Alleyway: the Threshold

Ruinophilia & The Off-Modern Ruin- Chinatown Portsmouth Square

Individual Academic Work

Instructor: Lyndon Neri, Rossana Hu, Christina Cho Yoo University of California, Berkeley Spring 2023

Off Modern ruinophilia involved with the remainders and reminders, and their relationship between human, the lifestyle, and the modern urban spatial patterns. It reconciles itself to the speculative city experience and allow people to reimagine the ruins, the ruins are not about simply the motif, but rather to incorporate the experience into the modern present.

The basis for adaptive reuse more often than not, are actually non-romantic relics from the past. These remnants nevertheless pose important questions in terms of sustainability and construction waste management, as well as deeper philosophical questions regarding originality and authorship.

In our confrontation with this set of issues, we refer to Svetlana Boym, who suggests “off-modern” relationships between preservation and development, advocating for designers to engage with traces of the past - past authors, builders, failed projects, and revealing the traces of non-realized compositions.

My reflection upon the unprecedented urbanization process and changes surrounds the Portsmouth Square initially inspires this project. The human scale urban vernaculars like alleyways and their life-enhancig informality have been demolished or gentrified to pave the way for large-scale modern architecture.

Hilton is built around 1968 when people seek for efficiency, instead of comforts. It is a living machine that has blocks of rooms stacking. The design prompts my critic on Hilton tower, which tend to over-simplify or overlook the importance of understanding of the city.

When walking inside Chinatown, it is fascinating to see all the activities happening at the same time, it is this activity intersection, connection and integration that attracts me. Alleyway, as a urban form, acts as a activator that not only fosters these activities, but also as a container holds generations of people, daily behaviors, and history It is the urban living rooms in Chinatown.

The medium size alleyway connects the residential housing on both sides that re-energizes the community and create a potential communal space.

It is the ‘vertical alleyway’ as well that acts as an agency that activate the vertical alleyway.

The object encounter is staircase, which acts as both circulation and functional space. The staircase could enter the second floor and the third floor for both units. It connects to the museum at the end.

Speaking about the whole-schematic design, my idea is to design the connection and the merge of old and new. And the bridge is as a mean to connect the old and new. The west side of Portsmouth square changed dramatically along the time, whereas the east side does not change too much.

Off Modern ruinophilia involved with the remainders and remiders, and their relationship between human, the lifestyle, and the modern urban spatial patterns. It reconciles itself to the speculative urban experience and allow people to reimagine the ruins, the ruins are not about simply the motif, but rather to incorporate the experience into the modern present.

Boat House

Duplex House

Individual Academic Work

Instructor: Kristen Sidell University of California, Berkeley Fall2021

This project is about four quadrants of spaces are aligned along a linear shifted spine, within each quadrant, the ground plane has varying degrees of elevation to allow different experiences of the sculptural interior form and variation of light.

The shifted spine has a rotational quality that organizes the sculptural roofs. It is achieved by different size of spaces rotating around the spine crossing at the central area. The spaces are arranged in different heights to create a sense of spatial complexity and it is a response to the varying heights of the roof, which is represented in this unfolded elevation.

The shifted spine has a rotational quality that organizes the sculptural roofs. It is achieved by different size of spaces rotating around the spine crossing at the central area. The spaces are arranged in different heights to create a sense of spatial complexity and it is a response to the varying heights of the roof, which is represented in this unfolded elevation.

Acrossed

Collective Housing

Individual Academic Work

Instructor: Rudabeh Pakravan University of California, Berkeley Fall 2022

The project is a collective housing, which is generated from the observations of Broadway, Oakland, CA. Staring off from the urban experience when standing at the Broadway. The design further developed from a conceptual chunk model. And then it expanded and grown into a collective housing.

The design is a townhouse which consisted of 45 units in the site area of 0.8 acre. It is featured in bringing both sides of views of Broadway together. By providing a unique and vivid living condition, it aims to further challenge the rigid city grid.

I am interested in different perspectives shifting at one spot at the same time. And to challenge to the rigid city planning.

Floating Auditorium

Community Center/Theater

Individual Academic Work

Instructor: Mia Zinni

University of California, Berkeley Spring 2021 grid system is tiled, which challenges the existing city grid. The foyer, ground garden, and roof garden create some vividness both interiroly and exteriorly that act as activator for the Oakland dwellings.

The form is generated by the Boolean operation of two rectangles. And the main concept is about shifting. One is slightly shifted from the other. Programs are aligned with the shifted grid, and circulation is wrapped around two sides of the auditorium.

By doing that ,The concept is bringing the view around the corner of telegraph and 22 street. Again, stairs are shifted on both sides connecting with the foyers. So two foyers functions as circulation and they provide views as well.

Diagonal Living

Collective Housing

Individual Academic Work

Instructor: Johnathan Cummings University of Toronto Spring 2020

The project is the first attempt of designing a large-scale residence. Through the precedent study-Kitagata Housing by SANAA, I referred the single row architectural volume that is as similar as the design of Kitagata Housing. The single row will reduce the chunkiness of architecture and make the whole building light, which think is an aesthetic representation of the building. It also facilitates the circulation that make the movement smooth and convenient.

Residents can simply circulate around by the hallway. The building highlights its lightness in many aspects, not only in construction, but the program design is also innovative and matches the vivid spirit of students of new generations. combine laundry with circulation together to incorporate a new living habit: laundry is redefined. The design of the building responses energy of students, aiming to design a comfortable living environment as well as stimulating creativity of students at the same time.

Residents can simply circulate around by the hallway. The building highlights its lightness in many aspects, not only in construction, but the program design is also innovative and matches the vivid spirit of students of new generations.

The facade is a reponse to the context. Archietcture is about consistantly renovating and the facade creates the scaleless and weightless feeling in a historical neighbourhood. While the roof follows the similar shape of the surrounded housing.

01: Vapor barrier with taped joints for air tightness

Single room1

- Area:20 sq.m.

- Occupation: 1-2 people

02: Breather memberane

Single room2

- Area:20 sq.m.

- Occupation: 1-2 people

03: 20mm window glass

04: Folded stainless steel capping

05: 12.5mm Gypsum Gyproc WallBoard plasterboard with taped joints. Expamed plaster beads, skim of plaster

06: 60mm Kingspan rigid insulation

07: Steel frame deck, comprising 152UC 37, 203 UC 60 + 88.9

CHS 8, 150 * 50 mm C24 treated softwood

08: Warmcel cellulose fibre insulation min. 250mm between beams

Double room

- Area:42 sq.m.

- Occupation: 2-4 people

D02: 167 * 18 mm softwood window sill fixed to 25mm plywood

D03: 167 * 18 mm softwood window sill fixed to 25mm plywood

The traII gent|y fo||ows and preserves the topography, connectn the project W|th the town and the road, meanwh|Ie Ieadmg to the best points of view to observe the majestic uins and mystic beauty of f coastal landscape. The volume of the architecture is hidden in a crevic to minimize footprint and intervention of the surroundings and the ruins. Immersed in the subterranean tranquity between the skylight and the rock formation, the visitors can perform meditation, participate in yoga or enjoy a peaceful meal. With the main volume of the architecture hidden, the spaces function for meditation, healing and relaxing. Creating a tranquil environment, the majority of programs consist of planty of relatively private spaces, which include Yoga Room, Sauna, Bathing, etc. The building also provides public services open to visitors and locals, yet it keeps the private and public space in a balanced condition. The first, the third floor, and the roof are mainly about public spaces whearst the second and fourth floor are private programs. The first floor contains a public theater, some administrative and community rooms. Programs on the second floor are Yoga/Medtation room, and Sauna room. On the third floor, there are Gallery, open Lounge space. The Restaurant and cafe on the fouth floor. And a public walkale space as the rood space for people to view the beautiful scene.