This project explores how food forests could function in urban neighborhoods, with the aim of allowing people to forage and connect with others. I began by presenting seven diagrams that illustrate where people can already forage in the city. Examined the role of berries as a key element in urban spaces; Discussed how to create a self-sustaining system, and developed harvesting settings that couldbeappliedindifferentscenarios.
/Forage at the fence/
/Forage at the hedgerow/
/Forage in the dead wood/
/Forage under trees/
/Forage in the grove/
/Forage in the meadow/
/Forage by the waterway/
Rosehip bush a corner at Wormwood Scrubs
Why do we need berries in our city?
Due to their extremely short shelf life, berries need to be plucked and eaten straight away, which creates a short food footprint and reduces packaging and transport waste. Not to mention, they offer a fresh, local flavor that reflects the identity of a place. Berries grow well in partial shade and require much less work than vegetables, making them ideal for urban gardening.
They also take up less space than fruit trees and can live for many years, providing long-term yields with minimal maintenance. In addition to feeding people, berries serve as a food source for urban wildlife, support biodiversity, and are accessible, edible plants that can be integrated into cityscapes. Most importantly, growing berries helps reconnect people to nature and the landscape, fostering a deeper appreciation for our environment.
The seven-layer food forest theory
A fully developed food forest has seven layers:
American foraging expert Steve Brill once said: “Don’t forage in areas that might be prone to high levels of pollution- areas next to heavy car traffic or near sources of agricultural runoff like farm fields, orchards, and factories, or on lawns that might be treated with pesticides, especially golf courses.”
Based on global foraging guidelines and experiences, the author suggests three ideal locations for urban foragers within London: scrublands, marshlands, and woodland patches.
I utilized the seven-layer theory of food forests as a starting point, transforming a greenbelt near a railway track at West London into a food forest to discuss how to shape a potential one and how people forage. Various foraging devices were proposed, including tree nets for collecting nuts and wood log piles to encourage the growth of wild mushrooms. Additionally, the forest had tables for foragers to share and enjoy their harvest, and trail blazing to guide people to different foraging themes.
section A-A': Before
section A-A': Cultivating a food forest
The tables in the grove serves as the best gathering spot for foragers to exchange information and share their findings. It's also a resting place where residents can immediately enjoy the fresh wild plants they have just harvested.
In the autumn, foragers can collect mushrooms in the forest. The cutdown logs can be used for cultivating mushrooms or shredded to make as a trail surface in the woodland.
How about trying some cowslip salad?
Kids! I've brought some crab apples!
The harvest this autumn is really good!
Board Game Design
Roots & Shoots: Allotment Garden Revival on Warren Farm, Ealing
This project is about turning a disused site in East London into an allotment/garden park. London has over 740 allotments, but demand is still higher than supply. I wanted to respond to the shortage of growing space in London and also create a place for community connection, recreation and wellbeing. The site, Warren Farm, used to be a sports center, so I wanted to bring the idea back, somewhere people can be active and grow their food at the same time.
[ Site Location and History ]
The total number of allotments in London adds up to a modest 741 sites with 40,000 individual plots. These sites span 32 boroughs. Most are in Brent, Bromley, and Ealing.
In the 1960s, there were 13 open areas around the site for sports, recreation, and cultivation.
Hanwell neighborhood
Warren Farm Nature Reserve
Lammas Park
Warren Farm Nature Reserve and Lammas Park are both green spaces with the potential to support community activities for Hanwell residents. As shown in the flood and surface water analysis map, the southeast corner of Lammas Park is at a lower elevation and requires improved drainage during rainy seasons and flood events. In contrast, Warren Farm Nature Reserve is less affected by flooding, making it the chosen site for primary community growing and recreational activities.
The acid/neutral grassland habitat surrounded by trees and shrubs is a habitat for many animals, including hares and skylarks.
The ruins in the center of the grassland occasionally experience fires during spring and summer, and their unattended condition is also considered a hazardous presence.
due to the naturally high underground water, whenever it rains, the soil becomes poorly drained, resulting in some areas being waterlogged.
The northern and southern sides of the site are separated by wire mesh fences and are not within the ownership
energy # Connecting through community farming
and
The site is relatively flat, with the exception of surrounding trees. The central grassland area features a relatively uniform species composition, which is not conducive to biodiversity.
of the Warren Farm Nature Reserve.
Warren Farm Sports Centre, in the last century, was a comprehensive sports facility with sports fields
changing rooms.
of Jersey's Field
# Skylark habitat rebuild
Grassland with building remnants, tree stumps, and fences
Cleared grassland with removed remaining
The section of a keyhole garden.
Drainage material
Topsoil Compost basket
Bottom fill soil
Cardboard or dried leaves (optional)
a. The Allotment Garden
b. The Gabion Slide
c. The Ecological Pond
d. The Skylark Habitat Demonstration Area
Gabion
[ The Allotment Garden ]
[ The Ecological Pond ]
In the allotment garden, water flows down the mounds in spirals, purifying through plants before reaching the stream. The roundhouse serves as the gathering hubs, surrounded by beehives and nursing beds supporting the planting unit.
[ The Gabion Slide]
and
The climbing slide structure consists of gabion walls filled with soil, grass, and organic garden waste, supporting plant growth.
People climb up
slide into a sandpit, while the space below connects the wild play grove and detention pond.
This project focuses on an island, Ketscher Rheininsel, on the Rhine River, which I transformed into a natural greywater purification system. It is also designed to attract locals to explore the island’s unique landscape. The island has a raised center, while some part of the island still flood during high water and rainy seasons. The site faces both flooding and droughts, and it is near a wastewater facility, making it an ideal place to rethink water treatment in a natural way. This is why I saw an opportunity to raise awareness of water resources through a greywater treatment design.
Ketsch (the chosen site)
Germersheim-Scharhof, this part of the Rhine River is an alluvial plain, which people use to grow crops in modern times.
Also standing on the waterfront are several sewage treatment plants that receive domestic sewage from nearby towns, and the treated water will be discharged directly into the Rhine.
As the only wastewater treatment plant within a 12-kilometer radius, and with gentle slopes extending both northward and southward toward the town of Ketsch, this site is well-suited for directing and collecting water flow. It presents an opportunity to transform the Ketscher Rheininsel into a natural water treatment system, using vegetation and topography to guide, filter, and discharge water back into the Rhine River.
[ Water Treatment Plant ]
The Approach of the Design/ By setting up experimental greywater corridors, people can observe and participate in the process of greywater purification. Infrastructures such as platforms, walkways, and poolside areas become new experiential spaces, showcasing the integration of natural purification processes with wildlife. At the same time, they provide residents with diverse opportunities for activities.
[ Filtration and Planting Attempt ]
The author proposes creating a demonstration site for greywater filtration to connect nature and humanity. Residents will have the opportunity to engage directly with the filtered environment—such as a natural swimming pool and an ice rink—where they can play, observe the ecosystem, and reflect on their relationship with water resources and biodiversity.
As for planting decisions, the impurities and compounds commonly found in greywater will be absorbed and metabolized by selected plants. Examples include cattails, water hyacinths, eelgrass, canna, and water
lilies. The design emulates the process of a greywater treatment plant: first, sediment is allowed to settle through physical precipitation, then the water flows into deep areas planted with vegetation. After being filtered thoroughly, the water flows into pools designed for human contact.
In this project, a rainwater storage system was designed to collect, filter, and store rainwater in basins. The clean water is then distributed to several recreational facilities, such as swimming pools and a skating rink. By showcasing the rainwater storage and filtration process, visitors can
actively engage with the operation of filtered rainwater. They can play in purified water pools, observe how the landscape and plants aid in water purification, and enjoy a poetic and diverse experience from the infrastructure.
[ Relationship Between River, Town, and Island ]
[ Seasonal Rains on the Island ]
[ Filtration Pools and Human Engagement ]
Beyond the Border:
The Symbiosis Between Chenghuang Temple and Vendors
Chenghuang Temple is a cultural and spiritual hub for citizens, where food and faith coexist in a harmonious symbiotic relationship. Vendors operate directly in front of the temple, even setting up next to the incense burner. Tables and chairs are arranged along the sides, making the temple almost hidden among the crowded stalls.
I designed a opening modular structure for vendors, allowing parades and religious activities
to take place in the temple’s front courtyard, making the temple more accessible. During the annual Parade, pilgrims and residents flock to the front courtyard of Chenghuang Temple. Vendors relocate to the plaza, creating more space for the temple and the performance stage. During the celebration, people watch traditional drama performances, enjoy snacks, light incense, and participate in traditional music and dance.
Ground Plan: Parade
A-A'
B-B'
C-C'
D-D'
plaza
Historical remain
Temple court
Vendors
Central shopping mall
Central shopping mall
Chenghuang Temple
Vendors
Show stage
Guangming New Village Reconstruction Project
#Professional work
#Research fellow
．Date: 2020-2022
．Location: Hsinchu, Taiwan
．Site Area: 23,000 sqm
．Process: Completed
．Type: Regeneration / Cultural / Heritage / Public Realm / Mixed-use
．Team: Prof. Shu-chang Kung + The Urbanists Collaborative + fa+p + ITRI (12 people)
[ Guangming New Village Masterplanning and Visualizations ]
The site is located in Guangming New Village, a community with roots tracing back to the Japanese occupation period. This village is characterized by its valuable forests and a rich diversity of animal and insect species, making it an ecologically important area. The reconstruction project consists of five renovated historical buildings, a landscape playground, and a lakeside trail. The primary objective is to preserve the significant memories that residents associate with the village's trees while introducing new activities and functions.
Staff Dormitory Area
Renovation Site
Chengkung Lake National Tsinghua University
National Yangming Chiaotung University
Guangming Kindergarten
Wild Playground
Outdoor activity area
Turn the basketball court into the grass playground
Improve drainage and create a path for animals and insects
Ecological ditches Path and trees
Identify the trees through lohas path
Keep natural
Respect the original topography and landscape
Historical Building Area
Ecological drainage
Renovate the surrounding drainage ditches
Increase activity area
Solve exposed roots problem of big trees
Preserve big trees
Identify the specific tree species linked to local memory
History continues
Continuing the courtyard scale
Create an ecological path
Add
Create
and activities
Interior
Refurbishment Series: Renovation of compact public-use spaces for hygiene and display experience
BUSINESS EXHIBITION SPACESCOMMERCIAL RESTROOMSPANTRY:
This series of projects focused on the refurbishment of high-traffic public-use interiors within a research institution. I served as the project designer, overseeing the process from concept design, tendering, and demolition through to on-site supervision and final inspection.
