Sicheng Chen ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

PORTFOLIO l Sicheng Chen

MrChenSiCheng@163.com Zhengzhou University Bachelor of Architecture 2015-2020 For the Application to Master of Architecture (ARB/RIBA Part 2) l University of Edinburgh l 2022 Fall

Architecture is about the boundary.

RESUME

EDUCATION 09.2015-06.2020

Zhengzhou University, China Bachelor of Architecture, School of Architecture GPA: 3.11/4 Major GPA（Architecture Design）:3.68/4 Honor: Third Prize University Scholarship (2015-2016)

09.2014-06.2015

Zhengzhou University, China Major in Civil Engineering, School of Civil Engineering GPA: 3.6/4

INTERNSHIP 09.2019-12.2020

Shanghai Oriental Architecture Design Institute (Henan Branch Office) Responsibility: Participated in Basic Working-drawings and Project-planning

07.2017-09.2017

Xi’an Dayu Educational Institution Intern Instructor Responsibility: Instruct Students Skills of Using Software, eg. CAD, Sketchup, Vray, Rhino, AI, BIM

05.2017-06.2017

China Construction Sixth Engineering Bureau Corp, Ltd On-site Intern Responsibility: Build Model in Team and Deepen the Details with Chief Engineer

COMPETITION 2019

Model Competition, School of Architecture, Zhengzhou University First Prize

2018

The “GuYu Cup” National College Students Sustainable Architecture Design Competition Outstanding Award

2017

Sketch Design Competition, School of Architecture, Zhengzhou University Third Prize

2014

Model Competition, School of Civil Engineering, Zhengzhou University First Prize

ASSOCIATION 2015-2016

Vice Minister Responsibility: Organize School Sports Meeting and Other Ball-game Events

2014-2015

Sports Department, Students Union, School of Architecture, Zhengzhou University

My childhood consists of two squares- one is my home and the other is Grandpa’s. Mine is a typical Relative’s Courtyard with same houses. While grandpa’s is called the Cave Yardburied underground. At that time, I thought most houses were square courtyards. Until I visited the Expo 2010 and saw different buildings with shocks, I started to view architecture as construction. I first chose civil engineering for undergraduate. Yet after several readings, especially the World Architects in their Twenties, I found more interest in creative learning and later transferred to architecture. The sentence- “I want to build a place, not a building.

What matters is not what to build, but why to build.”- reshaped my cognition of architecture from an isolated building to an organic whole.

My notice of boundary came from the 4mx4m SMALL RESIDENTIAL project. I controlled the whole building with the module and furniture, making it similar to my childhood courtyards. However, some of my classmates’ works were large glass walls, and some were amazing above as if the boundary had not existed. At this time, I began to realize the existence of boundaries and became interested in how different design methods could create boundaries.

Later, I encountered Space and Architect on different boundaries with practices. In the sanatorium case, the window height was designed for the elderly to enjoy the sunshine and avoid eye-contact embarrassment. Also, a rest bench was added in front, making the private space public. I thus wondered whether architecture can break through its boundary to combine the internal and external. I then explored this in the museum project. I adopted the landscape architecture method to hide the main museum part underground, making it well integrated with nature as if the museum had grown out of nature. By setting a lake view frame, I expanded the building’s boundary and guided tourists’ view from interior to the bank, making it part of the exhibition.

My understanding shifted from the physical boundary to the invisible one during the URBAN VILLAGE project. Due to the poor urban village condition, an invisible boundary somehow isolated this area from Shenzhen city. For design, I clarified the physical boundary of each building and set a pedestrian path with local functions at the entrance. Importantly, I connected buildings and public green roofs with an air corridor to form a main tour route. I tried to break the social boundary in the heart through the urban design scale and its methods.

For graduate, I hope to learn more about the boundary of architecture and to obtain broader design methods and ideas. The Edinburgh College of Art is a forefront college, exploring the boundary between architecture and emerging disciplines. This attracts me and I think the Architecture- MArch programme is consistent with my "boundary” explorations. I am particularly interested in the critical and research-based architectural engagement with the contemporary city. Through these courses, I can explore expanded relationships of architecture and to some extent push the limits of design within the larger cultural and technological realm. I strongly believe these learning contents can help me further my research on the boundary of architecture and better answer the question- why to build- in my heart.

CONTENT

01 BORDERLESS CAMPUS

01

ART STUDENTS COMPLEX BUILDING DESIGN Individual Work live ＆ Work ＆ Service

02 SPELAEAN LANDSCAPE

15

CAVE MUSEUM DESIGN Individual Work Natural ＆ Man-made

03 URBAN WEAVING ARCHITECTURE IS ABOUT THE BOUNDARY The Berlin Wall is an important landmark building for the division of Germany and the cold war after the Second World War. It has also become a symbol of the iron curtain dividing East and West Europe.

In June 1990, the government of the Democratic Republic of Germany officially decided to dismantle the Berlin Wall.

31

URBAN VILLAGE RECONSTRUCTION DESIGN Individual Work Traditional ＆ Modern

04 OTHER WORKS CONSTRUCTION OF CAMPUS EXHIBITION HALL Team Work Construction ＆ Material CAMPUS LARGE-SPAN BUILDING DESIGN Individual Work Structure ＆ Streamline

43

01 BORDERLESS CAMPUS ART STUDENTS COMPLEX BUILDING DESIGN Instructor: Weiying Chen, Tutor,ZZU Time:8-weeks, Spring 2017 Site: Zheng Zhou, China Individually Work The boundary of Chinese universities is blocked by walls for the convenience of management, but the too closed campus environment lacks social communication. Therefore, the design wants to break the campus boundary and provide a new campus life mode for art students Therefore, it is envisaged that with the increasing number of students, a new learning, living and working mode will be proposed to meet the needs of future art students.

GEOGRAPHICAL CONNECTION

FORM GENERATION Y

4b

3b

2b

China

Shanghai

Huangpu District

b

Y

0

a

2a

3a

4a

a

2a

3a

4a

X

4b

3b

2b

b

“Taihu stone", produced in the Yu Garden of China.The stone formed slowly after long-term erosion.

The Huangpu River

0

GRAPHICAL RELATIONSHIP PROBABILITY SIMULATION

Y

Y

Y

X

Y

Site

University Campus boundary X

Focus of art students

Y

X

Y

THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF ART STUDENTS' WORKING STYLE

Apprenticeship work

Personal work

Collective office

Internet era

Y

X

apartment

Y

X

X

Y

Y

Time

EXISITING PROGRAMME apartment traffic working dinning learning shopping reading report

Y

X

Y

X

X

Y

Y

X

X

X

Y

Y

NEW PROGRAMME swimming exercise learinng

3

bar

theater lecture

X

X

X

X

4

AXONOMETRIC

STUDIO

STUDENT DESIGN EXHIBITION

5

6

ATRIUM SECTION

SHARED OFFICE

SWIMMING POOL

7

8

RESIDENTIAL TYPOLOPY

2 units

±0.00

±0.00

1 bedroom

3 units

4 units

1 bedroom 1 living room 1 shared space

1 bedroom 1 living room 1 kitchen

±0.00

3m 3m 5 units

2 double-height units

DN

4 double-height units

DN

﹢3.00

1 bedroom 1 kitchen 1 double-height living room

±0.00

﹢3.00

2 bedrooms 1 kitchen 1double-heght living room 1 shared space

±0.00

±0.00

3 bedrooms 1 kitchen 1double-heght living room

12TH FLOOR PLAN DN

4 DN

DN

9

UP

DN

DN UP

DN

11

6

DN

5

UP

2

DN

DN

10

7

3 DN

UP

8

UP

UP

UP

UP

12F-EAST 1 2 3 4 5 6

theater swimming pool apartment I apartment II apartment III loft I

7 8 9 10 11 12

loft II restaurant reading room shared office studio self-learning room 1

DN

DN

UP

UP

12

DN

DN

DN

N DN

UP

11

DN

2

UP

DN UP

DN UP

0

5m

UP

UP

UP

15m

12F-WEST 9

10

ATRIUM TYPOLOPY

NATATORIUM

TALKING SHOW

EXHIBITION HALL

SUPERMARKET

IMAX THEATER

CONFERENCE

LIBRARY 11

GYM

MUSEUM 12

PUBLIC SPACES INSIDE

1

1

1-1 SECTION Self-learning Room ＆ Living Space ＆ Shared Office

2

2

2-2 SECTION Restuarant ＆ Living Space

13

14

02 SPELAEAN LANDSCAPE CAVE MUSEUM DESIGN

Instructor: Jing Huang Tutor,ZZU Time:8-weeks, Spring 2017 Site: Zheng Zhou, China Individually Work

The plane layout of Chinese traditional architectural layout is the reflection of ancient closed thinking mode and small-scale peasant economic consciousness in architecture. However, with the development of China's reform and opening up, the closed characteristics of traditional buildings also need to be improved in the new era.

GEOGRAPHICAL CONNECTION

TYPES OF CHINESE TRADITIONAL DWELLINGS Tulou In Fujian Province

Cave yard In Henan Province

China

Henan Province

Courtyard Dwellings In Beijing

Yikeyin In Yunnan Province

Zhengzhou City

1.Separated

Cliff yard

2.Closed courdyard

Tanggang reservoire Site

Farmland

1.Separated

Connected

Cave Yard

Entrance

Indoor Cave

2.Closed courdyard

The courtyard is scattered

Connect the scattered courtyards

Closed courtyard

cave yard cliff yard

cave yard

YAODONG:A CHINESE CAVE DWELLING

17

Yaodong exists on the Loess Plateau, where many gullies wereformed due to soil and water loss. Three types of landforms arecreated as loess tableland, loess slope, and river valley.

Open space

Closed courtyard to open courtyard

18

MASTER PLAN Main Entrance

1

rammed earth gunite concrete coment mortar screeding water-proof layer concrete structure isulation layer cement motar bedding raw soil plastering with wheat straw

Working Entrance 0

Hotel Entrance

10 20 30 40 50

1

Main road in the village

rammed earth water-proof layer concrete structure isulation layer cement mortar bedding raw soil plastering with wheat straw

1-1 SECTION STRUCTURE

Temple

Tanggang Reservoire

LOCAL CONTEXT YARD

FIELD

ROAD

BUILDING

TERRAIN

FROM Separated yards

FROM Field pattern

FROM House link

FROM Ground houses

FROM Gully terrain

TO Combined yards

Landscape platform

TO

TO Yard link

TO Yard cave

TO Public stairs

19

20

sky

ground

TYPOLOGICAL VOCABULARY The cave was dug out according to the mountain, such a cave with vault. Because the Loess itself is upright and does not collapse, and the bearing capacity of the vault is better than that of the flat roof, the caves generally adopt the vault to ensure its stability. The caves take the characteristics of thick soil layer on the Loess Plateau and low groundwater level.

Digging caves as folk houses has the advantages of warm in winter and cool in summer.

DOWN

DOWN

Floors

UPUP

FRONT FRONT

BACK BACK

SIDESIDE

Terrace

Corridor

Back cave

Stair

Ramp

Corridor

Back cave

Booth

Corridor

Corridor

TYPOLOGICAL ADAPTION FOR EXHIBITION SAPCE +5.600 +3.900 +3.000 +2.100

±0.000

Passage

-1.200

-3.600

Passage

TYPOLOGICAL ADAPTION FOR EXHIBITION SAPCE

21

22

1 Museum Entrance

8 Gallery

2 Working Entrance

9 Cultural Lecture Hall 10 Cafe

3 Exhibition Hall 4 Corridor 5 Office 6 Conference Room 7 Auditorium 0

PLAN

1

15

11 Cave yard 12 Loft 13 Suite 14 Viewing Frame 15 Hotel Entrance

N

5 10 15 20 25

2

﹢1.200 DN UP

DN

9

UP

﹢1.200

DN UP

3

5

13

±0.000 UP

±0.000

﹢0.600 DN

DN

±0.000

±0.000

DN

DN

6

4

DN

﹢0.450

11

11

DN

8

±0.000 DN

UP

1

±0.000

﹣1.200 UP

DN ﹣3.600

﹣3.600

DN

DN

DN DN 4.800 ﹣4.800

UP

UP ﹣0.300 DN

DN

﹣0.600 ﹣1.200

DN

UP

7

﹣0.600 DN

DN

±0.000

﹣1.200

DN

UP

12

﹣4.800

﹣0.900 DN

DN

DN

﹣1.200

﹣3.600

﹣3.600

DN ﹣3.000 ﹣3.000

DN

1

﹣1.200

DN

10 ﹣5.700

﹣4.800

﹣4.800

﹣6.000

14

UP ﹣3.600

﹣3.600

DN

﹣6.600

﹣4.000 DN

﹣3.600

﹣4.400 DN

﹣4.800

﹣4.800

﹣ ﹣6.000

23

Tanggang Reservoire

24

AXONOMETRIC

Long slope road

Exhibition Hall

25

26

SECTION

1

SECTION 1-1 1

2

SECTION 2-2 HOTEL YARD

2

3

SECTION 3-3 3

4

SECTION 4-4 4

27

MUSEUM YARD 28

3

4 5

1 2

29

VIEWING FRAME 1

VIEWING FRAME 2

VIEWING FRAME 3

VIEWING FRAME 4

VIEWING FRAME 5

30

03 URBAN WEAVING URBAN VILLAGE RECONSTRUCTION DESIGN Instructor: Hongyi Lv, Tutor, ZZU Time:8-weeks, Autumn 2018 Site: Zheng Zhou, China Individually Work

"Urban village" refers to the residential area where rural villages lag behind the pace of development of the times, drift away from modern urban management and have low living standards in the process of urbanization. The infrastructure here is imperfect and the buildings are built disorderly. With the passage of time, the space here is more and more closed.

GEOGRAPHICAL CONNECTION

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ''URBAN VILLAGES'' 9.6%public space

24.7％ public space

90.4%buildings

75.3%buildings

URBAN VILLAGES

China

Guangdong Province

Shenzhen City

GENERAL COMMUNITY

Public activity space Public venues are seriously insufficient and the scale is narrow

Urban village

Retail Site

Retail stores are scattered and there is no centralized business center

Modern City

TRAFFIC

70m 30m 10m

The traffic organization is very chaotic, various living routes are interspersed with each other, and there is no main traffic flow line, so the traffic is inconvenient

10m

Forty years ago, Shenzhen was a small fishing village.

Most of the houses were gathered in villages.

With the development of reform and opening up, Shenzhen has become a special economic zone.

REFORM AND OPENING-UP POLICY IN SHENZHEN Before 1979

Shenzhen is still a small fishing village

1979

Shenzhen starts construction

2000

Getting into a period of great prosperity

Dwellings ＆ Office

2021

Most of the buildings are residential buildings and a few are office buildings. The buildings are arranged in disorder and the streets are disordered

The coexistence of highrise buildings and "urban village"

Site

Shenzhen was a small fishing village before 1979. In 1979, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping proposed the construction of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. Shenzhen has developed rapidly in 40 years and has become a new first tier city in China.

33

Most urban villages build their own houses. There are many and dense houses in the village, which are disorderly and lack of planning. Most of them come from the self construction in that year and later developed here.

34

TRANSFORMATION STRATEGIES

POSITIVE CIRCLE LIFE STYLE OF URBAN VILLAGES Bus Station

TOURISTS AND WORKERS POSITIVE CIRCLE OWNED

goverment

POSITIVE CIRCLE

LOCAL RESIDENTS

Tourists

redsidents

Peddler

tourists Multi media

NEW

URBAN VILLAGE Traditional craftsmen

Residents

Handicraft shop

Traditional cuisine

Musician Bookshop Planter

Corridor

apartment handicraft library

theater

gym

exhibition Roof planting

Music Workshop

restaurant workshop shopping

PROGRAMME ADJUSTMENT COMMUNITY OWNED

OWNED NEW

NEW PROGRAM

goverment

redsidents

Arts

35

Catering and entertainment

Work fitness

Residence

Self-Study Room

Library

Geriatric Center

Community Park

Community Center

Residence

SOHO

Ar�st studio

Workshop

Office

Gym

Club

Badminton court

Lecture room

Theater

Shopping

Restaurant

Tea house

Roof Garden

Commercial retail

Cafe

Crea�ve store

Art School

Chess and card room

Exhibi�on

Museum

Art gallery

Music room

Carving

tourists

Pain�ng

NAGITIVE CIRCLE

Public space

36

TYPOLOGICAL CORRECTIONS

FOOD WORKSHOP

CULTURAL HERITAGE EXHIBITION

37

APARTMENT

MUSIC WORKSHOP

COMMUNITY ACTIVITY CENTER

HANDICRAFT WORKSHOP

COMMERCIAL RETAIL

THEATER

CAFE ＆ COMMUNITY LIBRARY

38

PLAN 1 food workshop

9 open exhibition

2 music workshop

10 restaurant

3 original building

11 apartment

4 commercial retail

12 public activity site

5 badminton court

13 overhead public activities layer

6 table tennis court

14 handicraft workshop

7 theater

15 cafe

N

20

10

30

40

2nd floor

8 cultural heritage exhibition

3rd floor

3rd floor

6

7

2

14

3 1st floor

3

5th floor

2nd floor

4

1st floor 15

1 MAIN ENTRENCE

5th floor

1st floor

1st floor

5 1st floor

13 12

3 MAIN ENTRENCE

1st floor 10 1st floor 1

3 1st floor

3rd floor

1st floor

13

11

9

11

8

3rd floor

39

40

1

1

2

MAIN ENTRENCE 41

2

42

Other Work 01

CONSTRUCTION OF CAMPUS EXHIBITION HALL Location :ZhengZhou,China Type:Construction and Exhibition Date:Spring 2017 Team Work The project first selects a material, and then builds it through the research of structural nodes to meet the needs of campus exhibition.

Construction detail 1

43

Construction detail 2

44

45

JOINT 01

JOINT 02

JOINT 03

JOINT 04

46

Other Work 02

CAMPUS LARGE-SPAN BUILDING DESIGN Location :ZhengZhou,China Type:Gymnasium Date:Spring 2018 Individual Work Through the research on Chinese traditional bridge structure, the project studies the mutual symmetrical structure, so as to be applied to long-span buildings to form a long-span supporting structure.

47

48