Yanpeng Leng | Portfoilo

YANPENG LENG

MAUD Harvard Graduate School of Design

B.Arch. Tsinghua University selected works

2021-2024

YANPENG LENG

Mobile: +1 6176826366 | Email: lypcole@gmail.com

EDUCATION

Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, United States

Master of Architecture in Urban Design '25

Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Bachelor of Architecture '23

Cumulative GPA:3.73 / 4.00 GPA of Architecture Design Studio:3.89/4.00

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

PRO-spect AI

Harvard Real Estate Club (GSD)

Core Team Member: Marketing Group

MiraclePlus (formerly Y Combinator China)

Investment and Operations Assistant

Future Laboratory, Tsinghua University

Research & Architectural

Human Architecture Interaction Group

Architectural Design & Research Institute Tsinghua University Co., Ltd.

Part Time Researcher: Department of Science and Technology Development

Architectural Intern: Architectural Planning and Design Branch

PUBLICATION

"What Affects Older Adults' Viewing Behaviors in Neighborhood Open Space: A Study in Hong Kong." International journal of environmental research and public health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052430

Method, apparatus, and equipment for determining spatial occlusion data. China patent CN114398707A filed Jan 15, 2022. [Patent pending.]

"A Multi-disciplinary Conversation on Interactive Architecture" South Architecture https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2022.08.001

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

HarvardXR 2024: Extended Intelligence Conference

The Application of Research on Outdoor Behavior Pattern Based on ArcGIS

CITY Tuning: A Soundscape research of Beijing hutongs and VR Platform Design Advisor: Han Tu

Utopianism Review

Advisor: Dr. Jie Liu

Human Architecture Interaction Design Conference Organizing assistant (Audience 10K +)

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COMPETITIONS + AWARDS

The 7th Human Environmental Habitat Design Award of China Excellence Award (18/408) 2 Members Team

UNI International Competition - Athenaeum 2023

Finalist, as a Team Leader of 3 Members

UNI International Competition - RESILE Finalist, 2 Members Team

Underground Space Design Competition of Tsinghua University 2019

1st Prize, as a Team Leader of 2 Members Integrated

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- Present

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SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT

03. 2021

01. 2022

09. 2022

Global Knowledge Lei Feng Part-time translator and editor

School of Architecture, Tsinghua University Class monitor; Leader of the Technology Department of the Science and Technology Association

Center of Rural Revitalization, Tsinghua University Group Leader at Lixian Detachment, Sichuan

Student art troupe choir of Tsinghua University B-team secretary, A-team backbone

OTHERS

Modeling: Rhino, Grasshopper, AutoCAD, SketchUp

Presentation: Adobe Suite, Microsoft Office

Render: Twinmotion, V-ray

Data Analysis: ArcGIS, R, SPSS, C, Python (Basic)

Fluent Languages: Chinese, Russian, English (IELTS 8.5, TOEFL 112, GRE 320)

Interests: Baritone (4 years of tutelage under a tenor soloist of the Russian National Theater)

AREA OF INTERESTS

Crowdsourcing Resilience

My interests lie in embodying public opinion as a pivotal metric for urban design decisions through sensing, analyzing, and utilizing data acquired through crowdsourcing. My goal is to develop a realtime interactive decision platform that not only helps with decision-making but also stores valuable data for further exploration in urban science, which ultimately contributes to urban resilience

PROLOGUE

No matter how the city is planned or governed, an eternal answer to utopia does not exist. On the contrary, it is the ever-changing system of the people, the reshaped environments by the people, and heterotopias creating countless opportunities for the people that keep the city resilient and thriving.

This is why I believe the future of urban design towards resiliency is achieved through embracing constant changes and adapting multidisciplinary knowledge from the crowds using computational approach. Although accessibility to desired data can vary, different measures ranging from qualitative to quantitative could help designers to overcome the insufficiency of data.

Crowdsourcing resilience, the goal I am striving for, is to

exploit the potential of objective data produced by people in order to design a more liveable way of life rather than a ruthless top-down solution.

01 NEGOTIATION

Inclusive and Resillient South Boston Port through Participatory Design

Theme: Core Studio Elements of Urban Design, Fall 2023

Location: South Boston

Advisor: Dana McKinney White, Stephen Gray, Peter Rowe

Collaborator: Teresa Lai

Design (50%), Modelling (50%), Drawings (65%), Analysis (50%)

“We envision the future of South Boston as a resilient and inclusive community empowered to thrive among shifting patterns of demography, economy, and ecology. However, we see now the conflicts of spatial-temporal interest between different agencies."

How could we mitigate the long-term impact of climate change while benefiting the public good in the short term? How do we embrace the flows of young incomers while preventing the locals from potential social displacement? We focus on designing a transitional system to negotiate common ground.

02 EMBROIDERED CLOUDS

Reinvention of Qiang Minority's Defense System

Theme: Countryside Revital Program, Spring 2022

Location: Sichuan, China

Advisor: Mia Hsu

Indepedent work

For thousands of years, the Qiang people built their fortresses, Qiangzhai, hidden high up in the mountains to protect their legacy. However, it has become defenseless after tourism took up nearly half of the village’s income: reckless renovations and banal products are misguiding Qiang people to discard their true heritage. The site of focus is the Taoping Qiangzhai, one of the largest Qiang settlements and preserved fortresses in Sichuan province.

Just as women in Qiangzhai stitch unique floral patterns with needles, the design seeks to strategically use the “needles” , a steel supporting structure, to infrastructurally re-stitch the fragmented village while allowing villagers to modify them to their needs, preserving the original form and essence of the residence.

At the center of the project is a z-shaped passage weaved into the Taoping topology. By identifying crucial landmarks pinpointed by the “needles”, the passage floats above the narrow alleys like a cloud and gradually permeates into the most concealed territories of Taoping These embroidered clouds thus create an adequate connection between locals and visitors, bringing Taoping’s cultural heritage to the light and defending its true legacy.

The development of Taoping Qiangzhai starts from their tower, Diaolou, then expands along the axis to the maximum. Dark allies are formed between the houses in denser areas and the underground canals create Qiangzhai's maze-like typology.

After Wenchuan Earthquake (2008) that caused catastrophic damages to the villages, reckless renovations in Taoping Qiangzhai due to extensive development of tourism have exposed the village to potential danger of mudslides and earthquakes.

Qiang ethnicity minority survive on livestock and agriculture and rarely contact with outer world. They remain isolated with closed economical measures in order to survive from the bandits within the mountains or wars happening in planar areas.

More profitable tourism have overtaken the predominant economical factor of agriculture and livestock. However, this led to not only the dipute of the villagers over the resources in the village, also made the toursim banal without uniqueness.

Shibi, the wizard of the village passes their culture through myths and dances, making it extremely hard to preserve their polytheistic belief as the rural hollowing accelerates.

When younger generations go out to seek for the opportunity for fortune, the legacy of the Shibi greatly vanishes and accelerates the change of the original unified social network into a degregated one.

Steel reinforcement R

Imitation of original wooden planks+beam structure using steel frame

Embroided cloud R (Religion)

EcR is a steel-glass monumental installation ‘floating’ above the tower debris filling tower’s original boundary. It serves as a compact library preserving Qiang’s fragile unwritten culture with recent researches.

By changing its color from opaque white to translucent during the rain, EcR reveals its inner structure and contents, both tangible and intagible heritage would become the new ‘white stone’ of Qiang people

Tower ruin

Vandalism,

Building details

Typical function

Defense system

Storage, defensive posts, status symbols, and beacons

Structural Optimization

Earthquake-proofing

Wood planks and beams were interspersed between the stones to absorb the force

Steel reinforcement L

Imitation of original structure within the living unit combines with the steel ‘needles’ outside, forming a resilient steel spatial sturcture.

White stone

White quartz rock that are enspirited and put on the rooftops to connact with the Gods and pray for their blessings.

Foundation layout

Stage1:

DEFENSIVE NODES PROTECTION

Intevention scale 1:10

For thousands of years, the Qiang people built their fortresses, Qiangzhai, along the mountains to prot ect their legacy, gradually forming a unique three-dimensional defense system consisting of a"waterroad-roof network". However, due to constant natural disasters in Sichuan province and reckless reinvention, its original tectonics have become more fragile than ever.

Embroided cloud F (Function)

EcF is designed to fill in the ruined parts of buildings with easy-customized steel skeleton and inflatable membrane preventing collapse of wall remains and also acting as a greenhouse with response to the need for corn drying

Embroided cloud P (Passage)

EcP is a needle-like reinforcing structure, combined with the steel frame within the endagered wall protecting it from colapse.

Rooftop space

Space for grain drying and

EcP Kit of Parts

Arrays of EcP are errected along the narrow alleys providing additional visiting passages while multifuctional structure clip above the ground to tackle both needs of villagers and residents.

Embroided cloud L (Living)

EcL is a living unit built upon the ruins of traditional houses within its original boundaries. Strong yet light structure provides more open space for contact

03 BIOLOOP

Adapt and Mitigate Sea-level Rise Effects through Biotech Integration

Theme: Urban Resilience, Summer 2021

Location: Shanghai, China

Advisor: Akshay Goyal

Collaborator: Fred Xu, Irene Chen

Design (80%), Modelling (80%), Drawings (80%), Analysis (60%)

To tackle sea-level rise, we chose Shanghai as testing ground and proposed a spatial-temporal solution through adapting Biorock technology in design. An underwater factory gradually restores biohabitat and could dissipate the wave energy while the coastal park prevents from flooding. With the eco-friendly generalization of Biorock, it can also be used as green building materials to eventually reduce the CO2 emmision, helping the world to mitigate the effects of global warming.

04 SANDWICHDIZED

Future Terminal Integrating Agriculture 4.0 into Transit-oriented Development

Theme: URBAN FARMING X TOD Hybrid Program, Autumn 2022

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Advisor: Lu Fan

Collaborator: Yuching Sun

Design (80%), Modelling (70%),Drawings (60%)

For the renewal of the Nyugati railway station, we envisioned a sustainable consumption and production cycle of greens through the integration of the supply chain with public transportation systems. We brought productive landscapes into downtown Budapest to create not only a landmark of condensed nature but also a new lifestyle for citizens where they can buy organic food while participating in the green production cycle under a space of artificial nature.

The proposal of conbining precision farming with public transportation would intrigue new types of food production and consumption leading to the Agriculture 4.0. The key lies in connecting the suburbs with the doen town area through public transportation so that producted greens in rural area could be directly delivered to the customers while saving up energy.

From XL to S - Cross-scale green supply chain diagram and region analysis

SUSTAINABILITY ESTIMATION

MAPPING OF GREEN INTEGRATION NODES

REGION-SCALE ANALYSIS

Pedestrian analysis: UTILIZE WALKING NETWORK

Function analysis: INSERT MIXED-USED COMPLEX

Density analysis: INCREASE LOW-DEN GREEN SPACE

Road network analysis: DETECT KEY HOT SPOT

Overall solution: IMPROVE GREEN DISTRIBUTION

In order to bring back the nature into the downtown of Budapest, a careful design of the terminal station was inspired by the TOD 3.0 protocols which acts as the role of transit-socialgreen condenser and frees up the other brownfield areas to become lesiure park for citizens to experience Agriculture 4.0.

By intoducing both real and virtual technologies into the farming terminal,visitors can not only use the Sandwhichdized APP to quickly purchase green goods but also fulfill other green needs and even gain travel miles as return for contributing to circular green economy.

Interchange station & pick-up site Terminal exit to Agriculture 4.0 Rooftop garden Train and farm land

Drones and Ampitheatre Cycling route with supply chain beneath Underdeveloped areas Hill restaurant

F3 Vertical Farming Lab

F1 Railway Station (XL)

B2 Metro Station (L)

F4 Rooftop Garden

F2 Urban Forest

B1 Underground Wetland

05 CITY TUNING

platform

Theme: Urban Soundscape, Autumn 2022

Location: Beijing, China

Advisor: Han Tu

Collaborator: Mufei He

Concept Design (60%), Video Editing (80%), Drawings (85%), Analysis (50%)

To tackle sea-level rise, we chose Shanghai as testing ground and proposed a spatial-temporal solution through adapting Biorock technology in design. An underwater factory gradually restores biohabitat and could dissipate the wave energy while the coastal park prevents from flooding. With the eco-friendly generalization of Biorock, it can also be used as green building materials to eventually reduce the CO2 emmision, helping the world to mitigate the effects of global warming.

VR

Revealing Authetic Soundscape of Beijing Hutongs

Scan Youtube QR Code for Video Demo

Human soundpack includes both human voice and human movement which gives the scene ambience and sense of living. However, there are annoying sounds such as coughing or screaming, these sounds are evalued and reduced in the background.

Machinery soundpack includes both machinery voice and transportation voice. At normal circumstances, these voices could be considered noises, yet the sound of pedals and the bike bell rings might bring out a sense of nostalgia.

Nature soundpack contains environmental sounds that are created by animals or natural effects such as leaf whistling due to wind blowing and etc. These sounds are mainly comfortable to hear and reduces stress for listeners, especially during busy rush hours.

In order to reveal the authentic soundscapes of Beijing hutongs, we gathered sound units and feedback from locals to create a City Tuning platform in VR with sound weight adjustments supported by GIS and image segmentation.

06 Speculative Spaces

Theme: Urban Analysis, December 2023

Location: Boston, US

Advisor: Alex Yuen

Collaborator: Colin Song

The 7th Human Environmental Habitat Design Award of China Excellence Award (18/408)

05 Beijing Retrospect

Theme: Urban Regeneration, December 2021

Location: Beijing, China

Advisor: Min ZHANG

Collaborator: Mingyi HE

06 GEN-HOUSE: Genetic Design

Theme: Community for the widows undergoing war, August 2019

Location: Qandahar, Afghanistan

Advisor: Weixin HUANG

Collaborator: Mingyi HE

07 Lixian Village Center Restaurant

Theme: Re-interpretation of Traditional Qiang Minority Dwellings, Dec 2020

Location: Lixian, Sichuan, China Advisor: Qing FENG

Collaborator: Youyou YANG, Yuhong CHEN, Yiwei DANG

Built Project

The project aims at resurrecting the old Hufangqiao Hutong area by re-interpreting the traditional courtyard typology. In modern Beijing, the conflicts between the old spatial typology and the new social structure need a novel solution to remediate social needs where multiple families live and socialize within the same courtyard.

We conducted a comprehensive analysis to pinpoint areas with a high concentration of elderly and disabled individuals. By overlaying these demographic datasets, we identified areas with a significant population of individuals with limited mobility.

Gen-House is aimed at high efficiency construction and community bond formation. Using Wallacei X, a genetic algorithm, we calculated the most suitable juxtaposition of the building blocks considering density, sunlight, view, distance and convenience, hoping it can help not only widows of Zanabad, but all refugees suffering from war.

Restaurant design at Lixian Village Center is a group project in addition to proposing a profitable design-consumption plan. We investigated Qiang minority's local tradition and architecture identity to better suit in the natural lanscape and built environment.

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