Design Studio · DS 5A Vertical Studio

Reseed

Rong Cao, Shuqi (Kirito) Zhang and Xinghan Chen · Instructor: Jennifer Chen

Set within conditions of ecological volatility and food insecurity, the project frames space-based technologies as infrastructural systems rather than speculative artifacts. Energy capture, remote sensing and seed preservation operate across scales, from orbital platforms to terrestrial environments, translating planetary systems into localized agricultural and ecological practices.

Set in a near future shaped by food insecurity and ecological volatility, the narrative frames technology not as spectacle but as infrastructure: enabling polycultural farming, monitoring fragile environments, safeguarding biodiversity and stabilizing the conditions of living.

Studio
DS 5A Vertical Studio
Instructor
Jennifer Chen
Team
Rong Cao, Shuqi (Kirito) Zhang, Xinghan Chen
Format
Short film in three chapters, 5:45
Tools
Unreal Engine, Rhino, Blender

Chapter 01

Spaced Space Solar Power

Energy as a spatial driver

A sunken ring garden, lit and fed by orbital solar power

This chapter explores how orbital solar energy reorganizes food production into vertically layered, polycultural environments embedded within daily urban life.

Vertical racks
Hydroponic trays
Tending robots
Harvest
Kitchen
Market, powered by space
Watch chapter 01 in full · 2:00

Chapter 02

Remote Sensing

Observation as territorial intelligence

A sensing pod lands in the desert

Remote sensing translates large-scale environmental data into localized agricultural decisions, mediating between landscape, labor and adaptive farming practices.

Terrain
Wind
Field station
Drones seeding the valley
The same valley, seen from orbit
Grazing
Night
Watch chapter 02 in full · 2:09

Chapter 03

Orbital Seed Vault

Preservation as logistical architecture

Seed racks in orbit

The orbital seed vault redefines preservation as a logistical and architectural system, where storage, automation and redundancy ensure biodiversity beyond terrestrial risk.

Storage corridor
Robotic retrieval
Sorting
Germination chamber
Observation window
Earth
The vault in orbit
Watch chapter 03 in full · 1:35