YAMEI CHEN
yamei_chen@gsd.harvard.edu / +1 617 701 1392 29 Garden ST Cambridge MA 02138
EDUCATION
Harvard University, Graduate School of Design
Master of Architecture in Urban design, 09/2018-05/2020
Hunan University (HNU), China, School of Architecture,
Bachelor of Urban and Rural Planning, GPA: 3.84/4.0, 09/2013-07/2018 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 06/2019-08/2019
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, New York Urban Design Intern
09/2017-12/2017
PT Architecture Design, Shenzhen, China Architecture Intern FAR Office, Changsha China| Architecture Intern Architecture Intern
12/2015-01/2016 ACADEMIC HONORS 06/2019
Nominated GSD Platform 12 2019 Spring Option Studio STU 1505
06/2019
Distinction in 2019 Spring Option Studio STU 1505: Large Scale Projects to Create New Centralities
12/2018
Nominated GSD Platform 12 MAUD Core Studio
06/2018
Outstanding Graduate of Hunan province The Minister of Education of P.R.C
06/2018
Graduate with Distinction Hunan University
11/2017
Merit Student of 2016-2017 Academic Year, Hunan University
06/2016
National Scholarship of P.R.C The Minister of Education of P.R.C
COMPETITION AWARDS 10/2017
Excellent Award in 2017 National Selection of Urban and Rural Planning Course Design National Steering Committee of Urban and Rural Planning Education in China
06/2014
Excellent Award in 2014 National Green Buildings Design Competition
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE 09/2016 11/2016
The 1st United Workshop co-organized by Ming Chuan University & HNU Architecture workshop base on the works of Geoffrey Bawa and Wang dahong "Transductive Urbanism" Workshop co-organized by University of Auckland & HNU Data and Media analysis of commercial Superblocks in Changsha
ACTIVITY Monitor of Class URP1301, Member of Youth Volunteers Association and Student Union of the School of Architecture, HNU SKILL Adobe Creative Suite ( Photoshop/ Illustrator/ InDesign /Premiere), Rhino 3D, Sketch Up, Vray, Microsoft Office, Arc Gis, Auto CAD, Grasshopper, C#, Madmapper, Unity LANGUAGE English (Proficient), Chinese (Native),
CONTENT 01 EXPO GATEWAY RE-IMAGING SHANGHAI'S WATERFRONT
02 REBUILD NORMALITY REPOGRAM OF NOVI SAD INDUSTRIAL CANAL
03 THE CUT RESHAPING THE BURTALISM COMPLEX
04 THE EDGE CITY CIVIC SPACE AS GENERATOR
05 INTERSECTING SYNERGY AGGREGATION PLATFORM FOR EAST BOSTON
06 THE TOWER EXTENSION OF THE NORTH BOHEMIAN MUSEUM
07 HALF STREE ADAPTABLE STRATAGE FOR STREET MARKTE
08 OTHER WORK
01 EXPO WATERWAY Nominated GSD Platform 12 GSD 2019 Spring: STU 1505 Instructor: Joan Busquets. Dingliang Yang Group work with: Boxiang Yu My work: Riverfront research, concept of the canal, massing and archiectural design of the west bank, model making, renders and drawings
This project aims to create a new type of waterfront community that will revitalize the water intimacy in Shanghai’s urban development before industrialization. Through agencies of canals and the mini blocks, the project exam the possibility of reinventing the city’s waterfront public realm and constructing a new water-urban spatiality in contemporary Shanghai. In the regional scale, this project focus on creating a new riverfront dynamic model by offering a variety of innovative urban cluster to active waterfront public realm and redefine new urban density along Shanghai waterway. On the site
scale, the redesign of the 2010 Expo site is an investigation of the regional strategies to create new riverfront centralities. By exploring the diversity of riverfront facade and urban itinerary along the waterways, new spatial qualities of the canal block are reconstructed in both the east and west bank of the Huangpu River. The east riverbank tries to transform the expo site into the institutional public sphere, reshape the residential area in the east into the semiopen, mix-used international community. The west riverbank shares more private ambiance and to generate local life and work community with integrated canal characters.
Shanghai's Post-indestrial Waterfront
Push the city back to the River Thourgh reinvent the historical canal back to the city so as to break the monoplity of the riverfront landscape. The question is wether the canals generate a new type of smaller, water intimate urban blocks.
Riverfront Landscape River Existing building
New Edges Riverfront Landscape New Development Existing building
Traditional Urban Centrality The Lujiazhui Finacial and economy Center
Densified Urban Cluster
Standard Urban Cluster
New Urban Centrality The international Community driverd from the previous Expo site
New Waterfront Dynamic and Urban Centrality By pushing the city back to the water, a new riverfront urban cluster will be created with different hierarchy and urban programs.
Hybrid Girds Generated by the historical Canals Reinvent Canals One of the big moves of the design is to reinvent historical canals on the site and push the city's boundary closer to the water. Following Shanghai's historical map, canals are reinvented, and a network of water is created.
Redefine the Grids The canals will generate a grid system, which is composed of two levels of girds. The first one is the 50m grid, and at the places closer to the water, the gird will be transformed into a mini 15m canal grids, indicating a denser riverfront development.
Looping the Riverfront The skin developed on both sides of the Hupung River and created an urban double. A cruise ship looping system is built to strengthen the connection between the two parties.
Canals and Urban Typologies
r
ente ty C
uni
m Com
ent
artm
l Ap
a Can
The West Bank Prominent: Waterfront Community The canals have a different hierarchy, and it can affect the architectural massing and program. The west riverbank shares more private ambiance, and to generate local live and work community is the dominant character of the west riverbank.
ffice
se O
-u Mix
nce
nfere
+Co
ition
ib Exh
lex
omp
ce C
Offi
al ultur m+C
u Muse
The East Bank Prominent: Exhibition & Conference The east riverbank tries to transform the Expo site into the institutional public sphere, reshape the residential area in the east into the semi-open, mix-used international community.
Canal as Perdestrian Network The canals are not only server as a static waterbody, but also create a vibrant perdestrain path which connected the entrance of the building, curise ship stations, urban plaza, and waterfront promenades. The water canals at the east bank will connect directly will the entrance of the office building, which is accessible by cruise ships. The water then serves as a public resource that not only provides water intimate public space but also reshape people's life and work routine.
Water-intimate Urban cluster con
The project foucs on reinventing hisorical cannels along river bank and to break th urbancluster will be created with different hirecay and urban program. By exploring of Shanghai living with water is examed in both the east and west bank of the Huan
nnected with the City's Waterline
he monotanous riverfront landscape. By pushing the city back to water, new riverfront g the diversity of riverfront facade and urban itinerary along the waterways, the capacity ngpu River.
02 REBUILD NORMALITY GSD 2019 Fall: STU 1503 Instructor: Alex Wall Individual Work
The proposal is situated under the transformation of Novi sad from a former socialized industrial city t o t h e n e w Eu r o p e a n C a p i t a l o f Culture (2021). The initial question is: How can the defunct industrial zone become a new frontage area of the post-socialism city under the catalytic impact of the Cultural events? The design proposes to reprogram the industrial area into an alternative space for events and relatively activities. The
reprogramming will be implemented by the two kinds of plug-in production modules: the surface of events as an attraction point and the plug-in volumes that will become future housing units. The idea is that the site will transform from a temporary event space, an art district to an innovative community. Instead of turning back on the significant influx of political propaganda, the project is aimed to rebuild the normality of Novi Sad people living with flexibility and new cultural identity.
Cultural Events as Catalyst A lots of histrocal building and its public space in the city are transfromed into new events surface. Moverover, this event surface in the city becomes the generator of the Revatilization of exsiting buildings as the start-up office in the residential building, the exhibition room, and cultural station.
Plug-in Development Taking the event surface as a generator, a serious of events’ related programs can be plug-in to the existing warehouse, such as storage, art studio, exhibition. Finally, the site will be densified will more mix-used programs such as office, commercial and housing
The design process will be the start from to invent new event space on the vacant land between warehouse.
Once the events space have been built, some start up office and creative studio can be plug in to the warehouse.
Plug- in Event Surface The increasing need for outdoor events in the city center provides the opportunity to regenerate the light industrial zone. By transforming the vacant industrial lots into the event surface, the formal warehouse area can be activated will a new cultural program.
finally, some residential units will be added, and the both the Events surface and the building can be reprogramed in a later stage.
Regenerate the Abandoned Industrial Zone The project proposes to reprogram the industrial area into an alternative space for Cultural events and relatively activities. The reprogramming will be implemented by the two kinds of plug-in production modules. One as the surface of events as an attraction point. The other being the extension and adds on to the original warehouse.
ies
nit
e Am red
se
ou reh Wa
a Sh
ial
s Re
nt ide
e
ffic
+O
Post-Events: Hrybrid Neighbourhood After the cultural 2021, the site will become a more residential oriented place, where the events space can be transformed into public amenities or civic space. Residential and office programs can be added through vertical development while the cultural atmosphere remains.
use
o reh
Wa
ace
urf tS
en Ev
Stu
During-Events: Creative District During the events, the open space will be the main stage of different festivals; the warehouses are works shops and exhibition area for the arts. And also, some start-up offices and lofts for the people working will be added on the extension part of the building.
n
tio
ibi
h Ex
s+ dio
15 years-Hrybrid Neighbourhood
10 years-Creative Area
Apartment + Affordable housing
Start-up offic + Loft Civic + Retail Civic + Commercial
Section: Post-Events The cluster of the site has its duality of being an art district and residential blocks at different times. And the program of the events space will also be changed accordingly.
5 years-Art district
Start-up + Office
Studio + Exhibition + Storage + Cultural event
Section: During-Events The idea is that the site will go through a transformation process, from accepting the significant influx of cultural activities to rebuild the new normality of Novi sad people living with new cultural identity.
Civic space / Event space For the outdoor space, with the densified process, office and residential program are plugs into the warehouse, and the event surface will transform form a Centrifugal open space which held temporary events, into a centripetal civic space for the residents to gather and enjoy their life.
Creative space / Work space For the interior space, the transformation will start by adding a second level studio to provide working space for artists and events organizers. These studio spaces and be reused as Office and loft in the final phase, when the site is densified and turn into a mix-used community.
15 Year
10 Year
From Influx of Even
For the post-socialism Novi-Sad, the European Capital of Culture (2021) opens Cultural events as a catalyst that will active the defunct industrial zone. The site w the impact of Art and Cultural can be reshaped into the normality of people's da
5 Year
nts to Social Norm
up opportunities for the city to regain their identity. The strategy is to utilize the Influx of will evolve from a temporary "Event Zone" into a creative mix-use Community. Meaning aily life.
03 THE CUT GSD 2020 Spring: STU 1314: BĂŠton Brut and Beyond Instructor: Jeanne Gang, Anika Schwarzwald Group work with: Steven Huang My work: Design of the Street and Ground level, Massing design of the Tower, and all drawings, renders and diagrams in this portfolio
Like cutting a piece of fabric and shaping it into anelegant dress, the Cutis a project aiming to transform le Damier area through the introduction of a bike friendly pathway. The new green bike path meanders across the fortresslike platform, cutting and activating new commercial possibilities surrounds. Continuing into the building and melting into the architectural experience, the path takes into the form of a continuous ramps and
stairs that merges in between the historical brutalist building and the new office tower. The new continuous path through the Dalle promotes more usability and engagement with the surrounding areas, revealing a new type of architecture that enables a dialogue between the old and new, and at the same time, promoting a new eco-friendly, working + living lifestyle at Paris La DĂŠfense.
La Defense and new biking Mobility Throughout the development of La Defense, connectivity is always the theme. From the extension od the RER train line in 1969 to the experiment of the bike in 2015.The transformation from regional connection to a more local and humanistic one is evident.
The Cut and Juxtapositioning Like cutting a piece of fabric and shaping it into an elegant dress, the Cut is a project aiming to reshape a part of an existing brutalist complex through the concept of cutting.revealing and promoting a new type of urban pathway and architecture that enables a dialogue between the old and new, living and working.
Before
After
Masterplan: The Cut and The Bike path Both cutting and juxtapositioning are processes of creating unique inbetween spaces. Together connecting both the architecture and its urban context at le Damiers, new activities now take place both in the cut inbetween the dalle, and up on the terrace inbetween the brutalist structure and the office tower:
Bike lane+Greenspace
Bike lane+Cafe
Bike lane + Public plaza
Spatial Network generated by Cycling The new green bike path meanders across the fortresslike platform, cutting and activating new commercial possibilities surrounds.Continuing into the building and melting into the architectural experience,
The Cut and Format
The cut will create a street-like atmosphere, which will integrate with greenery and vib can grow on it to provide better shading for both pedestrians and bikers. Facilities such entertainment and relaxing.
tion of a Street
brant street life. With modification to the garage structure, trees and plants h as bike cafe, Change room, Grab and go restaurant offers places for
Working
Living
Independent from the old
Continuous terrace
Reconnect the old and new
Brutalism Architecture Reimagining Both cutting and juxtapositioning are processes of creating unique inbetween spaces. Together connecting both the architecture and its urban context at le Damiers, new activities now take place both in the cut inbetween the dalle, and up on the terrace inbetween the brutalist structure and the office tower: where a dialogue between old and new is revealed.
NEW
Wewokr Office
Co-working Space
OLD Rental Apartment
WE-Live Amenities
A Dialogue Between The Old and New The ramp + staircase continues into the building and merges the new tower with the brutalist residential building on the right. This continuous experience will enables people to enter and engage witht the buildings more smoothly. The experience they have will also be unique to le Damier: commuting from work to living inbetween the new and the old.
Floor Plan: Intergration between the Old and New The size of the rooms are organized according the existing structure walls and the popular bed size available on the market. A variety of rooms promotes diversity and gives residents a number of choices to choose from: from single studio units to multibedroom units.
Introduction of A New Wework+Welive Style The original building is now divided into a series of rooms with different sizes. Organized by a double-loaded corridor, they are connected to the communal gathering terrace spaces on one of its ends. Different pocket spaces are formed, allowing a more open and adaptable living experience with the neighbors.
View of the Communal Living Space.
View of the Shared Terrace
04 THE EDGE CITY GSD 2018 Fall MAUD Core Studio Instructor: Dennis Pieprz, Stephen Gary, Rahul Mehrotra, Linda Pollak, Yun Fu Group work with: Boxiang Yu My work: Massing design, drawings of design strategy, Masterplan, Ground-floor plan, and typologies, model
The project studies the South Boston’s waterfront district as the city center, which is under transition. By analyzing the existing edges of the sites, different emergencies are defined, including the pressure from the marine industry and the local community. In an attempt to balance the need of both the shipping industry and the increasing demand for housing, a new waterfront edge is created by introducing a landscape corridor in the middle of the site to develop civic space. The purpose of this linear park system is to address rising land values, rebuild a
connected waterfront green corridor, and to create a middle area between the mix-use programming and the housing programming. Fundamentally, the civic space system will provide various amenities for different user groups and increase the accessibility and quality of the waterfront for all the dwellers in the South Boston neighborhood. In the city’s scale, by connecting downtown Boston with the pleasure bay with a systematic urban greenway. The project wants to explore the potential of creating a new public city center at the frontage of the South Boston area.
Redefine the Edges By analyzing the existing edges of the sites, different emergencies are defined which including the pressure from the marine industry and the local community.
Plan for South Boston waterfront
Step1: Creating new edges
Step2: Connected civic space
Step 3: Regulate footprint
Step 4: new watefront scenario
New Edges for Potential Values A new waterfront edge is created by introducing a landscape corridor in the middle of the site to develop the strategy of a continuous civic space.
Mixused Office
Commercial
Civic Park
Commercial
Residential
Civic Space as Mediator The purpose of the linear park system is to address rising land values, rebuild a connected waterfront green corridor, and to create a middle area between the mix-use programming and the housing programming.
Housing progamming
Mix-used progamming
Mix-use parcel Type 1: Housing+office and Art community
Mix-use parcel Type 2: Housing+Marine Industry
Mix-used Development Along the park systerm, the north part will be mixed used office while the south part will be housing.The mixeduse, park and housing model will also encourage flexible programming to meet the needs of different users groups.
New Edges
a new waterfront edge is created by introducing a landscape corridor in linear park system is to address rising land values, rebuild a connected w mix-use programming and the housing programming.
s of Value
n the middle of the site to develop civic space. The purpose of this waterfront green corridor, and to create a middle area between the
Urban green way and Diversified Acitivities
Housing and Waterfront Development
05 INTERSECTING SYNERGY Nominated GSD Platform 12 GSD 2018 Fall MAUD Core Studio Instructor: Dennis Pieprz, Stephen Gary, Rahul Mehrotra, Linda Pollak, Yun Fu Group work with: Mengying Ouyang My work: Site analysis, Massing design and design of the open space, drawings of the Masterplan, Axon, Ground floor plan and isomatic drawings.
The thesis is defined as "Can an industrial land transform into productive land that can provide educational opportunity for immigrants and promote aggregation of adjacent communities." This project introduces two spines of public space and a continuous topography that connects not only the adjacent communities but also existing ecological nature system on the site, in order to create a new urban emergence for the ethnically diverse area of Suffolk Down. Fundamentally, the horizontal spine allocates in the middle of the site to provide equal opportunities for
the communities, the edges of the wetland will be schools and we-work office to address the education and poverty issue, to bring value and to attract housing program. The vertical spine allows social aggregation and served as a surrealist racial collection of urban diversity that in fact reflects the true nature of the local neighborhood. The higher ambition of this project is to create a new lifestyle of working, living and studying with nature for the immigrant family. To set a standard that can be an inspiration for other cities and neighborhoods.
Issue 2ďźšLack of Amenities
Issue 3ďźšNature Vs Industrialization Issue 1ďźšRacial Diversity
There is four main issue about the site which is: the racial diversity, the conflict of industrial and nature, and lack of support for the immigrant communities. Moreover, the communities adjacent to our site have many single-parent families which have a high poverty rate and low education level. The highly
Design strategy
Industrial Neighbourhood in Transition The thesis is defined as "Can an industrial land transform into productive land that can provide educational opportunity for immigrants and promote aggregation of adjacent communities."
Outdoor Living Space as Generator Fundamentally, the horizontal spine allocates in the middle of the site to provide equal opportunities for the communities, while The vertical spine allows social aggregation and served as a surrealist racial collection of urban diversity.
Intersetcing Spines This project introduces two spines of public space and a continuous topography that connects not only the adjacent communities but also existing ecological nature system on the site, in order to create a new urban emergence for the ethnically diverse area of Suffolk Down.
Intersetcing Spines This project introduces two spines of public space and a continuous topography that connects not only the adjacent communities but also existing ecological nature system on the site, in order to create a new urban emergence for the ethnically diverse area of Suffolk Down.
Nature as Mitigation Improved environmental quality is hope to mitigate the problems of inequality and poverty in the immigrant community. The spine of nature will be urban parks as well as educational space for teenagers.
Collection of Urban Diversity The vertical spine allows social aggregation and served as a surrealist racial collection of urban diversity that in fact reflects the true nature of the local neighborhood.
Synergy for In-be
The higher ambition of this project is to create an experimental narrative of tr urban periphery with improved environmental justice. To set up an inspiratio
etween District
ransforming the in-between urban area for better living quality. To densify the on for other less developed neighborhoods
06 THE TOWER 2016 Architecture Design Studio Instructor: Giovanni Ferrara Group Work with Kexin Lin
The Liberec museum is located on the outskirts of Liberec old town, on the crossing of Vitezna and Masarykova streets. However, today the museum struggles with the building functions and insufficient visitor’s spaces. We expected the new extension of the museum can fit into surrounding with modest gesture, so we studied the feature of the town and the typology of other historical buildings. Finally, we are able to use the
language of city skyline and the regulation of the important element—tower to generate the new extension while transform traditional feature into modernism. The outline of the new extension are in great harmony with the city skyline. The new and old museum are connected through a sunken plaza.
Derive from the language of Liberec Using the language of city skyline and the regulation of the important element—tower to generate the new extension while transform traditional feature into modernism.
Staircase to the sunken Courtyard
Main tower
Entrance to the new museum
Entrance to the old museum
Outside
Ground floor of the original museum
Entrance of the new extension
Light steel keel Aluminum net
Glass curtain wall
Glass curtain wall
Aluminum net
Two Museum into One
In an attempt to remain the integrity of the original museum, the extension will be separated from the outer-side but connected with the original houses through a sunken square which is located in the middle of the two buildings.
Groundfloor Plan
Program & Plans Museum extension creates a new area of 4300 sq.m, with total construction area of 3680 sq.m. 1830 sq.m of Exposition space was divided into 4 sections. The repository rooms were connected to a research room of a 30 sq.m area. The research room will be accessible to museum curators and researchers only. The room have natural lighting. The restoration workshop space is 250 sq.m, as required, and the museum extension is barrier free. Additionally, the extension contains these visitor spaces: locker room, cafe, audiovisual hall and a lecture room.
1 2 3 4
reception checkroom main hall audio-visual
5 information center 6 rest area 7 exhibition area 8 lecture room
9 gallery 10 mini-theater 11 exhibition area 12 cafe
13 literature exhibition 14 guidance center 15 souvenir shop 16 washroom
SECOND-FLOOR PLAN
THIRD-FLOOR PLAN
07 HALF-STREET 2017 Super Informal Workshop of HNU Instructor: Jashon Ho, Xuan Chen Individual Work
Thi s de si gn or ig in ate d from th e research in the super-informal mapping workshop, the market street was spontaneously constructed by small retailers but been teared down by government due to traffic problem, I try to figure out a way to preserve the attraction of the outdoor market while ensure the convenience of the local residence by integrating the market with a elevated pedestrian bridge. According to the 24-hours observation of the
activities in the market, I transform the iron shelter in each shop into a more flexible market module, which can be freely arranged by retailers. Meanwhile, with the installation of other community functions, the market district is hoping to improve the overall living standard of the nearby residents in the long term.
All of the shops in the street market is built and arranged by the shop owner with plastic containers and other recycled materials.
This kind of spontaneous activities and individual intelligence of each owner also result in the diversity of the street market
Local Culture and City beatified Campaign
1-1 SECTION
Intergrated Street Life In the first place, the surrounding community are connected by the elevated walking bridge, it also provides shelter for the shops underneath. The market street evolves into an integration that not only capable for street commercial but also provided services to the local residents.
Improve Efficiency The circulation of different user are separated by bridge and the additional road. Meanwhile the delivery center will be convenient for group purchasing process, thus will reduce the time that each shop owners spent on the unload and distribution process of goods.
2-2 SECTION
Step 1: Rebuild Traffic Systerm
Step 3: Regenerating adjacent buildings
Step 2: Provide Accommodation
Step 4: Encourgae Civic Activities
Street Market a
The street-market varied in accordance with different sell whole day.The newly designed market module integrate t outdoor area which can be arranged freely with scalable f
and Civic Spine
ling activities. This makes it relatively scalable during the three shops with a sharing preparation room, there is an furnitures.
08 STAGE AND BEYOND 2015 Architecture Design Studio Instructor: Giovanni Ferrara Individual Work
Stage use to play an important role in the daily life of Chinese people. It symbolizes the common people’s pursuit of spiritual enjoyment. The translation of the original space elements of the traditional stage will encourage modern people to recall the ancient cultural life through the metaphor of the architecture. There used to be a stage at the Hualongchi historic street which is now a government office and is closed
from public visiting. Therefore, the idea is about the stage and hope to design a community for folk art artists in an attempt to bring back people’s enthusiasm of the traditional folk art and traditional opera.
The stage in the middle of the community is an abstraction of the Chinese stage using the same elements: the front stage with curved roof, the auditorium in front of the stage, and the corridors besides