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Contents
Undergraduate Work
Professional Experience
Post-Graduate Work
Personal Details e-mail: alexd.shu@gmail.com Phone: (310) 890 2863 Address: 13603 Marina Pointe Dr Apt# C508. Marina del Rey CA. 90292
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Cantilever Project
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Carradale House- Blackwall- London Carradale House is a housing block on the Brownfield council estate in Blackwall, London. Designed by Ernรถ Goldfinger, together with its neighbours Balfron Tower and Glenkerry House, it is now a Grade II* listed building. The brief required a design that identified, targeted and solved a problem evident at the site. The most obvious problem with the site was the destructiveness of its inhabitants; the playground had become dilapidated from years of misuse, graffiti and vandalism sprawled across the walls and discarded syringes suggested drug abuse on the site. Evidently local youths lacked a sense of community; the design solution was to generate a space that redirected their enery towards a more constructive or positive impact on the neighbourhood; Religious Space. The solution aimed to provide spiritual guidance and promote a sense of belonging; so that instead of destroying property they can enhance it, instead of graffiti, paint a mural, build a playground rather than destroy it. Carradale Religious Centre was designed so to be fully integrated with Carradale House, with levels that can be accessed via the central lift core, supported over each of the adjoining bridges. The skin is designed to allow for light, and had to support each level, so using an algorithm devised by Cecil Balmond consisting of a series of concentric squares, the facade has been designed with a uniqueness to it while at the same time being structurally sound.
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Robin Hood Gardens- Poplar- London Robin Hood Gardens is a council estate in Poplar, London designed in the late 1960’s by architects Alison & Peter Smithson. It was intended as an example of the ‘streetsin-th-the-sky’ concept; social housing characterised by broad aerial walkways in long concrete blocks. The estate covers 2 hectares, consists of two long blocks, built from precast concrete slabs, contains 213 flats (single-storey apartments and multi-storey maisonnettes) and encloses a central green made from construction spoil. The project specified a bowling alley be implemented into the site. The resultant design created a series of ‘pods’ scattered around the green.
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Auction House- Baker St- London With hundreds of personal effects lost per year on the London Transport system, and so much of it unreclaimed that after a period of time the London Transport Lost Property Office has accumulated stores of items ranging from the mundane everyday objects, to the downright bizarre; with no where to store such items, most are disposed. Studio 3 has taken the challenge of processing lost property, using the nearby Metropolitan Pub on Baker Street as the site for a potential auction house. The design revolves around the concept that people are prone to temptation, that any item processed in the Lost Property Office passes through many hands before ending up on a shelf (if it gets that far). The sorting system therefore has to be impartial, and the only impartial system would be that of a computer. As a result, the ‘Auction House’ is designed to be fully automated, all items are checked into a glass case by the person submitting the lost property with a brief description to identify the item. It is then archived until it is ready to be sold. The auction house itself is also automated, with items placed on display by a series of cranes and conveyor belts onto a ‘display spindle‘ where perusers are free to browse and order/bid for items on nearby computer terminals.
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Music Download Bay- Central London Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in London, in the City of Westminster. With over 300 shops it is Europe’s largest shopping street, HMV alone has two stores one at either end of the street and a concession in the Selfridges department store, where better to introduce a competitor to revolutionise the purchasing of music, films and various other digital media? This project identified that the production, purchase and playing of music is changing, songs can be purchased online from any household computer and downloaded onto a digital media player; with this in mind retailers like HMV may become redundant.
Public access Deliveries to adjacent shops
The Music Download Bay provides 3 reasons for users to leave the comfort of their own homes to perform an activity that could just as easily be done from a home computer: 1.) The social element 2.) An activity / attraction 3.) The surrounding site The design solution was a series of levels stacked one on top of the other, as space was limited given the narrow site. On ground level day-to-day activity has to be maintained; pedestrian access as well as deliveries to the surrounding shops. The level above houses the download area with terminals to browse and purchase music while the top level is a concert platform where bands new or established can perform.
Activity / Attraction Usable Mezzanine space Social Interaction Usable Mezzanine space Music Download Area
Day-to-day activity and flow is maintained
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Li Residence Neri & Hu Design and Research Office The Li Residence is an interior fit-out project in a traditional “nong tang” lane house. The project explored two ideas: the first being the physical split between an existing structure and its new addition; the second being the conceptual split between the traditional and the modern conditions of living within the urban context of Shanghai. Responsibilities: • Worked directly under Senior Associate • Produced all plans and sections • Collaborated with client to develop concept
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Phoenix Television Station MADA s.p.a.m. The Phoenix Channel is a Hong Kong-based Mandarin Chinese television broadcaster that serves the Chinese mainland and other markets with substantial Chinese viewers. MADA s.p.a.m was approached to produce a variety of concepts that would be developed and presented to the client. Responsibilities: • Designed and developed concepts • Produced 3D SketchUp models • Collaborated with renderer to produce images
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Singapore Narional Art Gallery MADA s.p.a.m. To accomodate Singapore’s booming art scene the Singaporean government has commissioned a competition for the design of an arts and cultural center set in the old Government and Law offices. The concept designed was to place all commercial activity in the buildings’ courtyards; with a network of bridges that will link all the internal spaces which will play the part of housing the exhibits. Responsibilities: • Aided in the detailed design • Produced section and plans • Collaged images
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Shanghai North Bund Development MADA s.p.a.m. The Bund in the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River is a major tourist attraction with many high end shops and banking establishments of historic significance. The Project with its proximity to the main Bund is a prime location for a commercial, residential, hotel and retail development. Responsibilities: • Developed concepts • Built models • Produced plans and sections • Collaborated with renderer to develop images
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Tian Jin Component Factory Integrated Design Associates The ISA Tian Jin Technology Park is set on the outskirts of the industrial city of Tian Jin, China. The factory manufactures and assembles many components for major electronic products. The project is designed with sustainability, functionality, cost effectiveness and energy efficiency in mind. Responsibilities: • Worked directly with Project Architect • Produced drawings to publication standard
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China Pavillion Shanghai Expo 2010 Integrated Design Associates The Expo 2010 will be held in Shanghai, China and is a scheduled World’s Fair in the grand tradition of international fairs and expositions. The theme of the exposition is “Better City - Better Life” and signifies Shanghai’s new status in the 21st century as a major economic and cultural center.
regional building
open plaza
中国地区馆
开放广场
internal skin
内壳 government building
中国主馆 umbrella roof
伞状屋顶
suistanable double skin
智能外壳
The China Pavillion will be one of the few permanent pavillions after the 2010 Expo. The design is that of a glass shell placed over 23 chambers each representing a province of China, using China’s unique topography as a metaphor the interior is leveled and arranged to create a unique spacial experience within the pavillion. Responsibilities: • Attended site meeting • Produced images for diagrams • Photoshopped images for presentation • Produced masterplan
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SOMA Corporate Offices Integrated Design Associates SOMA Corporate Office in Bangalore, India was designed to be an environmentally responsive commercial office in the suburb of Bangalore, that could withstand hot summers and moderate winters. The design solution was a ventilated double skin facade, which could allow for natural ventilation in the summer and insulation in the winter. The project is also designed to bring natural daylight into the heart of the building, lighting the grand central staircase in the atrium which is the “Event Space” where people can mingle. Responsibilities: • Worked directly under Director • Priduced all plans, sections and elevations • Built scale model
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ShenZhen International Airport Integrated Design Associates ShenZhen is a sub-provincial city of GuangDong province in southern People’s Republic of China, situated next to Hong Kong. ShenZhen is a center of foreign investment and since the late 1970’s has been one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is also the busiest port in China after Shanghai. The airport is designed to be environementally responsive, with a latticed glass canopy to deliver natural daylight to the heart of the building. The landside terminal acts as a transportation hub, with access to ferries to Hong Kong as well as a train terminal to the city center. Responsibility: • Collaborated with team at design meetings • Produced plans, sections and elevations • Designed rooftop canopy latice • Photoshopped images for presentation
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Hyderabad International Airport Integrated Design Associates
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Mixed-use Development Westlake- Los Angeles Currently an open plaza over the MacArthur Park Station in the Westlake district of Los Angeles, the site is due to undergo gentrification, the area itself is of poor repute and is one of the least diverse in the city with the vast majority Latino or Asian. The project required a mixed-use development be implemented, to accommodate housing (SRO, 2-bdrm, 3-bdrm apartments), retail and commercial usage in an attempt to gentrify the area, however the underground rail track and pedestrian circulation that traversed the site, a hospital and local building regulations made the design a challenge. The design solution involved using the currently existing underground structure as a foundation to support a bridge system linking east and west sides and would also double as an expanded retail area, pushing the rest of the program to the outer perimeter of the site, creating a courtyard in the center which provided residential units more interesting views, as opposed to the rooftops of neighboring low-rise structures.
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W e s t l a k e G a t e w a y _ M IXED- USE D EVELOPMENT Los Angeles A r c h 5 0 5 AL F a l l 2 0 0 8 P ROF. J OHN V . M UTLOW
WITH
P UBLIC T RANSIT P LAZA,
ALEXANDER D. SHU
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Educational
Enlightenment
Recreationational
The scheme is designed to provide local “at-risk” youths the opportunity to explore their culture without fear of persecution by rival gangs. Art and graphics classes held in the large studio aim to change the face of graffiti from an act of vandalism to a piece of graphical work, music, dance and recording studios provide those interested an opportunity to explore their passions. While the pragmatic approach aims to provide education and vocational skills. All housed and mixed into a single complex ultimately striving for a safer, better Compton.
Cultural
The Spiritual aspect concerns the literal definition of spirituality without sympathizing with any one particular religion, as religion is already very divisive, by isolating a part of the site transforming it into a tranquil garden where people can mix/interact and social events can take place, as well as dealing with the music and art culture specific to Compton; Rap and Graffiti.
Enlightenment
Recreationational
The Secular aspect of Enlightenment will deal with the program as outlined in the brief; educational, vocational and emergency response training. As per the clients request, this program is essential in the re/education of some of Compton’s “at-risk” youths.
Educational
The proposed Disaster Response-Compton Armory Re-Use Project takes into account the culture in and around Compton, it identifies two aspects in need of Enlightenment in Compton culture; the Secular and the Spiritual.
Cultural
Compton Armory: Community Center Compton- Los Angeles
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Compton Armory: Community Center N Parmalee Ave, Compton, CA
W El Segundo Blvd 1’-6”ft Tri. col.
SHEET INDEX A-0.0 _Cover Sheet: Site Plan A-1.0 _Foundation Plan A-2.0 _Structure
Centennial High Schol
A-3.0 _Roof and Floor Plans
6” conc. Slab on grade
Foundation footing
A-4.0 _Windows & Doors
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A-5.0 _Floor Plan
Section a-a
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1/4” = 1’-0”
Section b-b
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1/4” = 1’-0”
A-6.0 _Section & Elevation A-7.0 _Windows Detail & Schedule
LEGEND Site Boundary Work above or beyond 1”1/2 glazing facet
Column Grid
Cut vertical surface (Drawing Title) (Drawing Scale)
6” conc. Slab on grade
Slater
Drawing header
N Parmalee Ave
Break in line or detail
Window Specification
Ave
Section indicator
1’-6”ft Tri. col.
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Foundation footing
N 1
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Site Plan Scale: 1” = 256’-0”
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Plan @ +/-0’-0” 1/4” = 1’-0”
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Isometric
Section c-c 1/4” = 1’-0”
W 18 x 106 Beam
2” steel mullions
W 10 x 45 Beam
1”1/2 glazing facet
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3 2” steel mullions
3
6” conc. Slab
1
Plan @ +/-0’-0” 1
1/4” = 1’-0”
Plan @ +/-0’-0”
6” conc. Slab
1/4” = 1’-0”
2 2” steel mullions
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1”1/2 glazing facet
1 1
6” conc. Slab on grade 6” conc. Slab on grade
1’-6”ft Tri. col. 1’-6”ft Tri. col.
Foundation footing
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Isometric
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Section a-a 1/4” = 1’-0”
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Section b-b 1/4” = 1’-0”
2
Plan @ +30’-0” 1/4” = 1’-0”
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Isometric
Foundation footing
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Section a-a 1/4” = 1’-0”
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Section b-b 1/4” = 1’-0”
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2” steel mullions 1”1/2 glazing facet
W 18 x 106 Beam
W 10 x 45 Beam
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2” steel mullions 6” conc. Slab col. head supporting beam
1”1/2 glazing facet
Elevation View
15' - 0"
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6” conc. Slab
2” steel mullions
2” steel mullions
2” steel mullions
mullion support
1” Glass
Portion to be enlarged (refer to Sheet Index)
6” conc. Slab on grade
1’-6”ft Tri. col.
1 1
Isometric
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Foundation footing
2
Elevation 3/4” = 1’-0”
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Section a-a 3/4” = 1’-0”
Plan @ Level 1 (+/-0’-0”) Scale: 1” = 128’-0”
1’ Steel & Concrete Columns
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5’ Deep Truss spanning 45’
W 18 x 106 Beam
Section 1/32” = 1’-0”
Column Grid 40ft
ETFE Cushions for roof 2” Steel Fins for Sun Shading
2” Double Glazed Facade
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Window#
1
Elevation 1/32” = 1’-0”
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Wall Section 3/4” = 1’-0”
Dimension
Frame
Glass
1”-1/2“ = 1’-0”
Hardware
Notes
Mid row on lower building
Steel Mullion
2” fritted glass
Mullion profile
Low-e
10’ x 9’
Top & bottom row of lower building
Steel Mullion
2” fritted glass
Mullion profile
Low-e
6’ x 10’
Inner facade upper building
Steel Mullion
2” clear glass
Mullion profile
Sizes may vary slightly
Roof
Steel Mullion
2” thick Low-e mesh
Spider fixings
Triangular, low-e
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10’ x 10’
2 3 4
Location
Detail Section
10’ x 10’
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Superimposed Topographies Joshua Tree- California Set on the brink of Joshua Tree National Park and the town of Twenty-Nine Palms, this complex would act as a gateway from city to nature; it would therefore contain residential units, museum, galleries, library and an outdoor rest stop. This project is about densification, maximising public space while minimizing the building footprint. This is done by stacking specific program spaces creating new public areas, while at the same time allowing users to transition from city space to the wild and from public space to private. Residential units (private spaces) are raised into a large truss canopy creating a new type of residential typology, facilitating a large public forecourt as social space to the museum and libraries on the ground floor, with the various other program stacked around a central light well containing a small wildlife preserve. The horizontal axis of the building acts as the transitional space from city to wild. As users pass through the project the program changes from that of museums, library spaces to wildlife exhibits, camp shop and camp ground.
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This project adapted the stigmergic method as it somewhat encompassed both structure and ventilation systems; using script in Processing we were able to create agents that reacted to heat and shift particles that would gradually become our structure with channels for air to circulate throughout. The resultant geometry is formed by generating an isosurface of varying size and threshold around each static agent after a certain period of time allowing the script to run so that agents that were heated enough would be picked up and rearranged to define a form that fulfilled specific criterion.
acc = new kVec(0,0); vel = new kVec(0,0); pos = kVec.clone(_pos); vec = kVec.clone(_vec); maxVel = _maxVel; maxForce = _maxForce; TermiteRangeOfVis TermiteRangeOfVis; haveMatter = false; pickedMatter = null; }
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if(tempMatter.StaticHeat hottestMatter.StaticHeat){ hottestMatter = tempMatter; } } } } if(found == true){ pickedMatter = hottestMatter; hottestMatter.pos = pos; haveMatter = true; } } //drop staticAgent
if( (distance < _TermiteRangeOfVis*2)&& (tempMatter.StaticHeat > _ massAgentPickUpTemp) ){ //check for agent with the highest heat value if(found == false){ found = true; hottestMatter = tempMatter; }else{
// constructor massAgent( kVec _pos, kVec _vec, float _maxVel, float _maxForce){
//move staticAgent void pickUp(){ boolean found = false;
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float distance = pos.distance(tempMatter. pos);
void dropMatter(){ // is this agent is at a cool enough pos to drop matter //check staticAgents within RangeOfVis float sumHeat = 0; float count =0; for(int i = 0; i < staticPop.size();i++) { staticAgent tempMatter = (staticAgent) staticPop.get(i);
acc; vel; pos; vec; maxVel; maxForce; wandertheta; TermiteRangeOfVis; haveMatter; pickedMatter; _massAgentPickUpTemp;
The studio challenged us to question conventional architectural hierarchy that currently governs design methodologies, with this in mind we researched nonlinear approaches such as the growth of slime-mold, swarm logic, quorum sensing in bacteria and stigmergic construction methods in social insects to determine structure, geometry, program, facade or mechanical systems.
kVec kVec kVec kVec float float //float float boolean staticAgent float
Convection: the transfer of heat by the circulation or movement of the heated parts of a fluid. Isomorphism: similarity in organisms of different ancestry resulting from evolutionary convergence.
staticAgent hottestMatter= (staticAgent) staticPop.get(0); //check staticAgents within RangeOfVis for(int i = 0; i < staticPop. size();i++){ staticAgent tempMatter = (staticAgent) staticPop.get(i);
class massAgent{
Convected Isomorphism Shenzhen- China
float distance = pos.distance(tempMatter. pos); if(distance < TermiteRangeOfVis*.5){ //check for agent with the highest heat value sumHeat = sumHeat + tempMatter. StaticHeat; count++; }
> // get average sumHeat = sumHeat/count; // if cool enough if(sumHeat < _massAgentDropTemp){ pickedMatter.pos = kVec.clone(pos); haveMatter = false; //print(“X”); } } } // seek void seek(kVec hottestmatter) { acc.plus(steer(hottestmatter));
} /* // wander kVec wander() { float wanderR = 20; // Radius for our “wander circle” float wanderD = 60; // Distance for our “wander circle” float change = 0.25; wandertheta += random(-1, 1); // Randomly change wander theta // Now we have to calculate the new
} // separation kVec separate (ArrayList pop) { float desiredseparation = 100; kVec sum = new kVec(1,1,1); int count = 1; for (int i = 0 ; i < pop.size(); i++) { massAgent other = (massAgent) pop. get(i); float dist = pos.distance(other. pos);
// alignment kVec align (ArrayList pop) { float neighbordist = 50.0; kVec sum = new kVec(0,0,0); int count = 0; for (int i = 0 ; i < pop.size(); i++) { massAgent other = (massAgent) pop. get(i); float dist = pos.distance(other. pos); if ((dist > 0) && (dist <
// cohesion kVec cohesion (ArrayList pop) { float neighbordist = 500.0f; kVec sum = new kVec(0,0,0); int count = 0; for (int i = 0 ; i < pop.size(); i++) { massAgent other = (massAgent) pop. get(i); float dist = pos.distance(other. pos); if ((dist > 0) && (dist < neighbordist)) { sum.plus(other.pos); // Add location count++; } } if (count > 0) { sum.scale(1/(float)count); return steer(sum); // steer towards the location } return sum;
} else { staticAgent = new kVec(0,0); } return staticAgent;
kVec circleOffSet = new kVec(wander R*cos(wandertheta),wanderR*sin(wandert heta), wanderR*tan(wandertheta)); circleOffSet.plus(circleloc); //target = kVec.clone(target); return steer(circleOffSet); // Steer towards it
neighbordist)) { sum.plus(other.vel); count++; } } if (count > 0) { sum.scale(1/(float)count); sum.limit(maxForce); } return sum; }
if (distance > 0) { staticAgent.normalize(); staticAgent.scale(maxVel); staticAgent.minus(vel); //steer = kVec.clone(target); staticAgent.limit(maxForce);
// if the distance is greater than 0 and less than an arbitrary amount (0 when you are yourself) if ((dist > 0) && (dist < desiredseparation)) { // calculate vector pointing away from neighbor kVec diff = kVec.clone(pos); diff.minus(other.pos); //diff.normalize(); //diff.scale(10/dist); // weight by distance sum.plus(diff); count++; // keep track of how many } } // average -- divide by how many if (count > 0) { sum.scale(1/(float)count); } return sum; }
// steer kVec steer(kVec staticAgent) { kVec steer; // The steering vector staticAgent.minus(pos); float distance = staticAgent. length();
location to steer towards on the wander circle kVec circleloc = kVec.clone(vel); //kVec circleloc = vel.clone(); // Start with velocity circleloc.normalize(); // Normalize to get heading circleloc.scale(wanderD); // Multiply by distance circleloc.plus(pos); // Make it relative to boid’s location
}
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