NICO CHEN PORTFOLIO by Nico Chen

INDEX Recent works: Void

Winter 2017

- Reconstruction of a beer factory Weaving path

Winter 2019

- Studio apartment for textile artist Underground metropolis

Fall 2018

- Regeneration of an underpass area

Undergraduate works:

P O R T F O L I O

Urban farmcube - Academic research of urban farming Crossing the dimensions

HUAQIN CHEN

- Art installation

Other works - Intuitive shoebox SELECTED WORK FROM 2015-2020

Summer 2016

- Sculpture - Lamp design - Sketch

Winter 2015

01. Void Reconstruction of an experimental beer factory

2017.12 Factory renovation Independent work/ Academic work Castel Maggiore, Bologna, Italy "The mould of space" is used by Peter Zumthor in the Therme Val. Apart from the "void" in architecture, "void" also exists in people's experience. The beer culture evolution made me think about redefine the factory. To let the people's activities to create another "void".

winter 2017

120M

Ga llie

120M

100M

Via

120M

100M

120M

co on

120M

aR nd

Roto

I. Site profile

n co

100M

Via

100M

area C

area A

Main entrance Cargo transportation

Exit area B

Via

Ro nc

in i

a u Q

do o im

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Villa Zarri

100M

43Â°33'35''N, 11Â°21'14''N Castel Maggiore, Bologna, Italy Northern Hemisphere

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Via

Castel Maggiore, a small town in Bologna, Italy. The area facing Villa Zarri is relatively rural, but it will vary a lot in the future. site

Many retail stores and commercial facilities are about to be built to enhance regional attractiveness. This will increase the potential customer and increase the influence of the producer.

village 100M

farmland 0

100 m

The site is at a street corner of the town, surrounded by fields and some tenants. The factory is considered to the landmark of the place. It is next to a hotel and is surrounded by a park.

Void

winter 2017

II. Case study

III. Background

The therme vals. Peter Zumthor.1996

Placeness

New Dialoge

Weaken Structures

therme

tunnel

Old

Peter Zumthor

Void

Excavate

Architectural Whitespace

Hotel Memory

Villa Zarri

Y.1578

Y.2018

Beer Culture Evolution

Taste

Socialize /Chill out

Priority order

Integrate

Q: Why do people drink beer nowadys? Structure

Grassland

A: Chill out & taste

Function

Sense

IV. Redefine factory

Environment

a. Void in space

Light & Shadow

PEOPLE

Mountains

Solid All Solid

hot spring

MATERIAL

BUILDING MATERIAL

+ +

Traditional Factory

BUILDING TYPE

PRODUCTION

Embed

Void

New Factory

PEOPLE

a. b.

Hierarchy

= Bath

Spring

“privacy”

a. Get involved

b. Void in five-sense experience Noise Function Preparation

Outdoor Bath

Raw material

Indoor Bath

Bath

Beer production:

Beer making process

Assemble

Let people in

Void

b. Placeness

Bath

7 5

13 8

After Bath

15 17 10

19 18

Void in void

Taste, purchase, exhibition, eat

25 14

23 24

Water Temperature Variety

People: Structure 42℃

Sense

36℃

42℃

-℃

32℃

30℃

Gneiss Outdoor Semi-Outdoor

Void

Study model V. Solid & Void

Strategy

Function division

Beer Making

Brewing Process

Void

Solid

STEP 1

STEP 2

Malting/ Grinding

Lautering

STEP 3 Favor SOILD

3:00 p.m

STEP 4

12:00 p.m 9:00 a.m

fermentation / Store

Original beer factory VOID

Chill out / Others

Solid

VOID

Chill

Exhibition

Beer Production

12:00 p.m

SOILD

Tasting

Kitchen+ Basement

Restaurant

Taste + Sales + Exhibit + Restaurant

Void

Office Kitchen

3:00 p.m

Transportation

Gallery Entrance

9:00 a.m

Figure-ground drawings

Mould

Poch

Excavate

Cave

Beer Production

B1 Beer storage

Void Void in shadow

winter 2017

VI. Light & Shadow

Void in unit

Roof study

Keep the roof structure

Heterogeneity

Homogeneity

Gathering

ORIGIN

LOWER

COMBINE

Original Space Form: Homogenizing Because of the single functional requirements in old factories, the oringinal roof turns to be homogenizing. In new factory design, there are different functional space with different light requirements.

EXTEND

By studying the light & shadow variety in each unit, I found out that I can change the roof â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s direction or height to create particular shadow effect. As they have different combination, it can create special light condition for each particular volumn

Void

winter 2017

VII. TYPOLOGY Void 1. entrance 2. gallery 3. restaurant 4. exhibition 5. tasting &shopping 6. kitchen 7. transportation 8. office

Solid a. Raw material b. Beer production c. Assemble d. Storage e. Assemble f. Send out Void

winter 2017 winter 2017

SOLID

VOID

VIII. Circulation

Void in SOLID

Solid in VOID B1

Void

winter 2017

IX. Layout & Section

Section- Front view

Section- Right view

Void

winter 2017

X. Void in five sense

The first step is malting...

Around 9:00a.m, the light beam welcomes people into the factory in the entrance area. People can learn the brewery process by four "flow windows": Malting-Lautering-Favor-Assemble.

Oops...There is a cellar downstairs. L1

Lager No.6 is good. I will buy another shot upstairs! I wanna try Ale first.

The center roof is lifted to invite more light to the atrium space. From this, people may notice the cellar downstairs by the light's instruction, and leads the stream to B1.

B1 Void

winter 2017

Where is No.15 Ale...

After visiting the cellar, people can walk upstairs to the tasting area to pick up the number they tried just now. They may buy what they love or grab some food to the restaurant. The restaurant area is most enlightened area around 12:00p.m.

Void

02. Weaving path Studio apartment for textile artists

2019.12 Renovation for collective housing, Independent work/ Academic work Downtown Providence, RI, United States This project is aim to apply adaptive reuse in a historical building and change the use into collective housing. According to the comprehensive research on the site, I chose textile artists as my audience to serve. The "patches" on the back wall are traces of the building's memory. Using the way of 2D weaving into 3D space is my main concern in this project.

winter 2019

MENTAL PLAY |

MAPPING

SITE PROFILE

STREAM The main stream comes from Northeast side of the site.

EXPLORING OLD AND NEW THROUGH THE PROCESS OF IN & OUT.

Name:George C. Arnold Building Location: 100 Washington Street, Providence, RI Area: 6000 square feet Usage: Ground floor retail, upper floor residence Built in 1923 History background: The building has been vacancy for a long time after the use of parking lot and has been vacancy again after the fire in 2009. It has been repaired in 2014 finally

SUN PATH The front side takes most sunlight during a day. The back side takes the least.

G ARNOLD

6:00a.m 12:00p.m

6:00p.m

CAR FLOW The main car flow comes from the north-east side. Cars go in and out from the parking lot behind the site. VACANCY

VACANCY

1990s

2009

REPAIRED 2014

SOUND The Washington Street creates much more sound than the parking lot area.

ART AND RECREATION AREA IN DOWNTOWN 1899

1908

1926

C F BROOKS

1960

GEORGE C. ARNOLD

PRESENT

GEORGE C. ARNOLD

BUILDING USE The most function around the site is retail and education. The site is located in the art and recreation area of downtown.

EDUCATION

PARKING LOT

RETAIL/ ENTERTAINMENT GOVERNMENT/ ARCHIVE HOTEL/ RESIDENCE ART/ RECREATION

Weaving path

winter 2019

OLD VS NEW

①

②

REPAIRED

ATTACHED

③

PATCH The backside wall has never been done. Traces of former architecture elements creates a pattern like patchwork quilt.

Weaving path

winter 2019

Research model

Audience research Textile artists/craftsman

Redefinition

Living

Studio Retail Living

Retail

The textile structure (The industry and the process)

Summary of design process in design studio

New relationship between users a.

Fibers

Commission

Yams

Showing portfolio Dyed

Natural

Sourcing designer

Woven

Apparel

Non-woven

Printed

Dyed

Furnishing

Technical

Artist Artist

Artist

Ideas generation and research Design sketches Creation of final designs

Medical

Retail

Studio

Home

New relationship amoung space

Collection developed Presentation

Product Retail

Briefing

Fabrics Knitted

Custom- Artist er

Conncet

Home

Design selection Purchase of design

Home

Retail

Home

Customer

Textile designers have to blend technology - chemistry, fibre physics, knit, weave and spin - and aesthetics colour, composition, texture and form - to create textiles that meet customer requirements. These factors alone justify textile design being allocated its own professional category. This paper, using case studies of practising textile designers, maps the textile design process.

Studio

Home

Retail Home

Home

Home Home

Home

Weaving path

winter 2019

STUDIO + APARTMENT STUDIO + APARTMENT CONCEPT MODEL

APARTMENT

STUDIO LIGHT

PRODUCTION METHODS

WEAVING

INTERLACING

KNITTING

OLD

NEW

WEAVING

FELTING

INTERLACING HEAVY

FELTING

Weaving path

winter 2019

STUDIO + APARTMENT

ROOM FOR 3

ROOM FOR 3 INTERLACING BOX

KNITTING BOX

ROOM FOR COUPLE

RETAIL

ROOM FOR SINGLE

WEAVING BOX WORKSHOP AREA

FELTING WORKING ZONE

LONGITUDINAL SECTION SCALE: 1/4

Weaving path

winter 2019

INSIDE/ OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE

Weaving path

STUDIO + APARTMENT winter 2019

UNITS TYPOLOGY

ROOM FOR 1 PUBLIC DINNING ROOM SHARING BATHROOM

ROOM FOR 2

ROOM FOR 3 SHARING BATHROOM

DRY-WET DEPART

bathroom

sink

bathroom

Weaving path

03. 02. Underground metropolis Regeneration of an underpass area

2018. 07 Public space Independent work/ Academic work New Hongqiao Centual Park, Shanghai, China Urban of of citycity construction leaves split split of urban space.space. After UrbanResearch-Research- The Thetime timeinconsistency inconsistency construction leaves of urban overall understanding about the history and currency of the site, starting from the space limitations After overall understanding about the history and currency of the site, starting from the to find the possibility "gray space limitations tooffind thespace". possibility of "gray space". Disheartened Space Application in modern public space-find the matters of the space, Disheartened Space Application in modern public To space-Tointernal find the internal matters to problems even create new possibilities by the space limitation brought the site. of solve the space, to and solve problems and even create new possibilities by the by space limitation

brought by the site.

250M

250M fall 2018 250M

250M

I. Site mapping Shanghai, China

Commercial complex Administration (VISA) Office

250M

Universities International kindergarden

Senior residence

Middle schools

Hospital

Basement Residence

250M

Museum

250M

Hongqiao New Centural Park

Residence (council housing)

Cultural residence

Hotel

250M

Restaurant

Entrance Cafe 250M

Restaurant Metro P

Parking lot

250M

Bus station Site

Highway

Stream

Commercial

Car flow

Office Residence

250M

Park

Story background Shanghai New Hongqiao Centural Park, 130000m2, was established in Y2000. A few years later, Yanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;an Highway was built beyond the northern entrance of the park. Because of this historical reason, a negtive large gray space has been formed. This is a very general urban negative space in China. With the rapid development of urbanization construction in China, especially for first-tier cities like Shanghai, urban

250M

architecture continuously updates therefore creates numerous urban negative space, some of them are pretty large areas like this site.

Underground metropolis

fall 2018

II. Thesis study Urban negative space

Negative architecture: introverted, nonhostile to nature, useful, not aggressive, and finally disappearing; Respect, respect history, local culture or natural form; Through material suspension or hoisting, formed a quantity of order, but this order gradually into a disorder of freedom, sometimes is a transition, and itself the quantity of order is inside collect, is transparent, building internal and external not tough division, thus the boundaries of architecture and environment is fuzzy, otherwise known as fusion; Let buildings disappear is not appearance, but the construction (relative to the past building as the space is a possession of a strong stance) in front of the history, culture, environment "disappeared", he is not is springing up in space invaders, not occupy a space of the despot, but server, is attached. - Kengo Kuma It seems that negative space is negative and positive space is positive. But in some way, Positive space is continously wasting and consuming surrounding's energy. On the opposite, negative space, like many supply depots are actually providing energy to surroundings. This helps me spur to think about regenerate this underpass area.

III. Status quo in scale Macro analysis

Building type

Traffic

User division

Noise level

IV. Strategy

The entire underpass area has been strictly devided into three parts: sidewalk, transition area and the space inside the park, which directly made the transition area a grey space.

Medium analysis

Micro analysis

The original space is a in-between space in

All functions are separated and with no

All-closed boundary with only one entrance.

Office workers are the major users of the this

The entrance and the restaurant part is the

the middle of the avenue and park.Beyond

connections between each other.

Crossline by people sream and car flow.

park and the underpass area.

noisiest. The rest of the space is lack of

the space is an overpass whose branch has

There is no versatility of the buildings, half of

The most activated area is the entrance and

human activities .

crossed the boundary which blocked the west

the underpass area is used for parking lot.

the restaurant.

side of the space.

Underground metropolis

fall 2018

V. Spatial matters Court

Restaurant

VII. Programming Entrance

Step 1. Category discussion

Parking lot

Function

Function 2.

Status quo

Problems

Purpose

When my turn???

4. Narrow entrance

7. Too much parking lot space（186’）

2. Isolated court with a low usage.

5. Crossline with car flow

8. No versatility of the buildings.

3. Not enough space for restaurant with a long

6. Functional isolation

9. Boring experience

Enlarge restaurant area

Open up

other parts

& enrich

entrance

Repel

Step 2. Strategy

Blocked!

Housewife

Move

Additional function

Event generator

Stay Without any structural or function limits, this area can be a social area with no fixed function.

Rush hour

+ Key problem

Structural adjustment The most tricky issue in this project is that an

elevated branch blocks west side of the underpass. In order to open up the whole area, I lower down

Rush hour

Old

Bond Invite

&leave space for people who want to stay.

Businessman

Activate this area

Meet the basic needs of passing through

+ ?

Stay

10. No continuity between parts

Transition in space

+ ?

Associate with

Redefine

1. Being blocked by a branch of the viaduct.

waiting line every day

+ ?

the layer of this zone to creat a spatial relationship

Lower down the layer

of watching and being watched.

Secondly, the origin site is lack of sunlight. To invite sunlight into the space, I add a transition area

Student

between the building and the park to let the sunligh

Watching & Being watched

in which can be a great space for sunbath or other activities.

Noise level

Single section sketch

Activated area Step 3. Multiply functions

VI. Concious concern

f spatial In prblems, found prblems, out through researching process that most users spite ofIspatial I found out through researching process ace(officers) just consider here as a pass-through area. that most users of this space(officers) just consider here as a passthrough area.

ct, the old have a total different rhythm with office workers in a common ich is quite interesting.

1. “Straight” sight 2. Generation gap

Bookstore Entertainment plaza

In contract, the old have a total different rhythm with office

Entrance

Events Center

Entrance

Community service

The old

in life. a common is quite interesting. crocosmworkers of urban Young space peoplewhich has no time to slow down their hythm. Different generations hold their own life timeline. Hence they don't or intersect each other. Thiswith is microcosm of urban life. Young people has no time to slow

Sports center

down their working rhythm. Different generations hold their own life timeline. Hence they don't interact or intersect with each other.

Office workers

All activated!

Underground metropolis

fall 2018

VIII. AXO & SECTION PHRASING

Sect

ion E

-F

Phrase III. Event generator A. Community service Space A is the quietest of all. On the south-east of the park is the residence area, mostly are public houses

Phrase II. Move & Stay

Cou

from the old Shanghainese. For the sake of old people, a open-ceiling community service area is built

D. Main entrance

Rest

aura

here to enrich nearby residents’ daily life. People can read magazines, books or newspapers here. They

For daily rush hours, the basic

can also play chess, take lectures and crafts classes.

needs for transport should be Park

B.Secondary entrance

satisfied. A wider main entrance is

ing lo

Without any limitations about circumstance, this zone is more flexible using. To lit up this space, I put a

built for officers and workers to Skat

secondary entrance here to attract more people and to bond Space A and C.

pass through.

±0.0

e pa

C. Events center

Meanwhile, a bookstore is set for

Opposite to this area is Shanghai Mart, a place with a lot of runway and exhibitions. In this area, I build up

other people who are not in a

a few movable doors to satisfy different events. For example, all doors can be blocked if there is a Tshow

hurry is to stay and chill.

on the way. As an urban market is going on, all doors can be opened up to invite passengers.

D Phrase I. Watching & Being watched E. Entertainment plaza

The restaurant area has been widely enlarged. In spite of the constructural limits, I still try to find out a relationship between space E and F. Hence I put it to the west side of the building to create a “watching & being watched ”relationship. People who are having lunch can see people playing basketball. And basketball players can see the lunch place, either. The entrance of parking lot is set on the west side of the entrance because there are less people

come from this side. The parking lot area is narrowed to satisfy basic needs. People can take the elevator to get to parking lot. After parking, they can get outside to chill out in the skate park. This is the place with most sunlight. F. Sports center

Most lively space of all. People can do to the convenience store and take shower after sports.

F. COURT

E. ENTERTAINMENT

D. MAIN ENTRANCE

C. RUNWAY/ BAZAR

B. SECONDARY ENTRANCE

A. COMMUNITY SERVICE

Underground metropolis

fall 2018

Noise Circulation

IX. Exploded view

Quiet

Activities

Link

A. Community center

UNDERPASS METROPOLIS In general, my goal is to create a heterogeneous urban underground public space. To look for better strategies to solve problems based on status quo. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, to bring more possibilities in space.

ent

Basem

ent

Basem

Also, the whole design tries to bond people in different ages, occupatons, hierarchy, to create more polybasic space where can embrace everyone. Thereout, to create an underpass metropolis.

1.4M

B. Secondary entrance

C. Runway/ Bazar B.

Basement

D. Main entrance

Bookstore

Restaurant

Elevator

E. Entertainment plaza

L1 Parking lot

Skate park

E. F.

locked

F. Court

Flexible elements

Public bath

Blocked area Stream Car flow Passibility

Convenient store

Loud

Basement

Underground metropolis

04. 03. Urban Urban farmcube farmcube Academic research research of of urban urban farming farming Academic

2016. 06 06 2016. Pavilionand andstructure structure Pavilion Independentwork/ work/Academic Academicwork work Independent Shanghai, China China Shanghai, The scale of China's urbanization accelerate the disappearance of rural life. of However, the The scaleand andpace pace of China's urbanization accelerate the disappearance rural life. farming activity is everywhere to be seen in China. However, the farming activity is everywhere to be seen in China. What II tried is to findfind a strategy whichwhich can satisfy different groups of peopleofand is not subject What triedtotododo is to a strategy can satisfy different groups people and is to site constraints. should be easy to built,be adjusted orbuilt, tore down by time. not subject to siteItconstraints. It should easy to adjusted or tore down by time.

summer 2016

Urban farmcube

summer 2016 summer 2016

Urban farmcube

summer 2016

Urban farmcube

summer 2016

Urban farmcube

summer 2016

Urban farmcube

05. Crossing the dimensions Art installation

2015. 12 Art installation Independent work/ Competition work Shanghai, China This project was done in a college-enterprise cooperation workshop hold by Swarovski and my undergraduate university. Actually, Swarovski crystals are made of glass. The cutting technology of Swarovski made me think of maths and science. At that time, I was interested in films like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interstellarâ&#x20AC;?. This leads me to make an installation related to time and space.

winter 2015

I. Preface

III. Concept profile

IV. Installation generation

Crossing the dimensions I attempted to capture a moment which can let people cross the dimensions. In this specific time and occasion, the space would be folded, time would be twisted. Three dimension frames are transformed by the time machine (4th dimension). People who are watching it will feel themselves crossing the dimensions.

The 4th dimension In fact, people are three-dimensional creatures and cannot perceive higher dimensions. What we can feel, and can only feel, is the projection of fourdimensional objects onto our three-dimensional world as they change over time. Inspired by this, I try to create a high-dimensional geometric space vision based on this idea.

II. Artist study

"Hard Edge" style Joseph Abel was the pioneer of American "abstract after abstract painting" and "OP Art". He always adhere to the form of geometric abstract painting. His modeling became simple after 1940. And he started to explore the subtle relationship between color and modeling. Each square had no distinction between figure and background, which was called the style of "Hard Edge".

Crossing the dimensions

winter 2015

V. Time machine details

Sketch

Three dimensions are transforming because of the central time machine. It is ran by real clock mechanism, which made the installation always in motion.

second hand

minute hand

hour hand

gather assemble

movement behind

Model making process

Crossing the dimensions

winter 2015

VI. Intervention in place Museum profile

Position

Intervening mode

SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art.

See directly

The museum's current collection includes over 33,000 works of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design, and media arts.[1] They are displayed in 170,000 square feet (16,000 m2) of exhibition space, making the museum one of the largest in the United States overall, and one of the largest in the world for modern and contemporary art.

Visual illusion

Crossing the dimensions

winter 2015

Position

As window display

Crossing the dimensions

summer 2019

06. Other works Intuitive shoebox MODELING+ COLLAGE DRAWING Using three words(cut-twist-spacious) to create an intuitive shoebox. (Concept taken from 'Crossing the dimensions')

The idea of "Cut-Twist-Spacious"

Sketch

Section drawing

summer 2019

COLLAGE DRAWING

SHOEBOX

Material: museum board, toothbrush, ink, paper

Material: museum board, corrugated paper

Smoking man

2015. 08 Sculpture Size：40*22*13 Material：glass fiber reinforced plastics Shanghai, China In this sculpture, I tried to capture the characteristic and impression of a smoking man by the rough sketch and faded texture.

Fusion 2015. 05 Lamp design Material：PVC Shanghai, China Inspired by the cell mitosis, I designed a streamline shaped lamp. It is formed from organisms' deformation.

Sketch

05. Other works