ARIEL
HSIAO-YUN
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE
EXPERIENCE
Sharif, Lynch: Architecture
Intern / Los Angeles
- Develop architectural documentation
2024 - present
- Create visual presentation materials for display
- Conceptualize design progress and architectural projects
- Attend project meetings
UCLA AUD
Teaching Assistant / Los Angeles
arielchenhy9@gmail.com
+1 (424) 469 8250
EDUCATION
University of California, Los Angeles
Master of Architecture
2023 - 2024
- Assist Professor Marty Paull in teaching AUD 431 Structure I
- Instructed stduents in understanding structural principles and
- Led review sessions to reinforce key concepts and address
physics theories student questions
- Evaluated and graded assignments
Rocco Design Architectural Associates
Architectural Trainee / Hong Kong
2020 - 2021
- Coordinated design development with the Project Team,
- Prepare Design Update Presentations for internal meetings
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Bachelor of Social Science in Architectural Studies
2015 - 2019
ensuring alignment with project goals and timelines and client review to source materials
UCLA AIAS
Public Relation
- Created material boards and liaised with building suppliers
AGC Design Limited
Architectural Assistant / Hong Kong
2019 - 2020
- Prepared tender drawing packages for submission
- Coordinated project updates with consultants and clients
- Assisted in design development, refining concepts and to maintain alignment on design progress
- 3D Modelling technical details
- Created material boards and liaised with building suppliers
- Recorded and organized meeting minutes for project specifications
PangArchitect
Summer Intern / Hong Kong
- Model Making
- Image Rendering
- Predesign stage Research & Site Analysis
Hong Kong Institute of Architects
2018
2018 - 2019
HKIA Journal “Issue 74: Landscape” Designer / Hong Kong
- Designed journal page layouts
- Edited images and developed graphic design elements
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENTS
Kowloon Junior School Library
Winning Project 2022 - 2025 2024 - Present
2019 - 2020
International Fabrication Festival
2018
CUHK Taiwanese Student Association
2015-2019
CUHK International Student Association Design Competition Design Competition Event Photographer Team Leader & Academic Advisor
2016-2019
COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS
Illustrator Grasshopper Enscape
Photoshop
SketchUp Indesign Vray
Premiere Pro Final Cut Pro
AutoCad Rhino Revit
HEXAFRAME
ART & ARCHITECTURE VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
Structural Adaptive Reuse
Year:
Site:
Instructor:
Studio:
Project Type:
Role:
Spring 2024
Los Angeles
Mohamed Sharif
AUD 415 Comprehensive Studio
Collaborated with Zezeng Fu
Design Development, Drawing, Rendering, Model Making
This project began with the goal of integrating itself into the old and compact urban fabric. By extracting grid lines from the surrounding context—such as the strong east-west directional urban grid and the nearby main car route—we aim to extend the directionality and pattern of these urban features. The site is treated as a nodal point where two grid systems, derived from the surrounding community, interlace,
establishing a connection between the new and the old.
From the overlapping grid systems, we derived a geometric pattern—a hexagonal module—which was duplicated and expanded across the site. The internal spatial boundaries are defined by this grid and adapted to meet programmatic requirements.
The program is organized along a gradient from the most
public to the most private as it ascends through the levels. Gathering spaces such as the gallery, café, and auditorium are located at the base, while more restricted-access spaces, including studios and classrooms, are positioned on the upper levels.
This project also serves an adaptive reuse purpose, repurposing the truss elements of the original building within the new design, further strengthening its connection to the site’s history. The
trusses are reinterpreted by inverting them and integrating them into the structural system, supporting bridges that span across the main atrium space. Visually, the trusses appear interwoven,
contributing to both the structural and atmospheric qualities of the space. These exposed elements serve as a reminder of the building’s primary function as an art and architecture vocational school, reinforcing themes of sustainable construction, recyclable materials, and the aggregation of architectural elements.
01. Adpative Reuse of the existing trusses
Structural System
Third Floor Plan - Studios & Classrooms
05. Facade Detail Section
06. Front Elevation
07. Chunk Model - Material Exploration
08. Facade Exploded Diagram
WEAVE
MUNICIPAL COMPLEX SERVICE BUILDING
Placemaking & Building System Intergration
Year:
Site:
Instructor:
Studio:
Project Type:
Jan - April 2019
Kowloon City, Hong Kong
Brian Anderson
ARCH 4116 Comprehensive Building Design Individual
This site is located along the bustling Junction Road, a major artery that connects Kowloon City to its surrounding districts. As a key pedestrian and vehicular corridor, Junction Road serves as a central spine, weaving together the area’s diverse urban fabric, where historic and contemporary elements coexist.
Despite its prominent location, many overlook the expansive green space atop the site, accessible via a hidden hiking trail. This park was once known for its iconic red checkerboard sign, a crucial navigational marker for pilots landing at Kai Tak Airport. Even after the airport’s demolition, the checkerboard sign remains a historical landmark of Kowloon City.
Inspired by this rich history, this project seeks to create an alternative path that captures people’s attention
and guides them to this underutilized park, where they can enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the Kowloon cityscape. The proposed municipal service building aims to reconnect the community while revitalizing this overlooked open space.
To seamlessly integrate the natural landscape into the building and enhance accessibility to the hiking trail, a bridge cuts through the structure, forming a
new gateway to the hiking experience. Alongside this bridge, key programs—including a sports hall and a food market—are strategically arranged in juxtaposition, fostering dynamic spatial relationships. As visitors walk through the building and across the bridge, they not only access the park but also engage with the surrounding activities, creating a lively and interactive environment.
Standardized municipal service buildings in Hong Kong typically follow a rigid vertical organization with strict one-way circulation, limiting interactions between different user groups. This project applies the weaving method to introduce a more dynamic approach to interaction and movement, seamlessly integrating a diverse range of programs.
The grand staircase serves as both a circulation core and an experiential pathway. As visitors ascend, they encounter entrances to various functions—including the sports hall, market, community kitchen, and dance room— each positioned at different height levels. By interweaving urban infrastructure with natural landscapes, the design encourages exploration, blurring the boundary between the built environment and the surrounding greenery.
03.
Ground Floor Plan
Organization Diagram
Second Floor Plan
Sectional Perspective 07. Entrance Courtyard 08. Sports Hall 09. Bridge connecting the Mountain 10. Food Market
1. Sheet Metal Capping
2. Roof Gutter
3. Waterproof Membrane, Insulation Layer Vapor Barrier
4. Tongue & Groove Decking
5. Falsework
6. 6mm Translucent Glass
7. 150x300mm Glass Frame
8. Sliding Door Frame
9. Edge Beam 10. Sliding Doors 11. Concrete Columns 12. Timber Railing 13. Glass 14. Concrete Slab
15. E&M Services
16. False Ceiling 17. Floor Finishing
18. Reinforcement Bar
19. Concrete Foundation
20. Gravel
21. Ground Drainage
22. Parameter Rigid Insulation Layer 23. Earth
03 PLEATS
INTERNATIONAL FABRICATION FESTIVAL
Modular Study & Computational Design
Year:
Site:
Instructor:
Studio:
Project Type:
Role:
June - July 2018
University of Westminister, London
Adam Fingrut
ARCH 5231 Topical Studies in Computational Design
Partners - Jeremy Li, Victor Cheng, Alice Chau, Kimberly Kwok
Design Scheme, Form Development, Model Making, Graphic Production, Final Presentation Speaker
This project was proposed as one of CUHK’s candidates for the annual Fabrication Festival hosted by the University of Westminster. The event aims to engage the public through pavilion designs constructed solely from lightweight cardboard, emphasizing sustainability and recycling.
The Hide and Seek Pavilion is a highly recyclable project that explores materiality through origami-inspired folding techniques. Given the constraint of using only cardboard, we focused on harnessing its natural flexibility, treating it as a sheet of paper to achieve intricate folds and structural stability.
Designed to be both immersive and interactive, the pavilion invites visitors to explore
its curved corridors. Strategically placed openings in the walls create playful visual connections between the interior and exterior, evoking the experience of children playing hide and seek. The central hollow space serves as a gathering point, encouraging social interaction.
The pavilion is constructed using a modular system, with each unit requiring bidirectional folding. Precisely controlled slits—cut at varying angles and depths— allow the modules to interlock and rotate in a predetermined manner, forming dynamic curved walls. The relationship between these two controlled variables was rigorously studied through Grasshopper scripting and physical model testing, ensuring optimal wall rotation and an expressive, fluid form.
03. Origami Module - Bi-folding System 04. Walking through the Pavilion
Study Models (1:10, 1:4, 1:2, 1:1)
UNDER ONE ROOF
DUPLEX HOUSING
LA HOUSING TYPOLOGIES
Year:
Site:
Instructor:
Studio:
Project Type: Spring 2023
Garrett Ricciardi
AUD 501 Tech Core Studio
This quarter began with an exploration of a common housing typology: the duplex, where units are typically arranged side by side. In this project, I aim to challenge this conventional arrangement by introducing a new spatial relationship between units.
Breezeways are inserted in between, creating semiprivate patios that serve as transitional spaces before entering the homes. These breezeways enhance natural ventilation and provide a buffer between units. Additionally, the massings are rotated at slight angles to open toward the main street while generating four internal courtyards, fostering smaller communal gathering spaces for surrounding residents.
A large, continuous roof unifies the three branches of housing units, both structurally and socially. It encourages moments of interaction among residents under a shared canopy while blurring the rigid
boundaries that typically define individual units. The protective shade of the roof become ideal for informal gatherings and activities, shielding residents from Los Angeles’ intense sunlight.
The interplay of solid and void relationships—both in plan and section—further reinforces the spatial complexity of the project. Additionally, the roof transitions between solid and perforated materials, forming a three-dimensional grid that visually and functionally ties the units together, enhancing connectivity within the housing community.
Organizational Diagram
Exploded Axonometric
Ground Floor Plan
Figure & Ground Diagram
Section A-A’
Section B-B’
COURTYARD.EDU
COMPETITION SUBMISSION
WORK EXPERIENCE
Year:
Site:
Company:
Type:
Role:
Summer 2024
Firebaugh, California
Sharif, Lynch: Architecture
Shared Housing / Teacher Dormitory
Design Developing, Graphic/Drawings
Production, Digital Modeling
This 18-unit rowhouse community for a California Central Valley elementary school is a direct result of Assembly Bill No. 2295, which streamlines workforce housing for K-12 public school staff on public land.
A syncopated gradient of open spaces—courtyards, paths, swales, ramps, and native shade trees—balances interactivity with privacy and
security. Hybrid-constructed buildings harness energy, channel stormwater, and sit on pin foundations to minimize excavation and groundwater disturbance, while profiled walls and overhangs define entrances and shared spaces.
A-1. CLT diaphragms
A-2. Type V wood construction walls with fiber cement rain-screen panels
A-3. Steel Tube and Pin Foundation System
B. Heavy Timber Courtyard Shade and Solar Panel Structure
Stormwater
Solar Canopies EV Swales and Bridges Passive Coolings and Solar Chimneys A2
Swales and Bridges
Passive Coolings and Solar Chimneys
AVENUE
PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL PROPOSAL
WORK EXPERIENCE
Year:
Site:
Company:
Type:
Role: 2019 - 2020
Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
AGC Design Limited
Luxury Residential Complex
Facade Design Proposal & Development, Construction
Drawing, Tender Drawing Submission, Digital Modeling
This project is an ongoing development of a luxury residential building. I was responsible for designing the entrance feature of the main lobby, ensuring that the decorative elements aligned
with the curving theme of the façade. Additionally, I worked on the construction detailing, determining how these elements would be attached to propose a feasible and well-integrated plan for the client.
TAI WO HAU MALL
FACADE DESIGN RENOVATION
WORK EXPERIENCE
Year:
Site:
Company:
Type:
Role: 2020
Kowloon, Hong Kong
AGC Design Limited
Commercial Center
Design Proposal Drawing, Effect Rendering, Logo Design
This design competition invites all candidates to imagine a more walkable, pedestrian environment on a 1.3 km stretch of Des Voeux Road Central in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central Business District. It is an idea-based contest to re-envision and re-engage the populated and highly active street as a quality puw I was responsible for redesigning the checkered pattern of the outer facade of this commercial mall, ensuring that it responded to the placement of advertisement boards and wall openings. Additionally, I worked on redesigning the logo for submission and developed a new color palette to align
PLAY DVRC
STREETSCAPE REVITALIZATION DESIGN COMPETITION
WORK EXPERIENCE
Year:
Site:
Company:
Type:
Role:
2018
Central District, Hong Kong
PangArchitect
Urban Transformation
Model Making, Precedent & Site Analysis, Idea
Proposals, Market Research, Diagram Production
This design competition invites all candidates to imagine a more walkable, pedestrian environment on a 1.3 km stretch of Des Voeux Road Central in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central Business District. It is an idea-based contest to re-envision and re-engage the populated and highly active street as a quality public space for the users. Our proposal is to use a modularized system, reminiscent of
scaffolding, to provide various platforms at DVRC in order to allow the space to define itself and can adapt to new circumstances. This modulated system proposed is flexible and user-friendly as it can quickly adapt to exisiting conditions or become its own unique form for individual uses. It can be easily fabricated by you and me or professional workers for different purposes.
