Ying Chen & Shengnan Gao Bring Architectural Innovation to NYCxDesign Spotlight
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Ying Chen & Shengnan Gao Bring Architectural Innovation to NYCxDesign Spotlight



By:Brian Smith

New York, NY – A groundbreaking exhibition titled “Fractured Horizons” has opened across both the NY and NJ venues of PI Art Center.

The exhibition, a collaboration between VSDesign and PI Art Center, explores the tension between civilizational remnants and emerging post-human landscapes. It offers fresh perspectives on heritage and innovation.

Opened in May this year, this showcase featured works by internationally renowned contemporary Architectural Designer Ying Chen and Shengnan Gao alongside other distinguished artists, such as Eric Meod, Alex Diamant, Bethany Altschwager, Elise Racine, Guangming Zheng and Qin Zhao.

Ying Chen and Shengnan Gao, two innovative emerging architectural designers, present their forward-thinking proposal “Vertical Farming”. Ying and Shengnan played a central role in this exhibition by redefining the urban future through a uniquely interdisciplinary lens—merging design, ecology, and cultural narrative into a compelling architectural proposal.

Vertical Farming, also named as Layering of Pockets, is a visionary yet buildable architectural proposal that redefines how cities grow—both literally and metaphorically. Rooted in the dense fabric of New York City, this project challenges traditional notions of high-rise construction by embedding vertical aquaponic farming within the skyline itself. It transforms underutilized urban voids into productive ecosystems, addressing urgent concerns of food security, water conservation, and climate adaptation through architectural means.

New York City, an urban icon steeped in history yet constantly reinventing itself, serves as the conceptual catalyst for this project. By weaving vertical aquaponic farming into the interstices of high-rise architecture, the design not only redefines urban agriculture but also reimagines the city's skyline as a living system. A closed-loop ecological infrastructure is embedded within the architecture: rainwater is harvested and channeled into fish farming, wastewater is naturally filtered through vegetative layers, and clean water is recycled for continuous use. This metabolic cycle reduces environmental pressure while directly confronting issues of urban food insecurity and resource scarcity.

Yet the project’s ambition is not merely technical,it is profoundly aesthetic. Through a layered and stratified façade language, the architecture breaks away from monolithic city surfaces, introducing depth, rhythm, and material transparency. Stacked panels, translucent veils, and vegetative screens transform the building envelope into a dynamic visual interface, where light, texture, and shadow continually shift with time and activity. This not only reshapes the urban silhouette but also invites emotional connection,creating a landmark that is both civic and sublime.

More than a building, this is a prototype for future high-density development: a space where form serves both beauty and equity. It offers a replicable model that merges ecological design and architectural innovation to cultivate nourishment—both environmental and social—within the vertical city. In doing so, it repositions architecture as an agent of multisensory delight and systemic change.

Ying Chen and Shengnan Gao’s participation is particularly noteworthy given their strong professional backgrounds and growing influence as emerging voices in the field of architecture. Ying currently works as an Architectural Designer at Wilson Butler Architects, while Shengnan Gao holds the same role at The Architect Associates LLP. Both earned their Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and hold LEED Green Associate credentials, underscoring their commitment to sustainability in design.

As part of a new generation of architectural thinkers, Chen and Gao bring not only technical expertise but also a bold, interdisciplinary vision that bridges sustainability, cultural narrative, and aesthetic innovation. Their work reflects a rising wave of young designers who are shaping the future of the built environment with both clarity of purpose and creative ambition.

Over the course of their emerging yet already distinguished careers, Shengnan Gao and Ying Chen have received numerous prestigious awards recognizing their innovation in architectural design and digital art. Together, they were honored with the MUSE Award Silver Winner, London Design Award Silver Winner, and the WA Award—a recognition given to designers making significant contributions to the field of digital architectural expression.

Individually, Ying Chen’s civic-design research, which critiques the spatial limitations of modern library layouts, was exhibited at the Tate Modern in London. She was also awarded the Chinese Power Design Award in Paris, winning the Best Concept Prize for her visionary approach.

Shengnan Gao has also achieved notable success, earning First Place in the CCA Competition and First Place in the King Street Pilot Project. Her work was further recognized with an Honorable Mention in the 2025 Nuclear Bomb Memorial Competition, where she was celebrated for her inventive use of digital fabrication and conceptual clarity in memorial architecture.

The New York Design Festival, established in 2011, has become a centerpiece on the global design calendar. Drawing over 115,000 attendees annually and reaching more than 756 million across media platforms, the festival highlights New York City’s leadership in global design and innovation.

Within this vibrant context, Ying Chen and Shengnan Gao’s contributions stand out. As the art world continues to navigate questions of identity, tradition, and technology, their work, particularly “Vertical Farming”, offers a thought-provoking journey through the evolving landscape of architectural innovation.










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