David Ni, Cumulative Portfolio December 2020

DAVID NI Cornell University | B. Arch ‘24

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DAVID NI is a designer, academic, and problem-solver Architecture is a language that infuses people, culture, and enviornment into a singular set of spaces. As such, my foremost priority in any project is pinpointing the motif and vocabulary that reflects the essense of these conditions.

Outside of studio, I have been proven to be an individual who sets high goals and demonstrated excellence in fields such as, team management, cultural analysis, and commercial graphic design.

Featured Works: Artist in a Floating World

4 - 11

Cosmic Ocean

12 - 21

Light / Smoke

22 - 27

Graphic Design Samples

28 - 29

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EDUCATION CORNELL UNIVERSITY | 2019-2024 | GPA 4.0 Bachelor of Architecture & Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology Minor in Art History

DAVID RONG SHENG NI david-ni.com dn297@cornell.edu

RELATED COURSES

+1 917 826 9216 US

Architecture

+1 604 760 3708 CAD

architecture history; digital representation; structural systems; enviornmental systems; architectural analysis; building technology

Anthropology | Art History anti-colonialism (columbia u.); museum history in NYC (columbia u.); introduction to anthropological theory; cultural diversity and contemporary issues; writing Berlin

EXPERIENCE PROJECT MANAGER

PROFICIENCIES

WISTERIA INVESTMENT CORPORATION

SOFTWARE

2020-Present — New York City / Vancouver

Rhinoceros

V-Ray Renderer

Adobe Suites

Microsoft Suites

AutoCad

Twin Motion

Revit

Grasshopper

liason architectural planning, remodelling, and construction projects for real estate redevelopment projects; contact architecture firms and administrate project logistics.

CURATORIAL DIRECTOR

MEDIUM DESIGN COLLECTIVE

SKILLS

Layout Editor, 2019

2019-Present — Ithaca, NY

Graphic Design

Editorial Design

compose editorial narrative, creative direction, and thematic layout; curate articles and imagery; organize rebranding of MDC brand via. design philosophy, style and remodelling website

Digital Modeling

Copy Editing

CNC

Video Production

Timber Fabrication

Painting-Drawing

ARCHITECTURE INTERN

GRESHAM, SMITH, AND PARTNER Summer 2018 — Shanghai, China post-production editing for renderings; research design concepts; translate and transcribe proposals; prepare diagrams and drawings for client presentation.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

FREELANCE 2018-Present worked to design business presentations, branding, and style guides for: -model united nations conference in Vancouver, Canada -kindergarten startup in Hangzhou, China -communication startup in Shenzhen, China -student design group in Ithaca, USA

LANGUAGE English (Native)

French (Limited)

Mandarin (Professional)

Japanese (Elementary)

OTHERS Content Editor CORNELL JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURE 2020 - Present — Ithaca, NY

Editor-in-Chief OPUS: Literature and Art Publication 2015-2019 — Vancouver, Canada

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ARTIST IN A FLOATING WORLD WORKSHOP FOR A PAPER MAKER Cornell B. Arch, Year I, Semester II Supervisor: Jordan Berta, TA, M.Arch ‘16

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Construction Diagram

A bamboo paper-maker works aboard four floating moduels each tailored to the needs of one step in the crafting process.

Water is an element inseperatable from the creation of paper, from the beginning to the end, water is either being absorbed or expelled. thus proximity to water became paramount to my design. furthermore, bamboo’s bouyant properties became a fascinating condition to include. The given verb “pull� evokes ideas of change through action, a process of metamorphosis.

Integrating the two terms, five mutually tethered models was situated on the banks and waters of an estuary. Each module employs a similar typology, removable thatched roof, bamboo roof supports with paper curtains, rafts, and bamboo bundles for bouyancy. Each a component essential to the comfort and utility of each module, however, each roof condition and bouyancy modules are uniquely designed for the function of the module.

Site Plan, Joint Detail

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Details

4. DRYING

3. SQUEEZING

5. STORING

The paper created by the artisan is relatively large. As such, a tall roof needs to be made to hang the papers off of. An opening in the ceiling also assists in the improved circulation of the air.

The machine for squeezing has a relatively large swing radius.

While it does not make contact with the curtains, the person’s movement may be restricted. As such, extra effort was given to the design of the roof to reduce the the columns.

The storing modu main anchor for a and thus has to al to the ground. Fu thatched wall enc the building to pr from accumulate the paper. The ro side porches to c as well.

ule acts as the all the modules lso be connected urthermore, a closure surrounds rotect the paper ed weathering to oof extends to the cover the exterior

Section, Plan

2. PAPERING

1. MASHING

The papering of pulp water requires an abundance of water to fill the tank. Thus, the body of the container is below water level to allow for simple filling. In addition, as the papering cradle needs to be attached to the roof, a lower roof allows for improved stability.

The curtain system is also only attached at the two ends to allow for adjustable draping.

The hammering of soaked bamboo requires a significantly higher roof to account for the arced movement of the swing. Paper curtains are also designed to be parallel to the swinging direction to avoid contact.

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Perspectives

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COSMIC OCEAN HOUSE FOR TWO SCHOLARS Cornell B. Arch, Year II, Semester I Supervisor: Professor Dasha Khapalova

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Concept

The project is sited beside the Sagan House atop the gorges in Ithaca, NY. Taking inspiration from the complex structure of the waterfall plunge pools that slowly carve into the earth, the house is based on a tripartite system: the airy foam ontop of the water, the reflective surface, and the abyssal currents below.

As the Water falls, The Cosmos rises.

Superterrestrial

Terrestrial

Subterrestrial

The model utilizes an altered form of Polish ceromancy ritual to reenact and freezes the impact of below a waterfall. The pieces were then harvested and molded together to form a garden of alient forms.

Taking the three stages, the house applies it to a macroscopic scale connecting the water to the cosmos. The foam became the cosmos, the surface became the face of the earth, the abyss became subterreanian pods. Thus, the concept of the house is “as the water falls, the cosmos rises.” To create volumes that connect the residence to the terrestrial and extraterrestiral elements.

On the surface, a public space is created for students and staff; meanwhile, underneath, two offices are located on the first terrace and two bedrooms with a living room is located on the second. The three stratas are connected by the inclusion of lightwells that echo the silhouette of the model. The main axis is oriented to indentations that are the “path of least resistence” for water on the site The subterreanian spaces are created using interacting pods that recall the geometry of a seaside grotto or time worn cliff.

Perspective, Above/Below Diagram

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Office

Bedroom

Living Room

Bedroom

Office

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Lightwell

A series of lightwells are integrated throughout the design. They function not only to allow light to come in during the day, but also for the inhabitants to look up and gaze at the stars at night. On the surface, they also surface as forms that the public can interact with,

Furnishing

All furnishings, inlcuding drawers, couches, chairs, and beds were designed with the language of the pods in mind. The bed is ovular while the shelves are unitized into circular pods that are embedded into the already curved walls.

Floor Conditions

The formation of the interior space is almost completely curved, connecting the floor, walls, and ceiling into one bubble-esque pod.

Due to the necessity for a flat surface for furning, a platform is installed on the floor.

However, the edges are offset from the wall as to give the illusion of a floating platform ontop of a completely spherical room.

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Clay Interior Model, Exterior

West Office

East Office

Living Room

Interior with Furnishing, Sketch Model

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Hallway Clay Model and Interior Renderings The model, on the left side, are constructed by using plywood form work and smoothening the edges with modelling clay. Each corner is rounded as to create the pod-like geometry of the interior.

Openings were created on the roof of the model to accurately reflect the spatial and light qualities inside each space.

The renderings, on the right, depict how one would inhabit the space. Through integrated furniture and the floating wood floors, the series captures the rooms as spaces for both work and rest.

East Bedroom

West Bedroom

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Night view

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Section

LIGHT / SMOKE ISLAND RITUAL SPACE Cornell B. Arch, Year I, Semester I Supervisor: Evan McDowell, TA, B. Arch ‘18

Plan

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Axonometric, Detail Section

The primary conditions of this project revolve around the properties of the elements, smoke, light, and water--especially how they are affected by gravity. The two inhabitants, a tea maker (top structure) and a relic keeper (bottow structure) are the initators of the element’s movements.

The smoke, indicated with the darkened texture in the section, is generated by the incense burned by the Relic keeper and guided by a series of slanted roofs meandering up to smoke the tea leaves hanging from the ceiling of the top tower.

The light shafts illuminate the bottom, but can be blocked by the tea trees and thus must be groomed by the tea maker. The water collected from rain is used to wash the tea leaves and trickle down to the bottom tower to clean the relic keeper. Isolation rooms are designed as break rooms.

It is important to the project that the humans maintain the flow of elements, but they do not interrupt it. As such, the axonometric drawing of the tower focuses on the movement of the people with the goal of utilizing the already existing exterior structural forms (slanted roofs and flushed surfaces) of the tower.

Site Study

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Model Detail

Sectional Model

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Midterm Study Model

Analytical Drawings

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Covers, Posters

GRAPHIC DESIGN SAMPLES COLLECTION FROM 2019-2020

Editorial Graphics

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