Echo Chen

Growing up in a farmer’s family in Wenzhou, China, Echo engaged deeply with the vernacular culture, like the local food festivals, geomantic knowledge, and traditional forestry. She received her bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from Zhejiang University. While at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design pursuing her MLA, she developed an interest in urban ecology and ethnological studies. Her thesis and Penny White Grant-funded work explored the preservation of local knowledge and vernacular culture practices in hometown, and she received the 2021 BSLA Student Merit Award. She previously worked at COEN+PARTNERS as a design intern. Echo joined Reed Hilderbrand in 2021, and she has worked on a mix of residential and institutional projects. She loves to draw as a way of seeing and thinking and is an advocate of daily journaling.