· ziqing chen ·
Rhode Island School of Design Master of Landscape Architecture
Landscape is a portrait that comes across the land's most powerful personality.
ZIQING CHEN zchen@risd.edu 401.338.2483 141 Transit Street, Providence, RI 02903
EDUCATION 2014-Pres
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI Master of Landscape Architecture, 2017
2010-2014
China Agricultural University, Beijing, P. R. China Bachelor of Agronomy, 2014
SKILLS DIGITAL
AutoCAD, Sketchup, Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, ArcGIS, Lumion
HANDCRAFT
Watercolor, Pencil Sketch, Chinese Painting, Physical Model Making, Photography
LANGUAGE
Mandarin (native speaker), Cantonese (native speaker), English (fluent), Japanese (basic)
EXPERIENCES PROFESSIONAL
Future Green Studio, Brooklyn, NY, 2016 Jun - Aug Design Intern, roles include concept design, planting design, 3D modeling, rendering, and construction documentation.
EXHIBITION
Precipice, Sol Koffler Gallery, Providence, RI, 2017 Principles + Process, Sol Koffler Gallery, Providence, RI, 2015
TEACHING
Plants & Design Seminar, Rhode Island School of Design, 2017 Teaching Assistant Technology & Materials Seminar, Rhode Island School of Design, 2016 Teaching Assistant Site | Ecology | Design Studio, Rhode Island School of Design, 2016 Teaching Assistant Topic in Representation Seminar, Rhode Island School of Design, 2015 Teaching Assistant
CONTENTS GROWING FIELD Urban Plaza I South Boston, MA, 2015
CHARLES VISTA Urban Design III Watertown, MA, 2016
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MULTI-SURFACE Ecological Design II Fox Point, RI, 2015
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MYSTERIOUS PATH Conceptual Design IV Barrington, RI, 2014
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MEMORY CORRIDOR Full Scale Installation VI Barrington, RI, 2014
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RECIPROCAL THRESHOLD 43 Full Scale Installation V Providence, RI, 2016
OTHER WORKS VII 2006-2017
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I GROWING FIELD A Growing Grid Leading to the Future Individual Work Advisor: Micheal Blier, Mary Lydecker, Sae-Hyun Kim South Boston, Massachusetts
South Boston was built up from an industrial origin and transforms into a culture industry. Because of the rapid transformation and development in this area, Recently, South Boston is facing gentrification. In respond to the changing demographics caused by the gentrification happening in South Boston, this project celebrates the complex but exciting transformation from the past to the future through a growing tree grid system. The strong and even grid layout features the organized industrial city and similar demographic structure. The different growing characteristics of 3 tree species highlight the growing variation of the city as well as people’s activities.
Detail Model made by Rhino, rendered by Vray
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SITE ANALYSIS The development of Seaport District accelerates the development of residential area in South Boston. The old houses are replaced by new expensive condos gradually, which attracts more younger and richer people. Along with the trend of gentrification, there is a force to connect South Boston and South End because newcomers tend to expand their activities zone to a bigger scale. So there are two gestures crossing our site, as the center of forces coming from two directions.
Developmental Influence
Gentrification
Connection
Gestures
Concept Diagrams GIS Site Analysis
2 Grid Systems
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Fill the Void
SITE DESIGN There are three main groves -- white oak, red maple and river birch -- are intentionally incept into the gateway to South Boston surrounding by different things: old Gillette factory, new high end apartments, and developing Seaport District. The seatings in different groves are meant to let users fully engage with these species based on their characteristics.
TR
AV EL ER
ST
NEW APARTMENT Master Plan
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DOC E
R AV
TE HES
GILLETTE BUILDING
W 2ND ST
OLD CONDO
NEW CONDO
WB
RO AD WA Y 0
6
10
20
40
Miles
PLANTING STRATEGY Trees are living force, which can grow and evolve, just like the community. Over time, the different growing of trees in different area marks the succession of the community. The mixed oak and birch grid near the Gillette building stays stable overtime. The maple grove and birch grid near the new condo grow the fastest among all trees, reflecting the rapid development of the new community. And the big birch grove near to Seaport District will grow steadily.
Planting Pattern Growing Diagram
INCEPTION
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Red Maple: Acer rubrum
White Oak: Quercus alba
River Birch: Betula nigra
Inception
5 years
Gentrification
10 years
Old Southie Seeding New Culture in South Boston
10 YEARS
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15 years
New Southie
Detailed Section
A - A INCEPTION
A - A 15 YEARS
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DOC AVE TER HES
A
GILLETTE BUILDING
W 2ND ST
OLD CONDO
TR
AV EL ER
ST
NEW CONDO
A WB
NEW APARTMENT
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RO AD WA Y 0
10
20
40
Miles
II MULTI-SURFACE A Gridded Field Connecting Humans & Animals Individual Work Advisor: Theodore Hoerr Fox Point, Providence, Rhode Island
In order to nurture an active oyster culture in Providence and introduce an ecological solution in an urban context, this project is introducing a layer above the water to provide people several ways to explore the multiple surfaces, and to interact with marine animals. By applying concrete poles in an orthogonal framework embedded in an organic topography, it creates a habitat for oysters, which also provide various spaces for diverse human activities not only above the water surface, but also into the water.
Handmade Site Model
BACKGROUND PROVIDENCE IN THE OCEAN STATE A TRIP BACK IN TIME Providence in the Ocean State, was an significant industrial trade shipping center around the world. NOWADAYS The declining of shipping industry caused few ferries surviving in the city. People in the city can only see rivers and a small part of Narragansett Bay. Therefore, Providence is hard to be recognized in the Ocean State.
FUTURE In this project, the proposal ferry route can be the connection between Providence and the entire bay, creating a new cultural center of the ocean state.
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SITE ANALYSIS FOX POINT For more than 100 years, Fox Point was an important trading port in Providence. With the developing size of trading ship, the turning radius in Fox Point could not fit the huge ship any more. So people abandoned it. To redevelop Fox Point as a ferry park helps to build a historical identity of the city.
State Scale Analysis City Scale Analysis Concept Diagrams
URBAN COSTAL ECOLOGY BEFORE City, people, and the water are seperated. People always stop at the edge of the water.
AFTER Introducing the oysters to connect people, water and the city, letting people going into the water, not just watching it.
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SITE DESIGN MULTI-SURFACE The first surface is the earth. The second one is the tide surface. And the third one is a new topography created by the vertical concrete poles, applied as an orthogonal framework embedded in an organic topography.
Tidal Pattern 1/20 Site Model
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SUMMER NOON
SUMMER SUNSET
WINTER NOON
WINTER SUNSET
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Sectional Diagram
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1/8 Sections
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Beach View Underwater View View Above Water
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III CHARLES VISTA Attractive Overlook Experiences Along Charles River Individual Work Advisor: Robyn Reed, Tao Zhang Watertown, Massachusetts
Historically, the Arsenal in Watertown was built because of the ascendant topographic condition on the ridge of the low land, but still close to Charles River, which benefited the transportation of arsenal products. However, the close connection between the Arsenal and the Charles River was broken after the Arsenal was closed during 1970s. The huge properties became a barrier to cut down the north-south connection from the neighborhood uphill down to the riverside. During the creative transformation project happening in the site, in order to reactivate the site as vibrant place for all people, it is urgent to create attractive destination for people to travel, which could be the opportunity to reconnection the river to people’s mind.
Charles Vista
SITE ANALYSIS Various physical and visual impediments disencourage people to access to Charles river: enclosed greenway, 20-foot cliff, underutilized playground, and separated pond.
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Parti Diagram Site Analysis Programs Framework
Charles Vista
Riverside Viewer
Overlook Condo
Water Access
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Charles River
Riverside Lawn 31
Overlook Walk
Amphitheater 32
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Amphitheater Section1 Overlook in Woods Section2
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IV MYSTERIOUS PATH Experiences along Various Thresholds Individual Work Advisor: Adam Anderson Tillinghast Farm, Barrington, Rhode Island
The project is to push abstraction, analysis, experimentation, invention and iteration. I generated a spatial concept that responded to specific site condition and a design to test the understanding of the principles of ground, phenomenon, space, scale and form. Through opening up a path in the corner of the site, people's activities are not restricted in the central area, where locates the central path to the beach. The new path expands the linear movement to a wider one.
1/4 Detail Model
SITE EXPLORATION To understand the basic element of the site, I learn about the soil conditons. The soil models look at the composition and the structure of the ground. The transition model represent the change in topography, hydrology, and vegetation of the ground from upland to the marsh.
Site Analysis Sectional Diagrams Transition Model
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SPATIAL SEQUENCES Tilinghast farm, located in Barrington, is a place with rich transition from the meadow, the woods, the salt marsh, to the Narragansett Bay, which makes it a typical landscape in New England area. The salt marsh in this area has an important function to improve the flow of saltwater in the ecological area. The abundant ecological conditions here contribute to diverse layers in this ecosystem, which makes the splendid view.
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SITE DESIGN ARRIVAL + OUTDOOR CLASSROOM I create a series of spatial sequences to connect my path and the original path to strengthen the communication between people and the site. Going from each entrance to the site, people have options to go each path, but finally they could find the way to the other one. By doing so, people’s movements are no longer limited in a linear space in the middle of the site and expand to a bigger area.
Detail Model Master Plan
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OUTDOOR CLASSROOM I create a space with different elevations and enclosures to let people explore the space in the phragmities better. At the end of the path, there are phragmaties in a square, blocking people’s view at the first time. There is an open area on the left of the main platform, which is the main classroom. And there is an enclosed stair to go to the upper platform on the right.
People can go to the higher platform to get an opener and higher view of the marsh. Continuing go down into the lower platform, there is a private space enclosed by phragmaties. People can sit in the phragmaties to appreciate the scenery of the marsh and the ocean, the sunrise and the sunset.
Design Diagrams Perspective
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Teacher Student Visitor When there is a lecture, studen chances to participate in the cla
nts will gather closer to teacher’s voice. Other visitors have ass or get rid of the class by going somewhere private.
When there is no lecture, students will explore the spaces by themselves. And the teacher can see most students from a higher platform.
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V RECIPROCAL THRESHOLD Ambiguity between Inside and Outside Group Work with Vinoti Kabara, Hana Mehta, and Dongrui Tang Advisor: Yugon Kim, Kathryn Foley Frazer Terrace, Providence, Rhode Island
Threshold is usually considered as a gateway connecting one space to another, and these two different spaces can be defined clearly by the gateway. Also, it is an one-second experience when going through a frame gateway. By tilting a frame, an ambiguous space is created, which makes people hard to perceive whether it is outside or inside. Beside, it extends the one-second experience to a longer one, allowing people to experience the volume created by the threshold space. The ambiguity between inside and outside softens the boundary between two spaces and forms a smooth transition for better connection.
Full Scale Installation
Concept Diagram Full Scale Installation Plan and Elevations
Plan
Front Elevation
Back Elevation
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Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
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Spatial Conditions Installing Steps
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VI MEMORY CORRIDOR A Corridor Leading You to Discover Group Work with Nandi Lu & Brianna Cato Advisor: Adam Anderson, Colgate Searle Tillinghast Farm, Barrington, Rhode Island
This is a one-week project that install a temporary work in Tillinghast Farm. The installation introduces spatial markers that responds to site transitions, as well as the scale of the site. This project is as a site test which becomes the first marks that we introduce to the farm, and helps form the basis for positioning and sizing my outdoor classroom. We use wood stakes and fabric mesh to build a series of screens on the sandy area between the beach and the marshland, which are arranged in perspective direction. The transparent quality of the mesh evokes people to think about the whole transition view through the vague image through the mesh.
Full Scale Installation
SITE DESIGN CONCEPT DIAGRAMS When people go through the path from upland to the beach, they seldom look back to see the diverse colorful layers of the marshland, reeds and the woods, because they consider the ocean as their final and the only destination. So we create a frame for this amazing view to remind people looking back. When people go through it, they will discover and experience the view in different distance, different scale, by different way. It brings a surprised moment when turning back.
When going through the path, people only focus on the ocean.
It provides them an opportunity to appre-ciate the amazing transition.
There is no barrier on the way to the ocean
Different view of the marsh from places
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Framed View Upland View Transparent Mesh Marshland View People 's interaction
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VII OTHER WORKS Experiences, Landscape, Design Photography
There are many physical and mental experiences inspiring me to be a landscape architect. Above all, my undergraduate degree majors in Horticulture Science, which makes me pay attention to plants, lives, and landscapes around me. Moreover, My traveling and drawing experiences motivate me to be a landscape architect. I am obsessed by film photography because I enjoy the process of producing a photo from shooting to printing.
Gril in Ruin: Digital Photography
PHOTOGRAPHY I constantly observe the beauty of nature and record them into visual formats, which are shown in my photographic works. For me, photographing is like writing stories in which I believe that everything and everybody have their own stories, and I am just the one, recreating these stories into visual formats.
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· Forgotten City ·