PORTFOLIO 2023 | Wang, Mei-Chi

WANG MEI CHI Architect, Project Manager, Researcher

2018-2023

Wang, Mei-Chi

B.Arch Licensed Architect of Taiwan

I’m an architect, social event project manager, academic researcher, and problem solver. Drawing from the transformative potential of real estate development and design, I now seek to address the pervasive social injustice ingrained in my upbringing. During my architectural tenure, I honed my skills as an expert in cross-disciplinary integration. However, in an era of swift global changes, the construction industry's evolution is gradual. The world requires high-energy talents who can adapt and creatively respond to diverse situations.

The

Architect

Inspired by the transformation of my hometown from an old industrial harbor to a resort city, I immersed myself in the study of architecture. Before completing my degree, my thesis "Bridge the Unbridged" became a reflection on architectural design and city preservation in Kaohsiung, where my professional journey began. Driven by a passion to enhance the well-being of communities, I progressed from a commercial residential façade designer to the role of a project manager overseeing public social housing"Xin Shi Housing" initiatives.

The Project Manager

My commitment to social welfare extended to my alma mater, National Cheng Kung University, where I was invited to serve as a researcher. Our team pioneered a groundbreaking bilingual architecture education program "Architecture Discovery

Studio 2023"

for underprivileged secondary school students, aligning with sustainable development goals. Recognizing my leadership abilities, I was appointed as the convener of the alumni committee for the 80th anniversary of the Department of Architecture.

The Researcher

Continuing my dedication to social welfare, I served as a research assistant. In collaboration on the cloud-based platform "ArchEduPro", we archived and exchanged career records of student internships, transforming individual experiences into shared resources for over 400 alumni. Additionally, my efforts in promoting workplace transparency contribute to gender safety and equitable compensation.

4-7 Bridge the Unbridged

To view the historic industrial remain differently, reevaluate and assign new meanings to the historic industrial remnants, adapting them to the evolving context of the city.

12-15 Architecture Discovery

Studio 2023

Implementing a comprehensive career exploration program for teenagers equipped with adequate resources and expert guidance, fostering their engagement in constructing nomadic shelters for the homeless population within the community.

16-19 ArchEduPro

Recognizing the deficiencies in the internship program management within the Department of Architecture, our research team has devised a cloudbased information platform to seamlessly integrate experiences and remote learning resources.

8-11

Xin Shi Housing

(+886) 953 188 783 arieswang951@gmail.com

20-21 Appendix

This narrative provides a comprehensive chronicle of my life, encapsulating all pertinent details presented in my statement of purpose and resume.

In addressing the need for a more equitable distribution of welfare amenities in rural areas, I propose the establishment of public social housing to accommodate the growing population attracted by employment opportunities surrounding the Southern Science Park.

Contents

This broken bridge reveals an additional layer on top of the rational land use of the urban environment, representing a loft space belonging to non-rational elements such as desires, beliefs, and the storage of daily excess materials. Furthermore, due to the geographical constraints of mountain, the road grid is forced to bend, resulting in fragmented living spaces.

At the summit of Shoushan, however, stand sacred worship places such as the Martyrs' Shrine and temples.

I define this broken bridge as the 'urban loft' and represented to concepts like 'breaking barriers,' 'material exchange,' 'nostalgia,' and 'looking towards the future' through a series of design interventions.

Future Gaze

-City Sky Deck/ L4

At the highest point, people can gaze to the east, overlooking the entire city of Kaohsiung. It provides a sense of lightness, escaping the hustle and bustle of daily life, and enjoying a moment of tranquility.

-Memorial Tower of Ashes/ L2, L3

Ascending further by an escalator, this is a place for citizens to remember their departed loved ones. Traditionally, memorial towers have been solemn, but recalling the past should not be a dark affair. This design allows citizens to converse with their loved ones while enjoying the sea breeze, elevating the experience as a cherished aspect of urban sensibility.

-Weekend Market/ L1

Representing the transition of speed, reaching the bridge level brings you to a weekend tourism market. The market translates one of the most essential functions of city life – trade.

Reflect Back Exchange Uncover

-Railway Park/ L0

After the cessation of the Caostal Line railway in 2008, the terminal station was transformed into an urban park regularly visited by families and tourists.

The 'Urban Loft'

Xin Shi Housing

Affordable housing proposal for the Southern Science Park community and neglected rural sides in southern Taiwan.

Partners: Grace and Partners Associate, Greaten Land Development Co., Ltd.,Cheng Shin Engineering Consultants Ltd./ 2022

The Southern Science Industrial Park represents Taiwan's latest large-scale national investment. Unlike previous government investments in a single industrial zone, this park resulted from the efforts of local factory groups seeking national special construction designation. Despite its apparent bottom-up, democratic approach, issues such as poor land use management and insufficient public service have emerged.

As Taiwan transitions into developed nation status, Tainan faces challenges like an aging society and outflow of young talent. Although the Southern Science Park has attracted international investment, the science park is directly connected to the capital by rails and highways, leaving the surrounding rural areas completely neglected. The influx of a mobile blue-collar workforce and foreign migrant workers into the park has created invisible social housing and welfare facility needs in Tainan.

source: pinterest

According to the Residential Act of 2020, public social housing must be leased to a minimum of 40% specialneeds households, with the remaining 60% available for the general public. The open spaces within the housing complex must be designated for public welfare purposes.

"Xin Shi Housing" leveraged a potentially profitable dimension while promoting emotional exchanges between the original community and the newcomers.This accommodates both busy immigrant workers and the economically disadvantaged local elderly population.

Unit Plan Site Information

The first batch of social housing was constructed after the implementation of the "Housing Act" (2020). Utilizing government land in Tainan's Xinshi District.

Tainan City manages the land, while the buildings belong to the central government. Citizens lease the right to use social housing through a 3-year lease agreement.

Planning and Construction Time

2021-2025

Residents

842 individuals

Including families, singles, and elders.

Community Space

Ground Floor: Open spaces such as Wild Creek Garden, Phoenix Flower Plaza, Rose Apple Balcony, Roof Garden, underground parking lot.

Site Area

8703.38m²

Number of Units

670 units

1 building, divided into 4 sections above ground

Rent

Regular units: 80% of market price

Priority units: 50-70% of market price

Budget

830 million USD

Special Certifications

Green Building Certification

Smart Building Certification

Xin Shi Housing offers 670 residential units, including 498 single-room suites and 172 two-bedroom units, with 34 units designed for accessibility.

Xin Shi Housing offers 670 residential units, including 498 single-room suites and 172 two-bedroom units, with 34 units designed for accessibility.

Construction Progress: 18.29% (Dec. 2023)

https://sh.hurc.org.tw/D/D-744-003

" 8 Years, 2 million Housing!"

Promises made by the government during the passage of the Residential Act.

▲Single-room suite plan. (29m²)

▲Two-bedroom plan. (56m²)

Architecture Discovery Studio 2023

This report documents and summarizes a pilot research project that investigates the benefits of acquiring spatial literacy. During a weeklong workshop, the pilot project enabled high school-level students to engage in designing, making, thinking, and collaborating through Muira Origami. The goal is to expose pre-college students their spatial literacy skills and to create an embodied experience during the process. The pilot project was organized as an English and Mandarin bilingual summer program aimed at enabling high school students from Taiwan and abroad to explore both the joy and challenge of studying architecture. The program provides an opportunity for enrolled students to unleash their creative potential through the integrated experience of art, design, and architecture. During the one-week intense period, students learn to appreciate the significance of architecture by participating in lectures offered by professors from the Department of Architecture, Mathematics, and Education. They also explore the fun of design-making by transforming a concept into three-dimensional spaces using both hand tools and computing software commonly used by architects. In addition, students get to experience architecture through guided field trips to significant local buildings and professional architectural offices. Students are tutored by studio professors and teaching assistants to develop their individual design projects. Periodic “design reviews” are scheduled where students present their work in front of their peers. The combination of studio sessions, tutorials, lectures, and field trips provides an introduction to different aspects of architecture and how it is practiced today.

1/ Tutorial

Establish knowledge base and discovery origami.

2/ Workshop

Understand relationship of "space" and "architecture", cooperate to build a shelter.

3/ Practice

Tailor design to adapt to the needs of users.

Figures & Data

Enrollement

Average Age Gender Accomodation

Faculty Funding Duration

2023:40 students

16.8 years old

20 Boys/ 20 Girls

Urban:23/Rural:17

(2 from outlying island)

7 Professors and Lecturers, 2 Consultants, 8 RAs

16,700 USD

6 Days

Survey and Reviews

64%

Are satisfied with the experience at ADS.

72%

Think they learned a lot about architecture from this course.

76%

Would recommend ADS to their friends.

80%

Consider NCKU architecture one of their top choices for university application.

First bilingual architectural education program in Taiwan. Career discovery studio for underpreviliged secondary students/ National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan/ 2023

ArchEduPro

Enhancing Industry-Academia Collaboration through upgrading Students Internship Program

KEYWORDS: Architecture education, Architecture professional practice, Internship, earning by doing, Human resource management, Cloud Integration, AI Management, IT Technology

400 Students

of research experiment participants.

150

Entreprises of partnering companies.

The Architectural Professional Practice Program is a mandatory course in the Department of Architecture at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) that aims to provide students with hands-on experience and bridge the gap between theory and practice. However, after a decade of implementation, the course needs an upgrade and improvements to ensure that it meets the changing needs of the industry and academia. This study aims to analyze the feedback from students, faculty, and industry partners and provide proposals for the future of the course, with a focus on human resource management. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining surveys, interviews, and case studies to gather data from stakeholders. The findings showed that while the course provides valuable opportunities for students to gain practical experience, there are areas for improvement. The grading system was found to be

13 Years

of reaearch time span.

2 Publications

"MOE Teaching Practice Research Program" Ministry of Education Grant(2022)

"Architectural Journal"

Featured Article (2022)

subjective, which led to inconsistencies and a lack of motivation among students. The relationship between the department, students, and industry partners was also identified as an area for improvement, as there is a lack of collaboration and communication among stakeholders. To address these issues, the study proposes reprogramming the grading system to ensure objectivity and transparency. The new system would consider both the quality of the work and the learning process, which would encourage students to take more initiative and be more engaged. The study also proposes reconstructing the relationship between stakeholders by establishing a platform for communication and collaboration. The proposed changes aim to enhance academia and industry collaboration and create a unique future-oriented architectural undergraduate program.

86% Increased

of Students' oversea internship.

About authors

Wang, I-Hsuan

NCKU Architecture- Assistant Professor

YS SPACEDESIGN- Chief commender

WeWork- Senior Development Operations Lead

Brandon Haw Architecture- Designer

Wang, Mei-Chi

NCKU Architecture- Research Assistant

Grace & Partners, Architects & Planners- PM

TY Architects- Interior Design Assistant

Lins Architects- Junior designer

2 ↘ Define

Focus on sustainable issues of interest, integrating them with the company's profit objectives.

Newcomers enter the workplace for internships, simultaneously familiarizing themselves ith tasks and acquiring practical knowledge.

1 ↗ Discover

4 ↗ Deliver

Advocate sustainable goal execution proposals to research institutions and industry groups.

Utilize workplace resources to explore execution methods for sustainable goals in the field of architecture.

3 ↗ Develop

Before: Each project generates information but fails to pass it on to the next stage.

After: Committed to creating a sustainable information platform.

Project 1 Project 2 Project 3

Project 4

Design Thinking Research Structure and Problematic

Revise teaching methods

Identify issues from experiences

Hypothesize problem formation mechanisms

Lack of communication channels

Ineffective feedback and guidance

Establish a cloud-based resource platform

Design to collect feedback and improvement solutions

Survey tools for individual research subjects

Practice in teaching scenarios

Emphathize Define Ideate Prototype Test

The research framework aligns with the design thinking framework. It begins with identifying problems observed in the teaching environment, moves quickly to ideation, tests design models, records test responses, and then iteratively adjusts the teaching method.

In the past, courses on campus was viewed as supplementary to industry internship, lacking an attempt to actively guidance. Through the redefining teaching roles, it aims to create a shared and mutually beneficial cycle of interests. It suggests considering a balanced relationship among the school, businesses, students, and professors when designing the internship program.

MAYU

NCKU

TY Architects NCKU

Education

Work as a Junior Designer. "Wen Xue Yuan" 15 stories apartment.

This is my first completed exterior design project, and it holds great significance for me as it is located in my hometown, where my career began.

Work as a Junior Designer.

Work as an Interior Assistant.

Pass the Architect Register Exam. Became a lisenced architect of Taiwan.

Work

Work

Work

Internship in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Bachelor Year 3 Basic Course.

Alvar Aalto International Workshop

Students Commitee / Sports Club Reperesentative

Wuhan University Cross-Strait Joint Design Workshop.

Collaborate with Chinese students on the design of demolition and reconstruction.

Internship in Tainan, Taiwan.

Internship in Madrid, Spain.

Building the new office together with international students.

Internship in Tainan, Taiwan.

Bachelor

Observing the driving habits of citizens in a completely artificial city, proposing a double-decker highway to connect the four mass bodies where citizens reside all living functions.

"Thrutopia"

Internship in Taitung, Taiwan.

Bachelor Year 5 Thesis Design. "Bridge the Unbridged" Thesis Design. (p.4)

New Southbound Overseas Intership Program, Bangkok, Thailand

Internship in Bangkok, Thailand.

Graduated from NCKU Department of Architecture.

Education Workshop

Grace & Partners, Architects & Planners CXY

Work as an Architect. "Xin Shi Housing" Social Housing Construction. (p.8)

9th X-site Competition Participation Awards. "Underwater: 1694-2022-2200"

Certificate Work

Competition Workshop

When Taipei sinks again, this familiar city rewilds in the waters. How should a 'water-residing' museum be imagined or contemplated?

Leadership Leadership

Internship Internship Internship Internship

Hosted Architects Exam Study Group. Helped 4 peers obtain their lisences.

Invited as a Research Assistant of Department of Architecture.

"Connecting Stakeholders in Architecture Education through “Architectural Professional Practice” Course Planning". "Journal of Architecture" Paper.

"Connecting Stakeholders in Architecture Education through “Architectural Professional Practice” Course Planning". Ministry of Education MOE Teaching Practice Research Program. (p.16)

Sisigu Saigu Mango Festival.

Work Research Research

Work as a Project Manager. "Architecture Discovery Studio 2023" (p.12)

Tainan Volunteer Award Ceremony.

"Enhancing Spatial Literacy through Project-Based Learning by Using Large-Scale Miura Fold Origami Construction". NCKU Sustainable Integrated Interdisciplinary Project.

Education

Scholarship

Internship Internship

Education Education

Chiang Mai University International Workshop.

Research on the Conflict Between Tourism Industry and Indigenousity.

Leadership

Volunteer Volunteer

Research

Workshop