Press Release
The Folding Boat Community Center by Xuechen Chen Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Idea and Conceptual Design
Xuechen Chen acknowledged for idea and conceptual design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 19, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ The Folding Boat Community Center by Xuechen Chen has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Idea and Conceptual Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Silver A' Design Award Explained
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About The Folding Boat Community Center
The Folding Boat, located along the shore of the Harlem River, is a multifunctional space serving as a rowing facility for the community college, a small library, and a museum dedicated to sport rowing. Featuring a folded metal roof, this structure defines its interior space by seamlessly blending walls into ceilings. Positioned at the convergence of historical and modern districts, the meticulous placement of elements respects programs, circulation, and the urban landscape.
About Xuechen Chen
Xuechen Chen, an architect and visual artist in New York, draws inspiration from urban environments, focusing on city dynamics and subtle urban experiences. She holds degrees in B. ARCH from Pratt Institute and M. Design from the University of Pennsylvania. Her creative journey is deeply rooted in the materialist architecture process, where she deconstructs and reassembles materials within the digital realm. She has recently launched her very own personal studio, X.C Studio.
Award Record
With this recognition, Xuechen Chen is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted in the 2023 - 2024 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Idea and Conceptual Design Award
The A' Idea Design Award is an international idea design competition recognizing great ideas by designers, creators, innovators and free thinkers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to idea designers, conceptual designers, innovation consultants and creative thinkers from all countries. Typical entries include innovations, prototypes, blueprints, sketches, models and concepts. The awarded idea designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/idea
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/160482
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/160482
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!160482
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/349475
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- The Folding Boat Community Center
- Function
- Community Center
- Category
- Idea and Conceptual Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Design Industry and Innovation
- Colors
- Slate Gray, Light Slate Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Dark Gray and Silver
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Xuechen Chen
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2023 - 2024
- Design ID
- #160482
Credits
- Image Credits
- XUECHEN CHEN
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Folding Boat, located along the shore of the Harlem River, is a multifunctional space serving as a rowing facility for the community college, a small library, and a museum dedicated to sport rowing. Featuring a folded metal roof, this structure defines its interior space by seamlessly blending walls into ceilings. Positioned at the convergence of historical and modern districts, meticulous placement of elements respects programs, circulation, and the urban landscape.
- Inspiration
- The project's inspiration stems from the unique topography of the site, characterized by varying slopes. This distinctive landscape presents an opportunity to mimic and enhance the site's features through the use of folding in the design. The folded elements not only echo the site's topography but also contribute to the project's special aesthetic qualities.
- Research
- This research abstract explores the integration of folding as architectural elements across various scales, experiences, and programs within the context of the Rowing Boat project. Serving as a sport museum, rowing boat facility for a local college, and a community center for the neighborhood, the project examines how folding techniques can be applied to create dynamic spaces and functional designs. Through case studies and design explorations, this research delves into the innovative use of folding to enhance architectural aesthetics, spatial experiences, and programmatic functionalities within a multi-functional facility.
- Challenge
- The multiversity of the programs and the materials.
- Realization and Technology
- metal, glass and wood panel
- Operation and Interaction
- The Folding Boat project draws inspiration from the site's unique topography, using folding in design to echo its slopes and enhance aesthetics. Located along the Harlem River, it's a rowing facility, small library, and sport museum. The folded metal roof blends spaces, respecting historical context and urban landscape. This research explores folding's integration in various scales, programs, and experiences, enhancing architectural aesthetics and functionality.
- Project Duration and Location
- Unbult, Bronx, Newyork
- Keywords
- culture, community center, wood, metal, concrete
