Zhifei Chen Architecture Portfolio
ZHIFEI CHEN EXPERIENCE May 2013 – June 2013 Contract designer Redesign and construct Hawthorne Community Garden
EDUCATION Minneapolis,USA
Redesigned the rain garden park by using Sketchup and Rhino. Recreated renewed garden view using Lumion rendering and created animation Created raised beds for the Hmong community gardeners to plan fruit and vegetable Constructed a multi-functional cabins for the gardeners to relax and store the plant tools
May 2012 - Aug 2012 Graphic Designer China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute
September 2010 -May2014 Bachelor’s Degree in Design Architecture College of Design, University of Minnesota January 2014 - May 2014 Study aboard of urban architecture research and study in Rome, Italy September 2015 -Now Master architecture in Southern California Institute of Architecture
SCI-Arc 1GA Studio: Library 1GB Studio: Duplex
OTHER EXPERIENCES/ COMPETITION Chengdu, China
CONTENTS
March 2014 Art Urban International Competition French government agency Séminaire Robert Auzelle
Participated project meeting with client and gather local information for designing a multi-fuctional shopping center mall. Assisted drafter to do construction drawing using Auto-CAD.
January 2015 Evolo Skyscraper competition 2015, winning editor’s choice award http://www.evolo.us/architecture/diffused-boundaries-skyscraper/
LANGUAGE
SKILLS
Fluent in English Mandarin
Photoshop Illustrator Indesign Sketchup Rhino Revit Grasshopper Auto-CAD Lumion Freehand Sketch Painting
UMN Construction drafting Skyscraper competition Value drawing
Hyde park branch public library Location: 2205 W. Florence Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90043 Site area: 12000sf
LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY Hyde Park Branch Library The Hyde Park Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library was the focus of this studio. The existing library, originally designed by Hodetts and Fung, was assumed to be non-existent, creating a tabula rasa for the design of this new library. The site itself is situated in South-Central Los Angeles, on the corner of Florence of Van Ness between the 110 and 710 freeways. After studying the SMOKE and hybrid geometric operation, I began to redesign an inhabitable and functional public library at the site.
DIPTYCHS/ DUPLEX HOUSE HOUSE AND DUPLE TYPOLOGIESÂ The project is to design a duplex for two families at the site of Venice beach. The design concept of this duplex is about Diptychs. In general it means any abject with two flat plates attached at a hinge, and the common characteristic among the diptychs is the relationship of left and right. However, when working through the diptych as a three-dimensional, architectural problem, I am focusing on the relationships of the placement and forms to their frames or boundary. and also the interactive between the two houses.
Chicken Point Cabin (Construction plan) The project is designed by architect Olson Kundig. In order to understand the design of architecture, I made this plan and section view which shows the interior struct
Each building block of shophouses are diffused vertically to redefine both its public and private space. By opening up each floor, there create more opportunity for not only more available commercial space, but also an opportunity to extend the street life from the ground up into the air. The void space that are created as a result of this strategy create allows for a mixed used circulation design that acts as both modes of navigation through the structure, but also public spaces and the lively street life style that initially inspires the project. Although each dissolved block have create its own archetype of public/private architecture, as we imagine into the future, we can begin to imagine the block typology working within a larger system -- in this case a system of 24 blocks.
Diffused City SKYSCRAPER COMPETITION The concept of diffusion seek to blur the rigid division between the public and private programmatic function that exists due to the existing architectural language in all three axis of urbanization through the vertical and horizontal evaporated gradient of form and functions.
As a team project, my role in this competition is designing the outlook of building with teamates, constructing digital model by using rhino and grasshopper, rendering section, and all three small rendering images
Conceptual Frame
This project establishes the methodological framework through the paper folding and cutting in order to investigate the interaction between human and space. The process of this project involves the manipulation of paper including bristal board, museum board, diagraming the relationship between models and the external factor such as light, passage way or the global movement of your model. From the investigation of the external elements and the geometrical shape of the model itself in order to find a conceptual frame of buildings in the future. Inspiration from ink drop pattern The pattern made by water drop spread in radial direction, the edge of the pattern change when reach other drops and the movement will emerge.
Hierarchy
Symmetry and Balance
Movement
HAWTHORNE EAST COMMUNITY GARDEN Designed and built an urban garden
Hawthorne east community is located at north west of downtown Minneapolis, beside Minssissippi river. The proposal is to design a community garden for thr Hawthorne East community for the neighborhood to plant their own food and vegetations. Residents can also gather around around the well-designed and constructed shelter. The structure consistes of materials that were selected on the basis of cost. in order to minimize the cost, we use a large quantity of plywood for the exteriror walls and floor. All the materials that we used were bought from the nearby Home Depot.
Roof
Roof structure and coloumns
Plywood siding
Base
Value Drawing Sketches
As part of architecture designing, we were using different technique of sketching method, contour drawing, value drawing and perspective drawings which focusing on different view of architecture. Here are some of my value drawings which focusing on the relationship between light and shadows of the architecture.
Thank you