DESIGN PROCESS
THE ISOLATED ISLAND - YINING FANG
THE ISOLATED ISLAND - YINING FANG
W H E N T H E W A T E R
C O M E
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CONTENTS 0.0
INTRODUCTION\
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ORIGINAL SITE FRAME\ 1.1 On-site Photos & Prototype 1.2 Site Model & Experiment
2.0
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DESIGN CONCEPT\ 2.1 Concept Drawing 2.2 Proposed Period Setting & Main Motion 2.3 Evolution of Space 2.4 Changes for Each Family
3.0
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ANIMATION MAKING\
4.0
CONCLUSION\
5.0
BIBLIOGRAPHY\
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3.1 Storyboard 3.2 Animation Instructions
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0.0 INTRODUCTION T
his brochure will describe the design process in detail and manifest the final result.
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The proposed scene of Shikumen in 2130 This is the scene which Noah sees when he arrives at the Shikumen House in the animation
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Based on theories and case studies, this project will converge the next 100 years and divide this period into four phases. Presume the challenges that residents might face at each phase, and then design the responses residents might make to the existing structure. These changes are then represented in section illustration drawings and attempts to connect these seemingly daily changes to form a coherent and dramatically changed fictional "history". finally, by producing an animation to integrates the idea of how the memory is spatially recorded in episodic stories.
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1.0 ORIGINAL SITE FRAME 1.1 Prototype & On-Site Photos
Prototype
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he prototype of this project is not any real Shikumen building, but a typical Shanghai Shikumen tenement house assembled by a large number of data verification and on-site photos. In the investigation, it shows that the current state of Shikumen buildings is far more complicated than envisaged. Each residence is inconsistent from one family occupy the whole house to six families share a house.1 The typology used here is a house of 4 families, and the initial criterion is based on interviewee 1's description of his living environment. The interior layout of each unit is restored according to each participant's apartment composition. Plenty of details in the attached photo are showing the accumulation of time and the existing record of each period. For example, build supplementary structure above the patio by using inferior temporary material; remove broken windows and fill in with bricks instead; install an electric water heater in the dilapidated wooden stairwell.
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Sketch for the Shikumen resident house prototype You-Ren Yang and Chih-hui Chang, "An Urban Regeneration Regime In China: A Case Study Of Urban Redevelopment In Shanghai's Taipingqiao Area", Urban Studies, 44.9 (2007), 1809-1826. 1
On-Site Photos of Several Shikumen Building Photo provided by author's parents and interviewees, hide the living space of the interviewee in order to guarantee privacy.
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These are also direct evidence of the potential of the Shikumen resident house as an architecture palimpsest. Accordingly, this project will continue this history and apply new layers above. It is a never-ending process, just like Unfinished Past mentions.
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1.0 ORIGINAL SITE FRAME 1.2 Site Model & Transformation
Site Model
Transformation
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n 2020, four families lived in this Shikumen building, namely Wang, Chou, Su and Lee. They occupy different floors, different areas; and they have various family personalities. Nevertheless, every home has the necessary functional space. This arrangement will also be the starting point of the entire narrative.
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plitting the existing building in two and relocating the lower half to the upper level of the building was the most significant part of the project.The reason for the split is that after a long time of seawater corrosion, the already unreliable wooden foundation becomes more fragile and no longer useful. Furthermore, two factors prompted the decision to add a structure above the upper half to compensate the ground floor occupants' loss. First, this is an analogy and satire of the Chinese government's decision to demolish old buildings and build resettlement homes for them; second, the idea of adding a new stilt structure on top of the old building with steel system was inspired by Albert Robida's illustrations2.
Year 2020:
Su's family Lee's family Wang's family Staircase & Corridor Chou's family
Year 1920:
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REPOSITION
Common area Privite area Connection space Service area
SEPARATE & DUPLICATE 2
Spatial arrangement analysis diagram for 2020 & 1920
Albert Robida, Central Station for Zeppelins at Notre-Dame, 1883, illustration.
Spatial deformation analysis diagram for 2130
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SPLIT & RECOMBINATION
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2.0 DESIGN CONCEPT 2.1 Proposed Period Setting & Main Motion
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his chart visually shows the change in the overall form of the building. The horizontal axis represents the year, the vertical axis represents the extent of sea-level rise, and the first quadrant shows the phase, the name corresponding to Isozaki's theory3, and the architectural framework of the phase. Associated with this table are the most significant changes in each period and the corresponding sources of inspiration.
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Illustrative chart for the general changes 3
Arata Isozaki, Unbuilt, 1st edn (Tokyo: TOTO, 2001).
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In the SLR range setting, the GMSL rise in 2020 is 0m; 2m in 2050 ;5m in 2080; 8m in 2100. At the same time, the growth rate of the curve representing SLR presents an increasing trend and will continue to grow in the future after 2100 on the far right, insinuating the open ending of this project.
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2.0 DESIGN CONCEPT 2.1 Concept Drawing “As the down-draught from its blades fanned furiously across the swimming pool, tearing at hte striped awning of the patio, the helicopter circled deafeningly over the penthouse , plinging and diving as it searched for a landing point.�4 --The Drowned World by JG Baooard
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he conceptual keynote of this design will be defined as a Shikumen palimpsest. During the 80 years of rising sea levels, the people who live in this Shikumen house will experience 4 generations, and are continually making changes to existing structures in order to continue living here. These changes may not seem huge to them as one generation, but once the audience steps back and review this process, they are disruptive. The concept of social class was added to the spatial arrangement, with the bottom-level representing the working-class, the middle-level representing the middle-class, and the top-level representing the ruling class. By 2100, the upper two floors of Shikumen house were floating on the water surface by using the most advanced EPS material in order to solve the trouble caused by the rising water level ultimately. A chain connects the lower part of the floating section to the former ground floor that sank to the bottom to ensure the entire building remains where it belongs, like a rivet. Steel stairs are attached on the front and back facades to facilitate the access of the occupants to their homes after they have ascended the platform. Plantations have been built on both two roofs, as there is no suitable land for planting near the city and transportation costs are very high. The upper part of the aerial part is paid for by the upper-level residents for the original ground-floor family, using cheap light, convenient materials like temporary panels.
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Concept Drawing 4
J. G Ballard, The Drowned World (New York: Liveright Pub. Corporation, 2013).
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For the interior section: The walls of the first-floor apartment are covered with bezel-less LED screens to simulate the outdoor environment surrounded by green trees. There is only an activity room/gym, storage and living room, and the home is reduced to a few essential pieces of furniture, such as a bed and a dining table.
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2.0 DESIGN SCHEME 2.4 Changes for Each Family
The Lee's
The Su's
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he Su family is economically disadvantaged, but they still purchase multiple popular electronic products for various reasons and try their best to keep up with the progress of society. They represent a group of people tied to information and at the mercy of others.
2020
They take almost all the furniture to the new room on the top.
In 2130, they would move to the room on the top and use arranged furniture instead of the original.
2050
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2020
2050
Collect physical memory
2080
Electronic products
1920
2100
1920
lift the furnitures
2080
2100
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ee's family keep the original wall paper which last house owner left, because they'd like to maintain every thing that have reuse value. Lee's family character is nostalgic. They will just make changes when they have no choice, such as waterproof coating. But with the time past, these traces were added layer by layer, and finally pilled layer by layer.
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2.0 DESIGN SCHEME 2.4 Changes for Each Family
The Chou's
The Wang's
hou's family here represents the middle-class. They own the resources and are rewarded for providing them. Their living space not only meets the basic needs of life but also makes efforts on the spiritual level, such as starting to use decorative elements to enhance the warm atmosphere. Besides, they are easily swayed by advertisements or public opinions in pursuit of the latest technological products. The screen symbolizes the virtual. It can blind people with illusions, but it cannot change the physical space.
L 2020
ike Chou, Wang uses electronic screens in his home. However, the difference is that the ruling class, at the very top of the social ladder, still retains the "truth" at home. Wang's family has the right to control the roof land, which is equivalent to the right to control the resources. At the same time, after the construction of resettlement, in order to maintain the same skylight resources as before, digital screens were installed at the bottom of the upper structure, which reflected that they deliberately turned a blind eye to valueless thing/people from the lower class.
2050
Food storage in 2080 THE ISOLATED ISLAND - YINING FANG
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1920
Home decoration & plantes
2020
2050
2080
Grasp the core technology
2080
1920
Semi-covered digital screen
2080
2100
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3.0 ANIMATION MAKING 3.1 Storyboard
Story Introduction
Preface & Act 01
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he conceptual keynote of this design will be defined as a Shikumen palimpsest. During the 80 years of rising sea levels, the people who live in this Shikumen house are continually making changes to existing structures in order to continue living here. It aims to create a doomsday atmosphere, allowing the audience to feel the loneliness caused by modern human's destruction of the environment in the sound of the waves crashing against the building. It hopes that the audience can follow Lee's memories and feel the changes of life in shikumen House again and again, and experience the possible daily life in the future during this period.
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T
he preface expresses the appearance of Shikumen House when it was just built and the living situation of the residents at that time. Man emphasizes "The guest will arrive one minute", lays the foundation for Noah's arrival in 2130. During this period, the animation inserts a real picture of a historical event to express time travel.
Screenshot from the animation Scene 1: When Noah arrive; scene 2: inside Lee's room
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*Link for the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB96P2gUH-0
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3.0 ANIMATION MAKING 3.1 Storyboard
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n the first act, Lee led Noah to his room first and answered Noah's questions about the old furniture with two embedded memories. It reflects Lee's nostalgic personality. Later, in the upper roof garden, Lee uses his pulley irrigation system to show that Lee did not have the technology, so he had to plant it manually. Inspired by Heath Robinson's illustration9, the future, for Lee, is a return from digital to analogue. 9
"Heath Robinson Museum", Heathrobinsonmuseum.Org, 2020.
Act 02
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he second act is introduced by Noah, who sees the abandoned black screen. In 2100, Lee's job was to repair the machinery and pick the crop for Wang to distribute, with the screen simulating the sky and a fully automated irrigation system.
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Act 01
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3.0 ANIMATION MAKING 3.1 Storyboard
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he third act tells the story of Chou's acquisition of food resources by providing a place to store food, and his quick decision to remodel his home after seeing a commercial. In addition, Su's seafood was obtained in return for having a simulated outdoor exercise environment in the home after renovation.
Act 04
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he fourth act shows Su's indoor environment and how he relies on the fish he catches to exchange for other food with Wang. Furthermore, in 2050, the new iron staircase became Su's workplace and a place for residents to hang their quilts and clothes. In the fifth act, Noah dives underwater to search for lost memories.
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Act 03
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4.0 CONCLUSION
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s a design practice, this project speculates the future against the backdrop of SLR; recording and preserving this 80-year-long "history" in the palimpsest. During imagining this possible future, the author critically pondered that when facing an insurmountable crisis, if people should abandon their existing homes and civilizations and go to a pristine land. Alternatively, stay and try to adapt to the existing environment to the conditions that can cope with the crisis. The project's answer is to stay, as in New York 2140. The difference is that this scenario occurs in the Shikumen community, and it pays more attention to the changes of marginal people in the city. With the SLR, their living space will gradually become an "isolated island", both on the psychological level and the physical level. Take Lee, the main character in the animation. No matter how the environment and technology change, he and his family seem to live in the past until everyone leaves. During this time, everyone makes efforts to survive, which are reflected in the erasure and addition of the building itself. In the most primitive/direct way, the palimpsest is recording events, past and present, which are also recorded in space as memories. The prerequisite for recording memory in the form of space is that space is preserved. This idea can be linked to another purpose of this project -- satirize the ambiguous attitude of the Chinese government towards the old buildings. Through this project, the author wants to beckon on society to rethink the future of the historical buildings. Secondly, the author would like to emphasize that the preservation and repair of the old building should not restore it to its newly built appearance, but focusing on protecting the memory. From the visual way, this project attempts to show the narrative of the space in the form of sectional views. Because the wall seems to be hidden in the section drawing, it loses the sense of existence. Based on this, the separate space naturally becomes continuous. This is also an advantage over 3D rendering. Finally, if the project is to continue to develop, the author will first make a more detailed arrangement of the story in the animation, to enrich the whole story. Secondly, we also take a more in-depth take on the palimpsest because palimpsest is the critical methodology that drives the process of this project.
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5.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ballard, J. G, The Drowned World (New York: Liveright Pub. Corporation, 2013). "Enerpac Hydraulics Lift & Move The Shanghai Concert Hall | Enerpac", Enerpac.Com.Cn, 2020 <http://www.enerpac.com.cn/projects/markets/ buildings-and-stadiums-0/the-shanghai-concert-hall-lifting-and-movingproject> [Accessed 15 August 2020]. Euros Lyn, Black Mirror, Fifteen Million Merits, S1, EP2, (Netflix, 2011), https://www.netflix.com/watch/70264858?trackId=200257859 "Heath Robinson Museum", Heathrobinsonmuseum.Org, 2020 <https:// www.heathrobinsonmuseum.org/> [Accessed 16 August 2020] Isozaki, Arata, Unbuilt, 1st edn (Tokyo: TOTO, 2001). Lambert, Léopold, "A Palimpsest Called Paris | DAMN° Magazine", DAMN° Magazine, 2015 <https://www.damnmagazine.net/2015/01/05/apalimpsest-called-paris/> [Accessed 9 August 2020]. Prihatmaji, Yulianto P., and Dimas H. Nugraha, "Keeping The Floating House Afloat In Banjarmasin: Implementation Potential Of EPS Floating Technology For Foundation Engineering", MATEC Web Of Conferences, 280 (2019), 02001 <https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201928002001> [Accessed 15 August 2020].
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Yang, You-Ren, and Chih-hui Chang, "An Urban Regeneration Regime In China: A Case Study Of Urban Redevelopment In Shanghai's Taipingqiao Area", Urban Studies, 44 (2007), 1809-1826 <https://doi. org/10.1080/00420980701507787> [Accessed 15 August 2020].
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Sisson, Patrick, "A Complete History Of New York City Fire Escapes", Curbed, 2016 <https://www.curbed.com/2016/3/28/11313110/fire-escapeshistory-new-york-city> [Accessed 10 August 2020].
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T H A N K Y o U
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Especially the tutors: Dave Loder Pamela Flanagan Patrick Macklin Thomai Pnevmonidou Special thanks to: Anthony Coffield Digger Nutter
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All school staffs' enthusiastic help and guide. All my colleagues' companionship and advice.
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