GRADUATE PORTFOLIO 2018
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DANIEL CHEN
To My Reader My name is Daniel Chen and I am a recent architecture graduate from Northeastern University. This portfolio is meant to serve as a reflection of my experience and interests during my time in school. Over the six years of my architectural career I have become deeply fascinated by the ecological nature of architecture and landscape. Fundamentally, architecture and landscape architecture are practices in changing the spaces we inhabit, which ultimately influence our relationship and perception of the environment and of our own culture. These primary layers of ecology, the environmental and the social, are the dynamics that drive my designs and passion for architecture. Design is not only a process of creation but also a process of understanding. The work you will see in my portfolio reveals the methods in which I try to understand complex relationships and try to design buildings and landscapes that fortify, adapt, and integrate with existing environmental and social systems.
Selected Work 01 Ecological Emergence Blue Hills Reservation - MA
02 Socially Responsible Architecture Seaport Housing - Boston MA
03 Urban Landscape Interface Maverick Mills - East Boston MA
04 Neighborhood Case Study Jamaica Plain - Boston MA
05 Fire Regime Shift Big Island - Hawaii HI
06 Baugruppe
Pankow - Berlin Germany
07 Children’s Library
Chinatown - Boston MA
08 Stratum House 09 Selected Photography
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1700
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1900
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American Chestnut Range Native Range (Pre - 1904 Blight) Counties with an Orchard/ACF Chapter Counties with multiple orchards
Ecological Emergence
Transit
Hydrology
Prime Forest Region
Banding
COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN STUDIO Prof. Michelle Laboy + Scott Bishop Spring 2017 The American Chestnut (Castanea Dentata) was once regarded as the redwood of the East Coast. Revered for its majestic forests and widely used as a resource for timber due to its durability and rot resistant properties, the American Chestnut was an important tree to America culturally and economically. This was abruptly ended in the 1900’s with the introduction of Chinese Chestnut trees carrying a parasitic fungus, Chestnut Blight, which decimated the American Chestnut population. It is only recently that a modern American Chestnut (B3F3) has been developed that is genetically true to its ancestry and also carries Blight resistant properties.
This project explores the potential of reintroducing the species as part of a regional, landscape-infrastructure plan along with creating a hub for producing and distributing the tree. The landscape plan and architecture both respond to the ecological properties of the environment for developing the American Chestnut permaculture while anticipating future uses for the site in the event of a change of program and occupancy. *This was a partnered studio, however, all work shown is original and produced by myself.
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2040
2050
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2100
PROTOTYPING From the onset of the design there were prototyping studies and exercises conducted which led to a banding strategy for organizing both the landscape and the building. Ultimately the banding represents layers of optimal conditions for the phased reintroduction of the American Chestnut and the building is located at a primary band.
Circulation Elevator Cores Greenhouse Laboratory / Research / Office
INTEGRATED SYSTEMS The building acts as a conveyor for reintroducing the tree back to the forest, incorporating lab spaces, greenhouses, and a green roof. The structure is organized by a modular post and beam system in order to be programmatically flexible. In negotiating the topography, a system of ramping and terracing was developed to achieve egress requirements and reduce soil erosion while also capturing and irrigating water for the laboratories, gardens, and nurseries.
Socially Responsible Architecture HOUSING STUDIO Prof. Mark Rukumathu Spring 2016
Historically the Seaport district of South Boston has served as a platform for both industry and shipping. This carries with it generations of primarily working class households and some middle class households. With the anticipation of General Electric’s Headquarters moving to the Seaport district in Boston, the neighborhood has witnessed a rise in luxury condominiums and hotels along it’s northern waterfront.
The rise of new housing necessitates a democratic distribution of affordable housing in order to eliminate the consequences of classist urban segregation. This project explores the potential of a mixed-use, live/work housing typology to create an architecture that self-subsidizes its units, empowers residents of lower economic standing, and provides an environment for existing and new communities to coexist.
of households make more than $100k a year and can afford to live in Boston comfortably.
of households make less than 100k a year and can’t afford to live in Boston sustainably
PATTERNS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT Seaport - Boston Luxury Condominium High-End Mixed-Use Development Commercial / Office Municipal Residential Site
$4,000.00/ month $3,500.00/ month $3,000.00/ month $2,500.00/ month $2,000.00/ month $1,500.00/ month
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FLOORS 7 - 10
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FLOORS 4 - 6 8
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INTERMEDIATE FLOO
SCALES OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY Program distribution
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9. 3-Bedroom
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8. 2-Bedroom 7. 1-Bedroom 6. Conference Rooms
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5. Collaborative Open Offices
CONG R
ESS ST R
4. Retail / Commercial
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3. Artist / Fabrication Space 2. Event Space 1. Industrial Space
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Urban Landscape Interface URBANISM STUDIO Prof. Killion Mokwete Fall 2015
This project is an investigation on how to develop urban landscapes that negotiate the union between land and water while improving the environmental resiliency of existing neighborhoods. As sea levels continue to rise and climate change augments extreme weather conditions, coastal cities need to prepare and plan for the landscape of the future. This study investigates the ways in which topography may be manipulated to allow the inclusion of water into urban environments and how that can serve as a basis for reconnecting communities to their local ecologies. The predominant philosophy for managing water is to erect barricades to prevent water from infiltrating our urban space. However, when this line of defense is breached there is usually no internal system for managing the water. By adopting a philosophy of designing with water we can explore new methods and systems for environmental planning and simultaneously establish natural amenities for the public. The landform strategy employs a formal system of constructed terraces to achieve the same environmental performance of local ecologies and tidal landscapes. Water is deliberately introduced into the site as a means to better manage storm surge and sea level rise and also provide a shared space for local habitat, recreation, and for forming civic identity for the neighborhood. Over time the landscape will evolve and terrain will be relinquished to a new waterscape without compromising the habitability of the site for humans and other organisms.
Local Spec
PRESERVE
RECONNEC
CT
INUNDATE Worms
Diamondback Terrapin
Striped Bass
Blue Crab
Oysters
Mussels
Glasswort
Salt marsh Rush
Salt Water Cordgrass
Humans
Coyotes
Mice
Mosquitoes
Glossy Ibes
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
cies
CIRCULATE
9in. Sea Level Rise
21in. Sea Level Rise
21in. Sea Level Rise + 100yr Storm
36in. Sea Level Rise + 100yr Storm
Site
COMMU
TRANSLATING SITE STRATEGIES The goal of this masterplan is to allow water to infiltrate the site by converting the landscape into a terraced topography. This would allow better management of storm water runoff and gradual sea level rise. To ensure the success of the terraced landscape, several tactics were deployed in order to transform the site into a vibrant community that celebrates the resources provided by water. These tactics primarily included the preservation of historic architecture, reconfiguring site circulation, and reprogramming open spaces.
CONSTR
UNION OF LANDSCAPE AND BUILDING
RUCTING TOPOGRAPHY
Neighborhood Case Study
GROWTH & DECLINE - CITIES AND SUBURBS Prof. Thomas Vicino Summer 2016 Originally an essay, the following graphics illustrate the housing conditions across Boston and provide a visual reference for discussing the consequences of contemporary urban development. Using skills developed in studio these graphics help convey the urban nature of Jamaica Plain and how it is vulnerable to a new wave of gentrification. The following is an abstract from the essay: “The pattern of urban growth and decline is one that reflects the migration of people in and around a metropolitan region. The issues that stem from gentrification, processes by which
one population or group displaces another, have been reiterated throughout time. Boston is an old city that has gone through many phases of evolution. Today it is a complex web of individually unique neighborhoods that all contribute to the character of Boston. One neighborhood in particular, Jamaica Plain, is in a critical point of urban development which may impact the constitution of its community. [...] Perhaps it is possible to design a neighborhood that promotes the mutual ownership and participation in urban space so that different groups may coalesce in a shared identity of belonging within that community.�
Jamaica Plain Housing Stock Approximately 17,000 units
Subsidized
Avg. $2,250.00/mth
100 Units
Fire Regime Shift LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY Prof. Scott Bishop Summer 2016
RECLAIMING GROUND AND FORTIFYING FIRE RESILIENCE IN HAWAII’S LOWLANDS: This was an ecological study in the fire regime history of the Big Island of Hawaii. Though a landform created by volcanic activity, the endemic plant species of the island have lost most, if not all, ancestral characteristics that would make them resilient to regular fires. By the time Westerners had come to the island, Polynesians had already converted the dry lowland forests into seas of grasslands for agricultural production. Since then, these grasslands have been obtained by Parker Ranch and used as grazing pastures for cattle. Wildfires are now common in these areas and are hazardous to human health and encroach on critical habitat zones that harbor unique ecologies. Many fires are started by humans and can be traced back to locations along highways. By locating the moment of incidence one can begin to address and design for the problem. The proposal is to target areas of transportation where humans and grasslands intersect to create ecological buffers that eliminate fire distribution. This first line of defense is necessary for the conversion of the grasslands into more ecologically rich dry lowland forests.
ENTROPY DIAGRAM KEY FIRE FREQUENCY / INTENSITY ENDEMIC PLANT POPULATION NON-NATIVE PLANT POPULATION
Rainfall Averages
Solar Radiation Ranges
Agriculture/ Pastures
Non/Perennial Streams
High Fire Risk Areas
Baugruppe
Berlin Studio Prof. Christiana de Silva Spring 2015 The “Baugruppe� is a housing typology that is common in Berlin and other parts of Europe. The Baugruppe is no different than the typical dense apartment building typology in physical terms. Rather the Baugruppe in an architectural manifestation of a social phenomenon when a community of individuals coalesce to create a home that caters to their unique lifestyles and needs. This is accomplished by incorporating spaces that accommodate community gatherings, family businesses, and shared outdoor space. The site for this project is set in Pankow Berlin, an area that suffered little from WWII and still embodies the urban and architectural legacy of the Hobrecht plan from the 19th century. The goal was to create a community complex that would accommodate a set of diverse residents while respecting the historical urban context of Berlin.
INFILL
STREETFRONT
CORNER
MIETSKASERNE
IRREGULAR
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PROGRAM LIST: 3
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1. RESTAURANT 2. CAFE 3. COMMUNITY SPACE 4. OFFICE/STOREFRONT 5. STORAGE 6. EGRESS 7. DUPLEX 8. 1 BEDROOM 9. 2 BEDROOM 10. 3 BEDROOM
Children’s Library
SITE, SPACE, AND PROGRAM Prof. Sam Choi Fall 2013 The first project as a sophomore was to design a small children’s public library near the Chinatown Gate in Boston. The program was broken down into two categories: solid and void, to delineate between more public and private / service spaces. The degree and quality of daylighting for certain spaces reinforces the design ethos of creating a balance between enclosed intimate spaces and expansive public spaces.
FOURTH FLOOR
THIRD FLOOR
SECOND FLOOR
GROUND FLOOR
C
SEQUENCE DIAGRAM OPEN PROGRAM
A
CIRCULATION
C
B
VERTICAL CORES
A A
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3.
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2. 1.
1.
ENTRY
2.
LOWER LEVEL
3.
SECOND LEVEL
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THIRD LEVEL
5.
FOURTH LEVEL
A.
LOUNGE / READING
B.
MEDIA CENTER
C.
NOOK
Stratum House
FUNDAMENTAL ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN Prof. Michael Beaman Spring 2013 The final freshman studio project was a culmination of applying design principles learned from three distinct yet related circles of architectural theory, Corbusier’s Free Plan, Adolf Loos’ Raum Plan, and Kahn’s Service and Space concept. Though highly conceptual, at the core of this design was the user’s experience throughout the building and a continuity between interior and exterior spaces.
Taiwan at Play - Raohe St. Night Market Taipei, Taiwan Spring 2015
Detritus of Industry Rhur Valley, Germany Spring 2015