ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
YUJIA ZHAN
YUJIA ZHAN
6467260144 | zhanyj0912@gmail.com | yzhan94@pratt.edu | Brooklyn, New York 11205
SKILLS
I am a fifth-year student in architectural design at Pratt Institute, minoring in psychology. I love the inclusiveness of architecture; I enjoy exploring history and theory while also being passionate about fields like physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. Cross-disciplinary knowledge always stimulates my curiosity. I firmly believe that architecture is a highly social discipline, which is why I chose to study in New York, to maintain my sensitivity to society. I am also passionate about traveling, experiencing different cultures, and being a lifelong seeker of knowledge. I have always hoped to join a like-minded community that provides me with a platform for learning and allows me to realize my value as an architectural designer.
- Proficient in Rhino, Illustrator, Photoshop, Indeisgn, and Vray
- Grasshopper, Revit, Maya, and Lightroom
- Strong hand drawing skills
- Master physical model making skills
- Microsoft Office
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Critical thinking
- Native Chinese speaker, fluent in English, basic Italian
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Architecture ( Expected in May 2025 ) GPA 3.72
Major in Architecture and Building Science, minor in Psychology, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY President List 2020, President List 2021, President List 2022, President List 2023, President List 2024 Four studio projects were archived
CERTIFICATION
LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE ( Feb 2025 - Feb 2027 )
EXPERIENCE
Urban Regeneration Architecture Intern, May 2024 - August 2024
Shuishi Design, Shanghai, China
- During my internship in the Urban Regeneration Department, I participated in two projects: one involved redesigning the façade and surrounding public spaces of Hongkou Commercial Center in Shanghai, I learned how to connect pedestrian flow with commercial functions through landscape and spatial design, injecting vitality into decaying spaces; and the other focused on re-planning the historic cultural street in Yantai, I used grasshopper parametric design for tidal gradient paving.
Workshop Monitor, September 2024 - Present
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- I worked in the metal, laser, CNC, and robotic shops. Helped students and professors to operate different machines and give advice for physical models.
Rome Program Work Study, Janurary 2024 - May 2024
Pratt Rome Program, Italy
- Work with Pro. Consuelo Lollobrigida for “ Rome As Spectacle” class
Pratt AIAS Freedom By Design Committee
- Work on Design-Build Project in visitor center of Fort Greene Park
WORKING SAMPLES
TIBER HINGE
URBAN FABRIC | WATERFRONT | CELEBRATE MONUMENTS
TYPE: URBAN PLANNING
DURATION: 2024.1 - 2024.5
SITE: FORO BOARIO, ROMA PROFESSOR: LAWRENCE ZEROTH
PARTNER: HELEN ZHOU
FABRIC FROM MONUMENTS
A pattern was developed with existing monuments as the catalyst. For example as dimensional modules or fields where a condition is equality distributed and purposefully a lack of hierarchy. This results in urban fragments that confront each other to form a network that stitches monuments back together using existing scales and orientations that fit in the urban fabric.
“ How did Sixtus V rebuild Rome? ” “ Network. ”
“ Celebrate the Place”
GET RID OF THE TIBER WALL
“ Why do people go down to the river?”
The Forum Boarium was the birthplace of Rome. Due to its geographical advantages, it became a natural port. The native inhabitants lived on the nearby hills and came to this river valley to engage in trade activities. However, starting from the Middle Ages, with the development of the city, the riverbanks became higher and people were pushed away from the Tiber River, causing the Forum Boarium to lose its function as a port. From the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance to modern times, the planning of this area has undergone many changes, but the Tiber River has always been closely connected with the Romans. People need a reason to reconnect with the Tiber River
Art Market Library Bridge
Plaza
Hotel Roof Top
ARCH OF JANUS
“ Bring monuments back to the city
CLOCA MAXIMA
and tell the old story in a new way “
COLOR TASTING
EXHIBITION DESIGN | SPACE QUALITY | NO-COLUMN STRUCTURE
TYPE: THEMED MARKET
DURATION: 2023.1 - 2023.5
SITE: SARA D. ROOSEVELT PARK, NEW YORK
PROFESSOR: THOMAS HANRAHAN
PARTNER: SHIYU WANG
Different colors can convey various signals to consumers, influencing their emotions, perceptions of food freshness, and taste judgments. The market often exploits this by using specific lighting to package products and drive sales, such as orange lighting in cooked food sections and green lighting in vegetable areas. However, this marketing strategy tends to rely more on the appeal of packaging rather than the actual quality of the products. This themed market is a critical museum addressing this phenomenon. It features different colored light zones, allowing consumers to experience firsthand how colors manipulate their emotions and purchasing behavior, thereby provoking societal reflection on consumer autonomy.
The first and second floors of the project are open and free horizontal market spaces, interlaced with the vertical space formed by the two-story colorful towers, and the rest of the programs are arranged on both sides of the open space.
STRUCTURE
The roof and floors are supported by main beams (red), edge beams (blue), and secondary beams which are in Taino Polygon shapes. With main beams supported by the bearing walls of concrete towers, there are no columns throughout the entire open market, which achieves a fantastic horizontal space quality, an impressive visual experience, and the possibility for free programming.
INTO THE FRAME
PERCEPTION & INTENTION | SOLID & VOID | SELF-AWARENESS
TYPE: PHOTOGRAPHY MUSEUM
DURATION: 2023.9 - 2023.12
SITE: LOWER EAST SIDE, NEW YORK
PROFESSOR: ADAM ELSTEIN
INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
SOLID, VOID & FRAME
The Project began with the form study. Solids are deconstructed by frames, generating voids. In between the spaces, the transits from solids to surfaces and then from surfaces to edges are revealed. The strategy can achieve a high quality of visual transparency. This utilization of dynamic open spaces to deconstruct and cover the static solidity spaces is my expression of the museum theme: the dynamic selfawareness of viewers breaking down the static intentions of the photographs.
FINAL MODEL CONCEPT SKETCHES
AWAKE THE SELF-AWARENESS
This photography museum aims to break down viewers in part of the phenomenon presented. original photos. When visitors observe this process, collapse, prompting viewers to rethink the photographs.
SHADOW GALLERY
down the wall between viewers and photographs. I designed reflective galleries and shadow galleries to include presented. The real-time dynamic phenomenon of viewers collides with the static and fixed phenomenon of the process, their self-awareness is awakened, and the fixed intention conveyed by the original photos begins to photographs.
TRELLIS
CONSERVATION BALANCE | SHELTER | TEXTURE
TYPE: WILDLIFE PAVILIONS
DURATION: 2023.1 - 2023.3
SITE: SEBINO, ITALY COMPETITION PROJECT
PARTNER: SHIYU WANG
INTERNSHIP
SITE ANALYSIS | LANDSCAPE DESIGN | PRESENTATION PREP
COMPANY: SHUISHI
DURATION: 2024.5 - 2024.8
LOCATION: SHANGHAI, CHINA
EMPLOYER: YIJIA DONG
DEPARTMENT: URBAN REGENERATION
CAPITALAND HONGKOU COMMERCIAL CENTER
CapitaLand Hongkou is a well-known commercial complex located in Shanghai. I am mainly responsible for renovating the surrounding landscape, including the redesign of the circulation and the addition of outdoor seating for restaurants.
The current treatment of this height difference and the arrangement of greenery have resulted in a discontinuous site circulation, creating a negative atmosphere that lacks vitality.
Organize the existing site landscape and open up the semi-platform system to better connect the entrances of various malls. Combine this with outdoor seating platforms, greenery, and water features to enhance the spatial quality. These elements can be integrated with pop-up stores to create an open commercial scene that engages with the city. The multi-layered stepped greenery and open corner spaces will form a more open and friendly urban interface.
XIANGSHAN STREET RENOVATION
This district renovation project is located in Yantai, Shandong, China. It connects the Western Cultural Quarter in the north with the ancient Ming Dynasty military camp buildings in the south. The renovation aims to link the northern and southern tourist areas to create a continuous urban tourism corridor. The northern section continues the commercial atmosphere, the central section features a central garden plaza for visitors and residents to rest and relax, and the southern section creates pocket gardens and quality commercial spaces, crafting a community space with a cultural and tourism vibe for tourists. I used parametric design to create a tidal gradient paving design for the entire project.
OTHER WORKS
This study explores the potential applications and new construction relationships of hemp concrete reinforced with magnesium hydroxide and iron oxide. By fabricating thin curved shells, the research tests the enhancement of hemp concrete’s strength, achieved through the addition of these metal compounds, while enabling thinner thicknesses and more complex curved geometries.
STUDY OF 2D & 3D VISUAL PERCEPTION
It begins by attempting to express a flat oil painting through three-dimensional compositions, then explores how new 2D images are generated from different perspectives of the 3D compositions. The study involves extensive exploration of element definitions and spatial relationships, such as Boolean operations on solids; intersections of points, lines, and planes.
