Celine XU HKU BAAS 2017-2021 Portfolio by CELINE XU

SELECTED WORKS 2017 -2021 XU BEN CELINE

About Design I’m a recent graduate from The University of Hong Kong. For me design is always about a contextualized solution to serve the public. It’s a journey involving both creative thinking and critical analysis, as well as accommodating myself into the very localized context. I enjoy the process of narrating and visualizing a fundamental design concept into a complete story through making and drawing, as well as cooperating with different stakeholders to materialize the schemes and enhance their social performance.

Con tent A c a d e m i c Works 01 Sculpturing High-Rise Commune 02 Housing in Aggregation 03 Building from the Invisible

C o mmu n i ty Outrea ches 04 Community-Based-Toursim Planning 05 “Saving Traditional Village” Workshop 06 Go2Africa Latrine Project

P r o f e s si on a l Works 07 Golden Unioin Park 3.0 08 Learning Commons @Lianxin Sales Centre

S c u lp tu r i n g H ig h -Ris e C o mmune

Period: 2021 Spring Location: Hong Kong Area: 20,000 sqm Instructor: Christian J. Lange Award: HKU Public Review 2021

The project is a high-rise transitional housing community with residential groups oriented by different civic programs. The proposal is developed with a methodology of reversing the “solid & void” from general definitions, where the public space is thought to be void. The strategy is to sculpt and to solidify the “void” into “solid”, creating a network of social infrastructures with different spatial qualities and hierarchies.

Nursery

Welfare

Youth Centre

Elderly Centre

Culture & Arts

Gallery

Museum

Sports Court

Recreation

Garden

Playground

Church/ Mosque

Equity

Community Centre

Public Clinic

Material

Market

Social Infrastructures Civic Program Mapping of Central 1:500

Urban Sections Sectional Site Model, Central 1:1000

Medium Circulation Core (x4) + Program Grid 5.0m x 5.0m x 5.0m

Medium Circulation Core (x1) + Program Grid 5.0m x 5.0m x 5.0m

Small Circulation Core (x4) + Linear Corridor Grid 2.0m x 2.0m x 2.5m

Large Circulation Core (x2) + Program Grid 3.0m x 3.0m x 3.0m

Small Circulation Core (x4) + Porch Grid 2.0m x 2.0m x 2.5m

Large Circulation Core (x3) + Program Grid 3.0m x 3.0m x 3.0m

Core

Circulation

Program

Potential Program (Transformed from Units)

Hierarchy of Void Communal Space Massing Interation 1:500

Units and Shared Space

Enhancing Solid and Void

Solidifying Solid and Void Communal Space Massing Interation 1:250

Layering Sections

Are

a: 6

Welfare

sqm

Recreation

Are

FIT : 230 sq m N RO ESS OM

Facilities Fitness Study & Work

Low

Un Incom it Flo Type e Co o : Are r Hei 8-Ro Livin o g a g Un : 240 ht: 3mm it C sq apa m + 3m city : 10 -14

Commercial

Are

a: 3

: 20

a Are

PE : 210 s qm R STU FORM DIO AN CE

sqm

N AU

Are

a: 2

Sin

RE C sqm CE REAT NT IO RE N

gle

Liv Un e it Flo Type or : St H Are ei ud io g a Un : 23 ht: 2m Loft it C sqm + apa 2.5 city m :1

Sin

gle

Are

LIB a: 250 s RA qm RY

a: 3

-W

RO ER OM

LLE

Sin

Un le Pa it r Flo Type ent or : 2H Are ei Ro o g a Un : 48 ht: 2mm Lo it C sqm + ft apa 2.5 city m : 23

ty ori

Are

3-R

sqm

U r H qm 5 o s Flo : 62 ity: 4 a c Are Capa it Un

CE qm

: 40

RL DE EL E M HO

sqm

ily Fam oom

Min Type: ht: 3m nit eig

a: 2

a Are

Flo : 62 ity: 5 a c Are Capa it n Are U PR a: 60 sq AY m

sqm

den

Are

KIN

Stu

Un t it Flo Type or : St Are Hei ud io g a Un : 23 ht: 2m Loft it C sqm + apa 2.5 city m :1 Are a C : 200

s : 80

ily Fam om o

R lti : 4Mu t Type ht: 3m g i i Un r He qm 6 o s

/W Un or it Flo Type k or : St Are Hei ud io g a Un : 23 ht: 2m Loft it C sqm + apa 2.5 city m :1

Are

n -ge

Un le it Flo Type o : Are r Hei 1-Ro o g a Un : 32 ht: 3mm it C sqm apa city :2

ily Fam oom r a cle : 3-R

Nu Type ht: 3m it ig

Un r He qm 5 o s Flo : 62 ity: 4 a pac e r A Ca it Un

Sen

Un r Co it u Flo Type ple o : Are r Hei 1-Ro o g a Un : 32 ht: 3mm it C sqm apa city :2

yed plo m U / m are Roo

tsh : 2Fla t Typeght: 3m i Un r Hei qm 3 loo 2 s : 2F : 3 ity a c Are Capa it Un

Housing as Community Agency Demographic and Programmatic Mapping

Single/Live

Single/Work

Single/Live

Single/Work

+21 m Publicity

Couple

Senior Couple

Integration of Program into Residence | Pantry + Co-Working 1: 200

Single/Live

Single Parent

Single/Live

Single Parent

+42 m Privacy

Single Parent

Nuclear Family

Isolation of Program from Residence | Laundry + Nursery + Gallery 1: 200

+3m

+6m

+9m

+12m

+15m

+18m

+21m

+24m

+27m

+30m

+33m

+36m

+39m

+42m

+45m

+48m

+51m

+54m

+57m

+60m

+63m

+66m

+69m

+72m

+75m

+78m

+81m

+84m

+87m

Plans across Floors 1: 1000

0 - 87 m Grid and Morphology

Spatial Hierarchy From Communal Life to Private Residence

Articulation from

Two-Point Perspec

m Ground to Top

ctive Section 1:200

The section demonstrates the integration of building into topography and the escalator system. The public will access the building through the open ground floor connecting to escalators. The circulation system within the community helps the public to travel between programs which can be physically separated from the private residential space but still visually connected. The proposal is all about sculpting the community by putting the void, the common space first. It rejects the typical Hong Kong housing typology that tends to minimise shared space, and provides a new perspective of accommodating housing needs, civic programs and connection.

Intersection of Domestic Interior and Public Circulation Digital Fabrication Model 1:100

Alley of Private Circulation Digital Fabrication Model 1:100

Typology for Transitional Housing Digital Fabrication Model 1:100

02 Ho usin g in Aggr egation

Period: 2020 Fall Location: Paris Area: 15,000 sqm Instructor: Guillaume Othenin-Girard The project starts with the case study on a social housing complex in 19th district of Paris by Martin van Treeck. The housig typolology of 4 residential towers serves as a solution to efficiently accommodating population inflow to Paris in 1970-80s, with multiple unit types catering for different households. By looking closely into the strategy on aggregation and variation of units, and tower’s role as a gateway for the urban interiors on the site, a design proposal based on the minimal tower(or pencil tower) and its potential to further aggregate is put forward to look at housing as a tool to settle both demographic and urban issues.

Living Room as Domestic Plaza, Orgues de Flandre Case Study Interior Model 1:25

Urban Ground Conditions, 19th arrondissement of Paris Original Site Plan 1:2000

Cluster - “Towers of Rooms” , Orgues de Flandre Anatomic Isometric 1:200

Housing Strategy - Domestic and Urban Aggregation Anatomic Oblique 1:250

Housing as the Gateway b

Long Secti

As a tool to solve the discontinuity between urban the low-rise renovated art centre and OdF. Th open fabric with squeezed entries marked by ste greenery. A path between towers will enhance th

between Urban Interiors

ion 1:500

n interiors, new towers serve as a portal between he ground floor of towers is designed to make eps raising from street level and boundaried by he connection between the two urban interiors.

Pantry as the Heart of Co-living Unit Domestic Interior View

Continued Materiality of Core View of Circulation Core

Plaza as the New Urban Interior Ground Design Strategies

03 B uild in g f r om th e In visible Period: 2019 Fall Location: Hong Kong Volume: 1000 cbm Instructor: Tsang, Thomas H.K. The project is an exploration into the materialization of the intangible energy flow through a series of representational strategies from mapping, drawing, and modeling. It distills the essence of the invisible energy system and translates that with formal languages. The visible is eventually generated from the invisible.

Dots - Projected Energy Diffusion

Floating Weather Station To bridge the intangible energy and tangible notations, the dropper acts as the media to decompose the thermal energy system into the field of drips. The notion is to build a micro weather station and drawing machine on air that detects and captures the meteorological phenomenon under the dynamic energy system, as well as tracking the depth and complexity of the built environment.

Lofting The Trace To reshape the energy map in three dimensions, the projected droplets are clustered and lofted into tower structures, which translate the weather and energy into architectural components.

Situating The Architecture The context shapes the architecture and derives organic forms for different spatial functions. The quality of the space is defined by the essence of the energy field and complicated urban fabric, which is a strong denotation of the bond between architecture and urban context.

Hong January 2020 2020 Hong Kong, Kong, Wednesday, Wednesday, 22 January

Celine Xu

Hong Kong

Energy-recycling Oasis shapes new look of back alleys in Mong Kok

? In an alleyway close to the Langham Place in Mong Kok, a floating monster-like structure appears in the early morning. “The alleyway used to be a place full of exhaust, smoke and waste, with a super unpleasant microclimate for everyone passing by,” says a porter working nearby, “Yet the structure is like tailored to the context here and is sealing all of these inside itself.” The floating structure, which is called Oasis No.8, is the latest product of the city-wide energy-saving plan initiated by the Environment Bureau of Hong Kong under the frame of 2030+. According to the chief leader of the project, the idea is building up an urban ecosphere out of residual space as well as unused energy. “The project is inspired and named after Oasis No.7, a transparent sphere attached to a museum which depicts some different meaning of a personal oasis in the city shaped

by the urban situation. It’s a utopian metaphor of the interaction among people, architecture and city.” Oasis No.8, while remaining the essence of a parallel utopian space in dense urban fabric, explores significant issues in the sustainability of urban energy consumption. It aims at collecting the wasted energy diffused in void spaces such as alleyways and creating a self-sufficient urban oasis without consuming extra energy and resource for ventilation, illumination or other indoor conditioning. The design and construction of Oasis No. 8 is highly autonomous, derived from the detected energy map of the proposed urban context. Specific building components and programs are defined by the spatial quality of energy distribution. In this way, the structure can be regarded as a naturally grown product of the urban situation.

People’s spatial experience in Oasis No. 8 will also be enhanced through the sensitive indoor system distilled from the context. Even subtle changes caused by the dynamic energy diffusion will be amplified and reflected to people instantly. “When someone lights a cigarette on the ground level or nearby buildings, I can immediately feel the change in temperature or humidity.” says a local resident who spent one day inside the structure. The responsive indoor adaptation system reshapes people’s perception of the intangible energy environment and arouses public awareness of sustainable use of energy and resources.

Image Credit : Celine Xu

0 4 C o m m u n it y- B ase d To ursim Plan n in g Period: 2019

Location: Nam Hong, Vietnam

Area: 10 sq km

Co-Planning Methods

Household Visits

Domestic Space Studies

Contextualization Designers and planners develop solutions based on the understanding of people’s initiatives and demands, as well as respect and empathy for the local context.

Field Studies on Traditions

Culture Research

Extracting Attributes Design strategies are generated from locally unique attributes, to strengthen the social identity for entire community.

Forum with Community Leaders

Hospitality English Orientation

Agency Cultivation To ensure sustainable community-based tourism, all members become active players bearing respective responsibilities and making proposals.

Outcomes Experience

Index 1 Tạ Quyên Homestay Accomodation & meals

Have an unforgettable and authentic homestay and village experience when you visit Nậm Hồng Village of the friendly Red Dao people. Whether you are interested in trekking beautiful rice terrace field landscape or understanding the Red Dao ethnic minority and traditional culture, you can choose from a variety of tours and workshops. Be prepared to drink a lot of rice wine!

At:

2 Quyen Homestay Accomodation & meals

Embroidery Workshop

Bamboo Paper Workshop

The Red Dao people make their own paper using bamboo harvested from the forest. It is used for worshiping, as napkins, for writing and even as toilet paper. Only a few families in a village would make it and sell it to others as it is a skill passed down in the family. Observe the process and bring homesome paper of your own!

Every Red Dao woman embroiders, and each of them have their own style they pick up from their mother. Be guided by a Red Dao woman who will teach you how to embroider a simple bracelet in a short 2-3 hours - a full costume usually takes one year to complete!

At:

9 Nam Hong Museum

4 Phú House

3 Kinh Homestay & Hoàng Su Phì Bungalow Accomodation & meals 4 Phú Triu House Meals, Farm-To-Table Workshop & Paper Workshop 5 Thu Hào Homestay Accomodation and meals 6 Sơn Pú Homestay Accomodation and meals

Eat & stay at local household Farm-To-Table Workshop

The Red Dao people are mostly subsistence farmers who grow most of their food. Visit a home’s farm and try your hand at some harvesting and fish-catching before preparing a mouth-watering and unique Red Dao home-cooked meal.

At:

4 Phú Triu House 7 Pú House 8 Phấu House

Museum

Learn about the Red Dao culture by visiting the local museum, where artefacts including costumes, household items and religious objects are on display. You can also take part in an embroidery workshop here, and purchase Red Dao souvenirs such as bamboo paper and embroidery products.

At:

9 Nam Hong Museum

There are a few homestays in Nam Hong providing accomodation and meals. Experience the true Red Dao lifestyle with a local family!

At:

1 Tạ Quyên Homestay 2 Quyen Homestay 3 Kinh Homestay Hoàng Su Phì Bungalow 5 Thu Hào Homestay 6 Sơn Pú Homestay Meals only: 4 Phú Triu House

Experience Have an unforgettable and authentic homestay and village experience when you visit Nậm Hồng Village of the friendly Red Dao people. Whether you are interested in trekking beautiful rice terrace field landscape or understanding the Red Dao ethnic minority and traditional culture, you can choose from a variety of tours and workshops. Be prepared to drink a lot of rice wine!

Museum

Farm-To-Table Workshop

Embroidery Workshop Every Red Dao woman embroiders, and each of them have their own style they pick up from their mother. Be guided by a Red Dao woman who will teach you how to embroider a simple bracelet in a short 2-3 hours - a full costume usually takes one year to complete! At: 9 Nam Hong Museum

8 Phấu House

Bamboo Paper Workshop

Eat & stay at local household There are a few homestays in Nam Hong providing accomodation and meals. Experience the true Red Dao lifestyle with a local family! At: 1 Tạ Quyên Homestay 2 Quyen Homestay 3 Kinh Homestay & Hoàng Su Phì Bungalow 5 Thu Hào Homestay 6 Sơn Pú Homestay Meals only: 4 Phú Triu House

7 Pú House Farm-To-Table Workshop 8 Phấu House Farm-To-Table Workshop 9 Nam Hong Museum Museum, Embroidery Workshop & Souvernir Shop

Map by volunteers from HKU / Actxplorer

1 Tạ Quyên Homestay Accomodation & meals 2 Quyen Homestay Accomodation & meals 3 Kinh Homestay & Hoàng Su Phì Bungalow Accomodation & meals 4 Phú Triu House Meals, Farm-To-Table Workshop & Paper Workshop 5 Thu Hào Homestay Accomodation and meals 6 Sơn Pú Homestay Accomodation and meals 7 Pú House Farm-To-Table Workshop 8 Phấu House Farm-To-Table Workshop 9 Nam Hong Museum Museum, Embroidery Workshop & Souvernir Shop

Process Bamboo Fibre Collection

Making Bamboo Pulp

The first step is to collect bamboo fibres for pulp. Harvested bamboo will be cut into strips, and then smashed into smaller pieces to make the paper more smooth and even.

Then the smashed bamboo fibres will be soaked into water for hours to get bamboo pulp. People also add sticky sap from a special plant’s stem(which could also be used to improve children’s digestion) into the pulp, making the paper easier to be dry.

Uses of Bamboo Paper

Red Dao Paper Making Workshop Traditional Red Dao Paper is hand-made from bamboo. Only a few households make paper, and it is a skill passed down in the family.

Ritual

Tissue

Writing

Bamboo paper is often used for paper cutting, which is an important decoration for traditional rituals with various traditional patterns.

Red Dao people also use bamboo paper to make tissue for daily use, which is skin-friendly, convenient and durable.

The inheritance of culture is inseparable from the record of history. There are still many historical books made of bamboo paper in village museum, which documented Red Dao people’s life and moral code.

Multiple Uses of Bamboo Bamboo is an extremely useful plant for the Red Dao people who have found many uses for it. They make use of it not only to make paper, but also to make build their house and make them into different tools. Facade

Activity Guide Map

Pamphlets for Workshop Instructions in English

Website for Booking Accommodation and Travel Plans

Washing Area

Window

0 5 ‘S a v in g t h e Trad itio nal Villag e’ Wor ksh op Period: 2019

Location: Lishui, Turin

Area: 50 sqm, 700 sqm

Bamboo Bridge Hengzhang Village, Lishui, China The Bamboo Bridge is part of the art installations to foster local tourism while enhancing daily life. Co-designed with local craftsmen, the design integrated indigenous materials and craftsmanship into novel forms. It provides villagers a safer passage, as well as creates a new spot to stay and appreaciate the natural landscape of rivers and mountains for visitors.

1-3

Conceptual Sketches

Baking and Bending the Bamboo

Cutting the Materials

Knotting the Bamboo

Structure Node - Bamboo x Ropes

Structure Node - Hangers x Ropes

Decoration by Local Community

Museum Circulation Theatre Circulation

Art-Cave Valley of Gressoney, Aosta valley, Italy The valley used to be known for the existence of numerous green marble quarries. Yet currently the mining has been drastically reduced and quarries are in a state of neglect. The renovation project highlights the historical significance and the unique spatial quality of the cave. Through transforming the cave into an art museum narrating the decaying quarrying industry, old collective memories can be preserved in the contemporary context.

5 3 4

1 2

Central Space - Performance Art

Museum Path - Marble Sculpture Workshop

Museum Path - Screening Room

Museum Path - Artisans’ Workspace

Services - Bar Area and View

0 6 G o 2 A fr ic a Latrine Pro je c t Period: 2017 - 2018

Location: Sawla, Ghana

Area: 100 sqm

9°15'34.1"N 2°23'39.6"W

Eco-Latrine for Sawla Senior High School Collaborated with design and technical consultants, as well as local communities, our team constructed a public latrine for a high school in Ghana, which adopted a passive compost and ventilation system under the ground to extend the service life of latrine and facilitate the maintenance.

1 Roof Cover

2 Roof Structure

3 Supporting Structure

4 Enclosure

5 Compost System

6 Squat

7 Pit Structure

1 x Corrugated Zinc sheet A

139x500 “

1 x Corrugated Zinc sheet B

120x500 “

9 x Rafter A

110x4x2“

9 x Rafter B

137x4x2 “

4 x Purlin

429x4x2 “

8 x Column A

138x4x4 “

8 x Column B

154x4x4 “

8 x Column C

129x4x4 “

8 x Column D

119x4x4 “

32 x Concrete Pier

18x8x8 “

7 x Back Wall

76.5x55x3 “

5 x Middle Wall

81x55x3 “

5 x Front Wall

81x55x3 “

8 x Separation Wall A

99x90x3 “

2 x Separation Wall B

81x56x3 “

4 x Side Wall

81x56x3 “

7 x Outlet

46x25x18 “

7 x Outlet Cover

24x20x2 “

7 x Plastic Curtain

45x42 “

14 x Vent Cap

10 “

14 x PVC Pipe

120x8 “

7 x Corrugated PVC Sheet A(punched)

131x40 “

7 x Corrugated PVC Sheet B(punched)

20x40 “

7 x Concrete Slab

72x54x4 “

7 x Staircase Step A

54x26.25x8 “

7 x Staircase Step B

54x38.25x8 “

7 x Staircase Step C

54x50.25x8 “

14 x Supporting Wall

56.25x24x4.5 “

14 x Supporting Wall A

46x25x3 “

14 x Supporting Wall B

86x25x3 “

7 x Pit

86x46x30 “

32 x Column Hole

8x8x20 “

0 7 G o l d e n U n io in Park 3 .0 Period: 2018 - Location: Shanghai, China Design Team: Aedas Hong Kong

Area: 300,000 sqm

Revitalization of Industrial Brownfield Golden Union Park 3.0 is an on-going project to revitalize the industrial brownfields in Caohejing, Shanghai. The site has experienced failed transformation with unwelcoming scales that broke the connection to the urban fabric and communities. To rebuild the bond between site and context, we

decompose the block into a series of urban green interiors oriented by mid-rise office buildings with commerical podiums. The project also integrate urban circulation, community facilities and public transport, opening the ground floor as a park with desirable urban scales and social values.

Main Entrance L1

Portal for the park is a gentle ramp to office buildings and plaza to the retail podiums. With sophisticated and rich landscape, the main entrance opens up to the public in a welcoming gesture.

Interactive Theatre B1

The theatre serves as a multi-functional venue for enhancing puiblic creativity and vibrancy. The folding door and unblocked interior enriches the spatial flexibility for holding diverse programs.

Sunken Plaza Entry B1

Acting as the sub-entry, the sunken plaza welcomes people with compelling lighting installations, landscape with rest platforms and signage. It’s another vital portal for entering the office park.

Commercial Podium L2

Mediating between two office buildings, the commercial podium is desigend with flowing profiles unfolding the shopfronts. The introduction of roof installation using similar language further enhanced the landmark identity.

0 8 Le a r n in g C o mmo ns @ Lianxin Sales Cen tr e Period: 2021 Location: Yiwu, China Design Team: Xinhui Real Estate

Area: 500 sqm

Sales Center’s Potential for Commnuity-Making To activate the school district community and solve the gap between school and working hours, the project renovated the sales centre into a learning commons for students. Later collaborating with the local government, the learning commons became a branch of city library. Residents enjoy the communal space and use it for more inter-neighbour activities.

Thank You