I am very passionate about applying for the internship program with Kengo Kuma and

Associates, which I learned of through your website. After working on a case study of
Kengo Kuma in one of the architecture courses, I find myself very inspired by the concepts
and sensibilities that expressed in Kengo Kuma's works. Therefore, I am enthusiastic about
learning more from real practice, which is, working in Kengo Kuma's office. In addition, I
would like to experience another culture and appreciate many architecture masterpieces in
Japan.

I am currently a senior at University of Toronto, Canada; and I expect to graduate this June.
During the past few years, I have developed my skills of conceptual thinking as well as
practical programming through a series of architectural design and representation studios.
The courses I took in fine art history, architecture theory and film studies have broadened
my scope of knowledge. I am a quick learner, and always be able to perform well under
pressure. I am good at drafting, graphic presentations, and model making. The attached
portfolio presents a selection of my academic and personal works.

In the summer of 2008, I had an opportunity to intern in an architecture firm in Shanghai.

I gained valuable experience by working with professional architects in a more pragmatic
setting, and built good relationship with supervisor and co-workers. I successfully
cooperated with structure engineer and landscape designer to accomplish a project of
re-designing the façade of a domestic house while keeping the original structure intact.
This internship also motivated me to learn more computer-aided methods to enhance the
quality of artistic representation and the accuracy of technical drawings.

If I have the opportunity to intern at Kengo Kuma and Associates, I will very much enjoy
working at different scale levels; and I will like to make a 10- months-commitment to work
full-time (preferably August 2009-June 2010). I will use the next few months to learn
Japanese so that I will be able to better assist your work and communicate with colleagues.
I believe my education, skills, determination and passion will well match your requirements;
and your office will lead me to great advancement in architectural design.

Thank you for your patient and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you. I
would like to have a phone interview, and feel free to contact me by phone or email if I can
provide additional information.

Sincerely yours,
Fei Chen
Fei Chen
1208-2360 Dundas St. West
Toronto,Ontario M6P 4B2
416-878-8340
haorencf@gmail.com

Objective: Internship in Kengo Kuma & Associates

An challenging position in an architecture office, with opportunity for
advancement.

Education: University of Toronto Toronto,Canada

Honours Bachelor of Arts. Major of Architectural studies(design) 2009
Major of Economics

Accomplishments:

creative
artistic
analytical
computers
teamwork
communications

Experience: Grigorian Design Group Architecture Department Shanghai, China

Intern May 2008 to August 2008
Performed miscellaneous tasks related to architecture design and
representation. Built good relationship with supervisor and co-workers,
learned to follow directions and cooperate with others.

Timothy World Coffee Toronto,Canada

Barista September 2007 to February 2008
Improved skills of customer service and interpersonal communication,
enhanced time management and multi-task performance.

Dreamteam embroidery company Toronto,Canada

Receptionist December 2006 to March 2007
Scheduled appointments, requisitioned and maintained inventory of
materials, receiving orders from phone and email, and arranged
deliveries.

Hatitac financial Inc. Toronto,Canada

Telemarketer September 2006 to February 2007
Scheduled appointments for sales representatives to meet with
prospective customers and for customers to attend info sessions.
Highlights: Highly imaginative with many innovative ideas.
Working knowledge of the operation procedures of architecture firm.
Skilled in model-making and drafting.
Friendly - can get along well with others.
Well-organized and efficient.
Work well in a high pressure environment.
Self-motivated and assertive.
Aspiring and punctual
Quickly learn procedures and methods.
Dependable - can work without supervision.
Capable of handling multiple projects concurrently.
Able to follow directions.

Community: Volunteered at Design Exchange at Toronto (from February 2008 up to

the present). Performed various tasks including exhibition installations,
graphic design and office work. Improved abilities as a worker at a
professional institution, and enriched knowledge in art and design.

Hobbies: Drawing, graphic design, handcrafting, music, photography, reading,

movie.

Awards: 2006 Faculty of Arts and Science Dean's list.

2008 Architecture studio work was selected for exhibit at the
lobby of University of Toronto architecture department building.
2008 Design Exchange volunteer honorarium

Software: Proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, AutoCAD, SketchUp,

ArchiCAD, Artlantis Render, MS Office.
Familiar with Rhino

Languages: English Fluent in spoken and written

Mandarin Fluent in spoken and written
Japanese Introductory level
Related Coursework

Introduction to Architecture
A comprehensive introduction to the discipline, art and profession of architecture using
case studies, both historical and contemporary, local and international.

Contemporary Architecture
An introductory survey of contemporary international architecture that examines how
design is responding to technological change, environmental degradation, accelerating
globalization of economy and media, and the politics of regional and cultural identity.

Architectural Design I
Introduction to architectural design conducted in a studio setting using a series of design
projects that develop students’ understanding of and skills with fundamental aspects of
designing buildings and their environments.

Architectural Design II
A second introduction to architectural design conducted in a studio setting using a series of
design projects that develop students’ understanding of and skills with fundamental
aspects of designing buildings and their environments.

Architectural Design III

A third introduction to architectural design conducted in a studio setting using a series of
design projects that develop students’ understanding of and skills with fundamental
aspects of designing buildings and their environments.

Architectural Representation I
An introduction to architectural drawing and representation in various media.

Architectural Representation II
An introduction to the history, theory and present state of building technology in the
context of architectural design.

Architecture and Technology

A selected survey of projects in the history of architecture exemplary for exploring the
relationship between architecture and technological change.

Design and Cultural Transformation

A survey of the social, economic, technological and cultural factors that have been
instrumental in transforming material culture since the Industrial Revolution.

Housing Design: Theory & Practice

Urban housing forms and processes since 1800. Contemporary housing theories and
policies in the context of world issues. Design principles, criteria and practice investigated
through case studies.
Building Technology-Ecology II
A topic-based course in the history and theory of building science and structures.

History/Theory of Contemporary Urban Landscape Design II

The nature and origin of theories and principles in contemporary landscape architecture
through lectures, seminar discussions and workshops. Design problems and the historic
relationship to landscape issues; alternative design methods and characteristics of design
motivations, constraints and expression in landscape as a media of practice.

Architecture: Rituals and Monuments

A survey of architecture from pre-history to the start of modernism, with attention given to
the ways in which architecture shapes human experience.

Modern Architecture from 1750 to the Present

An introduction to the buildings, issues and ideas from Neoclassicism to the present.

Later Medieval Art and Architecture

An overview of major monuments and themes in the art and architecture of Western
Europe and the Byzantine East from the eleventh until the fifteenth century.

The Rise and Fall of the Modernist Empire c. 1900 to the Present
An introduction to the consolidation of Modernist tendencies in Europe to the mid 20th
century and to the many contemporary responses to these achievements. Individual artists,
including Picasso, Matisse, Duchamp, and Matthew Barney are considered in their
relationship to various art movements and the theories that supported them, including
Expressionism; Abstraction and Constructivism; Dada and Surrealism; Neue Sachlichkeit;
Abstract Expressionism; Pop; Conceptual Art; Earth Art; Feminist Art; Postmodernism;
New Media Art.

Introduction to Film Study

Introduction to film analysis; concepts of film style and narrative. Topics include
documentary, avant-garde, genres, authorship, ideology, and representation.

Introduction to Physics I
Topics include: momentum, energy, force, work, power, angular momentum, classical
kinematics & dynamics, friction, thermal properties, gases, liquids, viscosity.

Introduction to Physics II
Topics include: oscillations, waves, sound, light, electricity, magnetism, special relativity.

Calculus and Linear Algebra

Matrices and linear equations. Review of differential calculus; applications. Integration and
fundamental theorem; applications. Introduction to partial differentiation; applications.
Course Code Course Title Weight Mark Grade CrsAvg
ARC131H1 Intro to Architecture 0.5 76 B B-
ARC132H1 Contemporary Architecture 0.5 80 A- B-
INI115Y1 Intro to Film Study 1 73 B C+
MAT133Y1 Calculus Linear Algebra for Commerc 1 89 A C
ARC221H1 Architectural Representation I 0.5 71 B- B-
ARC231H1 Architecture and Technology 0.5 75 B B+
FAH270H1 Architecture: Rituals and Monuments 0.5 73 B B
ARC213H1 Architectural Design I 0.5 72 B- B-
ARC236H1 Design and Cultural Transformation 0.5 86 A B
FAH272H1 Modern Architecture 0.5 78 B+ B
ARC313H1 Architectural Design II 0.5 84 A- B
ARC321H1 Architectural Representation II 0.5 78 B+ B
FAH246H1 Modernism 1900-Present 0.5 76 B C+
ARC314H1 Architectural Design III 0.5 75 B B-
ARC342H1 Building Technology-Ecology 0.5 72 B- B-
PHY131H1 Intro Physics I 0.5 85 A C+

Cumulative GPA for architectural studies program courses: 3.19

Cumulative GPA for all courses: 3.34
 [Table of Contents]

Academic
-Toronto Island Project
Land art
Island school Re-design
-Animated space
-Park keeper’s house

Personal
-New DX (in process)
-Material Study: Iron scarf
-Sketches
-Photography

Fei Chen
[ TORONTO ISLAND PROJECT ]
 Photo collage: Motifs

Toronto Island Project

[ SHIFTING EGDE ]

Beginning this project with an investigation into site topog-

raphy and the process of land/water features being altered
1. CALM
by natural forces, a constructed edge was developed that
could reflect the course of change, and could engage in the
new formation of landscape. Here the reflected movement
was instantaneous. By placing distinct floating items in the
constructed circles (not visible above water), the change of
water flow and wind direction was represented in terms of the
variation of patterns created by clustering or spreading out
of these items. Considering the prevalence of Google Earth,
which provides people with clear-cut aerial views in just few
clicks, and the airport located on the island, this shifting edge
project could enhance people’s viewing experience from an
unusual dimension.

2. WIND FROM WEST

3. WIND FROM NORTH-WEST

Boat shape floating item, use big scale and bright

color to create iconic quality.

Toronto Island Project- Land art

local geometric relationships with islands and paths geometric relationships with mainland piers geometric relationships with power towers at filtration plant

[ ISLAND SCHOOL RE-DESIGN ]

Studies of the local landscape produces areas suitable to individual programs and effectively separates
the school from a once centralized institution to a decentralized network to best utilize the land as a
media though which to deliver the education curriculum. On locating the program, geometric relationship
were established through a series of intersecting grids derived from both local and outside geometry.
Their interaction produces the main orientation as well as the parcel of land we chose to situate these
main programs. A set of concept models were constructed to express the ideas of guidance geometric
grids, and the interrelationship between each programmatic site division resulted from the filtering system
created by the grids. A study of movie classification was used as a preliminary design concept. Through a
systematic method of categorizing and breaking down the attributes of a movie, the literal information of a
movie was transformed into a unique pattern. The planning of island school employed the same method,
which gave the school a special print on Toronto Island within the urban fabric.

This site planning was developed with another group member: Li Cheng.

Toronto Island Project- Island school re-design

Movie Classification Goodfellas Citizen Kane Psycho Munich
Genre
Time
Runtime
Aspect-ratio
Color
Rating

2001: A Space Odyssey

Genre: Adventure/ Sci-Fi
Time: 1968
Runtime: 141 Min / 160 Min (Premiere Cut)
Aspect Ratio: Super Panavision 70 ( 2. 20 : 1 )
Color: Color
IMDB Rating: 8.4
bird watching
wetland studies

sports field
outdoor arts

day school

vegetation field

observatory

Toronto Island Project- Island school re-design

 Upper floor
1 Dorm for
4 students

Reading room/
Multifunctional 3
Bird watching station
Lower floor
Dorm for teachers

22

Lab

Classroom
2 1

Office

Lower floor

Wetland
Experiment field Upper floor

Boathouse/Cafeteria

SECTION 1

SECTION 2
Wetland studies area
This wetland study area is a site for natural phenomenon observation/experiment
and regular science curriculum. A bird watching station was situated right on the
tip of a small island, aimed to minimize human’s intervention to the birds’ habitat. A
deck span over the island and peninsula was elevated like a bridge. It shortened the
distance of travel, and the holes on the deck also created plots for wetland studies. SECTION 3

Toronto Island Project- Island school re-design

 Wetland Study area rendering

Model of Bird watching station

Toronto Island Project- Island school re-design

[ ANIMATED SPACE ]

Started from analyzing the formal property of an equipment/prosthetic, a running shoe was studied thoroughly through sections, the
flexibility of the shoe was specifically explored. The motion of crouch start empasizes the movement of foot as well as the transmog-
rification of the running shoe.This motion was further distilled into a series of abstract forms, which represent both the course and the
notion of acceleration. A structual model was developed based on previous study, and was rounded into a architectural space; in this
case, a bridge on the creek. The bridge expresses the notion of promenade.

Anatomy of a running shoe

A B C D E F G H

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Animated Space-Equipment study

Crouch Start

A-H

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

6 6

7 7

8 8
Motion concept diagram

A-H

Animated Space-Motion concept

Animated Space-Concept model
Animated Space-Architectural fulfillment
Redefine park keeper- Poster design

Park keeper’s house- Manifesto

[ Park keeper’s house at Trinity Bellwoods ]
Started from re-defining park keeper’s role, I defined him/her as a facilitator of community activities,
Architectural concept
and a promoter of environmentally friendly issues. Park keeper in Trinity Bellwoods Park provides
people with opportunities to experience the nature of the park from a different point of view. Based
on the identity of park keeper, the program, formal design and natural setting of park keeper’s
house was developed. This house was elevated, and was situated at the edge of a pit. The path of
redirected path
procession was directed by the configuration of the structure, and people’s views were framed and
oriented toward specific landscape features.

Site concept
-composition of view field current path
create unconventional path

go into the landscape rather than

go into a building. create special
viewpoints.

minimize the interruption to the

landscape. the building can be
removeed with little trace

the building is also a framing

sky tool/viewing device which make
canopy canopy people focus on specific natural
arbor features.
earth arbor
earth
Park keeper’s house- Concept development
Configuration development

1 Coffee shop

meeting room 1 2

resting place

kids’ place exhibition area

2
resting place

Park keeper’s house

section 1

section 2

north elevation

east elevation

Park keeper’s house

 .
W
IR
LA
.C

A
ST

R
IN

O
D

LO
N

A
ST
TO

SP
[ NEW DX ]

B
A
R
TI

E-
G

IN
U
IS
IN

G
H

D
R

N
SS

AY
AT

A
H

YO
SP
O

Y
LE
M
U

LS
SE

EL
The New DX (Design Exchange) is a collecting institution, and also an

R
U

PA

W
510
511

M
multi-functional exhibition place. Located at Toronto art district, New DX

E
S

EG
’
N
will connect more designers and be more involved in local desing com-

EE

LL
U

O
munity, Current DX has successfully promoted Canadian design through College St.

K
Q

C
506

C
youth camps, workshops and exhibitions; New DX will emphasize its own

I
TR

S
A
A

D
identity architecturally. An outdoor courtyard can be utilized in various ways

.P

N
U
ST
to facilitate different kind of events. Artists can also use the courtyard to Dundas St. W.

D
505

E
D
showcase their innovative ideas at a larger scale.

N
O

EE
SG

U
EW
Queen St. W.

Q
501

R
D
N

G
.A

IN
ST
King St. W.

K
504

N
IO
N
U
Queen’s Quay
509

Bloor-Danforth Subway Streetcar

Finch-Donmills Subway Location of new DX

Ossington Ave.

University Ave.
Spadina Ave.
Dundas St. W.
Duffering St.

Bathurst St.
60m

Queen St. W.
60m

King St. W.

Architecture office Gallery

Boutique Location of new DX

New DX- New location

graffiti wall runway

landscape art outdoor movie

light installation performance stage

LED art design/craft fair

New DX- Outdoor area

Material studies: Iron scarf
Lotus seed
Sketch in pencil

Personal artwork-Sketch
Riverside
Sketch in pencil

Personal artwork-Sketch
Personal artwork-Photography