Portfolio of Yuedong Lin Selected Work 2015-2019
One of the first things I learned in architecture school was that a building was the result of the analysis of the site, whose uniqueness in many cases lead to the difference and variation in the final design. However, in reality sometimes we are told otherwise that the site is no longer necessarily the decisive factor of design, that the architecture itself can be self-explaining. It is more like creating a site inside a building than building something on the site. In this way, site is no longer an essential element and architects are freed to explore their own subjectivity in design. However, once we accept that a building can be a vessel for the architect’s own philosophy, self-plagiarism seems to become plausible and justifiable. In a sense, a design free from site and context is free from the judgment based on its significance to the site and even the culture background. Erasing its contextual implication indicates that architects get to be the private owner of their own work. When we are cheering for the same curve that SANAA’s Grace Farm in New Canaan, Connecticut and its “Junko Fukutake Terrace” café on Okayama University’s tsushima campus share, and the façades that Kengo Kuma's Museum of Folk Art in Hangzhou and his Zhi Art Museum in Chengdu have in common, are we promoting an ethos that a certain feature in architecture that distinguishes it from other fields of design can be abandoned, reducing it to merely an art work that accommodates people? What is architecture today? Has its boundary expanded? Or is there boundary at all?
The Continuous Mountain, Superstudio, 1969
C O N T E N T
I Rebuilding & Co-living
1-20
A Waterfront Housing Strategy in Tianxing Island, China
II Phasing & Regenerating
21-36
A Vision for The Future of The Ceramic Factory in Loveno-Mombello, Italy
III Customizing & Incubating
37-48
An Experiment on Young Residents' Life in A Mega-city
IV Disintergrating & Reorganizing
49-60
A Proposal for A Community Center in A Campus-Residential Arena
V Other Work
61-64
1
Rebuilding & Co-living
A Waterfront Housing Strategy in Tianxing Island, China 2017 UA Competition Group Work with Fuxing Wu and Yuxin Li Instructor Assistant Prof. Jianyu Chen (jychen@whut.edu.cn) 2017.12 Individually Redesigned 2019.10
"We are therefore trying to construct what we think is a happy community by securing the happiness not of a select minority, but of a whole."
----- Plato
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I. FAR: Average Ratio Taken from Surrounding Residential Area
Farm
School
Wholesale Market
Factory
Hospital
Tianxing Island: an island in the middle of three types of residential areas The site is located on Tianxing Island in the center of Yangtze River in Wuhan, China. The project aims at renewing the living condition in the waterfront area in order to maintain previous residents and at the same time attract more settlers. Three housing types currently exist around the site, namely the indigenous village on Tianxing Island, the apartments distributed to workers engaged in steel making in the 1990s in the Wuchang area to the south of the site, and the newly built modern community in the Hanyang area to the north of the site.
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Park
[Research] Derivating FAR from Three Existing Housing Types
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1980s-2000s FAR=0.8-1.2
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Sp ac e
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Sp ac e pe n
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1960s-1980s FAR=0.5-1.5
2000s-2020s FAR=1.8=2.5
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Pl Mo an de ni rn ng
Tr a Pl diti an o ni na ng l
Among the three existing housing types there are different spatial patterns and circulations, which are inherently built on the different relationships between their residents. All these differences lead to different FARs. The goal is to find an average FAR for this neighbourhood and set it as the FAR for the new community.
[Proposal] Spacial Prototypes with FAR≈1.35 Based on the FAR which has been determined to fall into the threshold between 1.2 to 1.5, a number of spacial prototypes conforming to it are derived. Then the selection should be made to identify the ones that show potential of forming a relationship with the waterfront area next to the site.
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II. Living Space: Two Scales for Two Types of Activities [Local Life] Two Types of Activities Based on the research on the daily life of the current residents on the island and the nature of their activities, eight human activities are categorized into two groups: daily essential activities and life improving activities. Different activities take up different time span along each day and vary in the number of people engaged in terms of weekdays and weekends.
Bathing Interest Cultivating Indoor Entertaining Goods Selling Sleeping Exercising Cooking & Eating Getting Together
Weekdays
Daily Essential Activities
Weekends
Life Improving Activities
[Communal Space] Interest Cultivating & Goods Selling & Exercsing & Getting Together For the purpose of improving the life quality of the neibourhood, 4 blocks with respective functions are inserted into the building layout. Meanwhile, the entire spatial relationship among floors are changed, along with the inserted blocks, creates each of their own communal atmosphere. Residents are free to choose their own living area for their convenience and interest.
Housing Communal Space Circulation&Open Space
Housing Communal Space Circulation&Open Space
Different Housing Types
Different Housing Types
Retail Market
Gathering Center
In the market section, the market is surrounded by living units, creating a centripetal space where all the tradings activities are focused by the residents pssing by.
In the gathering section, one of the staircases penetrates the main body. Several f loors reach out, in the front of the center creating different levels of semi-outer space.
Housing Communal Space Circulation&Open Space
Housing Communal Space Circulation&Open Space
Different Housing Types
Different Housing Types
Meditation Hall
Gallery
In the meditation section, the central hall is surrounded by a runway, with houses scattered around, creating a meditating atmosphere like being in a man-made jungle.
In the gallery section, the gallery penetrates the houses, stretching to the river. A spiral staircase is hanged on the west side of the gallery as a intersection of the void between the structures with the gallery.
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[Basic Units] Sleeping & Cleaning & Indoor Entertaining & Cooking+Eating Different units with respective functions are set to meet the daily basic requirements including sleeping, cleaning, indoor entertainment, and cooking and eating. Each unit is 2500mmĂ—5000mm in size. Units with the same function can vary in their interior furnishings in order to conform to different circulations (horizontal/vertical/mixed) when combined together.
B1
B2
B3
B4
Prototype
L1
B5
B6
T2
T3
B7
B8
K1
K2
Bedroom
L2
L3
L4
T1
Living Room
Bathroom
Kitchen & Dining Room
[Combinations] Combinations of Basic Units Based on The Local Population&Age Structure
Population
5 Members
3 Members
4 Members
Couple
Based on the information above, 10 combination plans are proposed, intended to serve current various family compositions on the island. The combinations varys in orientation, as some contain vertical circulations with additional staircases while some spread horizontally on the same floor.
Age Single
According to the chart on the left, the newly-born and young people are less in number comparing to people of other ages. Besides, the chart also manifests the distribution of the family status of the people in each age group.
Single 1 B6+T3+K2
Single 2 B7+L1+T1+K2
Single 3 B5+L3+T1+K2
Couple 1 B1+L4+T2+K2
Couple 2 B3+L3+T2+K2
2+1 Family: Parents + A Little Kid B4+B5+L4 +T2+K2
2+1 Family: Parents + An Older Kid B3+B7+L2 +T2+T2+K2
2+2 Family: Parents + Two Children B2+B5+B6 +L3+T1+K1
2+2 Family: A Couple + An Older Couple B2+B3+L3 +T2+T3+K1
2+2+1 Family: Parents + One Kid + An Older Couple B3+B4+B8 +L3+T1+T2+K1
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A
Combinations
Tetris Stacking
Living Units
Platforms
Communal Spaces
Staircases
5F 4F 3F 2F 1F Scattered Entrances
The basic method of combining the units is to stack different combinations together in a Tetris way, creating a vertical system where the entrances of the combinations are scattered among different floors. And sometimes, imperfect tetris stacking also leads to gaps between houses where activities could take place
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A
Third Floor Plan There are four communal spaces penetrating the structures, each can be entered at different floors. The Retail Market is entered through the opening at the bottom of the structure where the ground floor slightly sinks to form a sunken square. There are also stairs at both sides that connects the space with adjacent corridors. The Gallery, meanwhile, is also opened at the ground floor, welcomed by a set of stairs going up to the main exhibition area.
Fourth Floor Plan
The Meditation Hall opens at the second floor. A vertical staircase is set in the middle of the hall going up, connecting all three floors on the inside. The Community Center can be entered at the fourth floor. But it is also accessible by one of the staircases on the north of the building and stairs at its both sides.
Second Floor Plan
A-A Section 8
Han River
III. Water's Edge: Different Landscapes Created by Serpentine Shoreline at Different Waterline Levels
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Level Period Flood Period
Tianxing Island The Yangluo Bridge
The Tianxing Island Bridge Xin River
The Twenty-seventh Bridge Zhujia River
The Second Yangtze River Bridge
Jiangtan Complex
Mountain Gui The First Yangtze River Bridge
Male Female
The East Lake
Wuhan Iron&Steel Work Zone
Yellow Crane Tower
Baisha Island
Yangtze River
The YingwuIslnad Bridge Guiyuan Temple
The Baisha Island Bridge
Dry Period
0-20
Contour Embankment Scale T he T ia n x i n g Island at present orginated from the Tianxing Beach near Qingshan District in the mid19th century.
Since 1954, Tianxing Island has been flooded for more than 10 times. It has since been identified as strategic location for flood control.
Population Change Curve The Highest Water Level Every Year
The remediation planning work for the Yangtz River-Wuhan section was first proposed by Mr. Sun Yat-sen in the early 1920s.
Due to the water impact, Tianxing Island continued to drift downstream. By the time of the construction of the Second Yangtze River Bridge in 1989, it was aligned with Yujiatou District.
Since the 1970s, the relevant departments have conducted several research projects on remediating the Wuhan section.
During the 1998 severe flood disaster, the Tianxing Island was once completely submerged in the Yangtze River.
I n 1 9 9 3 , s eve ra l departments in Wuhan each proposed different plans for the development of Tianxing Island .
By May 2004, the Tianxing Isla nd da m was completed.
21-40
41-60
61-80
On December 26, 2009, the Tianxing Bridge was completed and opened to traffic.
At the end of August 2017, the Tianxing Ramp was opened to traffic.
In 2011, Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Land Resources and Planning conducted a detailed and controlled plan for Tianxing Island.
In 1999, the re n ova t i o n project of the L o n g w a n g In May 2006, the construction of the Three Gorges Dam Temple was was completed, effectively solving the flood problem launched. during the flood season in the Yangtze River.
Uncertain Future: where is this flood-prone area going in its post-reinforcement time ? 9
Age
[Typology of Waterfront Structures] Different Structures for Different Contact with Water & People Different types of structures are designed for people to experience different types of contact with water. For each type, there are three dimensions to explain the experiences of people, which are how physically close they are to water, how likely for people to pause, and how likely people would interact.
Contact with Water
Pausing Space
Interpersonal Contact
[Envisaged Scenarios] Seasonal Activities Generated by Waterfront Structures Together, the eight types of waterfront structures form a changing shoreline with a serpentine figure. In different seasons, as the water rises, the interface between water and the shoreline will take on different forms. Since there are various traditional activities at all seasons on the Tianxing Island, the changing interface provides local people with space for them to take place.
Watching plays
Playing with water
Releasing water lamps
Attending temple fairs
Flying kongming lanterns
Playing by the fountain
Catching Craps
Setting out fireworks
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
A Proposal: changing seasonal shoreline as a new way of waterfront life for more permanent settlers 10
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12
An Inward Space for Trading and Social Activities The inward space brings more contact between residents in the corridors and the ones that is walking around in the market, creating a harmonious social space full of trading and communicating.
13
Scattered Layers of Collective Interactions With the giant communal space inserted into them, floors are hollowed out in different places, creating a layered spacial relationship where residents get to witness various activities happening simultaneously on each floor.
14
An Exploring Journey amidst The Fragmented Arrangement of Houses The fragmented arrangement of housing units is aimed at creating a unique spatial experience where people inside the structure only have a glimpse of the environment outside, through which they slowly sink into endless meditation. By climbing up into the top of the meditation hall, the whole view will be revealed, at which point an exploring journey is complete.
15
A Stepped Space Towards The Water Living in the space that faces the water, residents are provided with a life that involves the tide cycle. Everyday they have the chance to witness the rising and falling of river as a natural event, to feel the closiness of the physical world, and to co-live with the water, the thing that used to be the nightmare of this island.
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Eye Contacts
Courtyards
A fantastic experience emerges when people in different parts of the building, the ones in the central market, the ones on the sunken square on the ground, and the ones in their houses, see each other through the windows.
There are different courtyards opened for sunlight to come in to the houses that also provide space where people can mingle and enjoy the breeze coming from the river.
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Stilted Structures
Compact Neighborhood
Some of the first floor is emptied out with stilted structures left that creates a open first floor for free walking. A special moment comes when people look up to the elevated houses and communal spaces through pillars and cantilevered platforms.
In some parts of the building where houses are arranged in an compact form, people are living closer to each other. Public space on the roof is highly shared by residents and all activities are taking place in this place that is opened to the water.
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Courtyards: open spaces among the compact neighborhood Among this seemingly compact cluster of houses lies several open spaces. The contrast between the tightly packed neighborhood and the open courtyards gives the building a nature that drives the residents to gather together in these areas, forming a scenario with multiple ways of communication in which people see, hear, feel and respond to each other and to the nature.
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Phasing & Regenerating A Vision for The Future of The Ceramic Factory in Loveno-Mombello, Italy Young Architect Competition 2019 Individual Work 2019.10
"It seems to me plain that all the elements for the urban implosion were present and that the city, in one form or another, perfor med its special function-that of complex receptacle for maximizing the possibilities of human intercourse and passing on the contents of civilization."
----- Lewis Mumford
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I. A Project Generated by Local Events
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Laveno-Mombello: once a major town for ceramic industry, now a port town with several short-term festivals Laveno-Mombello used to be a indurtry town specialized in ceramic making while now it has become a necessary port town for international tourism through the Navigazione del Lago Maggiore Line towards Switzerland and all the cities around the Lake Maggiore. Two railway lines meet in Laveno: terminus of the Ferrovie Nord Milano, and transit station for the Ferrovie dello Stato connected on one side with the Gallarate-Milan and the Laveno-Novara, on the other with the Laveno-Luino-Bellinzona..
Today, with the help of the Internet, lots of information of the activities held in the town, along with the whole Lake Maggiore arena has been able to be spread far beyond Province Varese, attracting people from Italy and even across the world.
>1month
Time Span
1month 2weeks 1week 3days 0
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Number of Participants
Apart from being a port town with multiple means of transportation, Laveno-Mombello is a host for various public activities, from festivals to exhibitions, whether organized by the government or citizens.
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[Research] Public Events around Laveno-Mombello The site is located in one of the abandoned ceramic factories in Laveno-Mombello. To the east of the site lies the Ferrovie dello Stato which provides easy access to tourists. Besides, it is located in the center of the entire town, about three blocks (600 meters) away from the port. Since the Maggiore Lake arena is a popular tourist destination for various public activities during the tourist season (from late April to early August), there is an opportunity for this abandened structure to develop into a temporary event-holder.
Food Festival
Music Festival
Beer Festival
Apr. 28th | May 1st
June 23rd | July 5th
Sep. 17th
Firework Show
Boat-lighting Show
Circus Show
July 20th | July 4th
Apr. 29th | July 30th
Mar. 4th | Mar. 30th
Painting & Sculpture Exhibition
Car Exhibition
Pottery Exhibition
Sep. 21st | Sep. 24th
July 1st | July 4th
Aug. 26th | Aug. 30th
Funny Games
Children's Park
Summer Solstice Celebration
Sep. 25th
Aug. 31st | Sep. 3rd
June 21st
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II. Tear It Down, or Keep It? How Much Should Be Maintained? 1927 1922
The Italian general strike of October 1922 was a general strike against Benito Mussolini’s power-grab with the March on Rome.
The municipality Laveno-Mombello was f ormally formed to encompass the previously separated centers of Laveno, Mombello and Cerro.
1907
1856
1980
The entire Lavenese ceramic industry was owned by SAI. In the same year, the Revelli ceramics was closed.
1974
1990
Bone china porcelain production was launched.
The entire Lavenese ceramic industry was owned by Richard-Ginori.
Fascist 20 Years
Revelli left the company and founded Ceramica Revelli.
1982
1885
Luciano Scotti was pointed as supervisor of the factory. He was also elected as mayor during 1924 to 1934.
The previous Società Ceramica CCR took the name of Società Ceramica Italiana. 1883
Luciano Scotti founded the Professional School for Ceramists, headed by Ambrogio Nicolini.
1943
The national baker strike started on June 22.
Caspani, Carnelli and Revelli founded the CCR in the new f actor y Vetreria Franzosini, on the lakeside.
1950
The new warehouse Magazzini Generali Del Ponte was connected to the railway.
1926
1916
1952
The production at Ceramica Lago ceased.
Società Ceramica Italiana was annexed by the company Richard-Ginori.
1965
Af ter various f inancial problems and changes of ownership, all the production ceased.
1997
Some Employees moved to the new factory Porcelanas Verbano in Rosario Argentina.
History: the shifting ownership leads to various differences in the structure 1920-1926 The Railway Thanks to the development of railway transportation in Laveno, the general warehouse of Del Ponte was connected to the railway branch in 1926. Along with the new railway came two railway platforms that allowed workers to transporting raw materials for ceramic and porcelain making.
Keep the base of the railway platforms. Tear Down the shed.
1916-1920 The Warehouse After Luciano Scotti was pointed as supervisor of the factory in 1916, he then led the construction of the Del Ponte warehouse. Architect Andlovitz was artistic director of the building. This warehouse is now in disrepair due to a long-time neglect.
Dismantle the f irstfloor warehouse. Retain part of the roofs.
1885-1916 Piero Portaluppi In 1885, after Revelli left the company and founded Ceramica Revelli, he initiated the construction of the fourth factory in Laveno, which was the origin of the site. The first ceramic plant, along with its eclectic-style concierge and administrative buildings were designed by architect Piero Portaluppi.
Strategy: remove structures with no historical value or usefullness 25
Maintain the entire eclectic building. Remove the facade of the factory. Keep the reinforcedconcrete structure.
III. Concept: From Ephemeral to Permanent 1982-2020 Abandoned A 20-year-old Deserted Structure Due to a long time without use and maintenance, some of the structures of the old factory have now become dirty and unstable. Therefore, in order to eliminate the possibility of the callapse of certain fragile part which may cause injuries, the government orders to tear down certain part of the building, leaving the stable main structure untouched.
2020-2025 Seeding Spontaneous Local Events There are numorous local public events that are looking for open space big enough to contain a great number of people. The open space that has been cleared out serves the purpose. Therefore, more and more event organizers start sharing this place for various events, from food festivals to musical concer ts, from public exhibitions to traditional celebrations.
2025-2030 Programming The Renovated Building Being a constant holder for local festivals and celebrations and being at an advantageous position next to the train station provide the structure with a potential for business investing. The government introduces funds that help renovate the remaining structures and then leases the space to different businesses, creating a capital circuit that runs this place sustainably.
2030-2035 Adapting More Public Spaces & Infrastructures Now that the old factory has transformed into a modern complex, a need for more space for public activities rises. The investors, therefore, seek to re-introduce local events back into the space by building parks and infrastructures and adding landscapes. In this way, the old factory becomes a container that holds not only various businesses but also various parks and landscapes for public activities.
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2020
A 20-year-old Deserted Structure
2025
Spontaneous Local Events
Four Stages 27
2030
The Renovated Building
2035
More Public Spaces & Infrastructures
s of Phasing 28
IV. How can a defunct factory transform into a new urban neighborhood that generates new capital circuit and benefits the city?
Traditional Ceramic Industry Water Transportation Railway Transportation Service Industry Housing Renting Business Sponsored Events Industry in Laveno-Mombello Industry in Adjacent Cities
Rise & Fall: the replacement from secondary industry to tertiary industry Since the ceramic industry, along with several related manufacturing industries in Laveno-Mombello died down, the income of this city has been dependent mainly on its transportation as a transit station both on water and railway. Seasonal festivals also attract visitors to stay, providing a certain amout of income, mostly from hotels, food selling and souvenir selling. Due to the nature of its function as a transit hub, few tourists choose here as their destination. Although the organizers have been posting about their events on social media, they are scattered around the city, faling to form a tourist culture that can be a brand that attracts investment and tourism. Therefore, a multifunctional structure seems to be needed that serve both the tourists and local citizens and at the same time present space for all sorts of public activities, organizing them as a brand to the city.
Restaurant
Citizen Center
Gym
Market
Hotel
Amenity
Exhibition
Community Camp Site
Ceramics Workshop Ceramic Factory Tourism
Tertiary Industry
History Handicraft Industry
Three Dimensions: Tourism, History and the Community 29
- Kiln Room - Market
- Workshop - Exhibition - Community Center
- Kiosk - Hotel - Restaurant
- Storage - Administrative Offices - Watch Tower - Restroom
Inserting Programs 30
Pale-yellow Plaster Red Tile Grey Plaster
310
Brick Wall
150 90
A B C
350
D E
200
F
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Facade The structure of the ceramic facrory is to be mostly preserved, while the facade ought to be removed due to its damage degree. Therefore, new facade needs to be applied. The new facade is mostly covered with bricks, with large floor-to-ceiling windows, increasing the indoor lighting.
A B C D E F G H I
Vapor Barrier 100mm Mineral Wood Insulation Layer 240mm Brick Wall 115mm Brick Facade 35mm Gap 200mm×450mm Concrete Beam 25mm Brick Tile Aluminum Sliding Windows Suspended Ceiling
A
B
C D E
F
Roof The design retains the triangular roof and adds more triangular features into the structure. New dormer windows are added in the front of the elevator shaft with louvers applied on the outside. Under the roof is a shared space where sunlight casts down through the shutters.
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A B C D E F
Corrugated Steel Plate 40mm×200mm Louver Rectangular Steel IPE 80mm×46mm I-beam 200mm×200mm Concrete Beam 15mm Roughened Glass
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Concierge Parking Lot Administrative Offices Hotel Front Desk Kitchen Restaurant Gym Central Hall Community Center Market Restroom Kiosk Sunken Square Elevated Walkway Storage Exhibition Square
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First Floor Plan 32
Walkway Ă— Remained Structure
The corridor goes through a remained wall above a newly dug pond. The L-shaped structures of the warehouse, which was exposed after the wall had been torn down, now hover above the corridor, casting linear shadows under the sun.
Gallery Ă— Factory Building
The gallery intersects with the facotory building. Since the place of the building where the intersection takes place is a museum of pottery history in Laveno-Mombello, the gallery is also designed to serve the purpose of exhibitions, especially for temporary ones.
33
The old train platforms extend out, transforming into two intertwined corridors, reaching across the site, creating a new spatial experience
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A Day of Elena and Lorenzo The Italian couple Elena and Lorenzo are from Milan. They recently traveled to Loveno-Mombello for its rising fame as a place for various events. Here’s a day of them in this multi-functional complex. Here between the old walls and roofs, and the newly installed serpentine structures, spontaneous events are happening, reflecting the industrial past, regenerating a way of urban life as a shared place for all neighborhoods. Through the darkness and brightness of shadows cast down, history is felt, by its nearness and distance.
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Customizing & Incubating An Experiment on Young Residents' Life in A Mega-city UIA-HYP Cup 2018 International Student Competition in Architectural Design Group Work with Mingyu Li 2018.9 Individually Revised 2019.12
“Architecture never touches the great themes, the fundamental themes of our lives. Architecture remains at the edge of our life, and intervenes only at a certain point in the process, usually when behavior has already been codified, furnishing answers to rigidly stated problems. (...) It then becomes an act of coherence, or a last try at salvation, to concentrate on the re-definition of the primary acts, and to examine, in the first instance, the relationships between architecture and these acts.�
----- Superstudio, 1972
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An Advocation for A Highly Densified Mega Structure Destructed City
Destroyed Civilization
Homeless Citizens
Metabolism was developed during the post-war period in Japan that questioned its cultural identity. Although Metabolism rejected visual references from the past[1], they embraced concepts of prefabrication and renewal from traditional Japanese architecture. The advantage of prefabricated building system were enthusiastically appropriated by japanese architects that were facing the rebuilding of the nation after the defeat and destruction of many Japanese cities with millions of homeless citizens after the second world war[2]. The Tower-Shaped Community is one of the new types of architecture emerging during that period that well represented the Metabolism manifesto. It was an idea created by Kiyonori Kikutake that the apartment, as a Plug-in capsule, could be inserted into a supporting tower, which was a giant concrete core. This superstructure in the middle of the core served as the communal space. The supporting system, the communal structure, and the individual capsules can be seen as separated elements which can be independently added or removed. [1] Goldhagen and Legault (2000), Pg 289 [2] R. Broodhurst(ed.), Pg 32
Idealized Community for Today? Maybe Not
Marine City Kiyonori Kikutake, 1958
Plug-in City Peter Cook, 1964
Skopje Plans Kenzo Tange, 1965
However, in today’s perspective, the giant structures advocated in the manifesto may no longer be applicable. In fact, some of the ideas in the Mega-city run counter to the architectural ideas generally accepted in contemporary times. They focus too much on the idea of prefabricated mobile capsules and high densified collective living, while over-simplify the impact of social activities and the proper space for them. High Intensity, Simple Function An universally adopted concept of mega-structure is that the community needs to be compact in order to generate social interactions. However, high density does not necessarily lead to effectiveness in neither living nor interacting. In the contrast, arrangement with too much intensity and too simple a function(mostly for residential purposes) diminishes the quality of a neighborhood.
Plain Circulation, No Pause Multifunctional transportation system is also a key element in the mega-city and its buildings. The mixing of all circulaiton, no doubt, brings eff iciency to commuting, but the simple route from public transporting core to the individual capsules also cuts down the possibilities for random events. A circulation with no pause undermines the building as a vessel for social interactions.
Enclosed Structure, Limited Open Space In order to ensure the best lighting condition, the living capsules are usually located in the outer area of high-rise buildings, while the public space is located more in the core area of the structure. This living-oriented design renders the open space as an inferior factor that can be put into the extra space of a structure, which omits the importance of natural lighting to open space as part of the life in a community.
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Inspiration: From A Cylinder to A Ring A giant concrete cylinder is a common architectural language in Metabolism, where the transportation or circulation systems are set in the core and then mobile living capsules are placed around the structure, accordingly forming a round plan. While the effect of this vertical, highly densified living system is to be questioned, the circle element that the Metabolist architects introduced, however, manifests a fantasy of the harmonious atmosphere to be created inside the building as a result of human interactions between residents. Therefore, in the new design, the vertical structure is pushed down and transformed into a low-density neighborhood. To keep the circle element, the linear buildings are connected and shaped into a ring, creating a continuous space with a horizontal circulation in the core, by which there are more chances for residents to reach every part of the building and as many others as possible.
Isolated Cylinders
Laying Down
Low-density Community
Bending
Connected End to End
"Inhabitants of the Tower and the people in the vicinity of the Tower will send their sincere and warmful congratulations for the starting of a new life of a fresh couple when they observe the lifting of new unit." "A huge concrete cylinder will make a pleasant atmosphere in the neighborhood."
------ Kiyonori Kikutake, 1960[3] [3] Koolhaas, Obrist, Pg 360
Recreation: Metabolizing Layer by Layer Inter-interest 3F Zones Interest Zones 2F +Housing 1F Open Stores
Metabolism sees architecture as a growing cluster where an amalgam of events happens. With the occupants replacing and growing, the building, as the vessel, witness time and change, evolving beyond a concrete structure into a organism that metabolizes as a living creature. We seek to recreate this idea of self-evolving architecture by introducing metabolism, but instead of a giant high-rise that includes numerous living units, we focus more on a public-oriented community with rather lower FAR. As the building being stratified into three layers, different levels of social interactions with different objects are clearly separated as the relationship of inside & Outside the building, within the same cluster, and inter-cluster.
In & Out
Within Cluster
Cluster to Cluster
The first floor is intended as a place for the interactions between the residents that live inside the building and the social members from the outside. It is defined as the first level of metabolism that is on the basis of the building and the surrounding environment.
The second floor is designed for the interactions between the people from the same interest zone as most of the specified structures are installed on this floor. Here, people observe, share and discuss about their collective interest for new inspirations and fun.
The third floor is a place for the interactions among people from different interest zones. It is a self-evolving process happening purely within the building as it is not about the outside world but an interest exchanging current that flows among zones.
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[Introduction] The Trending Loop ----- An Online-customized Modern Community What we are trying to create is a universally applicable mega-structure that is designed to meet the need of the young work force rising from every city, embracing their living styles as part of the architectural feature, and attracting them to stay by providing a testing ground for their pursuit of future career possibilities. Based on this idea, the ring-shaped building is divided into 12 different interest blocks where people would be provided with a chance to find others with the same interest and to live with them in the same block, which, provided with time, would form its own user cluster. The building can be customized through an app/website. Users are free to choose, first, the city that they live in, and second, the interest zone that they are fond of, and the last which is the housing type that best suits their spending level.
[Step 1] Choose Your City
SITE
Second Floor Plan
Congratulations! You’ve chosen the city Wuhan. The Building in Wuhan is located in the center of Jiang’an District. It faces the Yangtze River on the southeast, provideing beautiful scenery and closeness to nature. Wuhan Tiandi Shopping Center is surrounded by the community, stimulating the vitality of the neibourhood, generating more opportunities for communication for young people living around it.
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[Step 2] Choose Your Interest Zone
Zone #1
Zone #2
Zone #3
Zone #4
The Gym
The Game Center
The Theatre
The Restaurant & Bar
Programs with different functions for sports are put into this zone such as overhead runway, basketball courts, yoga classrooms. This zone serves the ones whose prioritized goal is to keep fit and healthy.
There is an artificial mountain with indoor climbing facilities in this zone, along with several computer game equippment. This zone aims at people at a younger age who are still holding on to their childhood memory while entering the society.
The part of the ring which the theatre is located in lies in the commercial area in the city, which attracts a lot of customers to come here for the movies. The zone is equipped with a projection room and several editing rooms.
Next to the theatre is the restaurant & bar. This zone, like the previous one, also provides incoming customers with services. It provides semi-open rooms for gathering and self-catering equippment for the food-crazy residents here to improvise.
Zone #5
Zone #6
Zone #7
Zone #8
Library
Museum
Concert Hall
Gallery
Lots of rooms with arched doors are across this zone, intended for readers to have a private space while reading in public. Giant book shelves extend the first floor to the third, with long continuous stairs attached to it.
Individual exhibition rooms are set across the museum zone. The central square is equipped with a naked eye VR, projecting objects of different themes 24/7. This is a zone that exhibits high technology and current trend.
There is a two-story-high auditorium in the middle, with several open bars and recording rooms on both sides. Music is the thing that never disappear in this area. Small mucial concerts are set up here all the time.
A series of archs supports the structure in this zone. They serve as structural as well as ornamental element for the unique spatial experience they create.
Zone #9
Zone #10
Zone #11
Zone #12
Grocery
Laboratory
Design Studio
Auditorium
This zone is connected to the local market, it experiments on an amalgam of two incompatible elements in social life: private living and public trading. People may choose to live here as it might not be convenient for them to go too far to the maket.
Given the nature of the city Wuhan that has a lot of universities, a special laboratory is set up in the building. Students from every university are welcome to use this facility to conduct their reseaches and experiments.
For every city, there is a rising force of young artists. This zone is intended for these people, offering them a shared design studio that comes with their apartment. The Mobius-ring-shaped walls across the zone separate the area into several parts, some public, some rather private.
Next to the design zone comes the auditorius that is mostly used as runway shows and other events relating to design and fashion. People in the fashion industry are welcomed in this neighborhood.
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[Step 3] Choose Your Boxes There are different housing type with different monthly price listed on the website for selection. The houses are only installed at the second floor on an external mobile rail system attached to the ring. Each is equipped with basic housing elements such as a bed, a bathroom, a living room set and a study set. The house with a bed and a bathroom comes with the price of ÂĽ500 each, an extra study set comes with another ÂĽ300. The more boxes are added, the cheaper the price for each function will be. Cooking and dining, along with other indoor entertainment sets are put into boxes, placed at the third floor for they are activities involving communications between people. The boxes with communal functions are free to all users of the building.
[Step 4] Want to Change Your Location? If the user would like to change his/her interest zone after checking in, they can make a reservation for moving their house on the website or app. Place an Order
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Break up
Deliver on Rail
Recombine
Relocate
After entering the reservation interface, all they have to do is type in their current interest zone, the zone they want to move to, their house type, the date and time they plan for moving, and then click Submit and everything will be settled just as wished.
Zone #10
Laboratory The second floor is divided into several cubes because of the strict requirements of some experiments, such as cleaning, equipment storage and experimental material storage. The curving walls and separated little cubes form a unique spatial pattern that walking among them is like an adventure in a maze.
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Zone #1
Gym Second Floor Viewed from The Middle of The Ring The third floor in the gym zone is reduced to only a running track that hovers above the second floor. The roof is a glass ceiling supported by steel frame. The abundant sunlight makes it a pleasant experience to participate in outdoor activities here.
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Zone #9
Grocery Elevation Viewed from The Inner Side of The Ring The inner space is divided by walls into several cubes and rented out to shop owners. The central staircase connects all three floors. Big billboards are hanged above the path in the middle, with shops opening on both sides. You can hear sellers hawking for their goods. It is a zone full of vigor and livelihood.
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Zone #5
Library Second Floor Viewed from The Middle of The Ring Residents from both sides who are fond of reading usually get together for book reading meetings. They can either join the meetings in the central public space, or form several smaller groups and have a rather more private conversation in the reading rooms with arched doors on both sides of The Ring. Here, everyone’s interest can be fully expressed, shared and recognized.
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Zone #8
Gallery Elevation Viewed from The Inner Side of The Ring With the shadows cast down and the view of city blocked by the archs, people slowly sink into meditation when going through the endless hallway. The art work that are displayed on both sides are from the local residents and the curators that are attracted by the fame of this special gallery that lies in a community.
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Disintergrating & Reorganizing A Proposal for A Community Center in A Campus-Residential Arena Academic Studio Design Individual Work Insructor Associate Prof. Hongjie Xie (+86 13807131488) 2017.11 Individually Redesigned 2019.8
"Architecture is science, is technology, is geography, is typography, is anthropology, is sociology, is art, is history. You know all this comes together. Architecture is also a very polluted art in the sense that it's polluted by life, and by the complexity of things."
----- Renzo Piano
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Community
Campus
Mono-functional
Multifunctional
Residential Buildings
Library Classrooms Laboratory Staff Offices Administrative Offices Dining Hall Multi-service Auditorium Back of House
Organizied Buildings Parks Lawns Roads
Decentralized Buildings Public Squares Lawns & Sidewalks Roads
Single Users Families
Multiple Users Students
Office Workers
Faculty Campus Workers
Duality: Confrontation of Two Existing Patterns
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[Concept] Transformation of Typology in Transect
Community
Site
Campus
The site is located on the side Luoyu Road that passes between two campuses of a university. There are also numerous residential areas around. A space is needed here in order to accomondate two ways of life through a typology that represent a transition from a campus plan to a community plan.
[Reference] Mumbo Jumbo, 2008 (Mehretu Julie) Geometric shapes, fragmented diagrams and billowing clouds of intricate marks fill the surface of this canvas, while flashes of purple, blue and gold add to the cacophony of line and color. Mahretu's chaotic composition are achieved by laboriously building up layers of acrylic paint, which are then overlaid with pencil, pen and ink drawings. Working intuitively, she sometimes erases sections, adding more layers until achieving the desired result. But Mehretu's paintings are more than random collections of color and form: th ey refer to the accelerated pace of modern city life. The language of architecture is a central concern, and fragments of maps, plans and buildings are often included alongside references to twentieth-century art movements, such as Futurism and Constructivism. Working on a vast scale, Mehretu's painting convey a sense of time and space becoming compressed into single images; they are monuments to the bewildering pace of contemporary urban experience.[1] [1] The Twenty First Century Art Book, Pg 173
[New Type] Extracting Elements and Recombining in Layers Community
Campus
Combination
In-between Space
Community
Campus
Combination
Indoor Space
Community
Campus
Combination
Circulation
A clear pattern can be observed in both the campus plan and the community plan. Therefore, by deconstructing the characteristics of both sites into three dimensions, namely indoor space, inbetween space, and circulation, they can be extracted and combined with each other to form new patterns that represent the transformation in transect. And by applying different elements layer by layer, the final plan layout is formed.
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Community Campus Scenic spot
Wuhan: A City With A High Population and Multiple Universities Wuhan has always been known for its large population and great number of universities. Old residents and college students constitute the main group of population in the city. But the difference in age makes the life of these two groups of people incompatible, forming two sets of independent life circles.
A Neighborhood with A Mixed Type of Population 53
Entertainment
Cafe
Exercising
Faculty Office Worker
Reading Rm.
Reading
Meditation Rm.
Meditation
Water Bar Meeting Rm.
Get-together
Campus Worker
Care Center
Off-campus Classes The Retired
Community Activities Health Care
Children
Senior Center Classroom Playing Rm. Community Off. Auditorium
Art Family
Privacy
Gym
Gallery Restaurant
Eating Out
Storage Rm.
Passer-by
Storage
Workers' Lounge
User
Need
Space
[1] Storage Room [2] Meditation Room [3] Reading Room [4] Gym [5] Care Center [6] Classroom [7] Workers' Lounge [8] Senior Center
Luminosity
Students
Coordinate System
[1] P=9 L=1
[5] P=8 L=7
[9] P=6 L=6
[13] P=3 L=7
[2] P=9 L=3
[6] P=7 L=5
[10] P=5 L=6
[14] P=3 L=8
[3] P=8 L=4
[7] P=4 L=4
[11] P=4 L=6
[15] P=2 L=8
[4] P=5 L=4
[8] P=4 L=5
[12] P=3 L=2
[16] P=9 L=9
Strategy: Disintergrating & Reorganizing by The Coordinate System
Playing Room [9] Community Office [10] Meeting Room [11] Auditorium [12] Cafe [13] Restaurant [14] Water Bar [15] Gallery [16]
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Indoor Space Boxes of dif f erent shapes with different functions are scattered across the site, some of which are placed above ground. A pathway under grids serves as the main path through from west to east. Indoor Space Overhead Layer Grid Wall
Multiple Circulations Li nes of dif f eren t colors represent the circulation of different groups of people. The circulations start at different directions of the site and pass through different buildings. Student Faculty Office Worker Campus Worker The Retired Children Family Passer-by
In-between Space as Multifunctional Places [I] Outdoor Exhibition/ Family Walking [II] Senior People's Morning Exercising Routine/ Senior People's Evening Dancing Routine [III] Reading/Dating [IV]Meditating/Pet Walking [V] Children Playing/ Waiting for Pick-up [VI]Warming Up for Running/ Small Meeting
Private vs. Public H
D
F
P I A
J
C
N
E
Multiple Entrances Stairs Branch Roads Main Path
Different Heights of The Structures 55
M
O K
G
L
B
[9] Cafe [10] Reception Desk for The Cafe [11] Kitchen [12] Meditation Room [13] Water Bar [14] Classrooms [15] Playing Room [16] The Slide [17] Vantage Point of The Pool
[0] Restroom [1] Restaurant [2] Staircase to The Workers' Lounge [3] Storeage Room [4] Community Office Lobby [5] Large Conference Room [6] Office [7] Medium Conference Room [8] Open Space under The Gym
[11] [8]
[13]
[18] Open Square [19] Gallery [20] Elevator [21] Care Center [22] Clinic Room [23] Ward [24] Dressing Room [25] Auditorium
[0] [14]
[10]
[12] [16]
[9]
[15]
[0]
[7] [20]
[17]
[21] A
[6]
[18]
[5]
[22]
[23]
A
[19] [4]
[24] [25] [0]
[3] [2]
[1]
[1]
First Floor Plan
A-A Section
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Walking Towards the Architecture
Exit the Architecture 57
Student Faculty Office Worker Campus Worker The Retired Children Family Passer-by
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C D
B A
Narrative: Escape The City
Trough a supposed spatial experience, the sequential scenes connect different themes in series, together, constitute a me
The long, narrow entrance originate its form from "Narrow in the begining, only a person passing" in The Story of Taohuayuan, indicating that visitors are about to enter a seclusive place where common urban life is completely separated on the outside.
[A1]
[A2]
[A
Between the two round doors, the visitors get to have a peek of the city through the gap between the tightly enclosed buildings. The city seems no longer true while the surrouding brick walls, round doors and laughter around feels more real.
[C1]
[B5]
There is another open space on the other side of the round door. A large area of water with the zigzag path on it serve as a vessel for all the stories to happen. All the landscapes here makes it possible for the revival of the spirit of the traditional garden of ancient China.
[C2]
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[C3]
[D
etaphoric narrative space.
A3]
D1]
As the adver tising screen gradually disintegrates comes an open square surrounded by multiple structures. Here, people are no longer strangers in the city, but are actually involved in face-to-face activities such as chatting, having picnics and playing games.
Walking along underneath the grid, the visitors will find themeselves faced with an advertising screen. The screen constantly displays advertisements and promotional films, which stimulates visitors' senses projecting on them the anxiety brought within the information age.
[B4]
[A4]
[B1]
An installation composed by a series of thin ref lective pillars mirrors the surroundings, causing the visitors to lose their sense of direction and at the same time become intrigued about the things behind the round door.
[B3]
[B2]
The way back to the city is a zigzag road where at each corner there is a reflective w al l. The wall goes lower than the previous one at every turn, revealing more and more of the city's skyline. The ref lection of the visitors at every cornor is r itualized: they are bidding farewell to the community center and at the same time saying goodbye to their own escaping self.
[D2]
[D3]
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Other Work Through my undergraduate study, I have been trying to explore the boundry of architecture and I am glad that I have the chance to respond, in my own voice, to the question in different ways.
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Serial Scenarios of Floating Havard Design Discovery Program, June, 2019 Through a series of experience which involves entering and exiting different rooms (represented by ballons) at different hight with different scale of accessible view of the outside, the visitors gradually lose the sense of direction and gain what it truly feels like to be "floating".
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Intertwined Form Ă— Flowing Plan Harvard Design Discovery Program, July, 2019 A work inspired by critical thinking over SANAA's Grace Farm. By doubling the serpentine figure and intertwining the two of them with each other, a new form is derived and several courtyards are formed in the gaps between them. By inserting functional bubbles into the building , the entire structure exhibits the imitation of SANAA's organic character. But the wall is not entirely made of glass, some of which are not transparent. This manipulation of views creates a spatical experience that is different from SANAA's idea of a building that disappears.
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Measuring & Drawing July, 2018 The Drawing of Linyundi House Xianning, China
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THE
END