PORTFOLIO 2020-2021
MA Interior Design Kai Zhuang
Royal College of Art
CONTENT 01
IDENTITIES
02
PROXIMITIES
03 04
INHABITATIONS
Babel's Portal
Refuge Escape
Cowboy's Retreat
7
22
37
Primer Project Exquisite Corpse
53
Due to the COVID-19, the location of the project in this portfolio was selected as the Overlook hotel in the movie The Shining directed by Kubrick.
01
IDENTITIES Babel's Portal
This project take Babel as the starting point to spatial explorations. Design its Portal. STRATEGY This project applies techniques from Bernard Tschumi’s ‘Event Architecture’ to key moments in the film, using them to produce spaces and forms out of movements of characters in the film.
CURIOSITY
“Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
8 Identities
MOTIVE
UNKNOWN
When people built the Tower of Babel, everyone didn't know what would be behind the gate of God and how many floors the babel tower would be built. People's curiosity were revealed in this event. Like the plot in the Shining movie, Jack and Denny didn't know who lived in 237 Room or what happened in this space. But this room has an attraction that attracts them to walk in.
SURVIVAL ITEMS
MATERIAL PALLET
Plywood Magnet
Climbing Rope
Compass Polycarbonate
Iron Filing
Folding Knife
Stainless Steel
Cushion Foundation
Babel's Portal 9
Movie Footage Start
MOVEMENT
SIGHT
Turning Point
MOVEMENT
Turning Point
10 Identities
OUTDOOR
INDOOR
Spatial Extension
Event Overlap
EMOTION
End
Babel's Portal 11
12 Identities
Babel's Portal 13
Model 1:30
Translate the dynamics of the characters in the movie into twodimensional point, line and surface elements, and then translate them into portal’s entrances, corners, ceilings and other threedimensional space forms. Using the material characteristics of iron filing combined with the change of spatial form, attracts people to pass through the entire space and feel the changes of the movie plot in a way of spatial experience. 14 Identities
Babel's Portal 15
Project Name: IDENTITIES Babel's Portal 16 Identities
Site: Colorado Lounge
Scale 1:200
Babel's Portal 17
18 Identities
Babel's Portal 19
Sliding Rail Detail Wheel Damping Axle Structure
Hinga Detail
20 Identities
In this space, human behavior and sight are guided, and human touch is also guided. The window on the door extends the line of sight. The door is rotated by pushing the door handle installation made of stainless steel. When the pushing is stopped, the damping will stop the rotation of the wheel on the axel. The height of the ceiling and the change of material represent the progress of the story.
Babel's Portal 21
02
PROXIMITIES Refuge Escape
In this project, based on Kubrick's The Shining, assemble my own version of the Overlook hotel. Then find a transition space in this hotel and choose a Babelian, design a refuge for a Babelian with the minimal requirements for survival.
G Floor
Lobby, Gold Room position
1 Floor
Colorado Lounge position
2 Floor
Staff Room position
Colorado Lounge 237 Room position
SECTION
Section
Since the height of each functional space is different, I set the ceiling of these spaces to the same horizontal line. Therefore, in the ground floor, part of the kitchen and the Gold room are semi-underground spaces. Each functional space is connected by ramps and stairs.
Refuge Escape 23
BABELIAN Danny
SCENE
Entertainment Room- Cue Sports
OBJECTS Cue stick, Balls
24 Proximities
ITEMS/ ELEMENTS
TRANSITION SPACE SHADOW
REMOVE
TRANSITION SPACE
This space is inspired by collage, scaffolding represents temporary space. In reality, it may appear indoors or outdoors in the construction site. It is exposed to natural light and artificial light. So the definition of the refuge scape is between artificial lighting and natural lighting.
26 Proximities
CHILD BEHAVIOUR
Sofa
Decompose
Sofa
Observe
Exit - Jump Table
Decompose
With children as the starting point of the project, I hope to explore the possibilities of existing furniture from the perspective of children. By analyzing children's behaviors, I connect these with the functions, attributes, and furniture of the space around the transition space.
Recombination
First Floor
28 Proximities
Ground Floor
N 0
1m
Scale 1: 80 3m Refuge Escape 29
30 Proximities
Refuge Escape 31
32 Identities
Babel's Portal 33
The ventilation pipe not only renews the indoor air, but when the hotel chef is preparing food, the smell of the kitchen will be transmitted to the refuge scape. The children can come to the kitchen to get food through the crane device, and he can also eat in his room. After he finishes dinner, he can lie down on the lazy couch and enjoy the piano music brought by the Colorado lounge.
34 Proximities
REFUGE ESCAPE
03
INHABITAIONS Babel’s Retreat
This project will investigate how existing places can be inhabited for specific purposes. Design a Retreat in what “used to be” the Overlook Hotel.
Cowboys have been engaged in arduous and dangerous cattle-driving work for a long time, and they have a strong desire for pleasure due to loneliness, so they need a space for recreation and entertainment. FUNCTION
Pub-Resturant, Bar Ballroom, Gambel Hotel Barber shop, Clinic Store-Clothing, Guns Brothel
Cowboys
Age: 17-28 man Texas, Indian, Mexican, and black 38 Inhabitations
Some cowboys act out of courtesy and morality in public places such as ballroom and bars due to binge drinking and gambling, which often arouses the dissatisfaction of the residents of the cattle town.
On average, a single herd of cattle on a drive numbered about 3,000 head. To herd the cattle, a crew of at least 10 cowboys was needed, with 3 horses per cowboy.
The cook was a particularly well-respected member of the crew, as not only was he in charge of the food, he also was in charge of medical supplies and had a working knowledge of practical medicine.
Cowboy's Retreat 39
Observed
Workshop
Store
Stable Wash Outside
Sale
Office
Bathe
Barber
Change
Barber
Kitchen Storage
Lobby
Reception Office
Entertainment Ballroom Bar
Gambel
Steakhouse Horse Entrance
Threshold
Guestroom
Brothel Office
Cow Entrance
Waiting Room
Entrance
Light
ATTRACT
40 Inhabitations
Wind
Outdoor
Stable
Office
Guestroom
Soundproof
Sight
Brothel
Soundproof
This project is not only to meet the basic needs of cowboys, but also to consider how to make these cowboys from different races, regions and different life backgrounds live in harmony in this space.
Private Dining Conference Entertainment Outdoor Bathe Gamble Bar Steakhouse Shop Lobby Harness OfficeChanging room Storage Kitchen Restroom Beer Cellar Store Machine Room Workshop
Cowboy's Retreat 41
1 2
3
4
3 5 6
12
5
13
7
8
9 8 10 11 42 Inhabitations
13 12
12
KEYS
1 2 3 4 5 6
N
Lobby Reception Store First Aid Room Stable Bathe
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Saloon Threshold Entertainment Area Store Room Kitchen Bath Room Office
COWBOYS RETREAT G Floor PLAN SCALE 1:300
4
3
2
1
5
7
6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Stable Reception Changing room Bathe area Threshold Saloon Entertainment Area N
0
1m
Scale 1: 100 3m
Cowboy's Retreat 43
Walnut
Shell
Smash
In the exploration of materials, I tried to find the items and foods closest to cowboy activities. The food that cowboys eat is easy to preserve like nuts. I think the firm shell of a walnut is a metaphor for the difficulty of a cowboy on the road.
Use hay to make a mold to form the wall texture.The material formed by mixing coffee powder and gypsum has a strong coffee aroma.
44 Inhabitations
Wall skirt
Reception
Among the cowboy population, there are Indians, and some cowboys have commercial transactions with Indians. So I reuse some of the original Indian elements in the hotel, such as the decoration and wall skirts of the lobby reception area made of walnut wood.
Cowboy's Retreat 45
46 Inhabitations
Model 1:50
The facade is the first impression of cowboys when they come to retreat. The use of insertion method to change the material of the original windows stimulates cowboy's senses, and at the same time gives them more imagination of the space.
Cowboy's Retreat 47
48 Inhabitations
Cowboy's Retreat 49
Scale 1: 100 0 50 Inhabitations
1m
3m
PRIMER PROJECT Exquisite Corpse Group Project
CEILING
Flowey
Wh
Soft
Mov
Broken
Mel
WALL
FLOOR
54 Primer Project
hite
Indigo
ving
Cast
lted
Mossy
Exquisite Corpse 55
56 Identities
Babel's Portal 57