Huanyu Chen
Associate & Assistant Studio Director
Associate, Urban Designer and Assistant Studio Director Huanyu Chen plays a critical role in project visualization and production management at Starr Whitehouse. As Assistant Studio Director, Huanyu works closely with senior staff to improve project production and management workflows. Frequently called on to distill urban systems, client needs, and community desires into clear schematic designs, Huanyu brings deep expertise in graphic technologies and production management. He developed a digital model and GIS data to support the team’s resilience study and design of a new 7-acre waterfront park for Manhattan Greenway Harlem River; generated an updatable Lumion model to register real-time evolutions in the site design of Durst’s Queens Plaza Park Development; and developed rendered plans and perspectives to build consensus around an open-air market at the Luna Corporate Plaza in Sao Paulo. He also brings technical knowledge of NYC standards, including DOT’s Street Design Manual, NYC Parks Standard Details and DCP zoning. For Safe Routes to Transit – 86th Street, he coordinated inputs from the engineer, NYC DDC, and NYC DOT to design streetscape enhancement options. Huanyu completed his Master’s of Science in Architecture and Urban Design at Columbia University, where he focused on landscape infrastructure and reshaping the public realm, and Bachelor of Engineering in Urban Planning at Wuhan University, where he focused on spatial analysis.
Representative Projects:
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Broadway Boulevard Plaza, New York, NY
New Rochelle Transit-Oriented Development, New Rochelle, NY
Empire State Trail Canalway, Tonawanda, NY
Union Square Streetscape and Lighting Plan, New York, NY
DUMBO and Vinegar Hill Mobility Study, Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn Bridge Esplanade, New York, NY
Anderson Park, New Rochelle, NY
NYPA Reimagine the Canals Guidelines New York, NY
Intergate Manhattan, New York, NY
Lower Manhattan Mobility Analysis, New York, NY*
Erie Canal Infrastructure Transformation Study, New York State*
Park Design
Manhattan Greenway Harlem River Waterfront Park Design, New York, NY
Bear Mountain State Park Restoration, Bear Mountain, NY
Marsha P Johnson State Park Public Outreach and Park Design, Brooklyn, NY
Freshkills South Park, Staten Island, NY
Arverne East Nature Preserve, L+M Development Partners, Queens, New York
Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center, Jones Beach State Park, NY
New Windsor Cantonment Accessibility Improvements New Windsor, NY
Elmont Road Park, Long Island, NY
Carroll Park Community Vision Plan, Brooklyn, NY
Climate Resilience Planning
East Shore Shoreline Parks Resilience Plan, Staten Island, NY
Site Plans + Housing
Vine Street Waterfront Development, Philadelphia, PA
Queens Plaza Park Development, Queens, NY
Luna Corporate Park and Food Market, São Paulo, Brazil
Bedford Green House, New York, NY
StuyTown Fitness Park, New York, NY
375 Pearl Plaza, New York, NY
*Work done before joining Starr Whitehouse.