Yingwen Zhu
Master of Architecture
Edinburgh College of Art
Specialisms: Architecture
Location: London, United Kingdom
Yingwen Zhu
First Name: Yingwen
Last Name: Zhu
Specialisms: Architecture
Sectors:
My Location: London, United Kingdom
University / College: Edinburgh College of Art
Course / Program Title: Master of Architecture
About
I am an architectural designer and recent Master of Architecture graduate from the University of Edinburgh.
My work explores the relationships between landscape, ecology, and community, using design as a tool to engage with environmental and social challenges. Through research, mapping, and material experimentation, I investigate how architecture can reveal and strengthen connections between people and place. I am particularly interested in projects that combine ecological thinking, spatial storytelling, and community engagement to create meaningful and resilient environments.
Situated on the working harbour edge of Greencastle, Shellitory reimagines the coastal boundary as a shared territory between production, community, and tidal ecology. Shellitory combines Shell and Territory, reflecting the project’s exploration of shellfish ecologies and the context of the harbour edge. Rather than treating the shoreline as a fixed line between land and sea, the project understands it as a dynamic environment shaped by harbour activities, seasonal rhythms, and ecological processes. The proposal emerges from research into local shellfish ecologies, particularly the binding capacity of byssus fibres produced by mussels. This principle of Binding informs the project at multiple scales, acting as a material, spatial, and organisational strategy. Programmes for shellfish cultivation, exploring, learning, and gathering are interconnected through a porous architectural framework that supports both human and non-human occupation.
Competitions
