Project by Ming Chen
Across four projects, my work this semester explored architecture and design as mediators between human systems and ecological processes. Symbiosis investigates body ecology through a wearable mask and modular bags that filter air, accelerate decomposition, and negotiate identity, imagining future everyday objects that balance human expression with environmental responsibility. From Flush to Farm traces wastewater from the human body through treatment infrastructures, revealing how waste is transformed into clean water, fertilizer, and renewable energy through engineered ecological cycles. Symbiotic HexaHive proposes a mobile urban habitat for bees, combining pheromone technology, seasonal plant mapping, and architectural shelter to support pollinators while creating shared human–nonhuman space. Oyster to Reef expands this systems thinking into a floating regenerative infrastructure, linking oyster farming, public dining, and 3D-printed coral reefs within a closed material loop. Together, these projects frame design as an active participant in living, cyclical environments.
