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Zeyuan Ren: HM of the Market 2.0
+ Zeyuan Ren 🇨🇳
Honourable Mention of the Market 2.0
Portfolio: https://www.non-a.com/members/jerridiculous/
1) Could you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Zeyuan(Jerry) Ren. I have graduated from the Manchester School of Architecture in 2022 and am now working at Building Design Partnership.
2) What inspired you for the Meditation Roofs?
During a trip back to my hometown, I noticed the disparities caused by uneven and overly centralized infrastructure development, which not only segmented the urban landscape but also its inhabitants. This observation reinforced my initial argument for addressing the neglect of urban peripheries by revitalizing communal vernacular trading practices.
3) Can you describe any particular challenges you faced during the design process and how
you overcame them?
Despite the main subject – ‘architecture’, researching and understanding the local culture and lifestyles that I was once native to was a difficult task as the excel of urban construction and the complete remapping of townfabrics in some regions has dramatically altered the mode of habitation and consumer behaviours.
4) How do you think your educational background or professional experiences influenced your winning design?
The introduction of research-driven design has been empowering my architectural propositions from time to time. The habit of critical thinking I developed during University and work pushed me to constantly find justification to my design decisions through research and reading. The process helped me to build solid knowledge bases and also encouraged me to constantly expand it.
5) What advice would you give to students or young professionals looking to excel in architecture competitions?
Constantly ‘neglecting’ the competition’s nature as a simplified, short-term creative activity enabled full dedication for me and I later benefited from the knowledge and design skills gained during the process.
6) What are your future aspirations in the field of architecture?
Architectural design struggles to keep up with the Transforming Impediments that human habitation faces; I believe the fusion of innovative tectonics and holistic understanding of emergent social and environmental challenges is the key to crafting resilient designs that are not only adaptable but also reformative.
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