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
30
Artwork
31
Walnut Group
34
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
8
Succession of Myth-telling
Site Analysis 9
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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
12
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
14
Rive r son Hud
Studio IV Site Location Instructor Teammate
Co-op
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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
son
chin Hut Rive r
Tri
3000 �
Co-op
! ne o Li bor
chin H ut
ne
i ro L
o Trib
How can urban renewal strategies meanwhile enhance urban environmental resilience?
3000 �
6000 �
Site History and Sea Level Rise Projection
15
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
19
Rotational Monument in Topography
monument
water filtration
Historical Migration of Sugar Products and Labor
20
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.
24
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
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nS
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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
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Park-Plaza
d Pe
Walking Promenade
Transition Pool Nursery
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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
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Park-Plaza
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Transition Pool
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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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Tapered Gateway
ge
Tapered Gateway
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
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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