PORTFOLIO OF MA XIMAI Selected Works 2013-2018
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CONTENTS
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II
Container of Light
Family Tie
Light of Allah Mosque
The White Stairs House
Allah creates the heavens without using the pillars you can see.
A romantic staircase that brings a more comfort and more intimate lifestyle to the family.
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10
III
IV
Retrieve Nature
Other Works
Mahaishan Restaurant Reshape the courtyard with traditional local materials.
Architectural design and other cross-border designs were collected.
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Light of Allah Mosque Architect: Built in: Area: Structural Engineer: Client:
Ma Ximai Jun 2015 420.0 m2 Liu Yonghong Islamic Association of Shaanxi Xingping Location: Xingping,Shaanxi,China
Due to the shortage of funds for the project, I designed the drawing and the local Muslims wove the carpet on the right by hand and then donated it upon its completion. It was laid in this building, endowing the mosque a more sacred significance. I finished the project under extremely difficult circumstances-designing a holy mosque for the local unsophisticated Muslims. As a word of Allah in the Koran goes, "He uses light to create the heavens without the pillars you can see". I explored the intriguing Islamic philosophy and integrated it into this unique mosque, hoping to make the sacred light the soul of the building. But the reality was always that I had to design this architecture under harsh conditions. Nevertheless, these realistic conditions can often give the building a deeper meaning and meanwhile transform the building into a container that could accommodate all the touching things like this carpet.
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Urban village In the process of urbanization, farmers become urban residents due to the expropriation of cultivated land, but they still live in the residential areas of the original villages. The development of urban villages lags behind, which lacks modern urban management and has a low living standard.
Family dormitories of the mine factory Family dormitories of mine factories in the 1980s can be seen everywhere in this industrial county.
New commercial residence Due to the rapid development of urbanization, the new high-rise commercial residences have gradually replaced the original traditional residences.
Site Analysis 2
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prayer hall courtyard pool office Muslim washroom
General plan
East elevation
North elevation
West elevation
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Section
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Imam lectern
Islamic pattern carpet
A unique lectern is designed for the imam and it is cantilevered over the 4-meter-high wall of the main hall, overlooking the hall and enhancing the sacredness of the lectures.
This carpet pattern is a radioactive continuous pattern based on the prototype structure. It intends to express Islamic graphic art in modern space. Muslims pray to worship barefoot, so the carpet is also an essential part of the mosque.
Memorial arch
Qibla wall
This arch brings Muslims into the mosque through a concrete castin-place door, which enhances the sense of rituals when entering the mosque.
I am trying to use pure materials to complete the sacred feeling of this wall. I will pour a 7-meter-high fairfaced concrete wall that faces Mecca. The back of the wall can radiate warm sky light, and the Koran is transcribed on the wall with golden paint, so that Muslims can reflect on the words of Allah in front of the wall.
Stained glass
Colonnade
Small square holes of different sizes are cut in the wall, through which sunlight can enter the room. Each square hole is filled with different colored glass forming different colored spots inside when the sun shines.
I put an Islamic-style colonnade into this modern religious building to enhance the symbol of Islam in the mosque, and generate light-shadow spots through the colonnade as well. 5
Pool Water is a holy in Islam. I separate the chapel from other spaces with a circular pool, which forms a reflection with the building and naturally became a bright boundary to highlight the tranquility and sacredness of the chapel. The pool is also one of the most important parts of the mosque. Since Islam advocates cleanness, the traditional mosques all provide outdoor pools for Muslims for purification before worship.
Route I set up a special route in the building to experience the space, and the imam can also reach the lectern through it. It connects each space and the entire mosque could be viewed at different heights and different angles. When you slowly walk up the stairs, you will stand in front of the high archway that symbolizes the prophet, and after climbing down the spiral stairs, you will finally reach the courtyard of the mosque covered with gravel. The route can often create a sense of ritual for the building and make the experience more profound.
Light A skylight attached to a circular structure is set at the top of the chapel, allowing daylight to penetrate into it and to form a circular halo naturally, while the combination of daylight and structure enriches the details and the space. In the dim hall, the unusually bright halo weakens the sense of volume brought about by the concrete floor slab. Occasionally, a beam of light shines directly into the room from the top high window, as if by inspiration, leaving a short and bright line on the wall.
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Roof Structure Plan
Colonnade Detail
Plan of Foundation Construction Roof Structure Plan
Construction
Light into the hall 7
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1 Prayer Hall 2 Memorial arch 3 Colonnade
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This photo was taken on the first day after the completion of the mosque, when muslims performed evening services in the main hall.
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The White Stair House Architect: Built in: Area: Structural Engineer: Client: Project Construction:
Ma Ximai Sep.2014 428.60 m2 Liu Yonghong My Family Shaanxi Yuheng Construction Engineering CO., LTD. Location: Xingping,Shaanxi,China
The first architectural project in my life is this residence designed both for my family and my uncle's family. With this pure-white staircase on the right, I try to explore a romantic way to solve the real problem of two families sharing a house, so that families can be close to each other while having their own private space. This staircase also represents my memories of childhood: when I was a child, I often stood in the living room looking through the glass at the thick green bamboo forest in the courtyard, enjoying the afternoon sunshine and magnolia flowers in the bedroom, and appreciating the surrounding scenery when I went down the stairs. Children can not only have fun in the courtyard, but also play hide and seek on the roof. This is the seemingly simple but moving architectural atmosphere that I have always pursued, for the reason that I think house is not only a living machine, but also a kind of poetics.
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Surrounding Conditions of The House The residence is located in the industrial county around the ancient capital Xi'an. Due to industrialization and lagging development, people's pursuit of quality of life is getting lower and lower, and urban greening is also gradually decreasing. The building is surrounded by chaotic cement houses and a small number of Guanzhong traditional houses made of red clay bricks and tiles. The family plans to tear down the old house on the base and then build a new one.
1950 Distribution of Traditional Houses
China 2017 Distribution of Traditional Houses
Shaanxi 1950 Distribution of Trees
2017 Distribution of Trees
Xingping
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Site Plan 11
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1 white stairs 2 courtyard 3 living room 4 bedroom 5 bathroom 6 kitchen 7 dining room 8 garage 9 home office 10 roof garden 11 greenhouse
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First floor plan
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Second floor plan
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Third floor plan
Fourth floor plan
Entrance Facade The building is painted in white on the facade, covered by neighboring buildings on three sides and enjoying enough sunshine and a wide view to the west. A small but comfortable courtyard on the side of the building adjacent to the street is planted with a row of bamboo to isolate the noise from the road and part of the dirty air. d wellings. 12
West elevation
North elevation
Axonometric First floor - Grandparents' home
One Day of Grandparents in The New House
2 1
3 4
1 2 3 4
courtyard bedroom dining room living room
How to facilitate the elderly's living habits is the primary consideration in the design. As the elderly always hope to be close to nature and enjoy the fresh air, an outdoor courtyard is designed on the first floor and a floor-to-ceiling window in the bedroom so that the elderly can enjoy the afternoon sunshine. In order to make it easier and safer for the elderly to use the bathroom at night, the space under the white stairs is transformed to a private bathroom for my grandparents' bedroom. The new house has changed the life of my grandparents, and grandpa told me he was very satisfied with it. To understand the real users of architecture is the real problem to be solved by architecture.
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AA
BB
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Axonometric Second floor - My home
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1 Second floor space 2 Stairs lead to the second floor 3 Garden bamboo
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roof garden
uncle's home CC
Light CC
my home
courtyard
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Sight
Stair route analysis This white staircase connects all the spaces of the house and organically serves as a communication tool for family members.
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Axonometric Third floor - Uncle's home
1 Window view 2 White stairs 3 Skylight
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The white staircase is not only an important transportation space in the whole building, but also a container of light. The staircase runs through three stories, and a huge glass wall is designed on the west to collect the light and scenery. I use the architectural language to establish a connection between the construction and the user, so that the family can experience light and shadow on the stairs, while enjoying the scenery and having fun.
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Planting grass Soil Ceramitic hydrophobic layer 20mm Cement mortar 40mm Fine stone concrete with two-way 0.15mm Polyethylene film layer Primer 20mm Cement mortar leveling 20mm Structural roof slab
300mm
800mm
Anticorrosive wood floor Rough ground 20mm Cement mortar 40mm Fine stone concrete with two-way 0.15mm Polyethylene film layer Primer 20mm Cement mortar leveling 20mm Structural roof slab
0.3°
Green Roof Detail DD
Roof Detail
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D
Axonometric Fourth floor -Roof garden
Roof garden
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Foundation Plan
Construction
Me discussing with a worker how to construct.
Construction process of the house. 17
Family Portrait On the first day after the house was built, the whole family took this photo in the new house. These real users endow the building with a more complete life. Life is the essence of architecture, and I think architecture is just like plasticine. Users and the site are the hands that hold the plasticine.
Stairs in the dining room on the first floor 18
Mahaishan Restaurant Ma Ximai Jan.2017 640.0 m2 Liu Yonghong black brick, glass, oak plate, slate Location: Xianyang,Shaanxi,China
Architect: Built in: Area: Structural Engineer: Main Materials:
The courtyard on the right, hidden in the city, is a traditional Chinese restaurant in the suburb of the ancient capital Xi'an. This is an architecture renovation project, and the owner wants to change the original space temperament and aesthetic taste, arouse the resonance between human and nature, and make this restaurant stand out from the industrialized city with the help of architectural design. I intend the construction to become "a supporting role" of nature in the design scheme and local materials to build a courtyard connecting buildings of different functions and forms, so as to make people experience nature in architecture and feel architecture in nature.
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Lobby Kitchen Courtyard Pool
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Warehouse Landscape suite Luxury suite Reception
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First floor plan
The building to be renovated is a street-side shop, consisting of a three-story brick-concrete building in the early 1990s and some small houses connected to it. I plan to redesign the original facade and rebuild some of the rooms to reorganize the space and integrate the small spaces, thus making the space order more reasonable and meet the needs of the client for the courtyard.
Before Renovation
After Renovation 20
2nd floor
Routes
2nd floor
Private dining space Public dining space Kitchen space
Renovation process
Functions
In the reconstruction plan, only the three-story main building facing the street is reserved, and a large-span space of steel structure and some independent small spaces are added to it. These spaces naturally enclose an outdoor courtyard, resulting in three buildings and a central courtyard. The "courtyard" has also become the core of the building. People need to arrive at the courtyard through a relatively hidden space, thus enriching the change of the architectural rhythm.
Private cabin by the pool 21
Terrace The terrace is transformed from the roof space of the lobby. From here people can overlook the original residential buildings around. The terrace becomes the medium between the original environment and the new building, shortening the distance between each other. Customers can also dine on the terrace to overlook the courtyard from different perspectives. The terrace also connects the second floor of the lobby and the dining room office.
Courtyard In the west of the courtyard, three buildings with sloping roofs were built using the remaining space to serve as private cabins for restaurants. The design takes inspiration from the distant mountains in Chinese landscape painting, abstracts its outline and forms the background of the courtyard. Moreover, a piece of bamboo is planted in front of the private cabins to organically separate the private area from the public area.
In-between space In the design, floor-to-ceiling glass was used extensively to introduce the courtyard scenery into the interior. At the top of the lobby, there is a 4-meterhigh skylight to bring in daylight to avoid the sense of pressure of the original space. The interior design takes the local oak boards and black slate as the main materials, which echo the color of the courtyard and allow the interior to blend with the courtyard.
Axonometric
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North facade
Glass wall
Osmanthus Tree Unfold Elevation
Office terrace
Ginkgo Tree
Room by the water
Room in the courtyard
Entrance to the stairs
transition
Magnolia Tree
e transition
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Section
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Stairs Overlooking the courtyard Dining Hall Entryway Office terrace Room window scene
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The facade of the main building is rebuilt on the original foundation, and the original facade is covered with walnut wood strips and local traditional gray bricks. I hope to apply Chinese traditional materials to show modern design ideas and aesthetics.
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Anticorrosive wood Steel joist Lighting device Flashing Black iron plate Flashing Roofing butyl waterproof roll
8 Heat preservation and insulation layer 9 Plaster hanging plates 10 Glass sliding door aluminum frame
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Anticorrosive wood strips
Chinese traditional gray bricks
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These two photos were taken after the restaurant was opened and guests were dining indoors and in the courtyard.
Courtyard outside the window On January 2, 2018, under a heavy snow, I took this precious snow photo. 26
Other works Architectural design and other cross-border designs were collected. Selected Works 09.2015-08.2018 Beijing Tonghe Shanzhi Landscape Design Architecture Designer, full time Fully participate in 13 complete projects, which involved with diverse architectural types.
Miracle Church Architectural Design in Yantai I worked as the lead architecture designer in this project.
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Compass Deck
Navigation Deck
Upper Deck
Main Deck
Lower Hold
Cruise Ship Design I worked as one of the designers, and the project "Finding Fairy" was built in June 2017.
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Hotel design I performed as the main designer for the architectural design of most hotel projects in the firm. I participated in diverse projects of resort hotels in the scenic spots or around natural landscape, and also explored new type of hotel design, such as container renovation hotel, prefabricated module hotel etc.
Memorial Hall of Wencheng Princess in Qinghai I worked as the main designer and the museum was built in September of 2018. 29
The Temple of Nature in laizhou I worked as the main architecture designer in this project.
Xianyang Tiancheng office area design I worked as the lead architecture designer in this project.
Qingtianhe Tourist Service Center I worked as the main architecture designer in this project.
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MA XIMAI Ibrahim Ma buyma_19@outlook.com +86 13379528111 Jan. 30, 1993
EDUCATION 09.2011-07.2015 Minzu University of China Bachelor of Arts Designtology (Interior and Landscape Design) GPA: 3.63/4.0 Second Prize of 2014 Merit Scholarship
WORK EXPERIENCE 09.2015-08.2018 Beijing Tonghe Shanzhi Landscape Design Architecture Designer, full time Fully participate in 13 complete projects, which involved with diverse architectural types as following: Memorial Hall of Wencheng Princess in Qinghai: I worked as the main designer and the museum was built in September of 2018. Cruise Ship Design: I worked as one of the designers, and the project "Finding Fairy" was built in June 2017. Hotel design: I performed as the main designer for the architectural design of most hotel projects in the firm. I participated in diverse projects of resort hotels in the scenic spots or around natural landscape, and also explored new type of hotel design, such as container renovation hotel, prefabricated module hotel etc. Temple Design: I worked as the main designer to complete two temple arch design.
PERSONAL PROJECT (All built) 02.2016-01.2017 Mahaishan Restaurant Arch Design Built in 01.2017 This project aims to improve the original space and interior design of the restaurant, applying the traditional Chinese characteristics into the urban lives of people. Published Media: Design Tribe (Arch WeChat Media, 01.2017), JustXA.com (01.2017), SKJ Architecture (Arch WeChat Media, 12.2016) 06.2014-06.2015 Light of Allah Mosque Built in 06.2015 Commissioned by the local Islamic Association, the project aimed to build a small church with limited fund, serving for surrounding people. Final design made use of the simple building materials, as well as the most pure natural light to express religious building. Published Media: ArchDaily (04.2016), Gooood Web (03.2018), Position (03.2018), SKJ Architecture (Arch WeChat Media, 07.2015) 06.2013-09.2014 The White Stair House Built in 09.2014 The project was to design a new house for my family, aiming to offer more comfortable space to improve family's life quality. Published Media: ArchDaily (11.2015), Book《Building A House: Ideal Home of Architec》 Design Tribe (Arch WeChat Media, 11.2015), City (Arch WeChat Media, 03.2016), SKJ Architecture (Arch WeChat Media, 04.2014), Huashang Newspaper (A13, 10.2014), Architectural Knowledge Journal (Volume 35th Issue No. 235, P58, 03.2015),
ACTIVITY
Urban Planning project: I joined in multiple planning projects and contributed for the arch design and commercial street design etc.
10.2017 Beijing Design Week Project: Water-Sky Garden, group work
09.2014-08.2015
12.2014-01.2015 Exhibition of Lahu Traditional Village Building in Yunnan, group research
China Architecture Design & Research Group Student Intern, part time Join in diverse real projects and fully learn software skills of construction drawings.
11.2011-12.2012 Volunteer: to teach primary students drawing 31
PORTFOLIO OF MA XIMAI buyma_19@outlook.com +86 13379528111