Michael Chen and Jason Lee teach design studios and seminars at Pratt Institute. They both hold undergraduate degrees in architecture from the University of California at Berkeley and Master of Architecture degrees from Columbia University.
Michael Chen has taught design at Pratt Institute, Cornell University, Columbia University, and New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is a principal of Normal Projects, a multidisciplinary architecture and design firm based in New York and Los Angeles.
Jason Lee has taught design at Pratt Institute and Cooper Union. He is a partner at tentwenty, a multidisciplinary design firm based in New York.
COLLABORATORS
Gil Akos and Ronnie Parsons: studioMode and modeLab
STUDENTS
(2010-2011)
Gabriela Castro, Preston Church, Michael Dolatowski, Patrick Donbeck, Katherine Kania, Tai Li Lee, Younglee Lee, Carla Lores,Christopher McCormick, Vicky Perez, Arn Regencia, Hiram Rodriguez, Scott Segal, Insuk Shin, Michael Yarinsky. TA: Justin Snider
(2009-2010)
Ashkahn Bazl, Rebecca Caillouet, Zakiya Franklin, Sylvia Herrera, Mike House, Edwin Lam, Erik Martinez, Peechaya Mekasuvanroj, Victor Orriola, Roxanne Sadeghpour, Shawn Sims, Sean Stevenson
(2008-2009)
Jose Blanco, Joanna Cheung, Andres Correa, Ivan Delgado, Nick Garate, Allison Hoffman, Heidi Jandris, Kamilla Litvinov, Sebastian Misiurek, Jeos Oreamuno, Jun Pak, Anna Perelman, Cole Reynolds, Brad Rothenberg, John Seward, Jintana Tantinirundr. TA: Dorian Walther, TA: Elliot White
(2007-2008)
Katie Adee, James Baldauf, Leyla Dam, Asta Fivgas, Natasha Harper, Randall Hornung, Irene Huang, Jung Hyuck Im, Dimitris Kaprinis, Yohan Kim, Da Jung Lee, Danielle Meeks, Manny Padilla, Paul Stein, Stephanie Thomas, LeMarr Townsend
Reinterpreting the Edge
New Orleans Asta Fivgas | Jung Im | Paul Stein 2007-2008
Reinterpreting the Edge: A Response to Coastal Flood and Erosion
Coastal flooding and erosion is only one factor that plays into the larger picture of “global warming”. Our group became increasingly interested in it’s effect on what we consider the “edge”. Edge can refer to sea vs. land as well as urban vs. natural.
Our system deploys itself along the edge as a mediator (both between the city and the surrounding wetlands as well as the marshland and the sea) that capitalizes on natural sediment flow by capturing and redistributing the sediment to strengthen specific areas of the coastline as well as diverting and slowing wave currents. As the sediment is secured new “land” is created and a second phase of the system is deployed. Each phase builds upon the previous creating layers of build-up both natural (silt/sediment) and architectural (nested geometry). The growth pattern is dependent on scripted algorithms that orient the aperture of the cells toward desirable conditions as well as manipulate the cell based on inputs such as topographical depth and environmental context/needs.
