Jiacheng's Work Portfolio 2020

Work Portfolio 2015 - 2020

Jiacheng Chen MLA Graduate 2020

University of Pennsylvania

1

Straying under the spectacle of rapid advancement, we have become more rootless than ever before. We must restore our lost sense of belonging.

Content

Design

Other

A Deeper Picturesque

01

Garden of a New Myth

07

Co-op City 2.0

15

Working Monument

19

UP UP UP!

24

Construction Drawing

29

Digital Modeling

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Artwork

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Walnut Group

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A Deeper Picturesque Studio I Site Location Instructor

Connecting Brewerytown and Schuylkill River Glendinning Rock Garden, Philadelphia Rebecca Popowski

How to perceive a place through and beyond the lens of picturesque?

With schist cliff, woods and lawn, the seemingly plain Glendinning Rock Garden actually has a rich history underneath.

Mica schist, the iconic bedrock underlying the city of Philadelphia, is revealed in a sunken garden here, where visitors are envelopped by this common yet unfamiliar geologic material. Nearby, the extinguished water work is recognized again for its industrial monumentality. These scenes are presented in a picturesque garden, which makes the proposed landscape something sutured back to its historical period.

Could this new image of the site re-orient people’s perception to reach beyond merely picture-like sceneries, and toward a deeper understanding of the place?

water

1

trenton gravel water potomac formation trenton gravel water formation kirkwood potomac formation trenton gravel manasquan formation water formation kirkwood potomac formation mount laurel formation trenton gravel manasquan formation water kirkwood formation wenonah formation water potomac formation mount laurel formation trenton gravel manasquan formation englishtown formation trenton gravel kirkwood formation wenonah formation water potomac formation mount laurel formation woodbury formation potomac formation manasquan formation englishtown formation trenton gravel kirkwood formation wenonah formation magothy formation water kirkwood formation mount laurel formation woodbury formation potomac formation manasquan formation englishtown formation clay trenton gravel manasquan formation wenonah formation magothy formation water laurel kirkwood formation mount formation impervious surfaces woodbury formation potomac formation mount laurel formation englishtown formation clay trenton gravel manasquan formation wenonah formation magothy wissahickon formation water kirkwood formation formation wenonah formation woodbury formation impervious surfaces potomac formation mount laurel formation englishtown formation clay trenton gravel manasquan formation englishtown formation magothy formation wissahickon formation kirkwood formation wenonah formation woodbury formation impervious surfaces potomac formation mount laurel formation woodbury formation clay manasquan formation englishtown formation magothy wissahickon formation kirkwood formation formation wenonah formation magothy formation impervious surfaces mount laurel formation woodbury formation clay manasquan formation englishtown formation clay wissahickon formation wenonah formation magothy formation impervious surfaces mount laurel formation woodbury imperviousformation surfaces englishtown formation clay wissahickon formation wenonah formation magothy formation wissahickon formation woodbury imperviousformation surfaces englishtown formation clay water formation magothy wissahickon formation woodbury imperviousformation surfaces trenton gravel clay magothy formation wissahickon formation potomac formation impervious surfaces

220’

0’

Schuylkill River

1inch = 1mile

Philadelphia Delaware River

Cinnaminson

Rancocas State Park

Transect of Regional Geology (Group work with Susan Kolber, Xan Lillehei and Aihong (Ava) Zhong)

TA EP

e

Lin

S Site

Market

Girard

1 Spiral Standpipe

2 Supply Pipes

3 Pumping Station

4 Filtration Plant

Ave.

30th St. Station

St.

Sc hu ylk

ill R

ive r

City Hall

SEPTA Transit Line

Schuylk

ill Rive

r

1.

Coal Shed

3.

Gir

ard

Fore Bay

Av e.

2.

A Schist Stone Wall On Site

4.

Glendinning Rock Garden is preceded by Spring Garden Water Works, which was built in 1845. The water works used to pump water from the Schuylkill River and fulfilled the need of local industries and residences.

SEPTA Transit Line

9.

Schist Garden Patte d’Oie

Schist Stairs

Kelly Drive Schuylkill River

Freight Railway

Memorial Basin Remediation Field

Water Works Foundation

ist Mica Sch

Bedrock

Site Transect

2

In the proposal, extensive excavation works are involved, such as that of the memorial basin, the mycoremediation display, and the sunken garden on the schist terrace. Monumental hedges are erected in the place where the pumping station used to occupy. Connected by undulating paths, these vignettes appear in a “pictureresque“ style, which sustains the aesthetic style that characterizes the current garden.

Site Plan 3

Schist Garden Plan

Cross Section

Longitutinal Sections

4

1. Register the footprint of the pumping station

2. Prepare the ground and mark pathways

3. Plant young trees, grow hedges and pave paths

4. Prune hedges further and nurture new groves

Sequential Sceneries 5

Planting Strategy

Phantom of the Past and Now 6

Garden of a New Myth Studio V Site Location Instructor

New Medici in City Florence Next to the Boboli Garden, Florence, Italy Valerio Morabito, Richard Weller

How to construct genius loci through symbolism?

Today’s Florence is a constellation of gods and fountains. During Renaissance, aqueducts were built to connect fountains in the city with surrounding valleys, which supplies clean water for Florentines.

Combined with mythological figures, such as Neptune, the aqueduct-fountain-god system symbolically and effectively implied the influence of its patron, the Medici Family, even though they lived afar on the other side of the Arno River.

Given the life story of “client” Gianni Versace, this proposal explores how to produce a myth of a celebrity on a site next to the Boboli Garden.

Medusa, Versace’s iconic figure, takes metaphorized forms in the garden and anchors the site in the existing mythological narrative in Florence. This overarching strategy agitates dynamics among the existing deity icons. By grafting with a larger net of signs, a sense of Gianni’s renaissance is manifested.

Fundamentally, this project strives to operate design within a nexus of symbols and tests how a sense of placeness can be aroused elsewhere, even if the site is absent.

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Manifesto

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Succession of Myth-telling

Site Analysis 9

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2

4

5

3

Generative Process of Site Plan

Site Plan

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Zoom-in I

View I

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Multiple Uses of Citrus Planters

Rail-Planter Ensemble

Zoom-in II

II

View I

Assembly of Wall Modules

Construction of Sloped Paths

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View I: Northward view towards Main Greenhouses at night

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View II: Southward view from a Pocket Garden between Boutique Greenhouses

View III: Southward view in Cuneiform Garden

Aerial View: From above the Boboli Garden at night

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Rive r son Hud

Studio IV Site Location Instructor Teammate

Co-op

?

Co-op City 2.0 The Tri-Boro Line Co-op City, Bronx, New York City Megan Born Robert Levinthal

City

r Rive son

r Rive

Hud

s on 6000 �

City

Co-op City has been enduring serious issues, such as severe flooding, shrinking marshland and unsound building conditions. The ground of some apartment towers have been sinking over the past decades. Though large sums of money have been invested for repair, the result is afar from its promise. Meanwhile, in a larger municipal perspective, Bronx has been seeking for a soccer stadium for over 10 years. Our proposal reckons this need as an opportunity to redeem Co-op City.

The proposal plans to build sports complexes that can both hold large events and serve local communities. Incented developments can kick off a series of new housing and commerical projects. By installing a berm with confetti of sports fields, the waterfront of Co-op City is transformed to be a resilient infrastructure of diverse uses rather than a weakness point.

The 2.0 version of Co-op City marks an attractive terminus in the new Tri-Boro Line and continues its utopian character in the age of climate change.

REC CITY Robert Levinthal & Jiacheng Chen

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chin Hut Rive r

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3000 �

Co-op

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o Trib

How can urban renewal strategies meanwhile enhance urban environmental resilience?

3000 �

6000 �

Site History and Sea Level Rise Projection

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Opposite page: Bronx From Dystopia to Resilience by 2055

Public Berm for Recreation

Opposite page: Overarching Framework

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6

10 4

11 1

12 3

8

2

9 7

5

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Fulfilled Design Scenario

Building Typology

Walking on Commercial Corridor

Biking Behind the Station

Tri-Boro Terminus: Station on the Marsh

Gondola Surpassing Railway

18

Drill

Working Monument

Handrail

Studio II Site Location Instructor

Rotating Arm Foldable Stage Retaining Wall

Delaware Waterfront Pier 59 - Pier 66, Philadelphia Karen M’Closkey, Karli Molter

How to organize a “landscape machine” that can correspond with the past one?

Walking Loop

Wave Pattern Reservoir

Delaware River waterfront in the South Philadelphia used to be a world-wide center of refined sugar production in early 1900s, when trans-Atlantic migration was also at its peak. The project takes the stance that, the cultural value of industrial heritage is embedded in functions, and therefore it is crucial to animate them for the purpose of commemoration.

The original process of sugar refinement is abstracted into 3 phases, which are translated for the purpose of phyto-remediation. Besides treating contaminated sewage waste locally, the rotating monument also provides a memorial space for local residents: the descendants of immigrant workers back then.

Distribution Channel

Foundation Eluviated Soil Subsoil

phyto-irrigation

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Rotational Monument in Topography

monument

water filtration

Historical Migration of Sugar Products and Labor

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Production Procedure in Sugar Refinery 21

On-site Nitrogen Flow

Site Organization Study

Site Plan / Section 22

Rotational Monument

Overlay of Multiple Systems 23

Riverside Sandy Pathway

UP UP UP Competition Site Location Teammate

URA Runway for Your Imagination Paya Lebar Airbase, Singapore Jiong Wang

How to metaphorize the projective energy of an abandoned airport?

To transform the Paya Lebar Airbase into a vibrant urban space, the proposal reenvisions the previous runway to be a linear “central park”.

In commemorating the airport history, our design proposes to recall the movement of taking-off and landing in airbase’s everyday operation, whose trajectory is manifested in an undulating canopy profile. Native plant species of different growing speed are planted in according positions for successional change. It is anticipated that, in decades, a rising canopy profile of the forest will form from East to West. Different degrees of planting intensity are also implemented, which registers the aircrafts’ tire friction on the runway.

Looking forward to 2050, the new forest would render the runway as a living landmark. We hope this continuum of green space will not only contribute to Singapore’s ecological system, but also invite people of all backgrounds to come, living with the evolving tree communities.

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2030

Courtyard Park

Heritage Area Museum

Urban Green Corridor South Gateway Country Park

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2

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Tram Terminal Friction Planting

Ped Bridge

Tram Line Forest Park

Friction Planting

Tram Terminal

Nursery

Forest Park Sports Field

Sports Field

0

Gateway

Office / Culture / Commercial

Residential

Logistics Center

50m 100m

200m

Country Park

PLAN_New Central Park Tunnel End Country Park Apartment

Nursery

Pedestrian Bridge

Crossroad Plaza

Tapered Gateway Planter of Friction

Guideline Pavement Tram Stop Arrowhead Land Art

Walking Promenade

Tunnel End

et

tre

nS

ria

t es

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Road

Park-Plaza

d Pe

Road

Transition Pool

SECTION_Canopy Growth Nursery

Gateway

Office / Culture / Commercial

Residential

Logistics Center

Apartment

Tunnel End

Nursery

Apartment

Nursery

Pedestrian Bridge

Crossroad Plaza

Planter of Friction

Country Park

0 Pedestrian Bridge

Crossroad Plaza

10m

Tapered Gateway

20m

40m

Tapered Gateway Guideline Pavement Tram Stop Guideline Pavement

Walking Promenade Transition Pool

Tram Stop Road

tri es

Road

Park-Plaza

d Pe

Walking Promenade

Transition Pool Nursery

an 10m

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Planter of Friction

Runway Paving_Parterre

ZOOM IN_1

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Residential

Logistics Center

Country Park Country Park

Apartment

Nursery Country Park

Apartment

Nursery

Pedestrian Bridge

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10m

20m

40m

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Tapered Gateway

Pedestrian Bridge

10m

20m

40m

Tapered Gateway

Arrowhead Land Art

ade Transition Pool

Arrowhead Land Art

Road

tri es

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Park-Plaza

d Pe

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Transition Pool

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Park-Plaza

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Runway Paving_Bench

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ZOOM IN_2

Logistics Center

Country Park Country Park

Nursery Country Park Nursery

ge

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10m

20m

40m

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20m

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Tapered Gateway

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Arrowhead Land Art Transition Pool Arrowhead Land Art Transition Pool Nursery

Nursery

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Runway Paving_Tree Planter

ZOOM IN_3

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Construction Drawing Elective Course Topics in Construction Instructor Abdallah Tabet and Lindsay Falck

Scale: 1’’=4’ 0

4

8

Bench Study

Scale: 1’’=2’

Bench Design 29

4 0

2

Fountain Study

Digital Modeling Core Course Instructor

Digital Visualization I-III Keith Vandersys

30

Artwork

Detail (Front)

Title Trauma Medium paper, ink & wood Year 2015 31

Detail (Back)

Pulp Painting Process

Title A Mountain in Fog Medium paper, ink Year 2015 32

Title Humble Administrator’s Garden Medium ink & cyanotype on mylar Year 2018 33

Title Fumigated Wall Medium inkjet print on mylar Year 2018

Walnut Group Period Format

April 2018 - Now Guest Lecture

Why I started this initiative:

In the Weitzman School of Design, there is a great proportion of international students coming from China. However, the voice and academic discussion of Chinese culture are quite limited, if not totally absent. I thought a big opportunity that multicultural dialogues could offer had been missed, which could have supplemented the knowledge that we learnt at school.

As a rising star internationally, China has been undergoing an unprecedented politico-economic experiment. In the mean time, its cultural rejuvenation is crucial as the riverbed for social changes. This awareness has been propagated by the state government in recent years, which is conveniently used as a tool for a nationalistic sentiment. Nonetheless, re-interpretation of the traditional culture still remains to be a great potential to actualize.

In my view, academia should be at the frontier of curating this idea, allowing different voices to encounter and echo.

Photo of the first goup event (credit: Xiaodong Zheng)

Event Posters 34

Jiacheng Chen

References Garden of a New Myth Index of Paintings on Page 9

1

2 3

1 Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo Bronzino, Agnolo, 1545 Oil on panel 2 Portrait of Ferdinando II de’ Medici Sustermans, Justua, 1650s Oil on panel 3 Virgin and Child with St Anne and Members of the Medici Family as Saints Butteri, Giovanni Maria, 1575 Oil on panel

4 5

4 Portrait of Gianni and Donatella Hofer, Evelyn, 1988 Color print 5 Versace Family Archive Alfa Castaldi, late 1980s Monochrome print

Sources 1.

2.

3.

4.

Versace logo: www. versace.com Manifesto central figure: Anonymous, Florence, Condotti d’acqua, source scale 1:12000, disegno a penna acquerellato, from historical archive of the municipality of Florence Aqueduct and preserve drawing: D. Lamberini and M. Tamantini. 2013. Le Acque del Giardino di Boboli. Livorno: Sillabe.

Campbell, Malcolm. (1996). “Hard Times in Baroque Florence: The Boboli Garden and the Grand Ducal Public Works Administration”. In Hunt, J. Dixon (Eds.), The Italian garden : art, design, and culture. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press.

chenjiac@upenn.edu

+1 267-586-5952

3307 Powelton Ave, Apt 2R, Philadelphia, PA 19104

EDUCATION

University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia PA Master of Landscape Architecture University of Georgia Athens GA Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

May 2020 May 2015

AECOM Shanghai, China Design Intern Compiled 3 case study documents for 3 schematic designs Drafted schematic site plan and views for Huzhou Botanical Garden

June - August 2019

Taktyk Studio Brussels, Belgium Design Intern Conducted design research for 2018 Brussels Urban Landscape Biennial Prepared presentations for 3 meetings with Center for Fine Arts Brussels

June - August 2018

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Walnut Group Weitzman School of Design, UPenn Initiator Hosted 10 guest lectures, with topics ranging from aesthetics studies to design practices Department of Landscape Architecture UPenn Research Assistant Prepared drawings for a public talk at TEDx Penn 2020 Organized a webinar named “Landscape, Contagion and Health“ Oxford Wetland Mitigation Bank Restoration Team Leader Set up working plans for a team of 4 Led the research of phyto-remediation and carbon sequestration Edited a sample chapter for Evaluation of Planned Wetland (EPW)

HONOR

Faculty Acknowledgement Award for Design Progress, School of Design

PUBLICATIONS

Shi, H., Lin, Z. & Chen, J. (2019). “Observations beyond the Site: Unfolding of Landscape Process in the Design of Duke Garden in Kunshan.” Landscape Architecture Frontier. 7(5), 108 - 119.

Featured work “Landscapes of Extraction and Sequestration“ in department publication Landscapes in Process Vol. 22 (2018), 56.

SKILLS

Softwares Languages

Rhino, Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator / InDesign / AfterEffect, AutoCAD, ArcGIS, Sketchup, Lumion English (proficient), Chinese (native)

April 2018 - Now January - May 2020

January - April 2018

May 2020

November 2019 October 2018