Grow Together is a modular micro housing solution addressing homelessness in Seattle by integrating off grid shelters into residential backyards. Designed for social reintegration, it balances privacy and community engagement through adaptable spaces, urban farming, and sustainable systems. Utilizing passive design strategies, and renewable energy, it offers a scalable, self sufficient housing model that fosters dignity, social inclusion, and environmental responsibility.

Yanci Chen is an architect and designer whose work explores the intersection of architecture, ecology, and cultural narratives. She is a Technical Designer at Gensler Seattle. Her experience spans workspace, science, cultural, and public projects with a focus on adaptive reuse, spatial storytelling, and digital methodologies. Chen’s work has been recognized in international exhibitions and design competitions, and she regularly contributes to the field as a juror, mentor, and advocate for inclusive, environmentally responsive design.

YCJ Studio is a multidisciplinary design practice founded by Yanci Chen and Jing Chen, rooted in a shared belief that architecture is both a spatial experience and a cultural dialogue. With a focus on public projects, competitions, and conceptual explorations, the studio bridges the poetic and the practical, crafting thoughtful environments that respond to site, story, and society. Our work spans from architecture and landscape to installations and research driven design. Each project is approached with curiosity, clarity, and care, blending computational precision with material sensitivity to create spaces that resonate deeply with people and place.