintroduce beavers as ecological engineers capable of regenerating dynamic freshwater habitats. Educational trails and seasonal programming foster public awareness, environmental stewardship, and rural resilience in the Lake District (UK), aligning closely with the values of design for both ecological and social value.
Competitions
