Portfolio Gengjiaqi Chang by GENGJIAQI CHANG

CHANG Gengjiaqi Silvia Portfolio

Rewetting Black Dirt

Land in Mediacy

Projective Kiosks

Prefabricate the Commons

Welcome to Laos?

Landscape Stewardship to Break Down the Dichotomy of Conservation and Production for an Alternative Future

Project Post-Expo Riverfront: Research of Sustainable Planning Strategies at Mega-Event Legacy Site

Landscapes of Flux and Demand

Common Ground: New Strategies for Public Space in Hong Kong's Aging Housing Estates

Enviro-cultural diversity versus generic urban planning

Professional Works... Hangzhou Grand Canal Competition (Competition Finalist) Jiaxing 'Nine Rivers for One Heart' Competition (Detailed Design) Chengdu Blue-ray Commercial Plaza (Schematic Design) Nanjing Dajiaochang Jinling Commercial Center (Schematic Design)

Rewetting Black Dirt

Landscape Stewardship to Break Down the Dichotomy of Conservation and Production for an Alternative Future Individual Work, 2021 Fall Instructor: Anne Weber #Rural Infrastructure #Paludiculture

The Black Dirt Region, 22 square miles nestled in the southernmost region of the Wallkill River valley, is renowned for its distinctive muck soil, whose fine texture and rich organic content makeit one of the most productive agricultural regions in New York State. This project looks into agriculture in dynamics, starting from reviewing the history of local agriculture practice, global and national peat conservation, climate changes and market fluctuations. The core of the strategies is to switch crops from agriculture to paludiculture, adjust the infrastructure accordingly and to advocate for a more holistic initiative or subsidy program. This project also explored different scenarios with an uncertain future.

From scientific research, peatland can store twice the carbon as the forest does. However, at black dirt region, peatland was transferred from carbon sink to carbon source by draining water away. Through mapping, site visit and interviews, farmers are always facing risks from the market, either in current agricultural practice, or in the potential shift of livelihood. And this direct to the objectives of this project: to actively rewet the peatland; to propose alternative livelihood, to build up resiliency under climate change and market fluctuations. The core of the strategies is to switch crop from agriculture to paludiculture, adjust the infrastructure accordingly and advocate for a more holistic initiative or subsidy program. 5

A review of specific crops is made to compare their financial returns, life cycle which indicates the root condition, as well as their water table tolerance, since water table of 4 inches below soil surface is optimal for carbon sequestration. The infrastructures required of each land type are also analysed, which indicates the necessity of collaboration among different agencies and stakeholders. This project for sure has a lot of uncertainties when taken policy, cultural inertia, climate change and market into consideration. Three scenarios are proposed here, from passive adoption, moderate expansion, to radical implementation. Agencies and stakeholders are taken into consideration during the time phasing design.

The target sites are categorized into 3 typologies: riparian area, farmland in floodzones, and well-managed farmland. A pilot site design is proposed with the following design purposes: scientific research (carbon fluxing monitoring, peat thickness measurement); feasibility (water-control structure, infrastructure); public demonstration (making these proposals visible and more convincing to the general public and local farmers to build up awareness and knowledge). This area is divided into three zones to test out eco-service farm option at riparian area, large-scale paludiculture farm and vertical farm options on peatland, and to entangle them together with a demonstration circulation system.

Land in Mediacy

Project Post-Expo Riverfront: Research of Sustainable Planning Strategies at Mega-Event Legacy Site Individual Work, 2018 Fall Instructors: Tiger Lin, Sarah Ouvray #Urban Design #System Design

Located at the heart of Shanghai, China, the 2.6-square-kilometer expo site has been planning for its future since its successful bid. 18,000 families and 270 factories were moved out and massive infrastructure were set up for both Expo 2010 and the post-Expo urban renovation. Based on field studies and the study of China's urban new town development, this project is a sarcasm towards efficiency in urbanization. And through the emphasis on spectacles, this project proposes an urban planning strategy to trigger organic and continuous urban metabolism by amplifying 'blankness', utilizing 'blankness' and filling up 'blankness'.

There was a certain sense of blankness during the urbanization progress: large tracts of land are left waiting for renovation and weeds occupied, and the juxtaposition of China's new district model and the contextual timeline of Expo site shows the reason. It's not an organic form for urban growth, but will lead to the long period of vacancy even after the completion of construction. The post-Expo site is divided and categorized into 6 phasings accordingly. Comparing to the dense and attractive internet-famous sites within the inner ring, new districts present the tension to attract more attention and people during and after the urban growth.This design proposes a land of spectacles under the new economy of social media, an ever-changing 'amusement park' inviting nature and urbanization to participate under the three objectives: environmental regeneration, urban renewal, and identity construction. 9

Based on the study of carnival rides, three mega-park are proposed as node and 'productive factory' with three themes: aqua (water regeneration), flora (nursery for urban greening) and soil (phytoremediation). A continuous linear ride divided into sectors of different speed and curvatures connects the three nodes and travelling across this area of different scenery of vacant wilderness, constructions and urban area.

According to the stage of development, the 'carnival rides' performs differently to contribute to urbanization: In early developent stages: factory of 'soil' compacts and phytoremediates the highly polluted soil and serves as landmarks together with post-Expo pavilions; while factory of 'aqua' sticks to water purification; and the factory of 'soil' remains to be a vegetation nursery and testground for urban greenings. In later development stages: factory of 'soil' is dismantled gradually to meet the demand of the volume of soil; the recreational function is introduced while part of the vegetations are transplanted into other urban area as urban greenings accordingly; and the facory of 'aqua' is also set up as a recreational space and water supply to this area.

Projective Kiosks

Landscapes of Flux and Demand

Pair Work* with Siyu Tong, 2017 Fall Instructors: Scott Jennings Melbourne, Elizabeth Leven #Landscape Management #Community Garden

Today's Castle Peak is a place of conflicts in occupation and use of the land. Not only local residents trespass on the area for their own recreational uses knowing which has been authorized to the millitary for infrequent firng practice, firing practice by People's Liberation Army, cultivation by local community and littering by hikers made severe damage to the land, especially the deterioration of soil erosion. Therefore, this project aims at promoting a systematic landscape management scheme for the administrators. With 3 kiosks prototypes and a rearranged time schedule, the stakeholders are anticipated to be united and consequently help restore the environment. * Contribution: research on site history and community profile, diagrams of current and revised relationship, current and proposed manifestation timeline, bird-eye-view rendering with section series, axonometric diagrams, manual design, renderings and sections of barren land and shrubland.

Though large tract of land in Castle Peak has been authorized to the millitary as a firing practice area with a long history before the hand over, this prohibited military zone is still accessible to the public. It is popular among hikers with its magnificent 'Grand Canyon' and known as the backyard of the local community in Yuen Long. However, the vague land right made the landsape management scheme scattered and chaotic. Together with the firing practice, rubbish from hikers and the intensified illegaled cultivation from local community, the land degradation and environmental demage is accelerated. Inspired by the way how residents make use of the existing materials smartly built unique kiosks, this project proposed a community-based management scheme to coordinate the activities among different stakeholders. 13

Extracting the essence of these kiosks, this projecting kiosk programme with this new relationship between stakeholders gathered the stakeholders together in order to meet their demands and even restore the environment. The one prototype is subdivided into three in order to adjust to the land conditions. Subtle adjustments have been made respectively: The woodland kiosks are based on the falling trees, residents are supposed to plant a new seedling near their kiosk for reforestation. Farmlands will setback during the growth of trees; The ceilings of the barren land kiosks are slightly tilted so that the rainwater will drained along the gullies. Inside the gullies are the cultivations, which will also help control erosion; A water pit is dug under the shrub land kiosk so that water can be collected from the roof for farming. The pit will be later used as a trash can for organic wastes, where new shrub can grow.

Beside the prototype, plants are carefully selected to join the system. The plants help the kiosks transform from artificial to natural and finally decomposed in nature: In the shrubland, climbing veggies are selected to replace the plastic weaving mat as roof; While in the barren land, Miscanthus is planted to be harvested in the middle of the year and replace the plastic weaving mat as roof; Lastly, seedlings planted in the woodland will grow forever as a member of the forest. Following the prototypes and cultivation activities, a rescheduled scheme is proposed. The scheme of barren land and woodland last longer because of the long life span of the plants and all the kiosks have to be abandoned before firing practice. In terms of the propaganda to local communities, a manifestation brouchure is made for the participants as guidance .

Prefabricate the Commons

Common Ground: New Strategies for Public Space in Hong Kong's Aging Housing Estates Individual Work ,2018 Spring Instructors: Ivan Valin, Maxime Decaudin #Housing #Public Plaza #Modular Design

Public-rental housing estates in Hong Kong are often planned as self-contained cities designed to include a full spectrum of public amenities for modern life. And yet the landscapes of these and other public housing estates are often brutal reminders of how design can fail to serve, or engage with its community. The efficiency- and costled design made the public space generic and rigid for the community by simply inserting different functional zones without considering the local matrix. Based on the critique of these designed public spaces, this project explores the potentials in efficiency- and costled design methodology to serve and integrate with local context and community profile.

Tracing the construction and renovation history of Tai Wo Hau Estate, prefabrication is always the main-stream methodology. However, when the design comes to individuals, it may become rigid and bring about complaints on the less freedom to modify. Associated with the governments' regulations, the facilities of open space have been added onto the ground. The allocations of these plug-ins are not able to accomodate residents' demand. Another prominent feature is the use of different types of corridors. With different designs, the covered walkway acts as both bonding and bondary, main path in efficient circulation and playful corridors, etc. 16

Inspired by the current manifestation on open space, prefabrication, functional module and corridor are extracted to become the key design methodology.Prefabricated modules with different design details are proposed and through different combination, these modules can have different functions. Through the precise study of the central plaza's hydrology, vegetation, connectivity and demands, several layers of information are compiled and the modules are applied onto the site accordingly. 17

Welcome to Laos?

Enviro-cultural diversity versus generic urban planning Individual Work (Capstone), 2019 Spring Instructors: Ashley Scott Kelly, Xiaoxuan Lu #Regional Planning #Strategic Design

At the China-Lao border, Boten Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is set up responding to China-Lao railway. With the anticipation of a tremendous influx of tourists, Boten SEZ is one of the tourism enclaves with a strong potential o expand into peripheral villages. The allure of the rapid urbanization and cash salary within the tourism enclave has placed local community at an intersection of choice for future: leave the land and become labor woker but facing the risks of losing culture diversity and economy stability, or stay with the original agriculture life but struggling at a passive status facing large developers and government? This project explores the possibility for local community to break down the dichotomy, find alternatives and preserve soft landings in response to radical developmentalism, through the perspective of landscape system planning.

The open to traffic of China-Lao Railway in 2021 has pushed the country towards a game-changing influx of tourists. Several new urban enclaves containing tourism sector are under field investigation and construction along the railway. As one of the contestants in this investment competition, Haicheng, a property developer from Yunnan, has been implementing seven tourism enclaves which includes Boten SEZ. Study shows the developer's formular on the tourism enclave development: Evaluation model, which separates cultural and natural resources and through land use rights transfer to exclude local communities and gain extensive control over the area. Based on the trajectory of the correlation between development expansion and livelihood change in villages, it can be seen that under the intense and fast-paced development, the livelihood is changing dramatically into a homogenized structure. 19

The study of current labor law, land allocation policy and compensation policy pushes the local community towards vulnerable livelihoods. The allure of pay are driving the local community to join the capital-labor flow. On the other hand, under the current land policy, the bargaining power of local community is poor which put their land at an unsafe situation. Through the study on theory about development and transition of tourism, and the inbalance between tourist influx volume and carrying capacity, it can be anticipated that the instability of tourism sector exacerbates the uncertainty of future and deteriorates the risks on local livelihood under the developer's fornula. Based on the current situation, the development trajectory of Boten SEZ is anticipated as follows: construction, operation, and when the heat of 'first stage tourism' cools down, then renovation and expansion follow to boost the tourism.

Every stage of development faces certain conflicts between the commodification and conservation of local ecological and cultural value, as well as the instability of tourism sector. In terms of the local community among the three peripheral villages, the major issues are: how to preserve their ecological and cultural value as well as develope in resiliency neighboring Boten SEZ; and protect their land-use rights all the way through, to gain the bargaining power if they have to face with the urban expansion in future. In order to struggle against this monotonous succession in both indigenous culture and agriculture-forestry system, as well as to prolong the tourism development, an alternative collaboration formula is proposed as an substitude of the developer's formula. In terms of local scope, the land use type and land condition explores the potential under the objectives of this strategic planning.

The land types are classified into four categories, and their landscape management schemes are proposed accordingly: At swidden land, inserting the plantation of orchards at fallow land to guarentee the land-use right, and the orchards at the same time provide food for wildlife which also create opportunities for eco-tourism; At monocultural plantation, introduce diverse intercropping species to build up the ecology structure and to diversify the income structure; At sedentary rice paddy, introduction of ducks for weeding release labor force for cultivation, intercropping with mulberry not only raises land value but also create opportunities for sericulture to inherite it's traditional textile; At post construction sites, use Indigofera Tinctoria to restore the soil fertility, and the plant itself as a material for natural dye can participate into the inheritance of indigenous culture. 22

Hangzhou Grand Canal Competition (Competition Finalist)

Jiaxing 'Nine Rivers for One Heart' Competition (Schematic Design)

Diagram of ecological strategy // Diagrams of program design

Model of node and bridge design 24

Chengdu Blue-ray Commercial Plaza (Schematic Design)

Nanjing Dajiaochang Jinling Commercial Center (Schematic Design)

Model and visualization of Landscape design

Model and visualization of Landscape design 25

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