Zichen Yang Portfolio

ZICHEN YANG PORTFOLIO

OUTLINE

Based on 7 years of architectural design studies, my design philosophy revolves around sustainability, inclusivity, and human-centeredness. I aim to fulfill the commitment

to addressing real-world challenges with creative and thoughtful design solutions. The experience and skills that I have gained inspired and motivated me make a meaningful contributions as a responsible Architectural Assistant.

01 [ Building Futures Beyond Food Poverty ]

Dignity Food Bank Research & Design

02 [ Friendly Community ]

Co-occupancy community of Pet Friendly & Age Friendly & Eco-friendly

03 [ THE NEW METAL WORKS ]

Heritage protect and reuse

04 [ Bullet Cracks ] Memorial hall design

05 [ Time // Class ]

Architecture Design brtween Time & Class

06 Professional Projects

Internship projects at BENOY

07 Supplement Projects

Building Futures Beyond Food Poverty

How can we reimagine the UK food bank services system to give food-poverty groups a more equal and dignified space.

Duration: Sep.2023 - Jun.2024

Type: Individual Work

Instructor:Rosie Park, Stefan White, Mark Hammond

In December 2023, I visited the Mustard Tree food bank located in the Ancoats area of Manchester. I explored the service system of traditional food banks and found that individuals experiencing food poverty often feel stigmatized when using food banks because the service system tends to create a complete distinction between donors and those facing food insecurity.

Inspired by the proverb "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," I recognize that addressing food poverty requires more than just providing food aid. It necessitates a focus on education and training to help individuals improve their dietary habits and enhance life skills, thereby fundamentally addressing the issue. By translating the concepts of "giving fish" and "teaching fishing" into architectural language, I aim to establish a service and education system for those experiencing food poverty. I hope to contribute to reducing the proportion of food poverty in the UK.

I interviewed food poverty people and volunteers at the Mustard Tree food bank, inviting them to create collages expressing their ideal vision of a food bank. Based on these collages, I designed a food bank space that reflects the preferences and aspirations of the food-insecure community.

Site Location

Food Poverty Against Strategy

Fresh vegetables and fruits are grown on the farm, where people can participate in hands-on planting courses.

The harvested organic vegetables and fruits are partially used as ingredients for cooking classes, while the rest is provided to food-poverty populations.

The cooking workshop offers classes that teach people how to prepare healthy meals.

Food waste is transported to a facility for processing into fertilizer, which is ultimately supplied to farms and converted into nutrients required for plant growth.

The service system provides job opportunities for food-insecure individuals. They participate in food cultivation, preparation, sales, and the operation of the service system.

Journey

Effective skills training can help food-poverty peopke develop healthy eating habits and enhance life skills. Considering that students are also a vulnerable group susceptible to the impacts of food poverty, we can provide additional support through skills training centers. This not only helps them overcome challenges but also provides opportunities to acquire employable skills and improve living conditions.

Cooking Workshop

Cafeteria Roof Garden

FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Co-occupancy community of Pet Friendly & Age Friendly & Eco-friendly

Duration: April.2023

Type: Individual Work

Instructor:Joe Dempsey, Emma Harward

For this project we have been given an area of land located by the North General Manchester Hospital which is located in Crumpsall, North Manchester. The hospital and surrounding area is undergoing a huge radical re-development to enable high quality services and to help address the longstanding health inequalities within the areas of North Manchester.

The aim is to design a HAIN Masterplan that sits within the overarching NGMH Masterplan. Within the site we will all develop individual plots to help contribute tothe overall design. Each plot design has been developed for a specific residential typology and margenalised actor(s) within the community which has been chosen through careful research.

The aim of the project is to create innovative neighbourhood for everyone of all ages,cultures and needs. we have been tasked with using inclusive design methodolgies in which we also need to incoprrate social infratsructure (e.g. a doctor practice, community hall and nursery ) in which both the residents and surrounding community can use to create a central hub. The use of timber has also been a key element to the brief to make sure we are designing sustainably.

Site Analysis

Opportuni�es

Possible to become the connec�on between two green space.

Can provide ac�vity space for residents of the community.

Possible to become the connec�on between two green space.

Can provide ac�vity space for residents of the community.

Possible to provide a space for seniors in and around the community to interact.

Threats

May block sunlight from residen�al areas.

Lack of parking

May block sunlight from residen�al areas.

in the vicinity of the site. Need s for parking.

Lack of parking space in the vicinity of the site. Need s for parking.

May block sunlight from residen�al areas.

Co-occupancy

Lack of parking space in the vicinity of the site. Need s for parking.

Lack of parking space in the vicinity of the

of the site. Need s for parking.

User Research I

Older couple family

Mr and Mrs Smith live in Crumpsall with their dog Poppy, who is their only companion in their daily lives as their children live in London and have little time to visit.

Sometimes they get bored and wish they could interact with people their own age and meet new friends. They love children and are often envious of older people who have grandchildren to keep them company. Mr Smith relies on a cane to walk and would like to see more accessibility at home

This house type has two shared spaces, a shared balcony and a shared entrance. The shared balcony is a place where neighbours can chat and have a cup of tea. Back indoors you can enjoy a private and personal space. At the shared entrance, residents can relax and greet their neighbours' pets. These two spaces s are designed to stimulate more neighbourly interaction.

Family without pets

Family with pets

Living room View

Single parent family with a kid

Newton is a single father who lives with his 5 year old daughter.His daughter is very active and the family needs a lot of space for her to run around. She really enjoys talking to adults and thinks she can learn a lot.

It is necessary for this type of house to be spacious and to have a space to communicate with the neighbours, which is better for the children's development.

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This unit was designed with space in mind for single parents to supervise their children while doing household chores. Parents can clearly see their children's activities on the balcony and in the living room through the kitchen window while they are cooking. It is easy for parents to look after their children.

This house type provides a shared entrance space. Single parents and elderly families k can meet at the entrance.

This space allows for more interaction between neighbours

SHARE

Belcony View

Bedroom View

Lvingroom View

Single parent family with two kids

Kelly is a single mother who works as a carer for a charity in Crumpsall. She lives with her two daughters, Sophia and Mia, aged 8 and 10.

Sophia and Mia go to school together every morning and spend a lot of their day at school, but at home they need lots of space to play. Kelly loves making crafts and would like to have her own space for her crafts. She would like to have her own space for her crafts as her daughter is very naughty and often messes up her things.

The living room can be turned into a shared space. When the neighbours agree the common wall between the two units can be opened up to become a common living room where the two families can move around together. When the partition is closed the two units become private spaces where daily life can take place.

Bedroom View

Lvingroom View

The planting of greenery on the building façade creates a green barrier. The greenery barrier also creates a microcli-mate in the buffer zone of the building façade. The effect of the façade goes beyond the function of the building itself and improves the air quality in the new city by absorbing carbon dioxide.The façade is formed by a combination of three levels of structure: timber frame, sunshade shutters and plant barriers. The combined effect is to block out the sun and improve the comfort of the building.

THE NEW METAL WORKS

Heritage Reuse Project: A Design of communication centers for marginalized groups

02

Duration: Oct.2022

Type: Group Work

Instructor:Joe Dempsey, Emma Harward

For our project we explored how we could transform a derelict ex-industrial wharf (Finsley gate) into a local hub for community involvement, skill-sharing, postcapitalist transactions, inclusivism, multiculturalism and a site form growing, cooking and learning about how to eat healthily and efficiently. We identified single-parents and mothers as our economic actors who had seen the roughest of times during the cost of living crisis. The vast majority of these people are in low-paid, insecure jobs and are having to feed their families off one income alone.

The centre was designed to help these people and offer them kitchens to prepare dinners as well as daycare spaces for their children to be occupied in the mean time. Another aspect of the design was that people could come and learn to grow/produce their own food, using the urban farms on site. The overall design solution is to create opportunities from within the town, with a hope to have a larger impact on Burnley.

The atelier-wider approach is to use Degrowth & the RIBA sustainable strategies as a framework to make sure our projects are responsible and can actually bring about socioeconomic changes. We feel we have been able to achieve these approaches not only in an architectural aspect such as material sustainability/environmental strategies but also in social aspects such as creating spaces/commons that seek to improve well-being.

INTRODUCING BURNLEY

INTRODUCING BURNLEY BURNLEY

DEMOGRAPHICS &

COST OF LIVING

Haritage Analysis

Finsley Gate Wharf contains 3 no Grade II listed buildings within a walled compound fronting the canal. The site has been vacant for approximately 20 years and the condition of the buildings have deteriorated due to vandalism, theft of materials and rain ingress. Over the past couple years the Trust has undertaken some work to the buildings to protect them and prolong their life.

Burnley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is 21 miles (34 km) north of Manchester and 20 miles (32 km) east of Preston, at he conﬂuence of the River Calder and River Brun. The town is located near the countryside to the south and east, with the towns of Padiham and Brierﬁeld to the west and north respectively. It has a reputation as a regional centre of excellence for the manufacturing and aerospace industries.

The Boatyard Warehouse: is Grade II Listed and currently in a derelict,vacant state. It is the former boatyard warehouse and boat repair workshop located on the western side of the application site. The building is predominantly two storeys inheight constructed from sandstone with a central singlestorey section finished in part red brick and part render. There is a pitched roof, which was formerly stone slates but is now currently finished with a temporary covering. This building faces north over hardstanding toward the Leeds Liverpool Canal.

the United Kingdom Lancashire Burnley

Ashlar Faced Stone

Window and Door Frames

Natural Cut Stonework

Concept

Based on the program the main building will be designed as a cooking workshop with an urban farm and child care centre for single mothers. The space will also include a cafe and a place to exchange shared supplies.

We will also reuse the transportation function of the canal to facilitate the transportation of goods for the farm and cooking workshop, and to reduce the environmental pollution caused by car transportation. The space will provide opportunities for single mothers to work and learn culinary skills. While they work their children will be cared for in the children's centre.

Functions

Due to the placement of two different buildings with different users (the cafe and the children's Space space), the space is designed to increase the connection between these two buildings, create a safe space for children to play, and increase their relationship with nature.

Green House

Garden

Urban Farm

Canal Wharf

Cooking Workshop

Children Care

Cafe

Playground Outdoor Cafe

Bullet Cracks

Memorial hall design

Duration: Sep.2020

Type: Indibidual & Academic Work

Location: Austin,America

Instructor: Wenbo Zhang

Gun violence incidents have become one of the biggest social security issues in the United States. Subjectively, citizens have a huge amount of guns, making it easy for people to obtain weapons on impulse. Social pressure caused by money, race, and gender has become the objective cause of gun violence.

In order to awaken people's yearning for peace, I propose to build a gun violence memorial along the river in Austin, Texas, USA. I chose Austin because the citizens here have experienced the tower shooting of the University of Texas at Austin, which is more likely to resonate.

In this design, I use the emotions of the people who witnessed the shooting as the basis of the space design, and guide the flow of the visit based on their psychological changes before and after the shooting. I hope that in the form of space, visitors will not have to experience the real damage of the shooting. You can feel the fear, helplessness, and despair of the victim, and call for the reduction of violence .

Gun Violence In America

Character Psychoanalysis

Concept Itera�on

When vic�ms of a shoo�ng have experienced fear, they o�en have a false self-percep�on of themselves, and many people will feel self-blame for not helping other vic�ms. Having been troubled by this emo�on for a long �me, they mistakenly iden�ﬁed themselves as the murderer who killed the vic�ms. At this �me, their iden�ty and emo�ons began to change to the murderer, and even started shoo�ngs for revenge.

The concept of the building comes from the cracks caused by bullets hi�ng the glass. The radia�ng rays from the bullet hole and the circular cracks enclose the exhibi�on space of the memorial hall

Site Loca�on

The site is located in north Austin, Texas, USA.

On a quiet grassy site on the banks of the Colorado River, not far from the famous Pennybacker Bridge, a cross-arch bridge that spans Lake Aus�n and connects the north and south sec�ons of loop 360 highway. The ﬂat site provides excellent site condi�ons for the memorial,The surrounding viewing pla�orm brings a large number of visitors to the memorial.

Nestled in a quiet wooded area along the Colorado River overlooking the famous Pennybacker Bridge, the building is like a bullet hole piercing the shattered landscape. The Hall of Mirrors juts out into the Colorado River, where reflections of water and reflections of mirrors evoke thoughts of peace.The tranquility of the water is used to calm visitors and awaken people's hatred of gun violence.

Lacan

Exhibation Space

The shoes left behind in the aftermath of gun violence incidents have been transformed into poignant exhibits within the gallery. Each pair of shoes tells a powerful story.

The auditorium space faces the Colorado River, providing a tranquil area for visitors to calm and reflect at the end of their tour.

Aurtorium

Life is like a maze, some people often because of the pressure of life, money and other reasons lost in the maze.

Life is like a maze, some people o�en because of the pressure of life, money and other reasons lost in the maze.

Viewed from above, the cylindrical space looks like a bullet wound through the building, and its walls record information about major shootings in recent years.

Viewed from above, the cylindrical space looks like a bullet wound through the building, and its walls record informa�on about major shoo�ngs in recent years.

Viewed from above, the cylindrical space looks like a bullet wound through the building, and its walls record information about major shootings in recent years.

Fragments of metal are sca�ered in the central pool, the tension is calmed, and the sunlight in this space seems to encourage people to start a new life.

Fragments of metal are scattered in the central pool, the tension is calmed, and the sunlight in this space seems to encourage people to start a new life.

In the dark corridor, only the roof gives out uniform light, as if walking into the time tunnel, memory seems to return to that painful picture.

In the dark corridor, only the roof gives out uniform light, as if walking into the �me tunnel, memory seems to return to that painful picture.

In the aftermath of a shooting, those who witnessed it often wonder why they could not have been brave enough to rescue those trapped.Mirrors on the walls reflect people's reflections in the water, prompting visitors to think

In the a�ermath of a shoo�ng, those who witnessed it o�en wonder why they could not have been brave enough to rescue those trapped. Mirrors on the walls reﬂect people's reﬂec�ons in the water, promp�ng visitors to think.

In the aftermath of a shooting, those who witnessed it often wonder why they could not have been brave enough to rescue those trapped.Mirrors on the walls reflect people's reflections in the water, prompting visitors to think

The metal le�ering on the wall of the mo�led concrete exit evokes people's desire to reduce the number of shoo�ngs and have a peaceful world.

The metal lettering on the wall of the mottled concrete exit evokes people's desire to reduce the number of shootings and have a peaceful world

TIME // CLASS

Architecture Design brtween Time & Class

Duration: Jul.2021

Type: Team Work

Collaborator: Shenzhou Dai,Zhongrui Shu

Instructor:Yan Yu

Contribution:Concept 45% ,Plan 60% ,Drawing 75% ,Model 30%

05

The information revolution and technological revolution have brought tremendous changes to the way of life of mankind. A lot of time is occupied by electronic products, and people feel that 24 hours is becoming more and more insufficient.

In the context of increasingly scarce time, we have reconstructed the world. One day in the future, time will become a bargaining chip for direct capital control and transactions. At this time, time will replace money and become currency in circulation. , The society divides classes according to the amount of time they have, and the high class has a lot of entertainment time. The low-class people need to spend a lot of time working every day, but their entertainment time is very limited. They need to work constantly in exchange for time to make a hierarchical transition.

These three ﬁgures represent three groups of people living in the vertebral space. The worker living at the bo�om has only 12 hours a day and spends most of his �me at work.Benedict XVI, who lived in the middle, had a 24-hour day, working and playing rela�vely evenly;At the very top, W. Bubbe�, as the master of �me capital, has 36 hours, most of which he spends entertaining

We divide the world into working cones and bliss cones, and the working cones and bliss cones operate all the �me.Time earned by labor in the work cone can be spent in the bliss cone, or it can be hierarchical transi�on.The higher the level, the more leisure �me the residents have, the less �me they need to work, and the higher the level, the fewer residents can enjoy the space.Residents of lower �ers want to reach higher �ers and need to spend more �me earning the right to move to higher �ers.

Theology

I.Time in bible

Mercury was called mercury who is the messenger god in roman mythology. Mercury is the smallest and closest planet in the solar system.

Venus originated from the goddess of love and beauty in roman mythology. Venus is the slowest of the major planets.

The average rota�on period of the earth rela�ve to the sun is called an ordinary day, which is deﬁned as 24 hours of ordinary solar �me.

The name comes from Mars, the God of war in ancient Roman mythology. The average Mars day is 24h 39 min.

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.Jupiter's rota�on period is 9h50min.

The Bible

II.The Cross

“With the Lord a day is like a thousand years,and a thousand years are like a day.”

We try to compare it with the �me diﬀerence caused by the diﬀerent rota�on speed of planets in the universe.

(2 Peter 3:8-9 New International Version)

The shape of the cross, as represented by the le�er T, came to be used as a "seal" or symbol of Chris�anity.At the same �me, it is the instrument of torture when Jesus was cruciﬁed. We try to evolve the image of the cross into the facili�es in the space and make it conform to our an� utopian world view.

Mercy

III.Catholic Church Hierarchy

Its English name comes from the God of agriculture in roman mythology. One rota�on of Saturn is equal to 10h33min , about half the �me of the earth.

Gravity (from La�n gravitas ‘weight’), or gravita�on, is a natural phenomenon by which all things with mass or energy—including planets, stars, galaxies, and even light—are a�racted to (or gravitate toward) one another. The gravita�onal a�rac�on of the original gaseous ma�er present in the Universe caused it to begin coalescing and forming stars and caused the stars to group together into galaxies, so gravity is responsible for many of the large-scale structures in the Universe.

Gravity has an inﬁnite range, although its eﬀects become weaker as objects get further away.Gravity is most accurately described by the general theory of rela�vity (proposed by Albert Einstein in 1915), which describes gravity not as a force, but as a consequence of masses moving along geodesic lines in a curved space�me caused by the uneven distribu�on of mass.

Isaac Newton (1643~1727)

The

City View

The smog produced by the factory envelopes the city, and the waste generated by the ruling-class cities is constantly being discharged to the working class. In such an increasingly harsh environment, workers have to continue to work to earn time, but they cannot achieve the conditions for level promotion.

So many people began to climb to the upper level. The process of climbing is very dangerous. Some people keep falling into the abyss, but there are still many people who are eager to change lives in this way.

PROFESSIONAL PROJECTS

BENOY Intership Projects

Through 3 months Internship experience I involved in commercial projects Predesign, SD, DD, CD process and have experience in Facade design.

Zhangjiakou Beijing Northwest International Talent Education Community | RIBA Stage 0-3

Duration: Aug. 2023

Type: Team Work

Business Strategies

Site Analysis

Commercial View 2

Commercial View 1

Commercial Project, Shanghai, China | RIBA Stage 3-4

Duration: Jul. 2024

Type: Team Work

Illuminated acrylic brick

Silver-gray metal grille

Laminated glass with a metal backing

Laminated glass with a grille backing

Commercial Project, Shanghai, China | RIBA Stage 3-4

Duration: Jul. 2024

Type: Team Work

Chaoyang Joy City, Beijing | RIBA Stage 2-3

Duration: Jul. 2023

Type: Team Work

The project involves redesigning the existing sunken plaza space, taking into account the impact of the existing building's beams and columns on the spatial usage. In this area, I have arranged terraced planting spaces to accommodate the varying ceiling heights.

BENOY

Canopy Strategy 1

Sunken plaza design

Canopy Strategy 2

Canopy Strategy 3

SUPPLEMENT PROJECTS

Undergraduate Career and Internship Project Overview

Through my study, I have been trying to explore the boundary of architecture and I am glad that I have the chance to respond in my own voice, to the question in different ways.

Photography

Site: Venice, Italy/ London, UK/ Qinhuangdao, China

Ancient Architecture Research

Site: Kunming, China

Aug, 2020

"Bamianfeng" is one of the unique regional buildings in Yunnan. Many ancient buildings have been overrenovated and lost their original appearance because of the deconstruction of commerical streets. I surveyed and mapped the most intact "Bamianfeng" to preserve the building data.

Site: Kunming, China Dec, 2019

This is a rammed earth building research project jointly developed by my undergraduate school, Kunming University of Science and Technology and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. It is committed to building environmentally friendly and earthquake-resistant housing for rural areas. As a volunteer of the "One University, One Village". I had the honor to experience the process of making rammed earth walls.

Undergraduate Career and Internship Project Overview 2020-2024

Manchester, The United Kingdom Study, 2023, Individual

Inspiration Centre

Manchester, The United Kingdom Study, 2024, Individual

Food Oasis

Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China Internship, 2023, Group

Beijing, China Internship, 2023, Group

Northwest International Talent Education Community JOY City

Qingdao, Shandong, China Study, 2022, Individual

India Study, 2023, Individual

Allahabad, India Study, 2021, Group

Gannan, Gansu, China Construction, 2023, Group

Mountain Springs Haven Yangjiashanli

Decolonized Bathroom KUMB MELA Cabin Kunming, Yunnan, China Competition, 2020, Group

Kunming, Yunnan, China Study, 2021, Group

Lushui, Yunnan, China Study, 2020, Individual

Echoes of the CHAMA

Sentinel of Innovation

Mycelium Haven

Alpaca Haven Retreat

Zichen Yang Portfolio

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