Narchitecture Y e L i u 2009 - 2011
Preface
“Most critically, change is the key physical and physiological factor in our being able to perceive at all. Our perceptual process is a kind of ‘perpetual motion’ assimilator. No change, no perceptual consciousness.“ - Being and Circumstance, Robert Irwin “One must make an optic, one must see nature as no one has seen it before.” - Paul Cézanne
We cannot live without nature. I respect it, learn from it, sympathize with every slight and subtle change of it. Changes are happening at every moment. Some are made by us, controlled by us or because of us. But thousands of them are taking place naturally, automatically, spontaneously. We don’t even know, they are just slipping away. There are plenty of chances that we are trapped in the controllable-uncontrollable situations when change is happening. But that is what is fascinating. There are no dilemmas, we have changing chances.
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I am an observer, a life experiencer. I appreciate integral fragments that are with people, environment and architecture.
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Solar Panel
I am nostalgic for sitting on a bank with friends, getting a better view and playing on a raised area of ground that slopes at the sides. I also love being embraced by nature. It is fun, and It is not only about childhood. Nature always influences people’s behavior. When landscape changes, people will find another way of enjoying it.
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We tilted up the turf. A cosy platform for people to step on, sit on and lie down was created. The gentle slope does not only directs the ground towards sunlight, but also shifts the lawn to a big outdoor “chair.” It is growing and aging simultaneously everyday.
This is a selected piece for the 2010 Cranbrook Academy of Art Chair Show Creators: Ye Liu & Hsin Chun Wang Location: On the lawn of Eliel Saarinen’s Cranbrook Art Museum and Rafael Moneo’s new building. Floor Area: 16’*7’ Materials: 2*4, 2*8, 4*4 framing lumbers, 4’*8’plywood sheets, turf spots, soil, plastic garden fence, steel joist hangers, 2*4’*8’ pink foam Cost: approx $450.00 Construction Phase: March 11 - 24, 2010 05
There are many ways to preserve and protect wood. But this is the best and cheapest one: charring it. The surfaces of the lumber frameworks to be placed in the ground have been torched, which makes them very durable.
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It stands there. Its expression changes everyday, even in a rainy day.
above, BLOOMING SPRING
below, CHIRPING SUMMER Growing quietly opposite page, above, SITE CRIT Engaging and coorperating with nature, colleagues were enjoying every minute of it
opposite page, below, LATE FALL Aging and dying before the extreme winter came 08
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above, SUMMER, 2010 10
below, WINTER, 2010 First snow in town
above, SUMMER, 2010
below, WINTER, 2010 First snow in town 11
Pre- Souvenir
The winter is never as boring as you thought. It changes everyday, at every tick-tock.
Location: The southern wall of Cranbrook Academy of Art Library Period of photographing: December 24, 2009 - April 28, 2010. * This is a preview for the project Souvenir. 12
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Souvenir
Everyday is beautiful. It never slips away. - In Memory of Every Transient Fall in Bloomfield Hills I was impressed by the momentary and gorgeous fall in Michigan. I know, it was getting cold but summer was not just sliping away constantly and spontaneously with no trace. It is hard to collaborate with someone you never met. But with nature, which has a thorough understanding of everything on the earth, it is different. I have been learning from it and we work in coordination. It tells me so much.
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In this project, I marked the boundary between shade and exposed areas at 4:30 p.m. with no marker pens. Nature helped me to create this “artifical-natural facade”. Ivies are prone to developing yellow leaves, which can result from a number of issues: too much water, too little water, insufficient sunlight, insect infestation and nutrient deficiencies. It seems that the sunlight is the most uncontrollable issue. But this is what I was starting with. The timing is critical too. I covered the ivy leaves on the exterior walls with thin and pliant aluminium foil for 31 days (from September 25 to October 26). It kept the leaves in the shade without losing normal air and humidity. The fading of shady leaves was slowing down, even stopped. Compared with the ones facing the sun which turned red as always, they remained yellow/green.
Location: The exterior wall at the courtyard of Painting Department, Cranbrook Academy of Art. Shady Area: approx 360 sqf Materials: Aluminium foil, twisted nylon ropes, stakes, paper clips, packaging tapes Cost: approx $60.00 “Artificial” Construction Phase: September 25 - October 26, 2010. “Natural” Construction Phase: lasting till all the ivy leaves on the walls faded away
* Unfortunately, because of the wind storm on Oct. 26 and 27, 2010, the leaves fell out quickly and substantially. 15
above, GETTING DRESSED
Shading the ivies with aluminium foil “jacket“
right, 4:30 P.M. (1)
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above, STRIPPED OFF
Back to normal/nothing in winter
right, 4:30 P.M. (2)
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Lake Studio
Mr. Elliott Earls needs a new studio when he is working from home on the banks of Lake Leelanau. All I need is a spot in the woods by the lake. To minimize the disruption to natural life there, I planned to make this studio invisible (or partially invisible) and seemingly suspended visually in the woods from the first moment I caught sight of the thick and stunning birches and cedars at the site.
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above, PROGRAMS AND PLANS Functions and Seasonal Usage on plans
opposite page, above, LOCATION Site Plan of Lake Studio (New Studio)
opposite page, below, ORIENTATION Diagram of Long Elevation 23
opposite page, left to right, above to below, WOODEN FRONT DOOR GARAGE DOOR kayak can be stored from back door in winter LIGHT BOX glass floor on upper level for main entry at night LONG DRAFTING TABLE low table on the second floor FENCE FOR CHILDREN tabletop can be switched to fence, easy to install COFFEE CORNER sit or lie on the transparent floor when having coffee SLEEPING PORCH (Inclined) adjustable king-size bed on the second floor SLEEPING PORCH (horizontal) adjustable king-size bed on the second floor ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT FOR FIRST FLOOR when tall art piece is being made, first floor will gain more tall space
Besides the functionality, charred cedar and mirrored glass are used in this project for the facade. - First floor: Glass with mirrored film provides one way visibitity from the interior. Now the studio is “invisible” and “floating“ in the woods. - Second floor: Cedar is economic and available at the site. After charring the surface of the cedar shingles - which is an ancient Back to the architecture itself. architecture technique of coating it becomes durable, waterproofed The studio is ready to engage with and insect-proofed. people from the inside out as well. 24
above, MIRRORED GLASS
below, CHARRED WOOD SURFACE
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FIRST FLOOR Place the first floor at the reserved spot after the disassembled components are shipped to the site
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TWO-STORY BOOK SHELF Hoist the book shelf component and plug it into the void
BOOK SHELF PLUGGED IN
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1 4 1
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SET SECOND FLOOR IN Assemble the second floor component, install flooring
ROOF INSTALLED
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COMPONENT LIST Ready to go 1. Charred cedar shingles 2. Skylight for sleeping porch 3. Roof 4. Second floor (cabin) 5. Book shelf 6. Long drafting table 7. First floor 8. Mirrored glass (invisible studio) 9. Garage door 10. Adjustable sleeping porch
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NIGHTTIME VIEW Perspective 29
Penhill Cloud
What you see is what you smell Sensing the environment
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Architecture is becoming much more complicated, parameterized, high-tech, alien-like. Many of us have been walking far away from the origins and the nature. How about letting architecture grow itself? How about going back to the original, to the era that just belongs to us and our sense organs?
This is it. When I visited Penhill Mountain and the old town of Lijiang, I knew this was going to be the site for my thesis work. It’s an approx. 134,764 sqf site (for commercial use) located on a hillside close to Penhill Mountain across from the old town of Lijiang golf course. It’ll primarily be a luxury spa resort as well as offer some residential vacation homes. The site has great views of the lake and snow mountain with spring water coursing through. The landscape is quite intricate with many intimate spaces. Advantages of the site: Plenty of forest zones, special geographic position, three-dimensional climate, rich in natural resources. FAR = 0.96 Based on lots of research on FARs of local hotels, apartment, dwellings Strategy: - A brand-new hotel/resort model, get into the fourth stage - Zones defined by fragrances and seasonal plant colors - New life style provided, each room has it own organic kitchen - Sustainability model 32
Guestrooms
Public Area /Amenities
Food & Beverage
Regular Suites
Hotel Lobby
Lobby Lounge
SPA
Services
SPA/ Wellness Center
Front Desk
60m2
90m2
Hotel Living Room
All Day Dining Restaurant
Function Support
90m2
210m2
250m2
1800m2
50m2
Fitness Center
Executive Offices
Special Chinese Restaurant
50m2
80m2
270m2
Feature Heated Swimming Pool
General Offices
30m2
75m2
Kids
Accounting Offices
90m2
75m2
65m2*28
SPA Suites Gift Store 65m2*8
Deluxe Suites
45m2
Gross Up/Circulation
Chill-Out Bar 195m2*4
120m2
Food Service Areas 150m2
Housekeeping/Laundry
280m2
Maintenance
175m2
Employee Facilities 150m2
Mechanical/Electrical
3523m2
950m2
Total Area: 11,983m2 =128,983.94sqf
Hotel Programs PROGRAMS Total area: 128,984 sqf
1:1000
VIEW FROM THE SITE Sun setting
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Zoning Methodology Fragrances, flower colors, seasons
Three layers are distributed vertically. The fragrance and natural color mass is forming a intangible but stereoscopic “cloud� 34
left, PLAN OF GREEN AREA right, LAYER 1 General zoning by fragrant herbs and plants
Boundaries
Magnolia Winter Jasmine Camallia Orchid Boundaries
Azalea
Magnolia
Gentian
Winter Jasmine
Lavender
Camallia
Rosemary
Orchid
Yarrow
Azalea
left, LAYER 2 Dividing the woody plants, yard and potted plants right, LAYER 3 Green roofs by fragrant herbs and plants
Boundaries
Cherry Apple (1)
Magnolia
Gentian
Cherry Apple (2)
Winter Jasmine
Lavender
Kidney Bean
Camallia
Rosemary
Costus Root
Orchid
Yarrow
Sweet Tea Olive
Azalea
Cherry Apple (1)
Gentian
Cherry Apple (2)
Lavender
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left to right, above to below, GENTIAN For hilly area YARROW A flowering plant for concentrating essential oil ROSEMARY For multiple usages and potential medicinal use LAVENDER For multiple usages
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opposite page, left to right, above to below, SWEET TEA OLIVE/FRAGRANT OLIVE A Chinese plant in gardens CHERRY APPLE A special fruit in Lijiang KIDNEY BEAN (WHITE) A special product in Lijiang COSTUS ROOT A Chinese medicine for multiple usages
CAMALLIA AZALEA ORCHID COSTUS ROOT WINTER JASMINE MAGNOLIA
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“We humans are able to distinguish some ten thousand distinct smells. This is only a fraction of what a good bloodhound can recognize, but it nonetheless encompasses a huge spectrum of olfactory experiences. The complications, however, arise less from the sheer size of the scent palette than from the fact that many scents are mutable. They can alter because of age or time of day, with the season or the weather, because of soil or cultural care. What’s more, we, too, are mutable. Our perceptions changes along with our moods,...” “...Plants that alter their scents from day to night often have several pollinators-some day feeders, others nocturnal. Some perfumes need to mix with air before they are detectable by the human nose; sniff the flower and smell nothing, but step back ten feet, and Wow!” - Fragrance in Bloom, Ann Lovejoy 38
above VISIBLE FRAGRANCE From gentian zone of spa
opposite page, above, SPILLING From lavender zone of public services TANGIBLE SCENTS Samples of Sweet Tea Olive, Cherry Apple, Kidney Bean and Costus Root
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HILLSIDE
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PATHWAY
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UNITS Each unit is one of a kind
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DETAILS
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LIGHTS Cantilevered second level with transparent floors (glass floors) become porch “lamp� for people who stay late
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SENSING SCENTS at the 2011 Graduate Degree Exhibition 46
at the 2011 Graduate Degree Exhibition 47
Other Projects
D-Tour Belts
“Learning from Las Vagas” is worth a try. But do we really need another new casino in the “Motor City”? The answer is no. Since there are three main casinos in downtown Detroit (MotorCity, MGM, Greektown) and a famous one just across the Detroit River (Caesars Windsor) apparently it is unnecessary to have another brand-new one. All we need is to engage people and bring them into downtown where the three casinos are located. Michigan Avenue was invited into this project. It ended up being the focus and was replaced by the longest conveyor belts with three stations along the way. It is transporting people between the airport and downtown twenty-four seven. It is named “D-Tour Belts”. There are no more vehicles on Michigan Avenue. 48
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Three stations: 1. First stop - the new airport 2. Stop station - abandoned Michigan Central Station 3. Terminal - the podium of Comerica Tower 50
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opposite page, left to right, above to below, COMERICA PARK & D-TOUR ADS as well as Tigers season schedule LINES, TIMETABLE & INDICATORS ten lines, ten colors of D-Tour Belts SPECIAL OFFER (1) best restaurants and top bars/lounges along the belts
right, INDICATORS OF D-TOUR-BELTS
Free brochures/guidebooks with belt map as well as commercials and coupons of D-Tour Belts are available at every station along the belts. You can also download from here: http://issuu.com/chaton/docs/ guidebook_yeliu Or contact us at 248-860-7920. 52
BELT MAP WITH GENERAL SERVICES along with diagrams of emergency exits and no-entry signs for car drivers
SPECIAL OFFER (2) with event and holiday calendars
ADS MGM GRAND COMMERCIAL get your skate on and save Saab best and fastest way to MGM by D-Tour Belts LANDMARKS AND POINTS OF INTEREST
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Other Projects
Manual Shed
Where there is building renovation there is a scaffolding shed in New York City. Why not renovate the stereotyped shed itself? Handicrafted bamboo was used to substitute for machinery in this project. Most of the structural components can be produced on site. Bamboo resists both compression and tension. It is also easy for loading, shipping and unloading. If it is a long-term renovation, bamboo can be planted at the site and become a live shed. 54
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Structure: - Bamboo frameworks Mao Bamboo or Henom Banboo columns (D100mm, H7200mm)*200 and short colunms (D70mm, H1800mm)*200; beams (D70mm, L4200mm)*80, (D70mm, L7200mm)*160; ring beams (D50mm, L7200mm)*80 - Steel strings (D10mm) - Steel handrails (D50mm) Facade and parapet: - Woven bamboo shades 56
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Pro je c ts Ye Liu’s Portfolio 2006 - 2009