During my graduate studies, I explored various design methods for landscapes of different scales and refined aspects such as water flow direction, user interactions, and design forms through physical modeling. I learned to use professional software like Rhino, Photoshop, InDesign, and Adobe Illustrator.
In my graduate period, I continued my undergraduate interest in memorial and humanistic landscapes, started showcasing my research in more diverse ways, such as laser cutting, Grasshopper, and sediment experiments. Additionally, I participated in various volunteer activities in London and Manchester, these valuable experiences in my life enhanced my understanding of landscape design through practical experience.
Overall, I prefer to understand the essence of a site through the lives of the people around it and refine my designs using 3D modeling. Handson practice is my favored approach to landscape design.
Project statement:
This project uses “Grow Heathrow” as introduction, studies how people collaborate with nature in an off-grid style. As the Heathrow Airport Expansion plan is implemented, the author aims to establish an uncertain-future landscape within the next 15 years. People are invited to occupy this landscape, and move them once the site is abandoned.
The highlight of this project is to create landscapes in rapid and economical way to address different futures.
This includes how to achieve earthwork balance, planting on noise-blocking terrain, and creating movable landscape features, among other strategies.
The model demonstrates how the author used CNC cutting as a foundation and employed plasticine to simulate the cutand-fill balance within the site. This process establishes the base landform, which helps to reduce noise from aircraft.
DeSign Strategy
Left: The current land use of the two design sites, ‘New Grow Heathrow’ and ‘Recreation Ground,’ is being assessed. The surrounding community is significantly affected by noise from Heathrow Airport.
Right: future land use near two sites if 3rd heathrow runway constructed (Adobe Illustrator, Digimap, Arcgis)
The author discusses how materials are transferred at the two sites and the different strategies used in each.(Adobe Illustrator, Rhino, hand drawing)
Planting Palette of the
(Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Rhino, hand drawing)
Isometric drawing of finalised design (Adobe Illustrator, Rhino,V-Ray, Photoshop, hand drawing)
Structure of bee hive (Adobe Illustrator, Rhino, hand drawing)
The perspective view shows people growing plants on ridges that block noise, while the swale pond collects and stores water for reuse, supporting plant growth and the environment. (Adobe Illustrator, Rhino,V-Ray, Photoshop)
Materplan of finalised design & different function zones (Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Rhino, hand drawing) Perspective view of
tranSFer WitHin tWo SiteS
SPROUTING FROM VACANT LOTS
LOCATION: CAMDEN, LONDON
Project statement: The project revolves around the theme of bean sprouts, tracing the history of bean sprouts in its place of origin: ancient China, as well as their current production status in London. Leveraging its characteristic of being able to grow with just water, the author chose to design within an urban context. Through waste recycling and community collaboration, a special living space was designed for a man squatting on the site.
Using the traditional Chinese art form of paper cutting to explore bean sprouts history in China. (Rhino, Laser cutting)
Different design nodes in the site, including under-bridge workshop, wetland, sprouting tower, planting wall and main route. (Adobe Illustrator, Rhino,V-Ray, Photoshop)
HiStorical Mapping oF bean Sprout
The design is divided into three main parts: wetland, tyre wall, and sprouting tower. The first two can provide water for the bean sprouts growing in the sprouting tower, as well as offering a water source and green space for a resident squatting here. The entire site requires very little external supplementation and can achieve a good ecological self-circulation. (Adobe Illustrator, Rhino,V-Ray, Photoshop, Grasshopper)
WETLAND
SPROUTING TOWER
TYRE WALL
VERTICLE GREEN+HABITATS FOR BIRDS
RIVER SHORE REHABILITATION
LOCATION: CANVEY ISLAND,UK
The rendering showcases dock activities and community events after the establishment of the flood control system. (Rhino, Hand Drawing, Photoshop)
Project statement: This project is located in Canvey Island, a town in the south of Essex. Site consists of the southernmost flood defence system and oil refinery jetties. In addition to the problems of sedimentation and tidal erosion, limited access prevents people from visiting the banks of the Thames. By placing sediment capture devices and recycling materials of abandoned jetties, new habitats for aquatic creatures will be created. Meanwhile, a living shoreline will take the place of the old concrete seawall in Canvey Island, providing a more ecologically sustainable flood control system.
By inserting pre-cultivated plants into the floating rafts, the plants can either absorb nutrients from the base soil of the floating islands or get water as they float
After a year, these perennials grow more luxuriantly. Workers put little effort into management, requiring only annual pruning and replanting of decorative plants
The shape of the sediment will be tested using a physical model and water flow simulations. (3D printing)
After one to two years of installation, a topography and habitat of sediment began to form. Ten to fifteen years after installation, the steel began to corrode. Remove parts of the device, leaving the terrain that has been created. (Hand drawing, Adobe Illustrator)
Right:
MEMORIAL SOUNDSCAPE PARK
LOCATION:NANJING, CHINA
Project statement: The site is located in GuLou District, Nanjing City citizen square. In the Ming Dynasty, nanjing had two opposite buildings on the city's central axis: the Bell tower and the Drum Tower. Every night and every morning, they make the sound of bells and drums to call people to sleep or work.
The design uses three different types of sound: bells, drums and the sound of people's past labor, extracting sound waves and abstracting them into different shapes to become different nodes. When moving through the site along the planned route, people can see through nodes of different shapes the daily life of working people scattered in different corners of the city during the Ming Dynasty.
People’s activity on the memorial square (Rhino, V-Ray, Hand Drawing, Photoshop)
The distribution of the city’s main axis and historical sites from the same period as the desig site.(Adobe Illustrator, Digimap, Arcgis)
MaSter plan
The types of activities carried out by people around the site.(Adobe Illustrator, Digimap, Arcgis)
The main shape of the square’s design is determined by the sound waves emitted from the Bell and Drum Towers and the distribution of the city’s main axis.
The shapes of other nodes within the site are determined by the sound wave patterns generated by the activities of people near the Bell and Drum Towers in ancient times.
bell&drumʼs sounds virescence past peopleʼs sounds
virescence
bell&drumʼs sounds past peopleʼs sounds past peopleʼs sounds
(Adobe Illustrator, Digimap, Arcgis)
INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF ZIGZAGS
weathering-steel panels（hollow)
PLAN OF PARTIAL PAVING
White Granite Brick (3mX1.6m~4mX2m)
Weathering Resistant Steel
Tapestry Brick Grassland
Weathering steel support (width 200mm)
Bare Concrete Panels
Internal Structure Of Axials
“HAPPY PRINCE” LINEAR PARK
LOCATION: BEIJING, CHINA
Project statement: The site is located in Beijing central axis green space.
Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s “The Happy Prince”, the linear park was designed in the form of swallows’ flying curves.
The author applied the fairy tale theme of “Caring for vulnerable groups”. Based on the plight and needs of the people around the site, the author designed six different nodes around the linear bridge for them, including vent house, workshop and activity park. As they travel around the site, they feel their needs and delimmas are noticed by the designer. (Sketch, Rhino, Photoshop, Vray, Adobe illustrator, CNC printing)
Project statement: The BA LAT ESTUARY, a site in Vietnam that sits in the Red River delta, has been plagued by silt and erosion from ocean currents for years. Shrimp farming is the main industry in the area, and one of its biggest problems is the conflict between ecological pollution and mangrove trees.
In order to solve the problem of sea water erosion and the pollution of traditional shrimp farming, the designer proposed an ecosystem that integrates water erosion prevention, water purification, and a symbiotic shrimp farming system with mangroves.
