Application Portfolio 2019 | Admitted to Harvard GSD MAUD by Jack Cheng

PORTFOLIO SELECTED WORKS-2017

INTRODUCTION For me, the architecture and the metropolis should be considered as a continuum from local communities to the global context. I recognize that architects should uphold the concept and ability to "think globally and act locally" to connect humans at different scales. My expositions of architectural theory and urbanism are based on intensive learning history and practical experience. In the first semester of the fourth year (2013 fall), I participated in the optional studio instructed by professor Chen-Luen Hsueh (Graduated from Columbia University). The aim of the project was to build a pavilion for the owner's buffalo. This case profoundly inspired my thought of localization and laid the core value of my belief. I believe that rigorous on-site observation can reveal valuable ideas that cannot be digitized. That is to say, I was able to design the pavilion in harmony with the local environment by observing the surrounding ecology and documenting the animals' behavior. Furthermore, conceptual design can be liberated from papers by the dialogue between the architect and local residents to understand the needs of the surrounding community. When architects truly

have in-situ experience so far as to live in the place for a year, such a design made by us can conform to the local context and atmosphere. I will always remember the owner's satisfied smile and the scenario when he settled down his beloved buffalo into the pavilion. This project has become an invaluable gift to me and a motivation keeping me moving forward in the academic field. Because of the curriculum requirement, students must have a practical internship in the second semester of the fourth year. I strive to go abroad and expand my horizons. The decision of my internship was Xuk Studio, Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co, Ltd, Shanghai, China. After living and working in Shanghai for 6 months, I witnessed firsthand the transition of emerging cities, the conflict between the old and new culture, such as the replacement of traditional neighborhoods for modern skyscrapers, and the local culture versus international expansion. The development of the metropolis, Shanghai, inspired me to delve into urban issues and enlightened my international mindset. I have started to concern the interactions of local communities within the global environment, and critically engage with not only the architecture of individual buildings, but also the importance of mega-scale urban design and social issues within the larger context of urban design. Upon the Shanghai internship, I ushered in the thesis project in the last semester of the fifth year (2015 spring) in National Cheng Kung University (NCKU). Embracing the core value of localization and enlightened by urban renewal in Shanghai, I designed the project--Void Osmosis. Through profound research in my hometown, Taipei, my idea began to ferment on issues of high-density urban development, whether it is outmoded apartments, aging society, deficient of open green spaces, or messy streetscapes. In addition, the research process urged me to explore the regulation control of Taipei City. By discussion with Professor Ming-Wei Huang (Instructor/ Harvard GSD) and Professor Kawng-Tyng Wu (Chairman and Professor of Architecture/ University of Michigan), the project was successfully completed and unanimously affirmed. Finally, my thesis project won the Thesis Project Award, NCKU. After graduating from NCKU, I enthusiastically applied to EDS International (Environmental Dimension Studios), a well-known studio in Taiwan, dedicating to the development of the local urban environment, led by Professor Yuan-Liang Tsai, AIA (Principal, EDS International/ Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Architecture, NCKU/ MIT). During the incumbency, I participated in the social housing project, the parts of a series of social housing projects recently implemented by the Taiwanese government. The project is located in the Luzhu District, Taoyuan, providing a shelter for youth and vulnerable groups. By the pragmatic discussions in the project, I fathomed the issues to social justice and continued the spirit of my thesis project. I talked to the local government and the residents to realize that there are not only the emergent needs of havens for people who cannot even buy a house but also the deficiency of local green spaces and activity places. Therefore, I designed multiple green spaces in the vertical program and responded to the residents' urgent requirement, such as disabled access/access-free facilities, to truly solve the local community's problems.

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[ Contents ] 01 Void Osmosis Strategies of the Blank-Leaving in the Metropolis ...............................................01 02 100 Kinds of Life Let's Build a Pavilion by Our Hands .......................................................................... 17 03 Sacred Approach The Route that Leads to the Church ......................................................................... 31 04 Taoyuan Social Housing Project Professional Work Experience ..................................................................................... 37 05 Extra Fabrica AA International Workshop ........................................................................................ 43

01/ Void Osmosis