Winners of the Golden Mention Prize in The Field Station architecture competition, Jing Chen and Yanci Chen of YCJ Studio have crafted a proposal that intertwines ecological insight, spatial storytelling and contemporary visualization tools. Their winning project, Aqua Folium, exemplifies how architecture can emerge from close observation of landscape and material culture while projecting new possibilities for human–nature relationships. 

Co-founders of YCJ Studio and practicing architects at Gensler on the U.S. West Coast, the duo bring more than a decade of collaboration shaped by graduate training at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Michigan.  

Their work has appeared across public, institutional and cultural projects in California and has been recognized by the Red Dot Design Award, Architizer A+ Awards and IDA Design Awards. 

With Aqua Folium, they extend a practice grounded in rigorous contextual research and atmospheric expression — one that situates architecture as both an analytical and experiential endeavor. 

💡 Key Takeaways: The YCJ Approach

• YCJ Studio bases their award-winning designs on rigorous ecological research, using natural motifs to drive architectural form.
• The team integrates D5 Render early in their workflow to test light, materials, and mood in real-time, bridging analytical work with visual storytelling.‍
• D5's realistic vegetation system was crucial for authentically visualizing the lush environmental character central to the project's narrative.

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Hydrocotyle as a Generative Motif: How Aqua Folium Began 

For The Field Station competition, the team sought a conceptual anchor that could connect function, narrative, and ecology. Hydrocotyle spp., with its distinctive structure and adaptive growth pattern, emerged as a compelling starting point. 

The plant's morphology resonated with the qualities they hoped to cultivate — spreading networks, fluidity, and an intimate relationship with moist environments. Rather than serving as a visual reference alone, Hydrocotyle became a design driver, shaping both conceptual thinking and spatial atmosphere. 

This approach reflects YCJ Studio's broader method: maintaining an evolving personal archive of sketches, photographs, ecological observations, and visual notes. This living library grounds their conceptual work in real-world environmental and cultural insights. 

A Research-Driven Workflow Supported by Rhino, Revit & D5 Render 

YCJ Studio approached Aqua Folium through a clear, research-led process — beginning with site analysis and contextual studies, then moving into conceptual mapping and exploratory study models. This workflow is reinforced by a toolset the studio relies on across all projects: Rhino for early geometric and spatial exploration, Revit for technical development, and D5 Render as the bridge that translates ideas into atmosphere. 

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D5 enters the process early, allowing the team to test light, material and mood in real time, and later becomes the primary tool for producing competition visuals. This integrated approach ensures continuity from initial concept to final presentation, keeping both narrative clarity and experiential quality at the forefront. 

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Vegetation, Atmosphere, and Efficiency of D5 Render 

Because vegetation plays a central role in Aqua Folium, D5 Render's nature collection and toolkit became essential to shaping the project's ecological atmosphere. Its botanically realistic library allowed YCJ Studio to build both native landscapes and lush rooftop gardens with authenticity, while procedural scattering tool D5 Scatter enabled fast iteration of density, composition and mood. 

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Beyond vegetation, D5's overall efficiency significantly supported the team's workflow. Real-time rendering speed, high-quality assets, and well-calibrated HDRI lighting presets helped them focus on narrative clarity. Together, these strengths allowed the team to craft immersive, coherent visuals that accurately express the project's environmental character and experiential intent. 

Conclusion 

Aqua Folium, winning project of the Golden Mention Prize in The Field Station competition, showcases YCJ Studio's ability to blend ecological research, narrative depth and contemporary visualization into a cohesive architectural vision. Their process demonstrates how thoughtful use of digital tools can bridge rigorous analytical work with immersive atmospheric storytelling. ‍

Fire up D5 Render and start creating today.

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FAQs

Q1: What is highly recommended software workflow for creating competition-winning architectural visualizations?

A: A successful workflow bridges technical precision with emotive storytelling. The Golden Mention-winning team at YCJ Studio utilizes a proven stack: Rhino for early spatial concepts, Revit for technical development, and D5 Render as the essential bridge. Integrating a real-time rendering engine like D5 early in the process allows for rapid iteration of light, material, and mood, ensuring narrative clarity under tight competition deadlines.

Q2: How can architects realistically manage and render dense vegetation in large-scale ecological projects?

A: Achieving lush, authentic environments without sacrificing workflow speed is a common challenge. YCJ Studio addresses this in their "Aqua Folium" proposal by utilizing D5 Render's robust, botanically accurate asset libraries. Furthermore, leveraging procedural tools, such as D5's scattering features, enables designers to quickly iterate on the density and natural composition of complex landscapes like rooftop gardens.

Q3: Should architectural visualization only happen at the end of the design phase?

A: Modern research-driven practices suggest visualization should be an active design tool, not just a final step. YCJ Studio introduces real-time rendering early to test conceptual ideas against environmental realities. By using efficient tools like D5 Render during the design phase allows architects to analyze light, atmosphere, and experiential quality simultaneously with form, leading to a more cohesive final project.

Q4: How can abstract concepts like "fluidity" or "spreading networks" be effectively communicated in renderings?

A: Communicating abstract concepts requires a fusion of precise modeling and atmospheric control. YCJ Studio used initial sketches and Rhino models to define the geometry based on plant morphology. To express "fluidity" visually, they relied on real-time rendering to manipulate high-quality HDRI lighting and materials instantly, crafting an immersive mood that accurately expressed their complex environmental intent.

Q5: What strategies help architectural proposals stand out visually in crowded international competitions?

A: Beyond a strong concept, the "atmosphere" of the presentation is vital. Winners like YCJ Studio succeed by blending rigorous analytical work with immersive storytelling. They achieve this by adopting rendering tools known for rendering speed and high-quality assets. This efficiency buys the design team time to refine the visual narrative, ensuring the final images are both beautiful and deeply meaningful.

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