The Second Shell
Partner Programme
Artist Statement
Xinwei (Vicky) Guo is an architectural designer and researcher based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and her work explores the intersections of architecture, ecology, technology, and social experience. Her academic and independent projects investigate how design can respond to environmental challenges while creating new relationships between people, infrastructure, and natural systems. Her work has received recognition in international design competitions and has been featured by platforms including ArchDaily and Buildner. Through both professional practice and speculative design, she is interested in architecture as a catalyst for ecological and social transformation.
Work Statement
Rather than embracing the San Francisco government's proposal to construct a seawall to safeguard the city, this project explores a more nuanced, gentle approach to coastal protection. This method could serve as a replicable model for other shoreline cities. Simultaneously, this approach could generate revenue, create job opportunities, and spawn new public spaces for residents. This turns the concept of a "seawall" on its head: instead of being a costly imposition on the city, it becomes a catalyst for community growth and revitalization.
The Second Shell was presented in Mind × Body: Catalyst Phenomenon Archive, organised by the Reality Intelligence Association as part of London Design Festival 2026.
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