Yuchen Xiong - Portfolio

Studio Projects

Revealing the Water

01 Revealing the Water
Instructor: Echeverri Natalia, Ng Sylvia
Date: 2023-24 (Fall)

Located in Sham Shek Tsuen, an abandoned agricultural village in North Lantau, "Revealing the Water" transforms a singular, linear waterway into a network of meandering streams. Here, the artificial relics dance in harmony with the spontaneous choreography of nature. Through "Revealing the Water", the abandoned orchard is revived, and the revealed water performed scenarios that include an ecological wet island and a set of water routes interacting with sands and fishery relics. The project has turned this quiet, forgotten rural place into a vibrant destination for visitors and locals alike.

Emerging Wetland

02 Emerging Wetland
Instructor: Irene Curulli
Date: 2024-25 (During exchange in Virginia Tech)

As climate change accelerates, rising sea levels around Virginia Beach pose both a challenge and an opportunity. "Emerging Wetland" embraces this shift, converting agricultural land near the North Landing River into a dynamic ecological experience and environmental education center. A network of meandering boardwalks along the river's edge leads visitors through various emerging wetland types, marking today's boundaries and revealing the impact of shifting water levels over time. Visitors begin in the dry, forested landscape, then journey through a lakeside picnic area, witnessing the gradual encroachment of water on farmland until reaching fully developed wetlands. The experience concludes at an education center, where visitors can learn more about these transforming ecosystems and their future.

Alternative Boundary

03 Alternative Boundary
Instructor: Trumpf Susanne Elisabeth, Ettel Nikolas
Date: 2023-24 (Spring)

"Alternative Boundary" integrates water within the urban fabric of Tseung Kwan O, a newly developed reclaimed urban area. My urban strategy includes two major stripes, the long vertical stripe running through the middle, and the curved stripe along the periphery. These two stripes are the "breathed" areas within the city, serving a dual purpose: effectively managing waterlogging in urban areas by guiding water to the sea, while also creating an enriching journey for individuals, particularly the community, to traverse from the dense urban core to the ecological shores. This innovative approach not only enhances urban life but also exemplifies the potential of landscape architecture to solve complex urban challenges, pushing the original rigid boundaries to create “Alternative Boundary” for people living in a super artificial urban fabric.

BALS Thesis

Road ecology in Zomia's last frontier

04 Road ecology in Zomia's last frontier
Instructor: Ashley Scott Kelly
Date: 2024-25 (Spring)

This project examines how two state-led mega-infrastructure projects in northern Thailand—the Yuam Water Diversion Tunnel and the Transmission Line Project—spatially overlap to transform remote landscapes and disrupt long-standing community connectivity. By imposing new access roads, these mega infrasturcture projects will significantly increase regional accessibility and shorten travel times between rural areas and outside world. Yet, in doing so, they profoundly alter existing patterns of land use, ecological systems, and socio-cultural linkages, particularly within Karen highland communities.