Xiaohan Su | 2016-2019 Columbia GSAPP | M Arch
A collection of three years' work and the process of questioning the world and discovering inner intuition through architecture.
I want to thank all my professors: Adam Frampton Mimi Hoang Jinhee Park Nahyun Hwang Mark Rakatansky Jorge Otero-Pailos Stephen Cassell Annie Barrett 最后，感谢父母
Contents
I. Rational / Irrational
01
Literature Based Architectural Solution | Spring 2019
II. Y E CA
27
Historic Preservation + Adaptive Reuse | Fall 2018
III. Reveal: Urban Nature
47
Education + Urban Scale | Spring 2018
IV. Micro Urbanism Housing
75
Housing | Fall 2017
V. Library as Garden
93
Library | Spring 2017
VI. Updown
115
Installation | Fall 2016
VII. Iceberg
123
Subway Station | Fall 2016
VIII. More Than Architecture 2016-2019
133
I.
Rational / Irrational Beszel & Ul Qoma in The City & The City Critic: Stephen Cassell & Annie Barrett 2019 Spring
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2
Copula Hall is a city in the city, in “The City & the City”.
Copula Hall is the shared governmental building in the crosshatched area. Serving both cities and the Oversight Committee (a dual nation organization; members are in between but in neither cities), it houses programs of a combination of offices, transportation hub and border exchange gateways.
In China Mieville’s detective novel “The City & the City”, two city states, Beszel and Ul Qoma, partially occupying overlapped geographical footprint, function in an absurd way in which citizens follow a set of behavioral protocols intentionally to ignore the existence of the other city due to cultural conventions. A certain urban fabric was yield under this situation, subtle but clearly discernible for both citizens.
Given the absurd universe it resides in, the project seeks to find rationality in the irrational setting.
Rational / Irrational
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6
Site Map @ 750ft Radius Rational / Irrational
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Compressed Map (Beszel)
The design started with imagining how the city systems at different scale integrate into networks from fragmented details in the novel, such as traffic, building, vegetation, etc.
The direct impression from the novel was reflected onto a compressed map of the crosshatch area near Copula Hall. The Map is divided into perspectives from Beszel and Ul Qoma.
8
Compressed Map (Ul Qoma)
And through a series of physical model studies, that ends up with a solution of weaving / overlapping pattern that creates subtle perspectival difference on the two ends, which responds to the intricate relationship of the two cities.
The Copula Hall extends / weaves the city into the architecture by rigidly following this weaving / loop pattern in circulation language for both vehicle and pedestrian. Furthermore, the form.
Rational / Irrational
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Street Perspective (Beszel / Ul Qoma)
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City Perspective (Beszel / Ul Qoma) Rational / Irrational
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Rational / Irrational
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It is a rational as well as irrational moment that if following the loop circulation pattern, one city is always on the left / right hand side. Same for the door, window and furniture placement in the offic-
es. Meanwhile, in order to emphasize the sense of flowing movement, the facade for Beszel is always in convex and for Ul Qoma always concave, which is another subtle clue to differentiate the two cities.
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CR
OS
SH
AT CH
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
ALTERNATE I
ALTERNATE I x 2
ALTERNATE II
BESZEL
UL QOMA
OFFICES
Rational / Irrational
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“Citizens from both cities have to see or unsee intentionally to ignore the existence of the other city due to cultural conventions.�
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“Member from the Oversight Committee is in between but in neither of the cities.� Rational / Irrational
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Rational / Irrational
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II.
Y E CA Mexico City, Mexico Critic: Mark Rakatansky & Jorge Otero - Pailos Architecture & Historic Preservation joint studio 2018 Fall
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The US Embassy in Mexico city is going to be relocated, leaving the current embassy calling for new proposals. Built in 1960s, by Southwestern Architects, the embassy was inadequate to be declared as landmark. But still, the translucent marble facade, the flowing arcade on the first level, the delicate sunken courtyard all brought great aesthetic importance to this building.
Entrepreneurs Coworking Association (YECA). A place to work, learn and get inspired. In the Era of knowledge worker, working is not confine to doing repetitive work in a confined space anymore. Work, or thinking, is ever going on, and can be inspired by interaction with other parties. The proposed YECA redefines working space not by task but by activity; not by goal but by process; not by contained but by creating dialogue. It provides high flexibility and possibilities for different forms of interaction.
High unemployment rate has always been a serious problem in Mexico. One way the city is trying to confront this challenge is by promoting entrepreneurship in high school students. Thus, I’m proposing Young
Y E CA
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Site Axon
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Y E CA
Concept Model 3D print + Cast Soap
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One continuous path starts from the sunken plaza to the roofscape that activates workspace and erase hierarchy sectionally. The path naturally divides space into dynamic and quiet parts on each level due to slope limitations. Different forms of spatial relationship are created along its way that becomes exchange moments.
Y E CA
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Sunken Plaza / Street Level: Work / Public Exchange
The original building is raised above street level, hard for public to access. By switching the main entry to the corner of the busier bypass, having grand staircase wrapping around the corner with ramp intersecting in between that lead to the sunken courtyard, and restaurants, shops on the basement level, the building invites the public in. and creates possibilities for spontaneous interactions. In the meantime, this level is redefining working through activities such as eating, walking or talking to stranger.
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B1 Floor plan Y E CA
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F2 / F3: Knowledge Exchange
By introducing double height spaces for library, performance space and open auditorium that are facilitates by coworkers and participated by the public. Horizontally, these space are intersected by the continuous path that creates dialogue with these programs through soft boundaries, eg, bookshelves that is accessible from both sides, glass partitions. This level is redefining working through observing, auditing or preparing for teaching.
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Second Floor plan
Y E CA
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Roof: Work / Nature Exchange
The path grow into undulating landscape on the roof level that forms farmland and garden space sloping towards south in which private zones are defined by soft buffers of bushes. Event spaces: farmers market, observation deck and rooftop bar, are formed when the ramps intersect at the horizontal planes. This level is redefining working through planting, farming or even relaxing
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Rooftop Floor plan
Y E CA
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III.
Reveal: Urban Nature Manhattan, NY Critic: Nahyun Hwang 2018 Spring Partner: Biyi Ruan
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In a highly urbanized environment, there are some ignored urban nature that are generated by the city with great potential to be reutilized. The proposed educational network suggest the possibilities of different ways to explore the urban nature. The network is comprised of a series of small-scale interventions, hacking into existing urban conditions to reveal what’s hidden and serve as site specific classrooms. Such urban conditions include steam infrastructure, windy condition enhanced by skyscrapers, and combined sewer system. The intervention itself acts as a machine that coupled with a selected infrastructure network and visualizes the process of converting the unused energy in each system into new forms, demonstrating the dialectical, codependent, even convertible relationship between city and nature. It also celebrates the constantly changing urban status quo by means of reflecting real-time urban conditions, so that it becomes a transient phenomenon that transformed over time.
The network has the potential to collaborate with NYC Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Education. DEP and DOE have already collaborated with NYC Department of Parks to use city constructed parks as natural exploration classrooms for pre-k to 12th grade students. Our project will function as the opposite, as immersive learning classrooms of urban conditions. Respond to the income inequality reality in NYC, they can also be used as after school space providing study space and wifi, using the electricity generated by the structure itself; furthermore, they are designed considering anticipated flood threat, to become emergency pods that provideelectricity and wifi independent from electrical grid. Three prototypes are designed at these three representative Manhattan locations: social housing, midtown with highrise buildings and riverfront.
Reveal: Urban Nature
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SKATING TRIP 4th Year, Bear Mountain
SOLDIERS & SAILORS MEMORIAL ARCH Morning Gathering
PUBLIC RESTROOMS Park public facility
14:00
CAMPING 1st Year, forest near the campus
13:00
COTTAGE Shelter for severe weather
12:00
BUS STATION Public transportation
9:00 9:20
NEW YORK CITY NATURE EXPLORATION 5 th Year, Brooklyn Botanical Garden
6th Grade
DESIGN & BUILD CLASSES 2nd Year, forest near the campus
5th Grade
UNDERHILL PLAYGROUND Waiting for parents to pick up
4th Grade
LADY BIRD BAKERY Lunch with freshly baked bread
3rd Grade
WASHINGTON D.C. CULTURE EXPLORATION 6th Year, White House
2nd Grade
FARMING TRIP 3rd Year, Duryea Farm
1st Grade
15:30
GREEN MEADOW WALDORF
BROOKLYN FOREST SCHOOL
Children's Museum of the Arts, 103 Charlton St, New York
Court 16 Tennis Club LIC, 13-06 Queens Plaza S, Queens
Afterschool Programs: Different programs offered for kids from different income families. Most programs are tied to existing library network.
Ground Floor
Ground Floor
Bronx Library Center
Children's Museum of the Arts
New York Public Library 53rd St Court 16 Tennis Club, Long Island City
Queens Library for Teens
Fri @ 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Teen Code Club
Every Tue @ 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Exploring Animation & Storytelling
Every Fri @ 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Tennis Workshops
53rd Street Library, 18 W 53rd St, New York
Bronx Library Center, 310 E Kingsbridge Rd, Bronx
Queens Library for Teens, 2002 Cornaga Ave, Far Rockaway
Underground Floor
Second Floor
Ground Floor
Fri @ 2 p.m. Movies at 53rd
Thu @ 4:30 p.m. Public Speaking Workshop
Tue @ 2 p.m. Family Storytime
Tue, Wed, Thu @ 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Homework Help
Steam
The new york city steam system is on average over 65 years old and need constant maintenance through manhole. 23% of the water, running through underground pipes that are average over 75 years old, would leak during the process. These water would heat off as steam when they falls onto the hot steam pipes. Which result in the typical Manhattan scene of orange and white “chimneys� with steam coming out on the streets. The first intervention can be plugged into these manholes, utilizing the wasted steam energy. It expose the process of white steam transform to transparent water drops when converting kinetic, pressure and temperature energy to electricity power. Students can engage with the warm column in the middle and the reflecting pool formed by condensed water. Multiple seating and study space at different levels are provided to enhance observation. The condensed water can also be used to water the nearby gardens.
Con-Edison Steam Network
STEAM Location: 26 Ave D, New York, NY
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Turbine Electricity Generator Battery for Electricity Storage
Roof Plan - 30ft
Reflecting Pool Steam Pipe Faucet for Irrigation
Floor Plan - 12ft
0 1
10 FT
Reveal: Urban Nature
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Reveal: Urban Nature
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Wind
The skyscrapers enhanced wind effect makes some urban space much more windy than others. The intervention takes advantage of this effect by referencing a new technology - windbelt - a wind power harvesting device converting wind power to electricity. The membrane between the two supports vibrates due to aeroelastic flutter when wind blows across it. The magnet attached on the membrane vibrates as well, generating current due to electromagnetic induction. It is much more sensitive to capture slight wind than traditional wind turbine. The design has a double curtain system. The curtains at the exterior layer vibrates dramatically as they directly respond to the wind on site while the interior curtains are attached to the windbelts and vibarates comparably gently as an indirect response to the wind. As the membrane vibrates, it produce electricty for lighting and wifi hotspot.
Wind Open-space Network
WIND Location: Flatiron Plaza, New York, NY
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Wind Belt Membrane Electricity Generator and Storage on the Roof Interior Curtains Respond to the Membrane Vibration Exterior Curtains Respond directly to the wind
0
1
10 FT
Reveal: Urban Nature
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Reveal: Urban Nature
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CSO
Combined sewer systems collect rainwater, greywater and blackwater in the same pipe. During the periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt, the wastewater volume in the pipe exceeds its capacity and goes directly into rivers and seas. They are a major water pollution concern in NYC. The design utilizes microbial fuel cell technology. The technology uses the bacteria already present in the wastewater, connecting to the anode and cathode to produce electricity and clean water. The horizontality of filters creates a gradient water wall. The water becomes cleaner when going up and runs from the top to the reflecting pool on the one side and irrigating the water plants on the other side. The structure is floating up and down as the sea level rises and falls.
CSO Outfalls Network
Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Location: 96th Street Clay Tennis Courts, New York, NY
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Clear Drinking Water Fountain Exterior Reflecting Pool with Water Plants
Interior Reflecting Pool
Filter Wall
01
10 FT
Reveal: Urban Nature
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Reveal: Urban Nature
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IV.
Micro Urbanism Housing Bronx, NY Critic: Jinhee Park 2017 Fall
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The project seeks to explore the possibilities of boundaries between private and public space by redefining threshold conditions at a finer grain.
living, circulation and communal activity space. On the third level, a continuous strip of public space, winding around the existing trees on site, acts as the threshold that connects eight themed buildings at various sizes and the community center. Instead of separate the location of living and preferred activities, the redefined thresholds creates a more intimate experience of living in a library, in a garden, in a shopping mall, in a amusement park.
Four programs selected to be distinguished: library, greenhouse, storefront, playground, are from concentration and intensify of local activities. Each apartment type seeks to accommodate the potential idiosyncrasies and enhance interactions between residents through thresholds between private, semi-public and communal space. Then they aggregate in such a way that programmatically divide the themed building to three bands or rings of
Thus, an archipelago of idiosyncratic buildings develops reciprocity and synergy, and ultimately, micro urbanism.
Micro Urbanism Housing
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Archipelago
Storefront
Playground
Library
Greenhouse
Library
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Type: Micro-unit Target Residents: Student, single person, reading lovers
Micro Urbanism Housing
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Type: Studio Target Residents: Student, single person, married couple, nature lovers
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Greenhouse Unit
Micro Urbanism Housing
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Playground Unit
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Type: Two bedrooms Target Residents: Family with kids
Micro Urbanism Housing
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Type: Three bedrooms Target Residents: Family with kids, start-up collaborators, small business owners
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Storefront Unit
Micro Urbanism Housing
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V.
Library as Garden Brooklyn, NY Critic: Mimi Hoang 2017 Spring Individual Project
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Since antiquity, people aspire to an ideal of a combination of garden and library. Quoted from Marcus Tullius Cicero, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” The quote captures the essence to nurture both body and mind equivalently.
typology, can be subdivided to informal reading / social space, group reading space, small group reading / discussion space and individual reading space according to its level of privacy. The project references garden-like spatial qualities that have the quality of both interior and exterior from Morgan Library Extension and the Utrecht Library as well as specific Eastern garden typologies (Chinese and Japanese gardens) to reconcile the ambiguous relationship between interior and exterior , circulation and views.
I conceive my library as garden. Garden, as the intermedia between public and private space, is a broad term that ranges from an open air public space, a semi-enclosed greenery, an interior courtyard, to a skylight defined area, by having different degrees of enclosure. Library experience, in parallel with garden
“Si hortum in bibliotheca habes, deerit nihil” - Marcus Tullius Cicero
Library As Garden
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Precedent: Morgan Library Extention
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Precedent: Utrecht Library Library As Garden
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U
Proto Building Matrix Development
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Library as LIBRARY ASGarden GARDEN LIBRARY AS GARDEN LIBRARY AS GARDEN
Embrace the civic context Embrace context Embrace thethe civiccivic context
Have hierarchically arranged programs Hierarchically arranged Have hierarchically arranged programs
Blur the bound Blur Blurthe the bound bound between interior and between interior and and between interior
Embrace the civic context
Have hierarchically arranged programs
Blur the bound between interior and
MATRIX MATRIX
GRADATION GRADATION
programs
PROTO BUILDING PROTO BUILDING
Proto Building U
PROTO BUILDING
U
Gradation GRADATION
U
Matrix MATRIX
DEGREE OF OPENE DEGREE OF OPENE
Degree of open
DEGREE OF OPENE
PROTO ON SITE PROTO ON SITE PROTO ON SITE Proto On
Site TRAPEZOID TRAPEZOID
DISSOLVE DISSOLVE
PUSH-PULL PUSH-PULL
TRAPEZOID
DISSOLVE
PUSH-PULL
Trapezoid
Dissolve
Push-pull
dary dary dary d exterior dd exterior exterior
dary d exterior
ESS ESS
ness
ESS
Outward focused Chinese garden typology Outward focused Chinese garden Outward Chinese garden typology infocused spaces of public functions in spaces of public functions typology in space of public functions
Inward focused Japanese garden typology Inward focused Japanese garden Inward focused Japanese garden typology in reading spaces in reading spaces space typology in reading
Experiential and interactive Experiential interactive Experiential andand interactive that creates microclimate at different datum that creates at different datum thatmicroclimate creates microclimate at
Outward focused Chinese garden typology in spaces of public functions
Inward focused Japanese garden typology in reading spaces
Experiential and interactive that creates microclimate at different datum
INWARD FOCUSED INWARD FOCUSED
PROTO BUILDING PROTO BUILDING
OUTWARD FOCUSED OUTWARD FOCUSED
Outward focused
Inward focused
different datum
Proto building
OUTWARD FOCUSED
INWARD FOCUSED
PROTO BUILDING
OUTWARD CITY VIEW OUTWARD CITY VIEW
INWARD GARDEN VIEW INWARD GARDEN VIEW
DISPERSED GARDENS DISPERSED GARDENS
OUTWARD CITY VIEW
INWARD GARDEN VIEW
DISPERSED GARDENS
Outward city view
Inward garden view
Dispersed gardens
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Second Floor Plan
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Library As Garden
First Floor Plan
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Library As Garden
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VI.
Up Down 14th ST A Ave, New York, NY Critic: Adam Frampton 2016 Fall
115
This intervention is mainly about circulation and movement. The sculptural shape reflects not only the busy street corners at the intersection but also the dynamics of the city. The intervention invites people to meet and engage in this platform, serves as a catalyst of closer relationships between people within such a fast pace society. It’s a place where people interact with each other and with the intervention itself. From the corner, people can observe the intersection or the city from multiple levels. It celebrates physicality by encouraging people walk up and down. As the intervention moves from sunrise to sunset, people’s experience when
climbing up and down the corner changes and the so does the view. The intervention has two sets of stairs from bottom to the top. They wrap around the vertical elevator in the center which also works as a hinge. So when the two wings form a right angle, either in the inward or the outward position, only one set of stair circulation works, and the other one is not connected. The two wings of the intervention forms 90 degree angle when sunrise or sunset, when most perspective visitors would climb up and down the intervention to enjoy the view. It moves continuously within a 24 hour cycle.
Up Down
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The corner transform from the original spot to the opposite corner. The elevator in the middle moves along the diagonal line, and the two blocks rotate around it. Each plan is cut at every 24’.
Up Down
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VII.
Iceberg 14th ST 1 Ave, New York, NY Critic: Adam Frampton 2016 Fall
123
Located at a lively neighborhood, endless stream of commuters passes by on a regular basis, the proposed subway station corresponds to the metaphor of iceberg. It responds to the busy surroundings by introducing an understated entrance above ground, not interrupting the flow of the city. In contrast, theatrical space with dramatic spatial quality and programs intersecting with
each other underground, to improve the experience of the commuters. The theatricality is enhanced by the irregularity of the geometrical volumes, for all volumes are tapered in a way designated to form visual cue and creating a sense of movement. Furthermore, mirroring the theatrical reality above the street level, the typical Manhattan life.
Iceberg
125
Site Plan
126
Underground
Iceberg
127
SECTION B
SECTION A
128
Iceberg
129
Platform Level Plan
Mezzanine Level Plan
VIII.
More Than Studio Ultrareal Transitional Geometry Architectural Drawing & Representation Core I
133
Ultrareal Exterior Lake Donut 3DS Max + Photoshop
134
More Than Studio
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Transitional Geometry: Occupiable Facade Casting: 3D-print prototye, Plaster mold, Rockite tiles
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More Than Studio
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Architectural Drawing & Representation: Totoro Library Re-imagine library project
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More Than Studio
Core I Studio: Pier Moment Renderings
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