WC_2017-2022

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2017-2022 selected works weichen01129@gmail.com 6268187754 Wei Chen

HELLO

Besides A Creative Thinker...

I am a genuine person who builds deep connections in all I do. I am dedicated to enhancing the human experience and linking individuals by empathizing with their stories and understanding their emotional needs. The world is complex, but what if complex problems can be improved by reviewing simpler systems? While adapting to human change, I refer to the primitive beauty of the world, pure human relationships and organization of natural systems, as the template for an idealized utopia in order to critique my own design. Ultimately, I believe design must both serve humanity and respect nature.

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8.2022-present

9.2017-12.2020

6.2018-7.2018

Education

Harvard Graduate School of Design (HGSD) - Master of Landscape Architecture, Cambridge, MA

ArtCenter College of Design (ACCD) - Bachelors of Science in Environmental Design, Pasadena, CA

GPA 3.79/4.0, Graduated with Honors

Harvard Design Discovery Program - Architecture Track, Cambridge, MA

Completed an intensive six-week program at the Graduate School of Design to explore graduate-level studio-based education in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning and design

5.2018

Course and Extracurricular Projects

MIT Media Lab “Make The Breast Pump Not Suck” Hackathon - Cambridge, MA

Collaborated with designers from diverse backgrounds to create better products, programs, policies, and systems to support breastfeeding and pumping with a focus on equity

9.2016-5.2017

School of Visuals Arts (SVA) - Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design, New York, NY

GPA 4.0/4.0, Transferred out, Honors for Fall 2017 and Spring 2017 semesters

Work Experience

9.2018-12.2018

Google Sponsored Project: Future Creators - ACCD, Pasadena, CA

Used an array of extended reality (VR/AR/MR) technologies, spatial sensors, photogrammetry, motion capture, controllers, and displays while interwoven the digital and the physical to imagine new hybrid tools for the future creators of 2023

7.2021-8.2022

Real Estate Architectural Assistant - Shenzhen Jitai Industry Co., Ltd - Shenzhen, China

•Confirmed in regular post in a month probationary period

•Took charge of Yangguangli Boutique Hotel project. Emphasized the value of branding, proposed the branding strategy of the hotel after site-specific research, determined target audience, theme, and marketing. Communicated with the designers to ensure the project outcome remained on track and could continue to the construction stage

•Ensured the diversity of market choice, modified the layout of an apartment in a feasible way, and increased its market value

•Communicated with construction in time to finalize the design of back gate within a week of the deadline for Hankai IHSMS project

9.2018-12.2018

Haworth Sponsored Project: Beyond Boundaries - ACCD, Pasadena, CA

Designed an outdoor collection of furniture to support the concept of offices expanding into working outdoors

Workshops and Conferences

11.2021

Seabed habitat maintenance - Dive For Love - Shenzhen, China

•Volunteer as a assistor for ocean garbage collection after completing DAD training

•Recorded and supported diver with rubbish sorting, weighing, and filling out Project AWARE sheet

6.2020-8.2020

Landscape Architectural Intern - AECOM - Shenzhen, China

• Competed as part of the AECOM team for the Guangming Lake Design Competition

• Researched classic design cases and created diagrams for different design strategies such as waterfront restoration and paths for animals in Illustrator; integrated the material in InDesign for the Guangming Lake Design competition

• Proposed a schematic design of the landscape for ShengJing Times Garden

• Rendered a preliminary conceptual design for WuYuCun Town in Photoshop

1.2017

10.2016

9.2016

Workshop by EverGreene - American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) - New York, NY

Learned fresco-making and the difference between conservation and restoration

Open House New York (Open House Worldwide) - New York, NY

Volunteered at New York City Hall

Imagining Textiles Student Challenge Day - ASID - New York, NY

• Received 2nd prize for our team

• Finished GANA theme textiles for an armchair in 12hours

6.2019-8.2019

Architectural Intern - Vector Architects - Beijing, China

• Finalized models for the Chengdu Luxelake Commercial Complex using SketchUp

• Researched and programmed a design for the Jingshanling Hotel through a sketch model

• Designed floor plan in AutoCAD for the Shenzhen Futian Primary School while following building code and program requirements

• Developed an exhibition on space planning and showcasing

9.2018-12.2018

Teaching Assistant - ACCD Visual Communication 3 Class - Pasadena, California

• Helped students develop hand drawing floor plans, sections, and perspectives

• Assisted students with their digitalized projects created through Photoshop

9.2016

Design Connext - AIA NY, IIDA NY, ASID NY - New York, NY

Engaged with architectural and interior design students from across New York

Skills and Interests

Digital

Sketch Up /AutoCAD /Rhino /Vray /Grasshopper /Twinmotion /Unreal Engine /Solidworks /Keyshot / Unity /Adobe Suite(InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere) /ArcGIS pro

Analog

Model Making /CNC /Laser cutting /3D Printing /Graphics Diagram /Digital Modeling /Rendering

Language

English - Fluent / Mandarin - Native / Cantonese - Conversational

Interests

Guzheng (Chinese Traditional Instrument) - level 10

Scuba Diving - Open Water Diver

Photography - interested in capturing the light and shadow cast by architecture

3 Spatial Experience Designer weichen01129@gmail.com
(+1)6268187754

INHALE EXHALE

2020 FALL/ Degree Project / Art Center College of Design/ Instructor: Emil Mertzel

Background: urbanization causing environment and health problem stand out even more New York, USA

A city breathing station. A filter that cleans up the city and refreshes your mind

Inhale, Exhale is an urban pocket park placed between high-rise buildings; it is a city breathing station with the goal of offering a buffer place with positive energy for decompression in intense life and deliver the importance of symbiotic with nature within a high contrast environment. It creates a ‘filter’ for your life and city so people who struggle with their fast-paced life can adjust their mood, feel the energy of their surroundings and recognize their inner divinity and peace under a cleaner city environment. As time passes, the park promotes intimacy between people and people, people, and nature.

Software: Rhino, Adobe CS, Auto CAD, Twinmotion

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The potential impact

Pocket parks can become the ‘biosphere’ between society and nature and the link that creates an intimate relationship between people. As a result, it increases the awareness of nature's preciousness, activates the public realm, and brings some positive impacts to people’s lives by offering a breathing area.

Current condition

Because of the uncomfortableness and lack of functioning space, most of the users use this space independently. It is difficult for them to play a positive role in social interaction and drive the surrounding environment. Such space provides relatively short-term use efficiency; people will not stay here for a long time.

Design principle

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Preserving the material of side building facade Keeping the short cut Balancing
nature and humans Let activity grow organically
Celebrating sky view Human scale related with speed perception Head down with phone while passing by Lack of privacy pausing space Bike with no seat 8 Spruce St, New York, NY
1 2 3 4 Section & Plans First floor Second floor
People from different levels all facing toward the middle and sharing their energy.

Form development

The form provides maximum surface area and increases wind flow for efficient performance.

Modular GFRC with titanium dioxide coating

Steel tube as supporting stucture

Steel tube create holes for inhaling polluted air

Structure layers

Modular GFRC be effective against a wide range of microorganisms. Integrated with greens that naturally produce oxygen.

Material strategy - Juxtaposed

The seating is made of concrete, which has a rough tactile feeling, and it is elevated from the ground by corten steel. The stone gravel under it responds to the seating and creates a scene of piling from the ground.

Material strategy - Primitive

Rock integrated with the concrete floor, responds to the idea of primitive.

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Modular GFRC Detail - Air purifier system The reclaimed teak on the stone veneer surface lights up the park. Detail - Terrace
7 Start the day/end the day in a good mood. Reconnect people, nature, yourself Improve the air quality of this area Creating a “filter” for your life

The Persian Gulf & Marshlands

Land projected to be below tideline in 2030

Land projected to be below tideline in 2090

RELAND

A floating island

Civilization is sustained through continuous reflection and improvement. Iraq Basra area is facing warnings about rising sea levels and could be engulfed in this century. Learning from local Marsh Arabs culture which use reed as material to build up foundation and shelter as their habitat, ‘Reland’ provides an adaptive solution to the area. At the same time, it has an iterative update of old methods to solve the problem that Marsh Arab people faced by reflecting current construction knowledge.

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Basra SEA-LEVEL-PROJECTION SOURCE: Leading Consensus (IPCC 2021) Central marsh, Iraq 2021/ Personal Research/ Advisor: Sonny Software: Rhino, Adobe CS Reed

Current construction method

Woven reed mats

Reeds beams

Woven reed mats with gaps for light and air

Reeds columns

Woven reed mats with gaps for light and air

Sitra

A long reed structure was used to shelter animals in bad weather

Dwelling

With the variable combination, it could form up as a Bayt (single-room dwelling), a Raba (a higher-status dwelling).

Layered reeds

Mud Mud Reed mat Reed mat

Reed fence

Proposal foundation

Reed bundles

Reed foundation

Reed grid

Reed fence

Reed bundles

Because it will be affected by seasonal drought and flood. With the proposal that the bottom is flexible, which can be used to adjust the position when there is water, the island can float up to avoid flooding. When there is drought, the bottom is convenient for placement and maintenance.

Different iterations

Mudhif

A sizeable ceremonial house paid for and maintained by a local sheik, for use by guests or as a gathering place for weddings, funerals, etc. Construction of it simulates the airplane's air circulation, which provides excellent ventilation and privacy.

Solar water purifier

Using solar energy to purify the water.

The combination holds with the flexibility of forming an enclosure environment.

Construct with an opening structure with the ability to provide shading.

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School Market
10
N
Central Marshes 31°00'05.9"N 47°00'43.0"E
School Dwelling Market Mudhif Sitra
Solar water purifier
Site planning
Zoom in perspective

Site Discovery

The park is the ‘bridge’ connecting the charles river with the urban city and it is also the connection point of urban civilization and wildlife ecology.

1% Flood risk in 2050s

While under the research of flood risk in the 2050s, in order to maintain the current statute and add more interactivity, people need to increase their awareness of prevention and take essential guard measures.

The Urban Renovation Plan happening in the future. White line represent new street from the renovation plan and some proposal path that lead the citizen to the park

Potential

The park softens the transition from civil to wildness and activates the vitality of space by allowing the liveness from the river and the human activity to infiltrate with each other.

LIVENESS INFILTRATION

Landscape as Framework for Public Recreation and Health

2022/ GSD MLA1 Core1 Studio_Urban Riverfront/ Advisor: Pablo

Boston, United States

Stimulate and release. The park softens the transition from civil to wildness and activates the vitality of space by allowing the liveness from the river and the human activity to infiltrate with each other. Different penetrance of land with water creates multiple qualities of space that create a high contrast experience between the west and east side. From being more concentrated on social interaction through enclosure space that provide different quality of space for both group activities such as volleyball and private need which could stimulate the brain; toward becoming more immersive within the surrounding environment through the opening path along and intersecting in the wetland which could release stress.

Software: Rhino, AutoCAD, Adobe CS

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Envision a programmatic profile that responds to ecological and social agendas for the park. Framework development

instead of using fence, use tree and brush to plant in layer providing a sense of order and coherence to the site

slope toward the side which is more suited for an individual's needs.

some of them slope toward the middle which are more suited for gathering and large groups and events.

East side

Having the sharepath elevated up that won’t be influence by flood risk and keep function. The other walking path along the riverfront will be disappear. In a sense of communicate a message of liveness of water.

12 Welcoming: Open to street Response to site condition:Topography Response to site condition: Existing tree vs. New planting tree Plan & Design Strategy Response to site condition:Program distribution Response to future: Wetland and drainage system Response to future: Circulation
West side

West side: Be with wildness,be in program (human occupy)

Park being cut in fragment, which provide different scale for program. Between each islands is a channel use as drainage system. which could also be use as path for boat transit when there is no heavy rain.

Transition

Transit from west to east. The two experiences start to fuse and change here. Path start to be on the side of island instead of crossing though. From the amphitheater to the ica which will be use as bird watch and provide education use. More engaging with nature but not human

East side: Be with program,be in wildness (wildlife occupy)

Use simple path with changing environment that allow people to be fused by nature. The bigger island giving space for future flood, and also giving space for wildlife to occupy.

West East

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FRACT AND RESEMBLE

Landscape as Space for Equity and Free Assembly

The increasing visible and invisible restriction bring up and enlarge the social contradiction. The plaza might fuction well back before 1956 but not for now in terms of the increasing constrainion. This project tackle the point of weaken monumentality of the city hall break the plaza into fragment, to provide comfort space for public engagment and increase the opportunity of bringing the community back. The form language using rigid edges to break the site into small parts and form the circulation. While response to the brutalism language of the boston city hall, increase the constrant of the site. While going through space, the intention of constrain between platform and layer of tree increase the experience of feeling fragmental. The view of looking backward also help evoking that feeling. But when you stand on top or being inside one platform, the adequate spacial quality bring up intimacy and feel more unity as whole.

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Boston, United States 2022/ GSD MLA1 Core1 Studio_Urban Plaza/ Advisor: Pablo
Software: Rhino, AutoCAD, Adobe CS Plan & Distribution diagram Circulation Tree location Gathering space split and direction ness Contour Plantation area
The government center urban renewal plan in 1956 scatterd and cleared out the neighbour to provide community service.
15 Detail cut out Section

SPLIT

A columbarium to reflect

Inspired by the pagan influences, Latvian folklore respects and welcomes death as a part of life interwoven with nature. ‘Split’ is a place that thinks of death as a transformation of life form, to bury the dead among sacred lands and forests, to grow the hope in the heart. While passing through fear and depression, it offers the moment of facing closer to the soul and getting a chance to reflect on the memory. In the end, understanding the spirit of the dead is like the protector; the memory link between the dead and live makes them exist and last.

Riga, Latvia 2021/ Competition/ Host: Bee Breeders/ Advisor: Sonny Software: Rhino, Vray, Adobe CS

1/ Exploration

‘Split’ cuts through the boundary of living and dead to create a middle space for reuniting.

2/ Site Plan

Come from the west side, past through the dark and silent forest, making you lose your focus point. It seems like getting lost in the forest while holding the ash. When arriving at the site, the view suddenly opened up. You could see a pure sculptural like columbarium buried into the ground, giving a sacred feeling. While walking down the stairs, the environment gets dark again.

'Split' is surrounded by daisies, representing hope, and it is the national flower of Latvia. The roof of it is also being covered.

17 N
2 3 4 N 1
Forest Cemetery in Riga, Latvia 3/ Plan 4/ Section
18 Spark of life Connection
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the same stair to enter and exit. By experiencing the route in different directions, it evokes different emotions.
Use
Meeting Garden Niche Area 500 niches Plaques made from stone Soul recall Holding ceremonies Entrance
Axon & Circulation
Daisies Garden Connecting up and bottom Hope Relief

Evokes Nostalgia

Among family, we provide each other with a sense of safety and companionship. While living together, when focusing on your personal needs, it is easy to ignore others’ emotions. Expressing needs clearly, and recognizing those of others becomes important. What if the building furnished a language that helped communicate and fuse different living habits? With clear information, misunderstanding between family members would decrease, and the home would become more compatible and open. This understanding and warmth would bring the family closer - becoming the place to which family members would gravitate.

Guizhou, China 2019 SPRING/ Sustainability Studio/ Art Center College of Design/ Instructor: James Meraz HABITAT Software: Rhino, Adobe CS, Unreal

Background: Precise Poverty Alleviation (PPA) strategy

China’s poverty reduction program, using the Precise Poverty Alleviation (PPA) strategy, sets precise targets for projects assigned to specific local officials, the use of capital, and dedicated assessment of end results. In some places, the government helps the poor move out from rural to city locations with new construction. This causes the loss of the traditional culture and doesn’t consider previous lifestyles.

Module development

Tilting the roof collecting rainwater 10x10x10 foot

Creating opening for sunlight Extending roof for shading

Research rescourse

“Beyond the Mountains” is the first documentary on the theme of alleviating poverty by resettling residents from rural to urban areas.

Conflict: Choice of inheritance between young and old

Most of the young choose to work in the city and stay in new housing. But the old will choose to stay in the place their ancestors left them. Their living environment doesn’t improve in the city, and it is not suitable for their health.

Research

Case study

Location

Quanli zu, Wuchuan, Zunyi, Guizhou, China

On top of the mountain

Culture

The town of Gelao is surrounded by bamboo and mountain, both of which represent ancestry. Here, housing always has a cultural room for a spirit tablet.

Program planning base on occupants, scale up and add unit.

Adjustable height adapt to site condition and control viewport.

1 2

Thermal mass - Summer

Skylight opening

Shading

5 3

Woodpellet heating system

Vertical-axis Turbine + grid-tie power

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“Don’t dig. If you dig, bury me in it.”
“I want to live a better life. I am already 30 years old. I need to continue the family line.”
“I won’t move. This is where my ancestors left off.”
Thermal mass - Winter 4

Plan & Section

Whether in the living area, or in one’s own room, residents feel the company of family members.

Pre-fab system

Detail Construction

Material base on the cultural and

Reinvent: Pre-fab system

Creating a pre-fab system that can adapt to different cultural needs and site condition, while including sustainable features. The sustainable system protects the environment and also helps the farmers lower their carbon output. In order to keep the variety of culture, implemented on different site, local materials are used, or re-used.

Why prefab?

Traffic convenience. Cheap. Environmental friendly. Flexible.

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Young Generation Middle-age Generation
Old Generation Spiritual Room Living Room Dinning Room
Plyboo Bamboo fibre Mortise and Tenon with hardware Column cap Post and beam construction ( Using pier for foundation Bamboo winding composite tube Mortise and Tenon with hardware Column cap Column cap Synthetic resin tile site condition
23 Spiritual room morning with sunlight Breaktfast view View from young generation study area After dinner, gather and chat in living area Living area Sky view in bed A day in the life
Close-up detail
Stairwell and view of courtyard and spiritual
room
Material Treatment Dimension 1 Walnut Wax 9-1/4” x 24”x 3/4” 1 7 3 2 4 2 Black Acylic 14-3/4” x 24” x1/8” 3 Brass Ball-peen 3” x 24” x 1/16” 4 Coldrolled steel Blacken 3” x 33”x 1/16” 5 Plywood base / 24” 24”x 3/8” 6 Chainmail Blacken 15” 17” 7 Steel rod Blacken 15”x 1/8” 6 24” 6” 15” 3” 3” 17” 4” 24”
The movement of open up the curtain. Evoke the sense of period, the touch of home. Warm and secure.
Model from front view
view of model
Detail

Having the sense of no barriers that outdoor could offer and collaborating with external people and groups are better for innovation. A semi-organic and semi-force environment combines different types of working stations into one piece of furniture for people to collaborate. It creates a small society that brings people together to build up networking.

Aperture is a new type of building component and window augmentation product. Using augmented reality, the window enables people to change what is seen outside in order to match what their interior space feels like. It blends the inside and outside and connects spaces that were isolated by the architecture itself.

Concept development

Point to point

Welcoming Functional Unity

HD Cameras(4)

Tracing Gaze

Software

Compilter Vision

HD Cameras(4)

Color Tracker

Open CV

Face Tracking

Component

Nano Microsuction

Cameras (4)

Auto Roller Shade

Projector ‘Lightbulb’

Window

Augumented Reality Graphics

Waveguide Tech

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Pebble For
Aperture For
Haworth
Google

Perfomative facade detail

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Kinectic installation Hyperbolic lighting Inspired by Hyperbolic space Hourglass lighting A night lamp has two strengths of light. When the lamp is facing up, it lights up the bedside area. When the lamp is facing down, the lighting becomes dense and good for sleeping.

THANK YOU

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Wei Chen 626-818-7754 weichen01129@gmail.com Creative thinker

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