Portfolio Zemin Yan

MSAUD Columbia University

zy2610@columbia.edu

About Complexity

Architecture, as the smallest unit that constitutes the human habitat, is the most closely related to human behavior patterns, and is the direct medium through which humans come into contact with the huge complex of the city, and is the link between people and the city. I also believe that architecture can play a more direct role in solving some social problems.

In today's world of explosive economic and technological development, unprecedented urbanization rates and information dissemination, the surrounding environment that individual people come into contact with is extremely complex and varied. Therefore, diverse cultures, changing climates, large numbers of people, complex social needs, and cities with huge scales that are difficult to reach boundaries make architecture even more significant as a medium between people and complexity. I believe that, as with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, a single building can make a huge difference to the solution of complex urban problems. In this context, architecture is confronted with an unprecedentedly complex environment.

With the increasing complexity of social and urban structures, it is necessary to rationally analyze urban problems and opportunities in the complex environment, and put forward proper spatial solutions. Chinese cities are facing this trend of increasing cultural, demographic and urban complexity, while most of the former buildings have been formatted to meet a single function, blindly demolishing and building for economic growth without addressing the urban issues of today and tomorrow. I believe that in-depth analysis of the urban environment and sorting out the intricate economic and cultural relationships are crucial to the design of China's urban architecture today and even in the future, and this is what is missing in the Chinese architectural design industry nowadays. In this portfolio will present my thinking on complex urban problems in different geographical areas and propose architectural solutions based on urban research.

01 | BRIDGE

Urban Renewal to Recall Jiangnan Culture

HUST Architecture Studio

2021 Winter

Site: Hangzhou, China

Instructor: Chen Hong

Individual Work/ Academic Work

West Lake as the most famous tourist attraction in the historical city of Hangzhou not only has a stunningly beautiful natural scenery, but also no shortage of humanistic landscapes that tell the history and traditional Chinese culture, which attracts countless tourists to come and see, in the process of Hangzhou's rapid development, car lanes, high consumption places, huge size of the neighborhood, so that the beautiful scenery of the ancient city of Jiangnan with small bridges and flowing water has long disappeared. A neighborhood located on the east side of West Lake, near numerous cultural and historical monuments and the most prosperous commercial area by West Lake, is a significant place to restore the historical mark of Hangzhou.

In the ancient city of Jiangnan, which has a well-developed water system, water and bridges are important elements of urban transportation, with "water" being the transportation of goods within the city and bridges mending the fragmentation of the neighborhood caused by waterways. The two together create a unique spatial atmosphere in Jiangnan, China. In the venue, the spatial element of "bridge" is regained to mend the fragmented neighborhoods and to create permeable streets for people to explore, so that people can integrate into them and recover the urban memory and traditional Chinese culture of Hangzhou that has been lost in the consumer society.

NEW URBAN CULTURAL CENTER

Relatively speaking, the old city center of Hangzhou is the gathering area of many shopping malls, and there are more historical buildings, which have high commercial value and tourism value, while the new city center is the gathering place of many company headquarters, with many high-rise buildings, and is the cbd of Hangzhou, which has high commercial value but not high tourism value.

The selected site has a high density of residential buildings and a high population density, but it is close to the West Lake tourist area and has many historical points of interest, so it can be developed as a key cultural tourism area in Hangzhou in the future and has a large potential. The three areas are connected to Hangzhou East Railway Station by three subway lines, making transportation more convenient.

8km

10.5km

760m

high speed railway station

urban park

scenic spot

nearby subway station

other subway station

historical interest

water front

subway line

scenic spot active public space

negative public space

historical interests

water area

high consumption

common comsumption

culture places

residence schools

nearby subway station

road barrier

private entrance

building boundary barrier nearby subway station

The buildings form an unbreakable boundary with the residential area, while the great scale of the urban block causes limited accessibility to the scenic area on the eastern side of the site, while the through-going carriageway leads to a poor walking experience. There are many public spaces within the site, but the public spaces are not open to the public, creating narrow and crowded walking paths within the site with no areas to stay.

There are two historical and cultural attractions within the site, Confucius Temple and qianwang temple, but the West Lake scenic area in the east is full of high consumption places, attracting tourists to spend money, while the historical and cultural attractions are buried among the consumption places and unattended.

subway line1

SITE

OLD URBAN CENTER

NEW URBAN CENTER subway line7 subway line4 6.5km

Referring to the spatial pattern of the ancient Jiangnan water city, the spatial prototype was extracted and applied in the design. The spatial functions, spatial sequences, and formal prototypes of the ancient city of Jiangnan are used to realize the convenience of residents, evoke urban memory, and cultural identity respectively.

The system also includes cultural facilities to revitalize the space and educate residents about traditional culture.

RESIDENTS

VISITORS

Using the analyzed spatial prototypes to compose the entire urban renewal design, two circulation of residents and visitors are realized

corridor bridge

public space temple quay

Translating the interesting flow of the ancient Jiangnan town into the modern urban environment, giving it a new way of vertical dimension and creating a more interesting spatial pattern of the Jiangnan town with modern architectural technology.

public space retail greenery space cultural facility quay temple turning point

NODE 1 BRIDGE

1 is the

SPACE PATTERN

Based on the space prototype of the "bridge", it is expanded to include many functions that are in line with modern urban life.

NODE

southernmost "bridge" of the site and its subsidiary functions, the bridge is related to the surrounding qianwang temple, the West Lake scenic area and the residential area across the carriageway, and is endowed with many subsidiary functions, including the related museums, exhibition halls and tea culture parks around the qianwang temple.

Scene from the Tea Culture Park: A water feature is set up in the courtyard to provide a good view for tea drinkers, while the space on the bridge is connected to the courtyard by a staircase

The scene of the market set up in front of the qianwang temple: The installation of relatively traditional residential living facilities in front of traditional cultural attractions provides visitors with the ability to visit and shop while residents purchase daily necessities.

node 2 is a park with the theme of Yueju, the traditional drama of Hangzhou, which is gradually replaced by mainstream media in modern society. This park tries to revive people's love for Yueju by including a number of Yueju museums and cultural halls, as well as an open-air Yueju theater, giving many residents and visitors functions where residents and visitors have a common point of interest and where residents and visitors interact with each other, forming an important node for promoting the traditional culture of Hangzhou.

SPACE PATTERN

Based on the spatial prototype of "public space", the open-air Yue Opera Theater is the center of the park, recreation, observation tower and other functions and complex circulations.Provide a place for visitors and residents to interact with each other.

Scene from the open-air Yue Opera Theater: Centered on the theater, the perimeter is endowed with multi-layered corridors to attract residents and visitors passing by.

Scene with complex circulation: Three steps intertwine to form a complex flow, providing an uncertain interest similar to that of the ancient town of Jiangnan.

NODE 3 COMMON-HALL

A venue for residents to gather at the main entrance of the Confucius Temple, where public functions such as lectures, deliberations and propaganda can be carried out, giving the government, educational institutions, media organizations and residents a place to communicate and express their ideas.

NODE 4 QUAY

Node4, the southernmost quay in the design, integrates an ancient town concept extracted from the quay space prototype. It offers commercial functions such as tea breaks and arts and crafts retail. The observation deck of West Lake is combined with the interior building, creating a seamless connection between viewing and consumption activities. Natural techniques enhance the experience of blending nature and culture for visitors.

Scene of the common-hall: Crowds gather in front of the porch of the Confucius Temple

Scene of the architecture from the water: The side of the building facing the water forms the traditional Chinese façade of a continuous undulating roof

02 | NATURAL STATION

Green House Restaurant to Evoke Agricultural Life

HUST Architecture Studio

2021 Summer

Site: Mývatn, Iceland

Instructor: Lei Jingjing

Individual Work/ Academic Work

The relationship between human beings and nature has become disordered to a certain extent, and we need to go beyond the perspective of industry and technology to re-cognize the relationship between human beings and nature, and agriculture is the most direct manifestation of the relationship between human beings and nature in the process of social development, and it is worth to be discussed again. As one of the coldest civilized countries in the world, Iceland has preserved its natural landscape to the greatest extent, and most of the land is still in an unexplored state.

In this project, people have the opportunitiy to move from fast to slow, from urban to rural, when they taste the pure and natural food , watch the farming and picking that gradually leave the memory of people in the city, and even participate in the agricultural production.

The site was chosen in Mývatn located in the north of Iceland and is surrounded by numerous tourist attractions

The chosen site is located at the intersection of agricultural areas and natural landscapes, with forests and the Hverfjall volcano to the south, as well as two farms to the north. The site is adjacent to a Mývatn thermal bathing area. Therefore it is an excellent starting point for tourist routes and an area to experience Nordic agriculture for visitors. The building is therefore expected to be a node of the tourist route, providing a resting place for tourists and a place where people tired of city life can experience the joy of agricultural life.

FUNCTION

The functions of the building are divided into two parts: visitors and logistics. All visitors' functions want to interact with the planting area or be able to see the green plants, while the planting functions in logistics are directly linked to visitors' picking and playing through the planting area, forming a complete dining circulation from planting to picking to preparation to cooking and finally to dining.

FUNCTIONAL ARRANGEMENT of GREENERY & VIEW-ORIENTED

Visitors can visit the entire flow of food and beverage production from the time they enter the restaurant to the time they eat while participating as part of the process themselves. In addition to the dining experience, the building is derived from the natural attractions to the south, creating multiple modes of interaction with nature.

GENERATION PROGRESS

AND ATTRACTIONS

BLOCKS

The building is divided into two dining blocks, a kitchen block, and a multifunctional block, which is placed in the greenhouse and interacts with the planting area and the natural landscape. The materials used are mainly eco-friendly and natural wood.

1. The inward-facing dining block has two levels and is placed above the planting area, surrounded by vegetation, so that visitors are in a green environment during the dining process.

2. Outward-facing dining block facing the Mývatn Nature Hot Springs to the south, offering three levels of dining space.

3. The kitchen block is connected to the planting area,forming a circulation from planting to serving

4. The multi-purpose block also faces the planting area and creates a separate flow on the other side with views to the west side of the building

SCENE

With the sinking of the terrain, the planting area forms a continuous sinking form, visitors with the flow of food and beverage, the entire planting area will slowly emerge, visitors in different areas of the building and planting area interaction occurs.

Scene of open planting area

Scene open planting area from the narrow road

The rainwater collection equipment in the building provides water for sprinkler irrigation, and the excess water in the planting area is filtere geothermal energy circulation equipment to provide heat souece for the building, and the cooled water enters the sprinkler irrigation equipment again to become the sprinkler irrigation warer source, thus realizing the water circulation and heat circulation in the building.

planting grass

planting soil

sand and gravel layer

stone subbase

soil subgrade

The building structure adopts the I-beam frame system as the main structure of the greenhouse, and the rest of inserted blocks area supported by the structual system of the greenhouse pilus the reinforced concrete frame structure, with movable shade cloth on top of the building and windows to achieve good ventilation and energy saving inside the building.

hard wood floor

galvanized square keel

moistureproof layer

thermal insulation layer

concrete profiled deck

soil subgrade

double insulated glass

600*200mm H-section steel beam

aluminium framed glass ribs thermal insulation layer

03 |

GREEN LINK

Living Blue Green Resilient City for a 15-minute Life Loop

HUST Architecture Studio

2022 Summer

Site: Newyork City, USA

Instructor: Xu Shen

Group Work/ Academic Work

Collaborator: Yang Chenze, Wan Wangxi

Role: 40% research,

100% concept design, architecture design, drawings

In today's deteriorating climate, New York, especially the southern coastal region of Coney Island, faces greater threats of flooding and inundation, while these southern areas have lower per capita incomes and poorer living infrastructure than New York's highly developed downtown areas such as Manhattan. Local residents also have to endure long distances of uncomfortable, dangerous walking experiences. Conversely, Coney Island is an area that is well worthy of redesign because of its unique history and beach views and recreational facilities that attract many residents from relatively northern New York to vacation.

Using relatively new urban amenities and technologies, this project hopes to respond to the urban blight that exists on Coney Island, improving the living experience of residents while becoming a more popular resort area.

Coney Island and the surrounding area in south Brooklyn, New York, has popular parks and historic amusement parks, but there are more urban issues for residents of some areas

Based on the site problems and opportunities, three basic solution strategies are proposed

1. Use blue green technology system to establish the water storage and drainage system connecting the north and south shore of Coney Island, in order to solve the urban flooding problem of Coney Island now and even after 2050.

2. Establish a mobility system to build separate bicycle and pedestrian paths, separated from the car paths, to provide a better walking and biking experience.

3. Establish a five-minute living circle to serve the daily life, cultural life and productive life of the residents

DETAILED INFORMATION

The western part of Coney Island was selected as the key design site

PROBLEMS OPPORTUNITIES

Coney Island and the surrounding areas in southern New York have more urban problems, according to statistics, the area will suffer more serious flooding problems after 2050 due to sea level rise, and the travel time between these areas and the subway stations are more than 15 minutes, causing residents inconvenient commuting problems Also within the 15-minute living circle of the site, there are fewer amenities necessary for living. These areas have parks, beaches and other attractions nearby to attract city dwellers as recreational sites.

residential area

STRUCTURE DIAGRAM

BLUE GREEN TECHNOLOGY MOBILITY 5min LIFE CIRCLE

GENERATION PROGRESS

SITE PLAN

central commuting&bicycle syestem central blue green system visitor circulation

commuting&bicycle system in block blue green system in block visitor node

15min circle of subway station drainage stream attraction wadering system in block attracting people flow park

carway storage ponds

15min circle of subway station green plaza

transit stop transit stop park

roof park

green production park

water harvesting system

5min life circle life facilities

cultural facilities

production facilities

WANDERING SYSTEM COMMUTING SYSTEM BICYCLE SYSTEM

The wandering system connects all the rooftop parks in the building and connects with vibrant public space for commercial, leisure, performance and viewing platform to provide active public space.

The internal commutting system attached to the surrounding building and connects to the central commutting system, it also contains several vertical traffic connections directly to the towers.

The internal bicycle system is also connected to the central bicycle system, and there are transit stops to connect the internal and central bicycle system, and to connect the internal bicycle system and the commutting system.

Scene of commercial bubbles from platform: The shaped space creates a rich walking experience

and recreating the early 20th century imagery of Coney Island's amusement park

Set up a work shop above the green area in the middle of the building and an open-air screening room and other more public functions connected to the school and library

SECTION A-A

The stage of theater is set above the green area in the middle and connected to the concert hall on the other side, while the open-air performance space is set on the roof.

SECTION B-B

COMFORTABLE WALKING EXPERIENCE

STORMY DAY

SUNNY DAY

WALK AND SEE

Wuhan Old Community Ramp Market

HUST Architecture Studio

2022 Fall

Site: Wuhan, China

Instructor: Chen Hong

Individual Work/ Academic Work

Under Wuhan's urban renewal, the city is filled with cluttered supermarkets and consumeristshopping malls, while the traditional market space that was once full of smoke and fire andintegrated with the urban space and the needs of its inhabitants is gradually disappearing. chose a market in Wuhan that is undergoing renewal in the old city, which is ready to bedemolished, and remodeled it by extracting the traditional market space model, hoping torestore that kind of space for residents to interact and feel the city in Wuhan.

activities.

Referring to the traditional market in Wuhan, there are closely arranged stores on both sides of the street, and aisles and shopping areas are formed in the middle of the road.

“Take a look and see”

GENERATION PROGRESS

The market in the form of a ramp builds a three-dimensional continuous flow of grocery shopping and also becomes a ramp for tourists to climb and view the scenery, and under the ramp forms a chess space and a reading space for the daily activities of local residents, where a variety of people interact with each other.

Scene in the chess & cards activity area. A variety of people (including grocery shoppers, chess players, visitors, and residents taking tea breaks) form a visual and physical exchange in the area to meet the needs of residents gathered around.

Scene in the ramp market.

Formation of a space atmosphere similar to the traditional market in Wuhan.

CROWD GATHERING

Scene on the greenery ramp

The top of the ramp forms a good walking space with the technique of green roof, and the structure of the roof forms a decorative effect.

green roof assembly

waterproofing layer

concrete on metal deck

furred ceiling

floor board slabstone veneer board insulation layer

wooden keel steel keel

plastic cushion aerated concrete wall

plywood particle board moistureproof layer insulation layer

corrugated metal sheet insulation layer

moistureproof layer wooden keel

insulation layer wooden veneer board

reinforced concrete

DETAIL & PERSPECTIVE

SCENE OF ROOF

EXPLODED DRAWING OF ROOF

Polycarbonate hollow sheets

Metal keel

Timber structure

Concrete column

The interwoven wooden structure fixed on the concrete main is used to fix the translucent polycarbonate hollow sheets of the roof, and the structure itself produces a decorative effect.

50mm polycarbonate hollow sheets

40*80mm metal keel

400*200mm wood beam

drainage ditch

Φ 50mm bolt

prefabricated steel joint

400*400mm concrete column

DETAIL DRAWING

The timber frame system is fixed to the concrete columns with prefabricated metal connectors. Also install gutters at the intersection of polycarbonate hollow sheets.

BELLWOOD COHABITATION

Atlanta Westside Park After Property

GSAPP

2023 Fall

Site: Atlanta, United States

Instructor:

Emanuel Admassu

Group Work/ Academic Work

Collaborator: Phoebe Zhang, Sarika Ravindra Yadav, Yuhao Guan

Role: 33% research, 50% concept design, 70% architecture design, overall design Drawings with * are made by teammates

Property serves as the catalyst for an unequal power dynamic that molds historical narratives. In the process of urban renewal, the elements of presence and absence are sifted through the lens of property to create a “better” story. Hidden beneath the ostensibly idyllic façade of Westside Park is the obscured history of Bellwood Quarry, characterized by its shadowy past.

The working class of Bellwood Quarry, along with the perennially exploited nature, is silenced within the confines of property, perpetuating their marginalization and inevitable displacement. This, in turn, exacerbates their exploitation by the privileged classes, leading to systemic harm inflicted upon both society and the environment.

The Bellwood Quarry site is located on the Northwest of Atlanta with the population of 75,220 residents. Around 5000 people live below poverty line near Bellwood Quarry. They are vulnerable in the housing market. The construction of the nearby Beltlinethere rises property value, which leads to a great number of displacement around Bellwood Quarry.

Bellwood Quarry has always been under the pressure of urban renewal. This goes back to the history of Bellwood Quarry where many prisoners were forced labors for more than 30 years. Later the quarry was closed in 2007 and became popular location for film and television scenes.

Today, Bellwood Quarry is covered by the reservoir, and the original landform is completely invisible.

After property is a bottom-up destruction and reconstruction. In the context of after property, the revelation of hidden histories empowers elements that were once silenced to become their own narrators.

The hidden Bellwood Quarry only becomes visible when the reservoir is drained. The water from Bellwood Quarry will be purposefully dispersed across the site’s ditches and ponds. Our vision is to establish a harmonious production and living system where humans and nature coexist harmoniously

However, our intention isn’t to rely on traditional monuments, with their inherent limitations in modern cities, to evoke memories of the past. Instead, we aim to establish a “recognitive effect” by constructing countermonuments that celebrate existing rituals and culture. This approach seeks to inspire public engagement and activities, fostering a collective consciousness.

The unveiling of history isn’t merely an exercise in reminiscing about outdated behavioral patterns; rather, it is a means to adapt them to exsisting activities.

COUNITER MONUMENT

ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS

Scene of exhibition area *

Scene of ritul area *

Scene of sports area *

HOUSING MARKETS

The bridge serves as a farming area for their self-sufficient living, providing water from the tower in the center and also to the neighboring housing units, while various living activities such as reading health care market and restaurant are formed around the tower.

HOUSING UNITS

Scene of housing

Several housing units are organized around a common area, which is also a rainwater harvesting area, where people are centered around the water that supports their lives.

BELL WOOD COHABITATION

The housing above the pit, together with other areas of public space, builds the collective spirit of oppressed people in the present as well as in the past, a spirit that revolts property together across time.

06 |

FLOASIS

Jamaica Bay Wetland Restoration and Envisioning

GSAPP

2023 Summer

Site: New York City/ United States

Instructor: Nans Voron, Sagi Golan

Group Work/ Academic Work

Collaborator: Yuhan Xu, Shrey Bindesh Patel, Yichi Wang

Role: 33% research, 50% concept design, 33% overall design

Drawings with * are made by teammates

With climate change and urban development around the world, New York’s jamaica bay is experiencing a significant degree of loss, causing further biodiversity loss and reduced carbon deposition, resulting in the jamaica bay, New York City’s last natural cleansing barrier, being in danger of being shattered.

We hope that by studying the natural deposition and growth of the marsh and its organisms, we will find ways to allow nature to restore nature and further develop a way of life in which humans and the marsh coexist and become interdependent.

SPARTINA ALTERNIFLORA LIFE CYCLE *

1870 Marsh

Low marsh

Tidal flat

(Appalachian Hemlock-Hardwood)

Maritime Forest (Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern)

Dune and Swale (Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain) Fresh

DESIGN STRATEGY

Phase 3 2100 Biomass with algae and spartina for bioelectricity, elevated residential housing to form marshes and human symbiosis

Phase 1 2025: Open up part of the peninsula to introduce sediment, soften the boundary, add marsh sediment adsorption facilities such as oyster castle, establish Spartina nursery

Phase 2 2050: Further softening of boundaries, sediment accumulation, marsh restoration, increased tourism facilities

Sediment collects outside the bay inaccessible to the bay to replenish the marsh

OTHER WORKS

Selected From 2018-2022 projects

AMPHIBIOUS CITY

Residential Areas Under epidemic conditions

HUST Architecture Studio

2021 Spring

Site: Wuhan, China

Group Work/ Academic Work

Collaborator: Xu Yaoxin, Hong Fangdong, Cai Wenzhuo, Li Xuejing

Awarded for 2021 Tian Hua Architecture Competition (Honorable Mentions)

Exhibition of Architectural Design in Developing Countries 2021 (Bronze Award)

DAVINCI BRIDGE

Community installations

TIME RESORT

Renovation of Elini Railway Station

HUST Architecture Studio

2021 Spring

Site: Wuhan, China

Instructor: Chen Qiuyu

Group Work/ Academic Work

Collaborator: Dong Chao

Awarded for Wuhan Community Renovation Competition (Construction Award)

HUST Architecture Studio

2021 Summer

Site: Elini, Italy

Instructor: Lei Jingjing

Group Work/ Academic Work

Collaborator: Cai Wenzhuo, Li Ruoxi

Awarded for Young Architects Competition (HONORABLE MENTIONS)

The new station is a linear space which interact with the old buildings and the site. Arriving at the station, tourists are able to take a quick glance at this time-honored town or enjoy a leisure time at the cafeteria and outdoor theater. If they intend to explore Elini thoroughly, three different paths are designed for them to choose.

This culture station is hoped to be not only a transfer station for tourists, but also a wonderful depiction of Sardinian culture, and Elini will be known as a land of idyllic beauty.

COMMUNICATING GREENHOUSE

Student and Faculty Service Center Renovation

HUST Architecture Studio

2022 Spring

Site: Wuhan, China

Instructor: Chen Hong

Group Work/ Academic Work

Collaborator: Dong Chao

The project is a renewal project for an old student and faculty service center, which was originally closed to each other due to the boundary of several building spaces, and the activities within the site were relatively passive, and a large area of public space was in a very low accessibility.

This project is expected to break the barriers between people's activities by using new spaces to break the original closed building interface, and create a positive and complex state of mutual communication.