Fei Chen | work samples
Fei Chen
915-3900 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA feic@design.upenn.edu (+1) 215-559-4625
Fei Chen EDUCATION University of Pennsylvania Master of Architecture Landscape Studies Certificate
AWARDS Philadelphia, United States | 2009-2013
Green, Urban, Global exhibition Philadelphia | 2013
University of Toronto Honors Bachelor of Arts Major of Architectural studies-design | Major of Economics
Toronto, Canada | 2005-2009
Mario J Romanach fellowship PennDesign | 2011 E. Lewis Dales Traveling Fellowships PennDesign | 2011
EXPERIENCE
Student award nominee
Atelier Jean Nouvel Paris, France | Feb. - Aug. 2012 Intern architect - facade panelling development for Philharmonie de Paris - submittal material preparation and model making for National Art Museum of China Contemporary Architecture Practice New York, USA | Jun. - Sep. 2011 Intern architect - schematic diagram design - presentation and book layout - video making
Volunteer honorarium Toronto Design Exchange | 2008
Peddle Thorp Architects-Shanghai Intern architect - CAD drafting for residential building
SKILLS
Toronto Design Exchange Curator assistant, Front desk Grigorian Design Group Intern architect - CAD drafting and image rendering - presentation and booklet layout Academic Employment Graduate Assistant - Master of Architecture Core Design Studio III assistant - Research assistant of IKStudio -Simon Kim
PennDesign | 2010
Shanghai, China | Jun. - Aug. 2010
Toronto, Canada | Feb. 2008- May. 2009 Shanghai, China | May. - Aug. 2008
PennDesign | Sep. - Dec. 2012
Faculty of Arts and Science Dean’s list University of Toronto | 2006
3D and Rendering Rhinoceros Maya Grasshopper + TSpline Vray + Maxwell 2D Drafting AutoCAD Revit Model foam, wood, acrylic
Graphics and Video Photoshop Illustrator InDesign Lightroom AfterEffects Premiere Language English| Fluent Chinese | Native French | Intermediate
fei chen | work samples
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Infused Fields
Monastery for the Order of the Cistercians Bucks County, Pennsylvania A “field condition” was created by the superimposition of various mappings of the site; multiple “thresholds” are extracted from the field and furthermore transformed into programmatic and formal language. The monastery employs herb planting as a medium that activates different programs across the day and the seasons; which helps to construct a ever lively site and generates new economic possibilities for the monastery. The overall form is composed by discrete volumes which were all one part of a pure cube, which represents the sublime of the spiritual world of the Cistercians. Eight buildings indicated the eight Canonical Hours of a monastic day, which structures the daily life of the monks and lay brothers. Each volume is calibrated to accommodate various programs with the focus of the integration of plantations. A large deck is introduced as a continuous carpet that blends the architecture and the existing topography, and also as an operational base for herb planting lots, which can be easily obtained by removing part of the deck. A combination of perennial and seasonal plants helps the conservation of biodiversity.
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fei chen | work samples
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The cube represents the strict order of Cistercians
The cube is divided in to eight volumes
Volumes being adjusted in position and height to accommodate different programs
Apply fenestration to south-east facades
Add on green roof to reduce the heat loss during the winter and to cool down the room during the summer.
A deck that create a continuous carpet that connects the buildings and the topography
General Offices Father Abbot Office Classroom General Meeting Room
Chapel
Refectory
Kitchen and Pantry
Library
Chapter House
Nave
Guest Dining Room
Monk Hall
Screening Room Lateral / Vertical Circulation
Gate House / Lobby
Visitor Hall
Bookstore
Infirmary
Lay Brother Hall
Garden
Cloister
Kitchen and Pantry
Guest Dining Room
Refectory
Lay Brother Hall
4
Nave
Chapel
Chapter House
Infirmary
Monk hall Visitor Hall Cloister
fei chen | work samples
Screening Room
Library
Father Abbot Office General Offices Classroom
Gate House / Lobby
Bookstore General Meeting Room
Lateral / Vertical Circulation Gardens
Rotate the roof towards south and apply solar panels
Treatment on the deck encourages promenade and blends into the landscape
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Planting Strategy
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4 3
14
April
5
8
7
6
9
10
11
July
12 13
October
1 - Gate house 2 - Visitors Hall 3 - Father Abbot’s Cell 4 - Office 5 - Chapel 6 - Library 7 - Infirmary
8 - Classroom 9 - Refectory 10 - Kitchen 11 - Monk Hall 12 - Lay Brother Hall 13 - Barn 14 - Cloister
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Iron
FeO
Fe2O3 (α)
Fe2O3 (β)
Fe2O3 (γ)
Fe3O4
Hydrated Fe2O3(γ)
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8.2
7.0
4.0
Symphonic Transformation
Performing Art Center, Battery Park City, NY Group project with Hanxiao Liu
Situated at the lower west Manhattan, this project is developed based on a site driven strategy which aims to create a green corridor that provides a visual connection of the parks of the neighborhood and the Battery Park at the waterfront. The employment of green spaces throughout the building serves as a catalyst of programmatic organization. The green area on the ground level helps to form an site responsive, uninterrupted path; which swirls up and become a shared public area for both visitors and the students of the music conservatory located on the third level. On the theater floor, the green space transforms into the resting area for music goers during the intermission; and on the rooftop it buffers two programmatic zones. The green space leads a route of promenade through the building, activates and pauses human activities, and make all the programs seamlessly work together as a cohesive integration. The architectural design was dictated by the aggregation of a single unit, which transforms according to the requirements of site, program, space and circulation. This building also incorporates a hybrid structural system with intensive landscaping both in the interior and exterior.
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fei chen | work samples
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Water Content
Roof Terrace
3d Building Section
Seperate Merge
Rooftop Theatre
Green space as the catalyst of program organization Connect
Two major auditoriums
Top create buffer zone between two programmatic spaces Mid create shared public space for different programs
Bottom create visual connection with the site
Program Strategy
Outdoor Theatre
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TOP OF THE BUILDING = + 133.00’
I.
Concrete Gravel
4” Draina
I.
5‘
6FL
22 ‘
27.0 ‘
II.
UPPER AUDITORIUM
II. 5FL
16 ‘
20.0 ‘
4‘
III.
RECORDING STUDIOS
Theatre Interior 3’ 6”
4FL
14’ 6”
IV.
Inclined
11 ‘
Primary W16 x 6
REHEARSAL ROOMS
III.
9’ 6”
13’ 1”
3’ 6 “
3FL
CLASSROOMS
IV. 2FL
10’ 6”
14’ 2”
3’ 6”
V.
RESTAURANT
V.
3’ 6”
1FL
CAFE / BOOKSTORE
24 ‘
27’ 6”
VI.
W40 x 149 or I-Beam
Angle Section
AGL
Rooftop Garden
Terrace of Music Conservatory
Wall Section 21 ‘
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fei chen | work samples
A 1
outdoor auditorium
artists lounge
open to below
cafe
Rehearsal room
backstage DN
bookstore
A 2
DN
tea room
library
DN
open to below
DN artists' lounge
DN
A 3
information/ customer service
music store
Rehearsal room
open to below DN
retail
A 4
retail
storage bar
exhibition space cloak room
cafe
cloak room
restroom
scenary
storage
staff office
scenary storage
parking
changing room
entrance loading/
backstage
service area
backstage costume storage
Ground floor Plan
Âą0.00
Lower theatre Plan
Top Soil Geo-textile drainage/filter
0.80
-2.40
Glass curtain wall
High density protective layer Waterproof membrane Foam insulation Vapor barrier Breath layer Screed sloped to drain Floor slab Concrete fill Metal decking Steel beam
0.80 0.80
Upper theatre Plan
Polished Turkish Limestone tile Deck Mortar bed 1 3/4"
Stainless Steel Gutter 4" drain concrete curb
sprinkler
Scratch Coat
top soil
Polished Turkish limestone tile
3.60
top soil
Concrete tank Bond coat -6.00
EPS EP PS rigid rig igid ig gid id foam ffo oam am m insulation in nsssul n ulllat at atio to tio on n EPS
EPS E EP PS rig PS rrigid ri gid gi gid d foam ffo oa oam am insulation am insu iin ns n su sula sula atio ati io on n
Mortar bed Mortar bed bond coat
Building Structure
Slope to drain
A 1
A 1
A 2
A 2
A 3
A 3
A 4 A 4
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Building model 1/16”=1”-0’
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Museum board
2
1
3
LandRover Defender 110 by Shilgi Architects, ISRAEL
cadcoaching.co.uk
LandRover Defender 110 by Shilgi Architects, ISRAEL
LandRover Defender 110 by Shilgi Architects, ISRAEL
HUMMER by Shilgi Architects, ISRAEL
Longitudinal Section
fei chen | work samples
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Shifting Hybrids
A New Hotel & Residential Building TriBeCa, New York This building is designed to become a microcosm of the Tribeca area, and to reflect the sophistication of the neighborhood. A cohesive architectural language is employed formally and programmatically to exhibits a fluid flow from the exterior facade to the interior partitions, and to construct a continuous experience of spaces as people moving from one area to another. The typology of residential floor plans is broken by inserting different public programs and allowing them to carve out the floor plates. These public areas, either quiet or vibrant, will serve the residents and hotel guests, and will also invite visitors from all over the city.
Section drawing composite
Fei Chen
Front Facade Detail
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fei chen | work samples
Bakery
Inventory
-8.50
-10.00
Grocery down
Pharmacy
-10.00
±0.00
Plan B1
Loading Zone
Doorman
±0.00
±0.00
Residence Entrace
Retail 1 Luggage Check-In Hotel Entrance Fitting room
Retail 2
±0.00 up
±0.00
Drop-off Area
Public Entrance to B1
Plan F1
Storage
open to below Kitchen +12.00
down
Terrace
down
Bar
Plan F2 2nd floor terrace
2nd floor terrace night view
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Rhizomatic Fabrics Aggregated Streetscape Aspern, Vienna, Austria Group project with Qiyao Li
The intention of the project is to design a population of streets as architectural mega-forms. By populating these mega-forms through an urban territory, these streets should generate a rhizomatic urban fabric to connect the fragmented postmodern urban projects of the city of Vienna. A traditional Vienna’s Gothic street typology is replaced by three mega blocks which cracked into smaller components. Conditions of high density alleyways, exterior open spaces and broad passages are redefined by reconfiguring the height and placement of the components. A series of curvilinear spaces is introduced three dimensionally to identify the various conditions of a street, which transform from open plazas to lobbies to completely interior rooms. Under this paradigm, the street is no longer the left over area between buildings but a spatial experience intergrated above/below/inside the buildings.
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C B
B A
A
A
Physical Model 1/32”=1’-0” 3d print component + Museum board
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B
D
E G
G
F C
D
E
F
Plan
C
D
E
F
Section
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Drifted Grid
Relaxing Center and Library Iceland Group project with Qiyao Li
Based on the research of Mies’s National Gallery of Berlin and the BMW car project by Olafur Eliasson, this project employs the grid system in multiple layers of membranes in orders to negotiate and create micro-climates and use environmental factors as agents to generate connections and separations of spaces. The building consists of three layers, each of them has an undulating form that is developed by the principle of catenary system. Water floods into the bottom bath level on a daily basis, the different flooding area on low tide and high tide generates a shifting and ambiguous boundary that delineates the interior and exterior. The grid of the mid membrane applies a gradient of distance towards the outside therefore results a change in magnitude of undulation. The membrane reads from flat floor plate to structural support, where it meets the bottom layer becomes enclosed room and where it joins the top layer a skylight is cut out. The roof is designed as translucent membranes pillows to better conserve the heat in the interior and to make the second floor a light filled space. Thin columns are employed to differentiate the spatial quality from the bath level.
Low Tide
interior
transitional
exterior
Medium Tide
interior
transitional
exterior
High Tide
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I
G
H
F
E
D
C
A
B
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
9
A
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
10
20
40
9
A Amphitheater
Relaxing Area
B
B
Amphitheater
Rest Zone
Cafe
C
C Performance Area
D
D
Amphitheater
Sauna
Massage
Hot Bath
E
E
F
F
Steam Room
Steam Room
Cafe
Hot Bath
Cold Bath
Hot Bath
Sauna
Sauna
Hot Bath Sauna Rest Zone
relaxing area
Cafe
G
G
Changing Area
Pool Bath
reading area
Cafe
H
Cafe
H
Sports
Reception
Office
Changing Rest Zone
I
I
Library Level Plan
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Bath Level Plan
80
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05:32-05:51
03:26-03:28---06:37-06:44
Scenario 2 The staircase make of transparent materials enables the transition of viewing/being viewed of a subject.
Scenario 1 A twisted staircase creates perplexity and also allows 360 degree viewing conditions for the subjects situated in the middle.
Urban Spectatorship
03:14-03:20
Avery Fisher Hall Lobby Reappropriation Lincoln Center, New York
Scenario 3 Staircase also encourages subjects to consicously engage in the change of vantage point and invites them to sit down and observe.
A staircase becomes a vantage point which generates a series of spectator-event scenarios. The conventional configurations of programs are rewritten and recomposed through these specified vantage points, movements, and calibrated light conditions. The arrangement of program produces different scenarios of viewing and being viewed. Different programmatic spaces are connected, and each one becomes the extension of the others.
01:26-01:35 stage(stand)---actors(viewers) stand(stage)---viewers(actors)
Scenario 4 Moreover, Staircase has the quality of both stage and stand, on which the subject becomes the performer and the viewer at the same time according to different reference frames.
Staircase scenario application daytime concert DJ night
VIP
1, 2
Bar Lounge DJ stage
service
3, 4 stage sta
dance floor d
stands
film screening
private events
3
seating g
cafe
Bar Service Bar storage
screen
backstage
4 platform p latfo
catwalk
seating
dance floor
change room
stage
stands
canopy
2
3 3, 4
swing dance class periodic programs spatial flow
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fei chen | work samples
fashion week outdoor concert
exsiting 2nd floor lobby
+18' 0" cafe
section2
DJ stand
Bar service section1
dancing floor
reappropriation
+21' 10"
concert seating
runway +18' 0"
inversion
branching
wrapping
movie screening/ exhibition +34' 5" bench +30' 9" DJ stand
+36'
+41' 4"
+39' 1"
private event +47' 6"
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Professional Works Philharmonie de Paris Atelier Jean Nouvel
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fei chen | work samples