K A R E N X W A N G
2 0 1 8
contents 5
Curriculum Vitae
8 — 17
Uninhabit
18 — 25
Blocks Cooperative
26 — 35
Floreo
36 — 45
Urban Grotto
46 — 49
Junya Ishigami
50 — 53
Moriyama & Teshima
hello. I’m Karen, a third year student at the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture. The following selection of works aims to showcase the skills and interests I have developed these past few years. Thank you for your consideration. t. e.
+1 647 717 9959 karenwxy@gmail.com
curriculum vitae education skills
experience
awards
Candidate for Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Honours Co-op
• • • • • • • • • • • •
University of Waterloo 2015 - Present
Rhinoceros 3D AutoCAD Photoshop Illustrator InDesign Adobe Premiere After Effects Grasshopper V-Ray Sketchup Lasercutting 3D printing
Architecture Intern
Junya Ishigami & Associates
Worked on residential project and publication of a monograph Created 3D presentation and study models, diagrams, site analysis maps, and collages
May - August 2018
Architectural Assistant
Moriyama & Teshima
Competition Work Created 3D models, plans, elevations, and sections using Grasshopper, Rhino, and AutoCAD
September - December 2017
Architecture Intern
ECDM
Created plans, elevations, sections, diagrams, and collages using Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, Sketchup, and V-Ray Designed bathrooms and kitchens for mixed-use residential/commercial complex
January - April 2017
Excellent Academic Standing
University of Waterloo
Academic achievement above 80%
September 2015 - Present
International Experience Award
University of Waterloo
Scholarship for work experience abroad
2018
President’s Scholarship
University of Waterloo
Achieved entrance average above 90%
2015
Honour Roll
Unionville S.S.
Academic average over 80%
2011 - 2015
Recommendation letter
Paris, the 16th Juin 2017
To whom it may concerns
Karen Wang was employed as an Intern at E Combarel D Marrec Architectes during 2017. Karen was exposed to a diversity of projects varying in concept and scale during his time at ECDM. She worked on a large scale on two residential buildings in Nantes et in Cergy Pontoise (France) and an office building in Saint Denis (France). She contributed to these projects during the Design Development phase sketching concept designs, researching materials and creating presentation models for the project’s most complex and vital features. Alternatively, Karen also gained experience working on smaller scaled projects. At ECDM, Karen continually emerged as a key team member for every project in which she participated. She works extremely well within a team as well as independently. She is a dedicated team member, consistently exhibiting a clear understanding of the project and demonstrating good judgment and reliability. She regularly employs excellent communication skills, asking important questions and offering constructive suggestions. Likewise, her presentations are articulate and compelling. Her ability to respond and perform both to unexpected challenges under a tremendous pressure has been invaluable.
Emmanuel Combarel Dominique Marrec
UNINHABIT 2B DESIGN STUDIO SUPERVISOR LOCATION
Ontario Place Masterplan Lola Sheppard Toronto
UNINHABIT began as an exploration into creating a more generous architecture, one that can serve multitudes of species and link us in new and meaningful ways. It has two dedicated programs; one is to restore wildlife habitats and the other is to create an intensified experience of nature that envelops its inhabitants. The tower is a focus point, a dense concentration of the wildlife around it. It intersects three realms of living, two of which we rarely associate with: air, land, and water. The top is for the birds, the middle the humans, and the lowest depths for the fish. The project experiments with what it would be like to give the same consideration to wildlife habitats as to human. After all, we are not the sole inhabitants of a domain, nor are we dominant over all others. Instead of attempting to mimic nature and create something organic, a method which has been tried numerous times and failed just as many, the Tower uses modernist principles to inform the logic of the building. Rather than attempting to imitate something I don’t understand, using the teachings of modern architecture allows me to build as efficiently as possible. The core of the building is where the circulation, the program, and the structure are concentrated. It links the bird and fish habitats with the human portion which acts as an education and research center. Going through the core is a “hypernatural” experience. The tower is a modular unit which is meant to be repeated multiple times throughout the park. It can be customized to suit the needs of specific species depending on location, time of year, and the surrounding ecosystem. The tower is not so much a building as it is a dream of science fiction, an Exquisite Corpse whose strange limbs together manage to miraculously function.
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MASTERPLAN 11
12
RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL
LANDSCAPING
LANDSCAPING
GRID
GRID
FISH
HABITAT
HABITAT
FISH
BIRDS
BIRD
1:100
SECTIONAL MODEL
13
PLAN G
PLAN E
PLAN C
PLAN B
PLAN A
PLAN F
PLAN D
SUMMER
WINTER
SECTION
16
PLAN A
PLAN B
PLAN C
PLAN D
PLAN E
PLAN F
PLAN G 17
BLOCKS COOPERATIVE 2A DESIGN STUDIO SUPERVISOR LOCATION
The Grand Domestic Revolution Adrian Blackwell Toronto
BLOCKS COOPERATIVE is an attempt to create a new housing typology for multi-generational living in an urban ennvironment. It also explores the relationship between nature and the domestic home through modularity and a redefinition of “the terrace”. The paradigm of the traditional American nuclear family is becoming less prevalent as the neighbourhood around Bloor Street becomes heavily populated by immigrant families who bring their own traditions of domestic living. Many come from cultures that customarily have extended family members living together in symbiotic relationships of give and take. Even though this particular style of living is becoming more widespread, the architecture has not evolved to accommodate it. Modern housing complexes often disregard an element of space fundamental to human nature, that of the terrace. The terrace is the only space in the home that acts as an intermediary between nature and hearth. Jean Renaudie, a French architect, articulated it as such: “It is marvellous when it rains to stand inside your house and watch the rain fall on your terrace… It is one of those things which are not essential yet really matter in everyday life.”
FIRST FLOOR PLAN (+1)
SECOND FLOOR PLAN (+2) 20
THIRD FLOOR PLAN (+3)
FOURTH FLOOR PLAN (+4) 21
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TYPOLOGY 1
TYPOLOGY 6
TYPOLOGY 4
TYPOLOGY 3
TYPOLOGY 5
TYPOLOGY 2
All the units are modular and made up of two boxes crossed together. These “Blocks” stack to create parks, courtyards, and private balconies at different levels of the building. These three types of terraces make up the hierarchy of green spaces that are the heart of the building. All circulation goes through these terrace spaces and most of the stairs are exterior. The blocks are offset to maximize light in the six story building. Four blocks share a large courtyard with one kitchen and dining room at the center. Each block also has its own private terrace space of varying sizes. A large net of ETFE, a plastic polymer, hangs over the entire complex to make the outdoor spaces comfortable year round.
ETFE NET
NET FRAME
CIRCULATION
STRUCTURE
3
2 1 6
LEGEND 5
RESIDENTIAL KITCHEN/DINING
BLOCKS
4
PRIVATE TERRACE CIRCULATION
23
PRIVATE TERRACE PERSPECTIVE
TYPOLOGY 5 MODEL
24
CLUSTER CIRCULATION 25
FLOREO ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH SUPERVISOR
Reactor Cells Philip Beesley
FLOREO is an exploration of responsive architecture in relation to physical transformation. Is it possible that in our future, architectural fabrics will be able to move and change in response to conditions like humidity, sunlight, temperature, and movement? The FLOREO is an attempt at divining the structure that may allow for this based on the research of Chuck Hoberman. In this phase of the project, the FLOREO is an exterior roof structure that is connected by various rotatable joints. When several cells are connected, it forms a porous fabric that can open and close, changing its permeability in response to sunlight. In further phases, perhaps it will be possible to layer these cells in roof and floor systems to create a multi-storey structure that is permeable, kinetic, and constantly undergoing transformation. Its transformations could be powered by affixed photovoltaic cells. These cells could be used to regulate the balance between sunlight and shade. When the space it covers is needed for a festival or other event, the cells could open to create a shady space with a canopy for the public. When the space is not in use by many people, the cells close to allow sunlight and rain through to support the growth of vegetation in the park. If these systems are layered, the voids at can be created could be lined up to allow for circulation of people, sound, wind, and light. Or, the voids could be closed to avoid these same things.
CLOSED
OPEN
28
CONCEPTUAL ELEVATION
29
30
CONCEPTUAL AXONOMETRIC
31
32
33
34
TEST 3
TEST 2
TEST 1
TEST 4A TEST 4B
EXPERIMENTATION AND ANALYSIS TEST 1
TEST 2
TEST 3
TEST 4
This was the first attempt at a circular deployable structure. However, research and understanding of the principles outlined by Hoberman were lacking. As a result, Test 0 doesn’t function correctly. Each scissor joint was made up of four joints connected at their ends so that the rotation of one didn’t affect any of the other three. This made Test 0 flimsy and unable to retain its circular structure.
After more careful examination of Hoberman’s experiments, it became clear that the scissor joint had to be made up of two joints connected in the middle where they crossed each other. This made the circle stable. However, this test failed as well because it would not expand and contract. As the circle expands, the joints would break apart trying to accomodate the change.
Here the pivot point of the two joints is placed more towards the center to see how this would affect the expansion and contraction. The joints are curved rather than straight to see if this would affect the nature of the structure. Test 2 also failed. The frame does expand and contract to a certain point but the material would curve with the effort and snap back to it’s original position when you let go.
The hypothesis that resulted from the previous tests is that the distance from the pivot point to either end need to be exactly the same. This is so each branch of the joint will move the same distance in reaction to the same rotational angle. This makes it so that the joints don’t break apart as the circle expands and contracts, making it possible for the strucutre to move smoothly. Test 3 proves this hypothesis. 35
URBAN GROTTO 3A DESIGN STUDIO SUPERVISOR LOCATION
Towards a Non-Isolated Urbanism Adrian Blackwell Albion Mall, Toronto
grotto n. : a small picturesque cave, especially an artificial one in a park or garden. Albion Mall is a major concentration of social energy as an economic driver and social catalyst. The goal is to conserve that social energy and sink it underground where it could be more effective. The Urban Grotto is a celebration of the fantastical. The focus is on exploration and discovery. It uses architectural space to provoke the public imagination. A series of “Rabbit Holes� on the open ground plane lead to the discovery of another realm below, one that glows with a strange purple light. The entire grotto is a double-height vertical farming industry that uses hydroponics and LED lights to efficiently grow food. The programs (library, cinema, etc.) are carved into this space with suspended glass walkways that connect them. The residents co-own the space and its yields. Vertical farming is a perfect starter job because, unlike traditional farming, it takes little to no prior experience to grow good crops in a compeletely controlled environment.
SECTION
Rabbit Holes: leads to discovery of underground
PLAN - LEVEL 1
Tower + Podium Typology
Tower in the Park Typology
1. Push podium underground to create an open ground plane like the tower-in-thepark
ABOVEGROUND = PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL AND OFFICES
BELOWGROUND = PUBLIC CINEMA, LIBRARY, EATERY, COMMERCIAL, ETC.)
2. Courtyard geometry to maximize sun exposure
RABBIT HOLES
GROTTO
LIBRARY AT NIGHT
PLAN - LEVEL +6
AXONOMETRIC
JUNYA ISHIGAMI & ASSOCIATES Junya Ishigami is famous for his architecture that aims to be so invisible, it blends into its natural surroundings like something that’s a part of the landscape. Recently, he published a monograph of his work called “Freeing Architecture”. At this office, I mainly worked on a residential project in Shandong, China. I worked on study models, diagrams, and site analysis in the design developement stage of this project. I also helped to build the final presentation models for the clients. At the same time, I worked on the layout of a monograph publication of Ishigami’s work for 2G magazine. This work was done mainly in InDesgin and Photoshop.
MORIYAMA & TESHIMA ARCHITECTS Moriyama & Teshima Architects is an award-winning architecture firm based in Toronto. They are known for their transformative civic, cultural, and educational projects. The office is very multidisciplinary, with departments for architecture, planning, and interiors. During my time at M&T, I worked mainly on a mixed-use tower competition in Taiwan. The project was meant to be a new city center for Taichung. It was an extremely exciting and fast-paced experience as I got on board only two months before the deadline. I mainly worked on presentation orthographics and diagrams in AutoCAD, Sketchup, VRay, and Illustrator. The internship taught me the importance of time management, strong leadership, and collaboration. It also gave me invaluable experience being involved in large, cultural architecture projects.
FLOOR 45
FLOOR 46
FLOOR 43
FLOOR 44
FLOOR 25
FLOOR 26
53
54
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t. +1 647 717 9959 e. karenwxy@gmail.com