TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 2 3 4
Walls Talk: Rethink Communal Space in Urban Village Shenzhen, China
The Interplay of City & Nature: Re-imagine Dantes Plads
Copenhagen, Denmark
Nature Immersion: An Urban Artist Retreat
Swarthmore, PA, USA
Supplemental Work
1 Walls Talk: Rethink Communal Space in Urban Village Type: Academic Thesis Year: 2017 Site: Baishizhou, Shenzhen, China Advisors: Gary McDonogh & Sam Olshin
3
2
4
1 Public community space is pivotal in the making and sustenance of a collective lifestyle and value. Baishizhou, a prominent urban village in Shenzhen, China and home to some 150,000 people, is facing a dilemma in which chaotic land use and poorly-maintained border spaces have become problematic issues. This project proposes a design intervention that conceives a community-based and socially inclusive community center on the originally underused neighborhood border space. The envisioned communal space intends to provide amenities for a community that has been historically underprivileged and underserved. Portofino (Italian-themed gated community)
Baishizhou
4
Hown urban is a n urbage? villa
2 1 3
100ft
10-12ft brick/concrete wall creates an imposing barrier
R O B
D
E R
Having grown up around urban villages, I have always had a deep-rooted curiosity toward this peculiar form of urban settlement. I am aware of what they possess and equally what they lack. In these neighborhoods where destruction rips through the streets in the name of "change," architecture is capable of reinstating the value of a disappearing culture and emulating a sensation that envelopes the past, the present, and the future. This academic undertaking began with a collage, in which I explored the themes of border and fragmentation as well as the way they are inextricably embedded into the urban fabric.
Identification
Erection
current traffic flow expected traffic flow
sum
me
win
ter
Untended Outskirt or Communal Hub? An underutilized strip of border space surrounded by a chaotic array of mix-used buildings, the site is directly adjacent to the wall that separates Baishizhou and a highend gated community. It appears to be a frequented commute route for the locals , which makes it a suitable location for such an entity. The envisioned community center is a socially conscious response to the growing urban fragmentation and the gradual disappearance of community identities in urban China.
r
Deformation
Demarcation
Model
Exploded View
PL
AY GR
OP
EN -A IR
OU
ND /SO
CIA
LO C
AL
CIN
EM
LS
PA CE
A/T
HE
VIL
MA
RK ET
LA GE
FÊ
TE
AT R
E
The courtyard/ pocket venue creates a flexible gray space that caters to varying uses. It brings together the people living in and around the neighborhood as well as connects the site to its larger urban context.
A
3
4 5
2
1
1
3
2
4
B
The wall is emphasized as a node of interaction, engagement, and public consciousness, as opposed to its pervasive symbolism of separation that fragments the urban fabric.
A
B
5
2 The Interplay of City & Nature: Re-imagine Dantes Plads Type: Studio Work Year: 2017 Site: Dantes Plads, Copenhagen, Denmark Professor: Maja Popovic
Site
Downtown
Christiansborg
1947 1
The Finger Plan
2
Environmental Legislation Implemented
3
Urban Megaproject “Ørestad”
4
Urban Integration of Green Roofs
5
Bicycle Policy Set Priorities
Dantes Plads
Vesterbro
1971
1973
Landmarks
1995
2010
2
2011
5
3
1
Copenhagen is arguably the world’s greenest city. This project aims to explore the intricate relationship between the manmade and the organic in the urban fabric. The design is largely inspired by the green initiatives and what I perceive as the most prominent aspect of this city - a cityscape interwoven with nature. The design, historically attuned and placespecific, is a response to the increasing needs for sociocultural venues. The structure is to serve as a temporary pavilion for the Museum of Copenhagen as it goes through renovation.
4
2014
2025
Structural & Spatial Prototype The design solution emphasizes on materializing the interaction between concrete and wooden sticks, ultimately a symbolism of how the city is built and expanded upon. The physical criss-cross of these two vastly different materials creates a visually striking structure as well as various pocket spaces to be utilized.
Basic Massing
Bilateral Concaving
Bilateral Convexing
Structural Separation
Material Interlacing
Directional Deformation
Space Formation
Detailing
N
1
2 Primary Space Secondary Space 3
1
2
3
Spatial Dissection & Progression Walls are placed in a way that divides the site, taking into consideration the functions of an open-air museum. They establish pocket spaces of varying shapes and sizes that can be utilized for different purposes (exhibition, public gathering, traffic route, etc.). Permeability is accentuated throughout to support free-flowing traffic. Each turning point presents a diverse spatial experience that creates adaptable intervals and promotes various user engagements.
The temporary museum is envisioned both as an exhibition space and as a public plaza. One of the concrete slabs is turned into a bar/tea room with a meditation space. On the other end of the plaza, a wide open space is capable of catering to various uses by locals and visitors alike. A wooden canopy provides shelter and carves out a flexible space. Structurally, it is held together by two pre-fabricated metal bars. The canopy represents an organic continuation from the original topography of Dantes Plads.
3 Nature Immersion: An Urban Artist Retreat Type: Studio Work Year: 2018 Site: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA Professor: Simon J. Tickell
Seven individual studios are designed as an effort to turn a backyard lot on a campus into a vibrant artist base camp, one of which is a photographer’s studio located on the south-western corner. Facing a land of woods and creeks, the studio is a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. It overlooks a tranquil landscape - trees, creeks, nature- to which the artist has easy access to. Materiality is inspired by the elements in its immediate locality. The main facade is due west and hence allows abundant natural light into the space throughout the day. The studio blends into the surrounding and acts in concert with the photographer’s feeling and aesthetic; it becomes the base, both spatially and spiritually, to produce new creativity.
tree
wood
rocks
stone
river
glass
?
Creek
Crum Woods
Site
Public
Photographer
Private
Professional
Playing with Simple Forms Just as the creek separates but at the same time adds dynamics to the land, a mediating space can split up while diversify and enrich the volume. After experimenting with different combinations of forms, I settled with a massing model that was the most site-conscious, functionally efficient, as well as aesthetically balanced, prioritizeing the experiential quality of the space.
Level Complexity
Underuse of Space
Lack of Exposure
Primary Turns Secondary
Complete Obstruction
Intermediary Space Facilitates Flow
Establishes External Volume Maximizes Faรงade Exposure
Massing
Division
SECTION CD
SECTION AB
Scaling Variation SEMI-PUBLIC
A
TERRACE
C
PRIVATE
Internal Volume
E External Volume
F
B
GALLERY
D
SECTION EF
"Intermediary Space"
Natural Light Immersion "Art Gallery Space"
High-Low Ventilation
"Meditation/Reading Space"
The gallery space is a long appendix that is separate from the rest of the volume. It serves as an intermediary connection between the private and the public, while at the same time acts as a functional space on its own.
4 Supplemental Work: Sketching
Photography
Black & White Photography
Series: What Lies Beneath Us