Peiyin Chou_Portfolio_2026

[THE MEDIATOR]

PEIYIN CHOU

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER

M.Arch UCLA · AUD Best Final Project Award 2025

Computational Design · Building Envelope · Climate Systems Selected Works 2022 - 2026

PEIYIN CHOU

LinkedIn | pzxcv0204@gmail.com

I work at the intersection of performance and form — designing systems where environmental data drives both geometry and material behaviour. From parametric façade retrofits to adaptive housing, my projects move between computational analysis and construction detail, treating the building envelope not as enclosure, but as an active mediating layer.

EDUCATION

University of California, Los Angeles

Master of Architecture, 2022-2025

(RIBA Part 2 Equivalent)

Shih Chien University

Bachelor of Architecture, 2014-2019

EXPERIENCE

Variation Design

Architectural Designer (Project Lead)

MNOffice

Architectural Intern

IMO Architecture + Design

Architectural Designer

C.T.Chen & Partners Architects

Junior Designer

SUEP / Hirokazu + Yoko Suemitsu

Architectural Intern

CREDENTIALS

LEED Green Associate

∙ Graduated with Distinction (Top 10%)

∙ AUD Best Final Project Award (2025)

∙ UCLA AUD Fellowship (2022-2025), Wendell Scholarship (2024), John V. Mutlow Scholarship (2023)

∙ Judges Award, IEAGD (2019)

∙ Published in Taiwan Architect (TA) Magazine, Vol. 290

∙ First Place, Architecture Student Competition (2015)

Remote (US-based contract)

Sep 2025 - Present

Los Angeles, CA

Aug 2023 - Dec 2023

Taipei, Taiwan

Feb 2022 - Aug 2022

Taipei, Taiwan

Mar 2020 - Dec 2021

Tokyo, Japan

Jul 2016 - Sep 2016

Credential ID. 11694734, Sep 2025 - Sep 2027

THERMAL SPIRALS

Façade retrofit · Parametric system

Housing prototype · Density strategy

Adaptive reuse · Structural transformation

10/2024-12/2024 10/2024-06/2025 10/2023-03/2024 09/2025-12/2025

Modular housing · Prefabrication system

BIM · Façade detailing · CD delivery

THERMAL SPIRALS

Climate-responsive retrofit system reducing solar gain by 45% through material intelligence.

Overview

A parametric façade retrofit drawing on the Nautilus shell's geometry as a design system — translating solar exposure data into differentiated lamella depth and density across the building skin.

Applied to LA's Trust Building, the system reduces solar heat gain by 45% while transforming environmental data into a dynamic visual interface.

FDM-printed without support material, the self-supporting geometry achieves zero-waste fabrication. Thermochromic PLA shifts from blue to white at 31°C, making thermal response visible in real-time.

Designer | Individual Project

Concept Design – Technical Development

Building Retrofit | Façade System

Los Angeles, CA (Trust Building)

Rhino, Grasshopper, Ladybug, FDM 3D Printing, Adobe Suite

Parametric façade system + Full-Scale Prototype

Winner of the AUD Best Final Project Award (Class of 2025) Role

45% reduction in solar heat gain | Self-supporting geometry enabling zero-support fabrication

Julia Koerner | UCLA M.Arch Research Studio | Fall 2024 - Spring 2025

Study of Repetition

Material Research

Study of Rhythm

Study of Resonance

Thermochromic PLA shifts from blue to white at 31°C, making solar response visible on the surface.

Typology of Vertical Lamella Systems

Seven lamella typologies function as combinatorial units — grouped in sets of five and varied through mirroring and rotation to generate the full façade composition in response to solar exposure.

Low Efficiency

Solar Exposure Mapped to Façade Performance

Climate-Responsive Retrofit

The façade system adapts to solar exposure, reducing heat gain by up to 45% while maintaining daylight access and views.

High Efficiency

Solar analysis directly informs lamella density and depth, increasing shading on highexposure façades while maintaining openness and visibility elsewhere.

Programmatic Interface

Facade system integrated at ground level to mediate between public street and interior workspace, maintaining visual permeability while providing solar shading.

Tectonic Assembly

Cable Tension System — A standardized cable tension system anchors lightweight 3D-printed panels directly to existing floor slabs, reducing load on the original structure while accommodating construction tolerances.

Dry-Joint Assembly — Rapid on-site installation without wet trades. Designed for Disassembly (DfD), components can be individually unmounted for maintenance or recycling — aligning with circular economy principles.

FLOOR SURFACE MATERIAL AIR BARRIER / GAP

CONCRETE SLAB

STEEL DECK

STEEL BEAMS

GYPSUM BOARD

SHEATHING

BRICK WALL

SHEATHING

CONCRETE WALL

SHEATHING CBU BOND COAT

FLOOR SURFACE MATERIAL AIR BARRIER / GAP

CONCRETE SLAB

STEEL DECK

STEEL BEAMS

GYPSUM BOARD

Wall Section Detail

WALL FIXTURE

CABLE STRUCTURE

3D PRINT PANEL

Assembly Detail

BRICK WALL

3D PRINT PANEL

SHEATHING

CABLE SUPPORT STRUCTURE

CONCRETE WALL

WALL FIXTURE

3D PRINT PANEL

CABLE SUPPORT STRUCTURE

WALL FIXTURE

Geometry & Efficiency

Lamella depth tapers vertically with structural load, eliminating printing supports and reducing filament waste by 30% while maintaining lateral stability.

Material Fabrication Logic

FDM-printed panel designed as a self-supporting façade component, reducing material waste while maintaining structural performance.

Material Behavior & Tactile Response Test

The thermochromic PLA skin acts as a tactile interface, visually shifting from blue to white at 31°C. This passive reaction visualizes thermal transfer in real-time.

HOUSE OF FEATHERED EDGES

Interlocking housing system increasing density while preserving spatial quality and open space.

Overview

A housing prototype rethinking the LA row house — where unit boundaries dissolve into curved, feathered edges that soften the threshold between urban density and domestic retreat, generating shared light wells and double-height volumes in the gaps between.

The system increases density fivefold while expanding open space from 45% to 65%, generating double-height volumes and shared light wells without compromising spatial quality.

Instructor

Designer | Group Project with Fengqian, Xing

Concept Design

Housing Prototype

Los Angeles, CA

Rhino, D5 render, Adobe Suite

Architectural proposal + Physical Model

Open space expanded from 45% to 65% | Density ×5

Miroslava Brooks | UCLA M.Arch Advanced Topic Studio | Winter 2025

FAR: 0.55 | Open Space: 45%

Proposed Prototype

FAR: 0.35 | Open Space: 65%

Urban Density StrategyDensity Without Bulk

Massing Evolution

Extrusion

Defining Buildable Envelope

This proposal increases density fivefold — from 1 to 5 units — while expanding open space from 45% to 65% with a lower FAR (0.35 vs 0.55).

GROUND DIAGRAM

Erosion

Curving Edges to Soften Boundaries

Modulation

Varying Roof Heights for Rhythm

Recesses for Solar Access & Privacy

Duplication

Mirror Units to Form a Cluster

Prototype Final Interlocking Form

Interlocking System

Unit A and Unit B interlock in section — shared light wells and double-height volumes emerge from the structural weaving between units.

1FUnitA

Thresholds in Motion

Circulation acts as the connective tissue of the housing system, weaving through interlocked units to create transitions and encounters. Beyond access, it operates as a threshold — where public and private begin to overlap, transforming movement into a catalyst for exchange.

Unit A_Kitchen

Unit A_Living Room

Unit A_Powder Room

Unit B_Dining Space

Unit B_Kitchen

Unit B_Living Room

Unit B_Courtyard

Studio_Kitchen

Studio_Living Room

Studio_Bathroom

Studio_Bedroom

Unit B_Master Bedroom

Unit B_Bedroom

Unit B_Bathroom

Unit A_Master Bedroom

Unit A_Workspace

Unit A_Balcony

Unit A_Master Bedroom

DYNAMIC AXES

Reorienting industrial structure through rotational massing and sectional intervention.

Overview

An adaptive reuse project transforming a former industrial warehouse into a High School for Design and Innovation in Downtown LA's Art District.

Retaining the historic north facade and structural trusses reduces embodied carbon while the rotational massing breaks the warehouse's linearity — generating a sunfilled central courtyard as the social heart of the school.

Designer | Group Project with Soe Naing Win

Concept Design – Schematic Development

Adaptive Reuse / Educational Building

Art District, Downtown LA

Rhino, D5 render, V-Ray, Adobe Suite

Architectural Proposal + Physical Model

Adaptive reuse proposal retaining historic trusses as primary structur | CD-level wall sections resolving façade-to-structure interfaces.

Miroslava Brooks | UCLA M.Arch Major Building Design Studio | Winter 2024 - Spring 2024

Truss Diagram

Preservation as Framework

Instead of demolition, the design treats the existing industrial shell as a protective wrapper. The historic north facade and rhythm of the steel trusses are preserved — reducing embodied carbon while maintaining the site’s industrial memory.

Massing Diagram

Centripetal Organization

The new massing rotates to mediate between the orthogonal city grid and a focused learning environment, breaking the linearity of the warehouse and generating a sun-filled central courtyard as the social heart of the school.

GYPSUM

DUAL SEASON

Transformable housing system adapting to seasonal migration and changing modes of living.

Overview

Role

A housing prototype addressing the crisis facing 400,000 migrant farmworkers in California's Central Valley.

A transformable “L-Module” shifts between seasonal residential and commercial use — negotiating between mobility, permanence, and environmental responsiveness through adaptable envelopes and off-grid systems.

Output

Outcome

Duration

Designer | Group work with Emalee Davidson, Pan Nga Chan, Weihan Zheng

Concept Design – Prototype Development

Small-Scale Housing | Modular System

Fresno, California's Central Valley

Rhino, D5 render, V-Ray, Adobe Suite

Architectural proposal + 400 sq.ft. Prototype + Site Planning

Competition entry · 10th Microhome Architecture Competition |

Modular housing prototype + off-grid self-sufficiency system

Sep 2025 - Nov 2025

Proto-typical Site Plan

Between Seasons — From Isolation to Community

California’s Central Valley feeds a nation, yet 400,000 farmworkers lack adequate housing. Replacing scattered seasonal cottages with a prototypical cluster model, the proposal minimizes infrastructure sprawl while fostering the community network essential for migrant worker resilience.

Kinetic Infrastructure “The L-Module”

A transformable “L-Module” consolidates all domestic utilities — sleeping, hygiene, and storage — allowing the interior to expand for habitation or compress for commerce. No heavy machinery required; users reconfigure their environment entirely based on seasonal needs.

Prefabrication & Logistics

Components are prefabricated and designed to fit within a single standard shipping container. This flat-pack strategy reduces transport costs and enables rapid assembly on sites.

Cast-in-place concrete foundation

Foldable casework core

Moisture barrier

Timber framing with wood fiber insulation

Sheathing

Timber rafters

Metal roof panel with gutter

Skylight system (north-facing)

Perforated aluminum panel

Exterior wall assembly with insulation

Corrugated metal panel

Windows and doors

Rainwater storage tank

Rainwater Harvesting System

Integrated into roof geometry

Renewable Energy System

Supporting off-grid operation

Skylight System

Optimizing daylight penetration

WENZHOU INSTITUTE

High-Rise Residential Façade Development & BIM Coordination.

Role Overview

Key Contributions

Architectural Designer | Façade & BIM

Delivered construction-ready façade detailing and BIM coordination for a 19-storey luxury residential tower — resolving wall assemblies, façade-to-structure junctions, and coordinating across structural and consultant teams from SD to CD.

Impact

Project

Practice

Duration

Tools

• Developed façade wall sections and construction detailing

• Produced Revit BIM models for coordination across consultant packages

• Resolved façade-to-structure junctions for buildability

• Coordinated with structural engineers and consultant teams

Coordinated construction-ready façade details across structural and consultant teams, enabling buildability on a 19-storey tower from SD to CD.

Luxury high-rise residential tower, 19 storeys

C.T. Chen & Partners Architects | Taipei, Taiwan

2020 - 2021

Revit (BIM), AutoCAD

EMBRACE LIGHT

Residential Project Delivery & Construction Coordination.

Role Overview

Architectural Designer | Project Delivery & Coordination

Led material selection and on-site mock-up review for curved stone cladding, verifying buildability against 3D models prior to installation. Developed and coordinated CD drawing packages, and site execution through construction administration.

Key Contributions

• Curved stone cladding mock-up review and buildability verification

• CD drawing sets covering façade, interior finishes, and carpark

• Coordinated floor-to-floor height conflicts with structural engineer

• Exterior detailing and interior public space design

Verified buildability of curved stone cladding prior to installation, preventing onsite conflicts through mock-up review and 3D model coordination.

High-end residential tower, 14 storeys

IMO Architecture + Design | Taipei, Taiwan

Feb 2022 – Aug 2022

Rhino, AutoCAD, D5 Render

COAF SMART CENTER

International Competition & Visualization including Site Strategy and Spatial Planning.

Role Overview

Key Contributions

Architectural Intern | Schematic Design & Visualization

Developed spatial planning and site strategy for an international competition project in Goris, Armenia — integrating program organisation, circulation, and building form with a steeply sloped landscape.

Impact Project Practice Duration Tools

• Developed site planning and spatial strategies

• Produced plans, sections, and diagrams

• Created high-quality renderings for design communication

• Developed Rhino + V-Ray visualization workflow for competition submission

Contributed to full competition submission integrating site strategy, circulation, and visualization across a steeply sloped landscape; supported team's international competition entry from concept to presentation package.

Cultural and Educational Campus Competition

MNOffice | Los Angeles, CA, USA

2023

Rhino, V-Ray, Adobe Suite

www.linkedin.com/in/pei-yin-chou

pzxcv0204@gmail.com