Portfolio 2024 Complete Version by MY_landscape

Yu University of Pennsylvania 2024

Menghan

Menghan Yu 余孟韩

ymenghan@upenn.edu

+47 48507966 Oslo, Norway, 0355

With experience living, studying, and working in diverse cultural settings, I've discovered a deep passion for exploring how people interact with landscapes, influenced by culture, climate, and social justice. My ongoing exploration involves intertwining aesthetics, sustainability, and equality, and integrating them into everyday landscapes.

I find inspiration in art and nature, which fuels my creativity and drives me to experiment with interdisciplinary design approaches.

EDUCATION

University of Pennsylvania

• Master of Landscape Architecture Philadelphia, US. 2021- Present

Beijing Forestry University

• Bachelor of Landscape Gardening Beijing, China. 2017-2021

PRACTICE EXPERIENCE

Snøhetta

• Landscape Architecture Intern Oslo, Norway. Agu, 2023 - Present

Michel Desvigne Paysagiste

• Landscape Architecture Intern Paris, France. May- Agu,

Elysian Landscapes

• Landscape Architecture Intern Los Angeles, US. May- Agu,

PUBLICATION

Wei Fang, Yu Menghan, Li Yixiao, Wang Xaingrong. “Research on Community Public Space Renewal Based on Tactical Urbanism— A Practical Path to Promote Landscape Justice [J]” Landscape Architecture, 2020, 27(09):102-108. 2020

SKILLS

Rhinoceros Grasshopper

AutoCAD

ArcGIS Pro

Adobe Suite Enscape

V-Ray

Lumion

Microsoft Office

Mandarin(Native)

English(Professional Proficiency

PROFESSIONAL WORK

Astridplein Antwerp, Belgium

Competition. Urban Plaza. 11,000 m2

Tidningskvarteren Marieberg Stockholm, Sweden

Competition. Urban Space. 40,000m2

Exness Headeadquarters Limassol, Cyprus

Competition. Masterplan. 210,000 m2

Project Tucson Abu Dhabi, UAE

Competition. Feasibility Study.

Diriyah Gate Parks Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Competition. Park. 160,000m2

5941 Kanan Dume Rd Malibu, US Commission. Residential. 50,000 m2

11692 Stardust Dr Las Vegas, US

Commission. Residential. 7,000 m2

Present 2017-2021 Present 2023 2022 Public Landscape Proficiency)

With Michel Desvigne Paysagiste With Elysian Landscapes With Snøhetta

WORK SAMPLE

CHAP.01 HUMAN AND NON-HUMAN

Eco Chapel

Sustainable material | Religious community

Black Sand

Climate change | Responsive coast

Snow Buffer

Prototypical Topography/ Sound scape

CHAP.02 COMMUNITY FIRST

Lost Atlas

Cultural heritage | Urban healing

Just Green Enough

Anti-gentrification | Productive landscape

Poro-CITY

Industrial campus | Public trust

CHAP.03 RATIONAL LANDSCAPE

Parametric Playscape Grasshopper

Urban Agriculture Feasibilty Study ArcGIS Pro | AfterEffect

CHAP.04 AARTSY

Unfold Clean energy generator

Assemblage Sensory garden

Shadow Weaver Bamboo pavilion

CHAP.01

HUMAN AND NON-HUMAN

"The human condition is merely one among numerous others in a world full of similarities, exchanges and movements that point upwards, downwards, inwards and outwards."

Critical Coast

Eco Chapel

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Typology: Sustainable development

Individual Work | 2021

In Ethiopia, climate change and excessive reclamation efforts have turned once-fertile land barren. Despite ecological degradation, the site retains potential for religious and cultural significance, as well as mushroom habitats. The Orthodox faith inspires a communal routine blending pursuit of an imaginary Eden with forest conservation, giving rise to the Eco Chapel concept.

Mushroom cultivation, adapted to seasonal precipitation rhythms, recycles organic waste and supplies the Chapel with plastic mycelium material, serving various needs. Mycelium functions as a versatile building material, including bricks, seats, and coffins in the dry season, while degrading in the wet season to enrich soil for new mushroom cycles. This mycelium circulation aligns with regional climate characteristics, fostering communal life and bridging human activities with ecological remediation.

Black Sand

Location: Baltim, Cairo, Egypt

Typology: Climate Adaptation

Collaboration with Xiya Xu | 2021

The Nile Delta, once fertile and vital for sustaining Egypt's population, now confronts a pressing threat from rising sea levels. Harnessing the economic potential and adaptability of black sand offers a solution to multiple challenges. By utilizing its unique properties, such as flexibility, we can substitute traditional industries, restore ecosystems, and slow seawater intrusion.

Creating artificial sand terrains and repurposing sand mining channels can introduce a salt marsh system to contain encroaching brine. This, along with integrating bay salt industries and strategic topographic design, provides a new path for the sinking delta to coexist with rising seas. This approach bridges human activity with ecological remediation, fostering resilience amid environmental change.

Snow Buffer

Location: Debert, Canada

Typology: Soundscape

Collaboration with Wen Zhou | 2021

In Debert, Canada, the lengthy snow season fuels winter sports but leads to runoff issues when it melts.

Near a residential area, the airport, though underutilized, remains vital for casual aircraft. Urgent measures are needed to handle snow and mitigate aircraft noise.

Clearings at the airport can be repurposed into sound-absorbing landscapes for noise reduction and snow storage. Inspired by the Chladni model, this design counters aircraft noise and enhances winter space positivity.

CHAP.02 COMMUNITY FIRST

During my time at the University of Pennsylvania, my social identity encompassed more than just being a student; I was also an international, a newcomer, an outsider, and a minority. These personal experiences sparked a deep interest and passion within me for amplifying the voices of the vulnerable through reimagining inclusive urbanism.

Lost Atlas

Location: Coatesville, PA, United States

Typology: History Preservation

Instructor: Molly Bourne

Studio III | Weitzman School of Design | Fall 2022

A lyric reflects, "this life is sharp as Coatesville steel," evoking the resilience of America's premier steel production hub. This project seeks to unveil Coatesville's obscured history, honoring the indomitable spirit of the black community's hard work and self-expression across generations.

Inspired by the region's 300-year steel legacy, the project highlights the overlooked hands behind the industry's grandeur. It acknowledges ongoing struggles for cultural recognition among African Americans in the area.

To reconcile labor with heritage, I propose reclaiming space through the BLACK way. This envisions labor not as marginalized but as a healing process weaving the past, present, and future of the black community together.

Just Green Enough

Location: Fishtown, PA, United States

Typology: Post-industrial landscape

Instructor: Misako Murata

Studio II | Weitzman School of Design | Spring 2022

Fishtown, on Philadelphia's gentrification fringe, faces ongoing struggles. Gentrification persists, leaving affluent areas with lush green spaces while disadvantaged communities lack them.

The "Just Green Enough" concept by Curran and Hamilton highlights the paradox of creating green spaces for vulnerable communities, often leading to gentrification, termed environmental gentrification.

This project aims to define "Just Green Enough" for Fishtown. It proposes an experimental urban green renewal process aligned with local environmental goals. It seeks a balance between environmental enhancement and anti-luxury stances while fostering community access and engagement with green spaces.

REMEDIATION NURSERY COMPOST URBAN AGRICULTURE

Poro-CITY

Location: Kingsessing, PA, United States

Typology: Urban design

Instructor: Christopher Marcinkoski

Studio IV | Weitzman School of Design | Spring 2023

This studio focuses on a proposed future life-science campus in Kingsessing, West Philadelphia. Through extensive research, we identified two primary concerns: public suspicion towards the pharmaceutical industry and the failing waste management system in Philadelphia. These issues reveal a disconnect between the public and urban administrators. The focal point of both concerns is the clogged circulation.

The proposed biotech manufacturing campus in Kingsessing aims to reshape the image of the life science industry as transparent and publicly engaged. This will be achieved by carefully orchestrating circulation to facilitate smooth industry operations while ensuring harmonious coexistence with public access. Such an approach fosters direct interaction and knowledge exchange between the neighborhood and biotech companies, thereby promoting a positive impact on the community.

0 10’ 20’ REGIONAL RAIL PLANTER PLAZA PARKING PLANTER BUFFER PEDESTRIAN BIKE LANE GRAYS AVE PATIO PLANTER PLANTER PATIO ARRIVAL BUILDING RAIN GARDEN BUILDING 0 10’ 20’ COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL OFFICE OFFICE

CHAP.03 RATIONAL LANDSCAPE

Computational. Systematic. Objective.

Parametric Playscape

Location: Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Typology: Grasshopper Study

Instructor: Keith VanDerSys

Media II | Weitzman School of Design | Spring 2022

Urban Agriculture Feasibilty Study

Location: Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Typology: GIS Study | Animation

Instructor: Keith VanDerSys

Media III | Weitzman School of Design | Fall 2022

Scan to play animation

CHAP.04 ARTSY

"Art is not confined to galleries and museums. It can be found in the smallest of details in nature."

Roberto Burle Marx

Unfold

Location: Mannheim, Germany

Land Art Generator Design Competition | 2022

Collaboration with Zicheng Zhao, Wei Xia, Andreina Sojo, Priyanjali Sinha

We designed an organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar system to generate 22 MWh per unit each year. The artwork provides additional social cobenefits including water harvesting for irrigation. A shortlisted entry to the 2022 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Mannheim in partnership with BUGA 23.