Titled “The Weight of Clean Air,” this project interrogates the apparatus of air filtration and visualizes the uneven accessibility to such technology at a planetary scale. The project uses weighted HEPA filters as screens to showcase infographics. It aims to visualize the invisible process of air purification and material distribution via exploiting the corresponding unidirectionality in air’s movement through HVAC systems and in light’s movement in creating projected displays. The weight of the city hence congeals in both a physical form—the weighted filters, and a metaphorical form—the burden of unhealthy living environments unevenly distributed across the globe.
Xinyu Chen and Jaehun Woo
Xinyu Chen is a designer and educator. She holds a M.Arch II degree from Princeton University. She is an Architecture Teacher Scholar at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she teaches architectural design and the politics of visualization. Xinyu has practiced with Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Her work is exhibited at a83 gallery, BAP! 2025, and featured in various journals/conferences worldwide.
Jaehun Woo is a designer, educator, and researcher. After graduating from MIT, he worked with Front Inc. as a façade consultant. He is now an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His research focuses on the logistics of building and architecture, reinterpreting the complex, interconnected nature of architectural practice—from material sourcing to labor ethics.