University of Pennsylvania selected work between 2021-2025 Planning and Landscape Architecture Program Regiona l
I believe that public realm reveals physical and cultural identity of a place, which gives people sense of belonging and pride for a unique place.
The design in this portfolio emphasize on how public space could bridge individuals to the rest of the world, exploring the potential influence of culture, natural environment and local stories.
page 2-9
page 10-15
Adapting bio-wisdoms SLIME MOULD OASIS
ArcGIS and Fieldwork
HYDROLOGY ANALYSIS ON YAO ETHNIC MINORITY SETTLEMENT
page 30-33
page 16-21
page 22-29
GWU UNIVERSITY YARD PLANTING DESIGN
page 34-37
MKSK Landscape Project Rhino Modeling and 3D-printing Urban Complex Case Study
UI&UX Design for Recipe App
SCAFFOLDING SHADE
Green corridor in the North Point, Hong Kong independent work, 2022 winter
Hong Kong is a place where dense city segretated the mountain and the ocean. There is very little greenery inside the city and public space is enveloped by high-rise.
The city and residents suffer from global warming, especially for outdoor workers who spend the whole day outside and has poor access to public place.
Adapting to the form of scaffolding, the design make ecological and social contribution for the city of Hong Kong. The scaffolding bridges a corridor between the mountain and the ocean, meanwhile providing resting and shading space for outdoor workers and people on the street.
Hong Kong: Dearth of Public Space and Segregation of Green Space
The building of Hong Kong gathers in only 25% of the land between mountain and ocean. Although lots of greenery was preserved in Hong Kong, they rarely exist in city area.
1km
Scaffolding as an Opportunity Street to Renovate
Scaffolding can be seen EVERYWHERE in a dense city like Hong Kong.
As a comtemporary building structure, scaffolding is easy to built, using the space effectively, meanwhile creating a transparent and ventilated space.
Scaffolding Patterns in Different Times
SCAFFOLDING in CITY STREET
providing place for outdoor workers to rest, eat, shade, and socialize.
Design Module Surrounding the Precious Tree
The design node contains three type of space modules.
More importantly, it has the only two trees on this 400m long street. Those trees are huge , flourishing in the crossroad where tram rail meets the outdoor stands and shops. To be respectful for the trees and to emphasize on its importance, the frame of scaffolding are changed into round shape, making the trees a central point.
Space Distribution
Initial Framework
Trees' Influence
Movable Blocks could be Used in Different Ways
CHINA OWN
Urban hybrid - Philadelphia Chinatown x Fashion District
LARP studio 602, University of Pennsylvania, 2024 spring
Instructor: Fernández, Javier Arpa Teamwork with Jiarui Zhang
Personal Contribution: Concept design, Graphics
Philadelphia Chinatown is one of the oldest Chinatown in the USA. It is also a vulnerable community with rich history and culture. As the proposal of new 76ers Arena landing, Philadelphia Chinatown is threatened by gentrification. Local residents has fought gentrification for decades, successfully stoped a plan for a casino, and they will not stop fighting.
The design opens the ground floor of Philadelphia Fashion District, a giant shopping mall blocking Chinatown from the Market Street, Philadelphia’s main axis. By introducing local market into Fashion District and turning the rooftop into public realm, the project strengthen Chinatown physically and socially, giving resident the right to the city and making their presence stronger.
Relating Skills | Photoshop, Rhino, Illustrator, Interview of locals
Day
Activities Happening in Newly Designed Chinatown
During the day, the Philadelphia Chinatown are welcomed to tourists, also serves the residents. The commercial pedastrian street that supports small-family business goes through Fashion District, all the way to Market Street. The rooftop of Fashion District is also a destination for visitors to stay, rest, and enjoy the view of Central Philadelphia and Chinatown.
Night Activities Happening in Newly Designed Chinatown
When night comes, chinatown is the home for local residents. They could enjoy their life after works, dancncing, playing, meeting people. The community center, new housing, and plaza acts like acupuncture, keeping Chinatown alive.
Ground Plan for New Fashion District: opening up ground floor, connecting circulation to inner Chinatown
REVIVING OASIS
Planning of Yangguan Town, Dunhuang, China
teamwork with Xuejing He-2021 winter
personal contribution: design idea/planning, image-making and optimizing
Located in Northwest China, Dunhuang is one of the most important city on the Silk Road. Numerous heritage and hostory were preserved, but now they are facing the threat of desertification and erosion.
Yangguan is a crucial place to protect Dunhuang from the sand. However, tons of forest was destroied for agriculture, and that has brought terrible sandstorm for Dunhuang and even Beijing from far away.
Inspired by the slime mould, we build an effective irrigation system in Yangguan Town with the pattern of slime mould, irrigating the forest belt and grape field, protecting Dunhuang City from the sand, meanwhile prompting the development of local economy.
Forest and native plants reduced significantly in past 20 years to reclaim more fields to grow and sell grapes
without the forest belt, Dunhuang is suffered from desertification
Deforestation
PHYSAREALM is a grasshopper plugin for agent-based modelling based on Physarum Polycephalum, a kind of slime mould to solve the shortest path problem.
· Rules of the plug-in for Slime Mould Agents to Emerge
Rule 1
Agents releases chemoattractant
Rule 3
Agents dies or reproduce according to density of other agents
Rule 2
Agents go to where chemoattractant is dense
Rule 4
Chemoattractant diffuse within time
Rule 5
Agents avoid obstacles
· Design of Grasshopper Batteries
Rule 6
Agents would move towards our assigned direction
Cite: PHYSAREALM / Ma Yidong
LEGEND
A BALANCED RIVER COMMUNITY
Urban Community Deisign in Sobral, Ceará, Brazil
LARP studio 702, University of Pennsylvania, 2025 spring
Instructor: Gouverneur, David; Grauer, Oscar
Teamwork with Youyou Fu, Wenshu Huang, Hanzhang Xiao
Personal Contribution: Concept design, Graphics
Sobral, a growing inland city in northeastern Brazil, is facing environmental and social challenges due to rapid, fragmented urbanization and lack of resilient infrastructure.
The design site lies within Sobral’s Priority Occupation Zone, a key area targeted for mixeduse development with improved density, public amenities, and ecological protection. Our vision is to create A green, sustainable community with harmony and vibrance, away from heat where people can enjoy public space and the city. More importantly, it is flexible enough to let the residents shape the city, and utilize the city on their own.
Relating Skills | Photoshop, Rhino, Illustrator, Lumion, Local engagement
SCHOOL
RESIDENTIAL
MUSEUM
CULTURAL CENTER
CULTURAL PLAZA
BUS STATION
TERRACE
LIBRARY
TREE GROUP PLAZA
Developing Area According to the Sobral Master Plan 2033: The Priority Occupation Zone (ZOP)
of the Valley of the Acarau
ZOP Building Guideline
Building Coverage Ratio: 60%
Front Minimum Setback: 3m
Rear Minimum Setback: 3m
Maxium Height: 72m
Design Charrette
We want a better neighborhood with shaded public spaces where we can live comfortably in extreme heat!
Local Students
The houses are designed to accommodate diverse residents—including students, professionals, large families, and those seeking affordability or flexibility.
Featuring a mix of unit sizes and layouts, the houses support future expansion, integrate retails, and promote community interaction. These strategies ensure livability, adaptability, and a vibrant, inclusive neighborhood fabric.
01. Riverfront Gateway Community
02. Creek Front Community
03. My Casa(my home) Community
Housing Typology
Responding to the site’s diverse natural conditions and the edge conditions of public spaces while fostering a socially integrated community, we developed various community typologies.
The community design emphasizes on canopy coverage and housing diversity. Each typology features a range of housing unit sizes and green space functions to accommodate the diverse needs of residents.
Urban Farm
Parking for Residents
Backyard
Bio-swale Apartment
Community Courtyard
Community Typology
01. Riverfront Gateway Community
02. Creek Front Community
03. My Casa(my home) Community
Residential Courtyard: Water management and urban farm
Permeable pavement
Irrigation water
Outlet from bioswale
The courtyard provides a cool, vibrant space for resident to relax and connect.
Urban farm with shading structure is built above private ground floor garage. Tree canopy out side the houses provide precious shades.
All rain water and irrigating water go through bioswales and enter the community’s main water treatement system- central pedestrian boulevard.
Ground floor private garage
Urban farm
HYDROLOGY ANALYSIS ON YAO ETHNIC MINORITY SETTLEMENT
Agricultural terraces in Guilin, Guangxi Province, China
Beijing Forestry University, 2021 spring to 2022 winter
Instructor: Yun Qian teamwork with Yapeng Wang, Xuejing He, Peiwen Huang, Jiangyi Du
Personal Contribution: GIS analysis and graphic, interviewing, web and library researching
Longji Terraces has been home to Yao ethnic monirity of southern China for 2,300 years. The terraces is the way that Yao people's ancestor adapted to natural environment while they develop terraced farming and expanding their settlements.
The research aims to understand the pattern of Yao settlements, the way they chose to build houses, their water usage methods andrelationship between village, terraces and mountains.
Key Word: Hydrology, Tradition Yao Settlement, Ecological Adaption, Water Usage
Location of traditional settlement on different elevation
Aspect of three traditional Yao settlement
Elevation of three traditional Yao settlement
Terrace at plain
Dry terrace
Terrace at hillside Pond
Terrace at the top
Water terrace
LEGEND Plan of Dazhai and Baimian Yao Villege
Terrace at Different Elevation
water terrace outlet
terrace gutter
pipe between terraces water storage tank
GWU UNIVERSITY YARD PLANTING DESIGN
The George Washington University, Washington, DC
A MKSK project, 2024 summer
Project managers: Joe Chambers, Xibei Song
Personal contribution: site analysis, planting design, drawings, site visit and planting work
This is an unusual project that the client wish to finish everything within a month before the semester start. So only the most important work was assigned, and time-consuming work such as rendering were abandoned. Clear and simple CAD drawings were made to instruct the planting work, and the planting process was done within two weeks, when we has to visit the site frequently to make decisions on site and adjust the layout.
Snow mountain garbage landfill design in Nepal, inspired by the glacial landform.
Modeling in Rhino, 3D-printed, and photographed with macro lens.
Case Study: DOUBLE VIEWS OF L.A LIVE
Day-time: A proof of gentrification?
The constructions of L.A Live cased relocation and segregation for local community, with the low-income community impacted the most.
Is L.A Live an ideal destination in Los Angelas? Some complains about the inconvenient and expensive parking, while some argues that it contributed to the dominance of cars. Either way, there is no doubt that at daytime, L.A Live is an empty complex that no pedestrian walks in, and waiting for the arrival of cars.
Night-time: Active area of Donwtown LA
L.A Live is a $2.5 billion mixed-use sports and entertainment complex in downtown Los Angeles, has played a significant role in the city’s economic development.
L.A Live offers a wide variety of attractions, including world-class restaurants, live music venues, a cinema, and interactive museums like the Grammy Museum. When the buildings in Downtown LA empied at night, people flow into L.A Live.
The drawings used a surreal composition, emphasize on how L.A Live serves the cars, instead of people, and segregated by highways. Day and night comparations indicates two sides of L.A Live, documented the voices of people.
