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Tsung-Cheng Chen
Selected Works
Contents
Tsung Cheng Chen Portfolio
Academic
A Dissected Place
Type: Independent Project
Reconstruction of Spacial Perception Through the History of Perspectival Projection
School: Shih Chien University, Taiwan
Renovation of Torre Treves
Type: Independent Project
Ontological agency between new and existing structures within the systemic logics of the built environment
School: Domus Academy, Milano
The Abstract Land
Type: Independent Project
Translating Futurist Concepts of Becoming into a Epigenetic Landscape
School: Domus Academy, Milano
Time: Autumn 2025
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Advisor: Jr Gang Chi Email: jrgangchi@gmail.com
Time: Spring 2024
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Instructor: Giacomo Ardesio, with HouseEurope! Email: ardesio@arch.ethz.ch
Time: Fall 2023
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Instructor: Elisa Cattaneo Email: elisa.cattaneo@polimi.it
Pavilion of Reclaimed Materials
Type: Independent Project
A Study and Making of Vernacular Tectonic
School: Shih Chien University, Taiwan
Time: Fall 2020
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Instructor: Chung Han Yao Email: yao.chunghan@gmail.com
Exhibition
2025 IEAGD
Type: Competition\Exhibition
Exhibited an Awarded at the 2025 International Exhibition of Architecture Graduation Design
Exhibition: Taipei, Taiwan
From Chandigarh to Ahmedabad
Type: Independent Project
A Field Study in India on Architecture, Urbanity, and Tradition
School: Personal Project
Time: AUG 2025
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Personal
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Time: JUL-AUG 2023
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A DISSECTED PLACE
PART 1
PERSPECTIVE MACHINE
San Satiro, Bramante. Ink on Paper. 42cm x 30cm
San Satiro, Bramante. Photography and Collage. 80cm x 60cm
A DISSECTED PLACE -Reconstructing spatial perception through Renaissance perspectival research, linking Taiwan’s sacred spatiality with the Western dialectic of the eternal and the transitory.
Th e Persp e ctive Ma chin e's intern al components can be adjusted in depth and orientation, allowing various architectural elements to be projected from their own three-dimensional positions onto a wide, framed view.
AWARDED PROJECT at 2025 International Exhibition of Architecture Graduation Design
Type: Independent Project Time: Autumn 2025 School: Shih Chien University, Taiwan Advisor: Jr Gang Chi
I once looked into a church that seemed to stretch
depth projects invisible structures—where reality and
into infinity—its deep apse, just a two-meter wall. The
imagination overlap. At Hsinchu’s Tiangong Temple
arch trembled, then detached. A poetic illusion of
plaza, sloped ground, tilted axes, and fragmented
perspective revealed a space both false and deeply real.
architecture shape a new spatial language. The forgotten stage returns; the colonnade reconnects
That was five hundred years ago.
with life. This is a reflection on linear perspective— a reconsideration of Western spatial vision and the
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Now, through the perspective machine and my
shifting fabric of Taiwanese urbanism, in search of the
movement in Siena, I map fleeting moments where
emotion I once felt in Siena. Wood\Steel\Paper\Cables\Brass. 120 x 60
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A DISSECTED PLACE
The overall and detailed design of the perspective machine serves to position the viewpoint and construct the projection lines. In contrast to the logic of classical architecture—which compresses information into a single plane in pursuit of an illusory depth—I seek to discover an abstract plane by unfolding its various elements into a spatial composition with real depth.
The relationship between this device and the previously mentioned shifts in spatial perception lies in how it transforms the viewer’s experience: when a person stands at the end of the axis and looks through the rectangular frame, they see a continuous and unified plane. 6
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A DISSECTED PLACE
A RESISTANCE TO THE IDEALIZED GEOMETRY OF RENAISSANCE PERSPECTIVE
BODILY VISION AND THE GEOMETRY OF LIGHT (Optical / Phenomenological Geometry) — Multiple viewpoints — Movement, temporality, embodied perception — Light experienced as an event rather than as a line
≠
RENAISSANCE PERSPECTIVE (Idealized Renaissance Geometry) — Single, fixed viewpoint — Idealized observer — Space regulated as a measurable and proportional system
=
San Satiro, Bramante
(Constructed Spatial Apparatus) — Dürer’s perspective machine — Strings, pins, grids, frames — Geometry materialized and enforced through devices
(Abstract Geometric System) — Idealized and de-bodied — Geometric lines substitute for rays of light — Vision reduced to a fixed point in space
theoretically equivalent
not fully translatable
INSTRUMENTAL / MECHANICAL GEOMETRY
MATHEMATICAL PROJECTIVE GEOMETRY
realized through operation
DÜRER'S PERSPECTIVE MACHINE
resisting the pursuit of eternity
the genuine perception of space
opposing logic
MY PERSPECTIVE MACHINE
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A DISSECTED PLACE
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PART 2
SIENA MAPPING Siena Mapping documents one
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hour of bodily movement and shifting spatial perspectives in Siena. The moving obelisks mark changing viewpoints and record a fragmented whole shaped by sightlines, building proportions, and the sloped piazza—suggesting a space on the verge of emerging.
A A Dematerialized streets envelop the clock tower at the end of the axis, where the passage of time becomes imperceptible and spatial information is compressed into a single plane.
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B To transport the obelisk in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, a device was used to slowly lower it from its upright position, through a process that combined mechanical means with collective human force—an operation imbued with a sense of the sacred.
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Graphite on paper\ 78.7 x 109.2cm
Viewed from afar, overlooking the Siena hill-town plaza, the viewpoint is placed at infinity—marking the beginning of the temporal axis and the point of origin of this drawing.
In Dürer’s perspective machine, th e ob e l i sk u s e d to l o c a te th e height of the eye is, in this drawing, transformed into a metaphor—a viewpoint where perception and events occur.
O n th e P i a zza d e l C a m p o , th e subtle inclination of the terrain and the minute variations in the paving generate a centripetal force that induces an unstable mode of movement.
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As one emerges from the enclosed tower to its summit, the viewpoint is suddenly released, revealing the tower’s immense shadow cast across the plaza’s scale-like paving, where the subtle continuity of the ground becomes perceptible.
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A DISSECTED PLACE
PART 3
RECONSTRUCTING HISTORICAL SPACES IN HSINCHU, TAIWAN In the seemingly chaotic everyday urban spaces of Taiwan, there also appears to be a certain connection to the idea of spatial perceptual shifts. In front of the Tiangong Temple in Hsinchu, there is a plaza, an outdoor stage, abandoned arcades, a parking lot, and stone dragon columns from a nearby park... As we move from the classical perspectival spaces to the complex urban fabric of Taiwan, a fundamental difference emerges. Beginning with the Pantheon, the Romans—through their construction methods— create d a sublim e d om e th at emph a size d th e monumentality of the architectural interior.
Site plan illustrating the plazas in the district along the urban
Concrete Model \ 150 x 150 cm 12
axis
Geometric variations of the ground plane, the arrangement of parking bays, and subtle tilting of the terrain and paving generate momentary axes and perceptual alignments as one moves through the plaza.
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A DISSECTED PLACE
The curved architectural form marks the location
I inserted new volumes onto the existing structure and
o f t h e o l d s t a ge a n d a r c a d e . T h i s i n t e r f a c e
transformed the previously enclosed ground level into
i s th e f irst thre sh ol d en c o untere d af ter th e
a more transparent space, allowing the continuous
topography of the Keya River drops—serving as a boundary between the urban core of Hsinchu a n d th e s u r r o u n d i ng c o u n tr ys i d e , a s we l l a s
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the e dge enclosing an internal religio us space.
spatial experience of park users to be compressed an d rel ea se d b efore entering th e inn er plaza. 15
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A DISSECTED PLACE
RECLAIMING THE SUPPRESSED
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fragmented spatial elements. Additionally, an eccentrically curved walkway was added to the existing arcade structure, gently lifting the pedestrian path and generating new
MONUMENTALITY OF THE
perceptual alignments with the guiding lines of the plaza.
RELIGIOUS PLAZA.
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At the same time, the temple forecourt is extended outward, enabling it to accommodate larger religious rituals, political gatherings, and layered visual perspectives. These spatial interventions dissolve the original singular axis from the traditional gateway (pailou) to the temple, generating a more complex set of spatial and perceptual relationships. B
In the plaza in front of th e Tiangong Temple in Hsinchu,
Tr a d i t i o n a l l y , t e m p l e
I reconfigured
s t a ge s u s e d f o r r i t u a l
th e ori e ntati on of
performances are oriented
parking spaces and
directly toward the temple.
adjusted the slope
H o w e v e r , a t T i a n go n g
of the landscape.
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Temple, the presence of
By misaligning the
b oth a c ere m on ial gate
spaces between
(pailou) and a permanent
parked cars with the
s t a ge f o r c e d t h e s t a ge
site’s contour lines,
to be shifted to the side, suppressing its symbolic importance.
movement along multiple spatial axes allows visitors to reexperience the suppressed monumentality of the old stage.
By reorienting the stage
I also created a line of passage through the gap between
toward a new axis aligned
the existing stage and arcade structures, stitching together
w i t h t h e r e c o n f i gu r e d parking layout, visitors are
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subtly pulled away from the original central axis. This spatial displacement allows them to perceive
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the presence of a new axis—thereby restoring the stage’s commemorative significance within the site. At the center of the site, I extended a spatial element from the edge of a wheel stop, deliberately increasing the distance to the next parked car. This stretched gap becomes a walkable passage for people, marking the edge where the sentimental landscape begins to slope downward. The new axis ultimately leads toward the stage.
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A DISSECTED PLACE
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RENOVATION OF TORRE TREVES
STRUCTURAL MODEL The structural model explores renewal within an existing concrete framework. A minimal insertion of steel columns reconfigures the fragmented structure, challenging architectural wholeness as an ontological premise while enabling spatial liberation.
The Boy Hidden in a Fish, David Hockney
RENOVATION OF TORRE TREVES -Renovation of Torre Treves in Collaboration with HouseEurope! : ontological agency between new and existing structures within the systemic logics of the built environment
Type: Independent Project Time: Spring 2024 School: Domus Academy, Milano Instructor: Giacomo Ardesio, with HouseEurope!
To prevent the demolition of Torre Treves, the project
box once planned for dismantling the tower, now
preserves the outer ring of the existing structure
reimagined as a performance and exhibition space.
and renovates it through minimal yet strategic insertions. Through an approach of minimal material
This added volume becomes a massive structural
use and structural re ducti on, th e interventi on
device itself, suspending a cantilevered balcony that
enables the emergence of a few inverted-triangular
extends outward. The balcony’s projection releases
volumes from the center—geometries that appear
the formerly sealed façade, allowing the interior
unstable at first glance but become structurally
spaces to flow continuously toward the public plaza
feasible only through their integration with, and
outside. This entire design maneuver becomes a
partial envelopment by, the retained framework.
renewed ontological reflection on the relationship between existing structures and new structures—using
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This strategy allows portions of the original slabs to
a seemingly surreal insertion to generate a deliberate
be opened, liberating the interior space. At the top of
spatial gap between them, thereby intensifying the
the newly formed structural core sits a steel-frame
contrast and dialogue across temporal and material
structure—a volume equal in size to the machinery
boundaries.
Stainless steel / wood / acrylic / 50 × 50 × 50 cm 21
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RENOVATION OF TORRE TREVES
SYSTEM DYNAMICS
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System dynamics diagram illustrate how renovation
built environment. Within this framework, a system
With rising housing costs in Milan, students increasingly struggle to afford accommodation, while universities face classroom
interrupts the vicious cycle generated by demolition,
dynamics diagram of Milan’s built environment
shortages. Responding to these urgent conditions—along with the area’s longstanding artistic character—the project proposes
redirecting financial incentives toward adaptive reuse
reveals rising rents, limited student housing, and a
student housing combined with spaces for working, learning, and exhibition.
and thereby improving the long-term quality of the
dense artistic context.
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RENOVATION OF TORRE TREVES
Concrete stair core with added volume for classroom extension.
Exploded axonometric drawing illustrating the emergence of a new integrated architectural system through the intervention of a contemporary steel structure within an existing reinforced concrete framework, preserving the overall integrity of the original
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building while spatially opening it up to generate a renewed and coherent structural whole.
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RENOVATION OF TORRE TREVES
URBAN AXES FORMED BY ART INSTITUTIONS AND SCHOOLS The site is positioned at the intersection of two major urban axes: one linking a sequence of museums to the
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Duomo di Milano, and the other connecting to the Indro Montanelli Public Gardens. This makes the area a
Th e m a p i l l u strate s h ow th e site i s e mb e d d e d with i n a d e n s e n e two rk of a rt i n stituti o n s a n d
natural convergence point for visitors, students, and the broader cultural public.
e d u c ati o n a l fa c i l iti e s, i n cl u d i ng th e B re ra Art G a l l e r y a n d th e B re ra Ac a d e my of Fi n e Art s. 27
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RENOVATION OF TORRE TREVES
Housing and Studio Floor Plan
The inner ring retains the existing concrete columns, while the outer ring extends into suspended balconies.
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Within this structure, a floating glass box—constructed using the same suspended logic as the exterior—is inserted as a performing arts rehearsal space. A suspended bridge traverses the void below, crossing the double-height
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exhibition and performance space.
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RENOVATION OF TORRE TREVES
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THE ABSTRACT LAND
MY VISION FORMATION OF FUTURIST PAINTINGSUMBERTO BOCCIONI
LANDSCAPE
FUTURIST LOGIC AS CATASTROPHE
Landscape is not the final resolution of ecology, but a temporary stabilization of forces—one realization among many possible outcomes. -One realization among many -A phenomenal system of flows -A homeostatic knot of forces -Temporarily inhabitable
CATASTROPHE breaks continuity
Catastrophe is understood as a non-linear intervention that interrupts continuity and redirects the epigenetic field into a new regime of form. -An exogenous force -Breaks continuity -Produces irreversibility -Comparable to Futurist painting as an operative method
In this project, the logic of Futurism is not treated as an aesthetic reference but as a catastrophic operation. By interrupting continuity within an epigenetic field of ecological information, Futurist logic functions as an operative device that redirects potentialities and allows a specific landscape to emerge.
UMBERTO BOCCIONI --------------------------------Invariant properties -Continuous deformation -Bifurcation of movement -Splintered yet unified geometry --------------------------------
EPIGENETIC LANDSCAPE
THE ABSTRACT LAND
MY DESIGN INVESTIGATION --------------------------------Invariant lithology -Continuous landscape mutation -Bifurcation of water and ground -Layered yet coherent terrain
TIME
The epigenetic landscape operates as a suspended condition between ecology and landscape, where information is fully present but form is not yet specified. This field can be articulated through three interrelated states: -Field of Information -Field Bifurcations -Field of Time
suspended moment
ECOLOGY
-Landscape emerges through a catastrophic interruption of continuity, where Futurist painting functions as an operative device within an epigenetic field of possibilities.
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Type: Independent Project Time: Fall 2023
Ecology is not understood here as scenery, but as a latent field of material forces, composed of: Lithology Density and hardness Porosity and permeability Energy exchange (water flow, erosion) Latent forces not yet manifested as form
School: Domus Academy, Milano Instructor: Elisa Cattaneo
Inspired by futurist painting—its fascination with
and water absorption. Like Boccioni’s topological
movement, fields, and the continuous transformation
sculptures—where the underlying structure remains
of form—this project begins with a mapping of lithology
constant while the form continuously evolves—
and ecological information, treating the epigenetic
these drawings retain their ecological “properties”
landscape as a field of latent possibilities rather than
even as the landscape shifts through time. Rather
a fixed terrain. The landart that follows visualizes a
than predicting geological behavior, the work uses
suspended moment within this field: a movement
ecological data as a conceptual engine to explore
between the many forms the landscape could become,
becoming, transformation, and the dynamic potentials
generated through variations in rock hardness, density,
embedded in the site north of Milan.
Landscape is not a direct translation of ecology, but the result of a catastrophic interruption within an epigenetic field of possibilities, in which Futurist painting operates as an experimental device to break continuity and precipitate form.
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THE ABSTRACT LAND
Dominant Material
Description
Typical Properties
Clay-dominant unit
Clay-rich soils with low permeability
High plasticity, low bearing capacity
Clay with sand & gravel
Mixed clayey deposits with granular inclusions
Moderate drainage, variable strength
Gravel-dominant unit
Coarse gravel deposits
High permeability, strong load-bearing
Gravel with fine deposits
Gravel mixed with sand, silt, clay
Heterogeneous, medium stability
Gravel and fine deposits
Balanced granular–fine composition
Moderate permeability
Silt-dominant unit
Fine silty sediments
Low strength, erosion-prone
Silt with sand & gravel
Mixed silt with coarser grains
Moderate consolidation
Organic-rich fine deposits
Soils with organic matter
Compressible, low strength
Terrigenous sedimentary rock
Clastic sedimentary formations
High strength, stable
Chemical-organogenic sedimentary rock
Limestone or similar formations
High durability
Sand-dominant unit
Clean sand deposits
Excellent drainage
Sand with fines & gravel
Sand mixed with silt/clay/gravel
Variable permeability
Sand with fines & gravel
Balanced sand–fine–gravel mix
Good structural support
EPIGENETIC FIELDMAPPING OF LITHOLOGY IN LOMBARDIA, ITALY The Epigenetic Landscape is conceived as a field saturated with information rather than a fixed form. Grounded in lithology, topography, and water behavior, it remains continuously in flux, holding multiple landscape possibilities within the same material structure. Lithology stays invariant, while form mutates through bifurcations of ground and water across time. The project thus frames landscape as a suspended condition between information and manifestation—a temporary stabilization within a dynamic field of becoming.
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THE ABSTRACT LAND catastrophic shift
EPIGENETIC FIELD:
LANDSCAPE:
UNDIFFERENTIATED CONTINUOUS DISSIPATIVE FULL OF POSSIBILITY
UNITY SYSTEMATIC HOMEOSTATIC TEMPORARY STABILIZATION OF FORCES
From left to right, each pair traces a transformation of the same field—from turbulent continuity, through bifurcation, to temporary stabilization—demonstrating how form emerges through changes in temporal organization rather than through changes in material substance.
THE ORGANIC FORMATION OF LANDSCAPE
Working in the field of landscape means working with
as temporal flows of lines, fragments, and forces. The
propagation, vectors, and continuous movements—
original structure of the scene remains, but everything
systems defined not as fixed objects but as temporal
is transformed into new movements and new forms.
fields. Everything in the world is related to time: energy
The mapping of water streams, terrain, and lithology reveals a sudden, non-linear bifurcation that fractures continuity. 36
is time, light is time, and landscapes themselves unfold
I see the epigenetic landscape operating in a similar
through time. Moving from an idea of object to an idea
way: it carries the logic, structure, and information
of field is therefore essential. In this shift, rock types or
of what came before, yet it constantly transforms
landforms are no longer treated as stable substances,
into new possibilities. A landscape is therefore not a
but as conditions that continuously change within
finished object but a field in continuous becoming. The
a dynamic field. This anti-substantialist approach
shell is a perfect example of this logic—its form contains
resonates strongly with Boccioni’s Stati d’animo, where
its growth pattern, movement, and structure, yet it
the three moments of farewell—embracing, departing,
changes itself continuously over time.
and staying—are expressed not as static scenes but 37
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PAVILION OF RECLAIMED MATERIALS
PAVILION OF RECLAIMED MATERIALS -〉A vernacular pavilion built entirely from reclaimed scrap steel, using handcrafted joints shaped from leftover materials. The entire structure was constructed solely by myself.
Type: Independent Project Time: Fall 2020 School: Shih Chien University, Taiwan Instructor: Chung Han Yao
Conceived as a small pavilion built directly within a
through material-driven constraints rather than
construction environment, the project investigates
predetermined formal intent. While the upper portion
how repurposed metal components and low-tech
provides necessary enclosure and shelter, the lower
tectonic strategies can produce an efficient and
portion remains open to encourage natural airflow
adaptive structure. The joints were developed from
and maintain clear visibility across the site. The
leftover metal plates thin enough to be bent manually
configuration is further calibrated to prevailing wind
and perforated with minimal electrical tools, enabling
patterns and solar angles, ensuring that the structure
assembly under the limited resources typical of on-
responds effectively to environmental forces while
site conditions. The overall form derives from the
remaining materially economical and construction-
irregular lengths and dimensions of the reclaimed
friendly.
materials, allowing the pavilion’s geometry to emerge
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PAVILION OF RECLAIMED MATERIALS
This pavilion functions as an intermediate station for construction workers—a place to temporarily store materials and to rest. Its form is determined entirely by the irregular lengths and quantities of leftover steel available on site, producing a structure shaped by material constraints rather than predetermined design rules.
The leftover metal sheets were thin enough to be bent by hand and perforated with only basic power tools, allowing the joints to be entirely hand-crafted. This approach demonstrates an almost zero-cost vernacular construction method derived directly from the material constraints of the site. 40
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AWARD-WINNING FINALIST AT 2025 IEAGD
AWARD-WINNING FINALIST AT THE 2025 IEAGD -Exhibited and Awarded at the 2025 International Exhibition of Architecture Graduation Design
Type: Competition\Exhibition
Selected the top 8 project among 200+ international
Proj e cti on”, wa s commende d by archite ctural
entries from leading architecture schools across
professionals for its critical reflection on spatial
Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong.
perception in architectural thought in a series of public
The project: “A Dissected Place: Reconstructing
symposia and dialogues with experts.
Time: AUG 2025 Exhibition: Taipei, Taiwan
Spatial Perception Through the History of Perspectival
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FROM CHANDIGARH TO AHMEDABAD
FROM CHANDIGARH TO AHMEDABAD -〉A Personal Field Project in India on Architecture, Urbanity, and Tradition
Type: Independent Project
A one-month individual field study in India examining
photographic works, and exploring the intricate
how Le Corbusier’s works intersect with indigenous
entanglements between modernism and local socio-
urban culture, everyday life, and spatial traditions,
spatial practices in India.
Time: JUL-AUG 2023 School: Personal Project
culminating in published drawings, writings, and
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