Architeture Portfolio (graduate) by jiaji shi

shijiaji0215@gmail.com

0416449034

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

2023-2024 selected works

JIAJI SHI

Physical model of the Columbarium Center

Being Towards Death, Story With Ghost

900 Plenty Rd, Bundoora VIC 3083

Master Studio Thesis: Between Grief and Play

University of Melbourne

Semester 2, 2024

Individual work

Studio leader: Isabel Lasala Hernandez

The Preston Cemetery faces a decline in public participation, with minimal visitation outside of the deceased’s families. Over time, the cemetery and the individual stories it holds are forgotten, and the spiritual connection and humanity in urban spaces is diminishing.

This project proposes a new future for cemetery development, where playful exploration of death and time is facilitated through narratives of story-telling experience. By encouraging the public to listen, share, and engage in a communal storytelling process, the cemetery becomes a dynamic space in the neighbourhood for remembrance and reflection, serving as public education on life, death, and the passage of time.

Preston Cemetery renovation

site map

The Preston Cemetery plays no functional role in the city panels besides burying bodies, and the surrounding blocks have no expectation or demand to interact with it.

Homogenised cemeteries exacerbate the distraction of cemeteries from spiritual communication. Whole cemeteries lose their human stories and care, causing the land to lose its humanity in the urban fabric.

scenarios for future cemetery condition

"What role should architecture play in engaging the public in the continual and conscious use of the cemetery in terms of both time and spatial scale?" thesis question:

meditation follies

columbarium center

columbarium

meditation follies

elevated footbridge

coordinate axes from street extensoions; menditation follies area created with intersections

connnection between important dots create lines, linking the whole site

continuous curve was created using tangent connections and circles;

curve crosses and overlaps existing paths to form a series of surfaces; everthing meets at the central architecture

“There are three deaths. The first is when the body ceases to function. The second is when the body is consigned to the grave. The third is that moment, sometime in the future, when your name is spoken for the last time.”

-- David Eagleman, 2010

columbarium center rendering

footbridge axo diagram

The raised footbridge over the cemetery connects the neighbourhoods at both ends without sacrificing the cemetery for the convenience of the residents. The footbridge serves as a high-speed link in the community, attracting people to the cemetery area and activating the otherwise abandoned cemetery area by mandatory passage through the columbarium centre.

And, the people on the bridge can visually interact with the people on the ground, but physically do not interfere with each other. It satisfies the solemnity of the cemetery function, and the playfulness of the urban intervention.

The columbarium centre

section

footbridges,

ceremonial hall rendering

site section & facilities diagram

Preston Cemetery has an overall rising topography, so the entire building system follows the topography of the site.

Due to the low gravestones and the complexity of the paths within, the user is best guided by the high, regular follies and the coherent, silky landscape surfaces. This also emphasises the orderliness of the building system.

Similar but different interventions transform theoretical axes into real networks, enhancing the interest of spatial and urban interactions, as well as engaging with storytelling in the exploration of the cemetery. Thus, each architectural element, based on a system of dots, lines and surfaces, is crucial in addressing the lack of participation of Preston Cemetery in the temporal and spatial scales of the city and the memory of the individual.

The walls of rammed earth bring the warmth of the earth and embrace all the different individuals and beings.

Exposed concrete columns, floor and ceiling plasters balance the warm colours and create a harmonious contrast with nature.

Aluminium handrails, structures and bridges weave in and out of the thick and rugged background materials as fragile accents.

Wood, an image from nature, wraps the ashes, stories and lives of all with their own silent languages.

Concept collage: The different apples of China and Australia sparked thoughts about cultural uniqueness as an international student.

GARDEN EDEN GARDEN EDEN

Blackwood St, North Melbourne VIC 3051

North Melbourne’s Meat Market renovation

Master Studio E:

Material Metaphors: Spatial Cookbook

University of Melbourne

Semester 1, 2024

Individual work

Studio leader: Eve Li & Tim Jones

concept: highlighting individual cultural identity

sustainability: breaking the boundaries between interior and nature

heritage: new architecture talks to heritage, activating silent community

This project aims to create a cider crafting space where craftsmen produce handmade cider brew, and meanwhile custom cider production process.

Through the workshop, people strengthen their relationship with local community through socialization and define their cultural identity after being recognised for their uniqueness while finding their personal journey in the space.

exploded isometric diagram

1:100 @ A1

0 2.5m 7.5m fermentation room plan N

fermentation room section

tasting bar plan

slide-in round bars

clevis hardware

aluminum cable mesh

bronze aluminium mullion

TwinGlaze double glazed glass with low-emissivity coating

argon gap

low-e coating coating

aluminum slotted sub sill

external roof metal sheet

stitching screw

roof insulation

fermentation room render

The back with a uncovered patio, or an extension of the interior.

A Suburban Lot

11 Stanley St, Altona VIC 3018

Master Studio D:

Just a house, an apartment...and maybe even some units

University of Melbourne

Semester 2, 2023

Group work

Studio leader: Colby Vexler

This is a redefinition of the housing organization in forms of scale, dimensions, proportions, typological arrangements, and layouts. two detached houses attached to a single house occupied by a large family have become three detached houses in a flexible arrangement for a multi-gene rational large family or three relatively independent small families. The flexible arrangement of three detached houses for a large multi-generational family or three relatively independent small families. Good neighbor to their surrounding occupants, buildings, streets, and environment, in terms of privacy and aesthetic appearance.

Townhouse residence renovation

Site context plan

Frontality: a big window, a front entrance, and a subtle entry point on the side

11 Stanley Street, Altona

GARDEN PLAN

Street, Altona

A garden with a house. A house in a garden proper.

Hallway-like engawa connecting the interior and exterior rather than just a long, narrow corridor on its own. A bathroom, laundry, sunroom, balcony or an offset corridor

Section

Stanley Street, Altona

Short section

An provision of interchangable ‘room’ within a living room, horizontally and vertically divided space

Furthermore, as a refurbished house, any alterations should be sensible and careful. Most of the exterior walls were retained, with only minor editing of the openings and painting to be aligned with the two original attached houses. Interior floors were refinished or additional tiles or wood floors were laid to keep costs reasonable.

The design of the extensive gardens also follows local principles, prioritizing Australian native vegetation to protect and educate on the relationship between nature and architecture. The timber decking area provides a flexible transition space between indoor and outdoor territories, providing ample public shared area and encouraging more outdoor activity.

11 Stanley Street, Altona

Render 11 Stanley Street, Altona

Flexible and free spatial application is the goal of this proposal. The space should not be permanently divided by solid walls, but rather, it is the editable space that is used by the users that has more possibilities of use. For example, the empty living room is divided by slender columns, and the horizontal carpet and flooring materials suggest a transformation of the space. Operable curtains, sliding doors, and even awning doors and windows can be used to create a variety of spaces.