Portfolio for UCL by liuxinyi

Xinyi. Liu Architecture portfolio Apply for Architectural Design MArch programme September 2021 Entry Selected works 2017-2020 Application number: 21158743

CONTENT

Sense of nature elements

The Convent Museum

Linear transparent space

Modern library in the ancient city area

Space with human dimensions and sensuality Teen orphans guest house

Kaleidoscope petals Integrated facade system for architecture

Innovation of school design Guiwan nine-year school

Other works

Rendergraph, exhibition, watercolor, physical model, rubber-stamp carving, photography

Sense of nature elements The Convent Museum, Reute Bad Waldsee, Germany

Interpretation of poetry- Song of the creatures

In southern Germany, in a village of 2400 inhabitants called Reute Bad Waldsee. The project site is an ancient and important Franciscan Convent founded in 1403 by five nuns, one of them, nun Elisabeth Achler, was proclaimed Blessed and therefore sanctified and venerated by Catholic. After many vicissitudes, in 1950, the Convent became home to about 1800 nuns and today covers an area of almost 70,000 sqm, making it the largest structured complex in the city. In the last 50 years, however, something radically changes, the growing and unceasing secularization reverse the trend and the monastery now houses about 300 nuns. Forecasts for 2030 speak of a further reduction, so much so that the necessary capacity for the monastery is defined in 28 units. As a cultural building, the convent museum needs to combine the historical and religious background of the monastery and Catholicism with the original buildings and sites. So as to attract more tourists to come to this village and boost the development of local economy and culture.

Earth

Sun

Water

Wind

Four natural elements of architectural space with functional area. From the description of natural elements in poetry, together with the expression form of natural elements, form their own architectural space. Use space form to express the essence of natural elements.

Concept development Song of the creature is a Catholic poem, which espresss the praise of god and optimistic attitude of human being towards life. Through the analysis of poetry, four natural elements are mainly described: sun, wind, water, earth, and many words are added to describe and define. These terms are alll people’s feeling about the nature , they are using the human’s sense to understand the nature and the world, these words are people’s perception of nature and life. By analyzing the Catholic culture, the history of convent, and understanding the content of poetry, compares convents and museums. These elements all show people's concern for a harmony, pure, quiet and reclusive life. By combining the 5 sense of people, 4 natural elements from poetry and human's description of natural elements, the convent museum should connect nature and people through space. Create a space in which one can feel nature. It is a "refuge" away from the secular world, providing meditation and returning to primitive life. It's heaven on earth. It is a building with human feelings.

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Second Floor Plan Four elements feeling space with functional area

1. Public space 2. Element of Water (121 sqm) 3. Element of Earth (147 sqm) 4. Element of Wind (98 sqm) 5. Exhibition area (94 sqm) 6. Toilet (15 sqm) 7. Element of Sun (144 sqm)

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The museum is mainly composed of central square, circulation area and four nature element areas. The eastern area represents "Water", the western area represents "Wind", the northern area represents "Sun", and the southern area represents "Earth".

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Desigin principle The architectural part of the Convent Museum consists of three functional areas. The first is the central circular square and circulation area. From the middle to the outside, the complex shape part is the area to experience the natural elements. The outermost is the exhibition area of the museum. Each space is designed through the three basic elements of space: direction, open rate and high. The methods of feeling natural elements in space are: to feel natural elements in the shape of space, and to feel natural elements through senses. The view shows the relationship between the museum and the surrounding buildings and the landscape of the site. Through the gradual change of terrain, people draw from all around to the public area in the middle, and then scatter freely to choose where they want to experience. Also, people can enter the space gradually. The roof of earth and wind connects the terrain, allowing walking, and increasing the connection between the terrain and the building. In addition, the combination of site and building also takes into account the specific functional areas of the original site. The northeast corner of the site is a cemetery, which is reserved for respecting those who have contributed to the Catholicism.

First Floor Plan

1. Public space 2. Entrance 3. Exhibition area (57 sqm)

4. Element of Water (110 sqm) 5. Element of Earth (150 sqm) 6. Exhibition area (160 sqm) 7. Garden 8. Cemetery (183 sqm)

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Third Floor Plan

1. Element of Wind (85 sqm) 2. Exhibition area (121 sqm) 3. VR/ AI space (35 sqm) 4. Element of Sun (183 sqm) 5. Lecture hall (51 sqm) 6. Balcony (45 sqm)

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Everyone has a different understanding of nature. Only by experiencing the feeling and connotation of nature in architecture can we better understand nature, religion and even the world. This is what religion wants to bring to people.

Architecture with natural sense

Construction detail

There are three main materials selected, transparent concrete so as called litracon, recycled concrete and marble. Different material selection distinguishes different functional areas in the site. The transition of materials from low density new material to high density traditional material is reflected from the transparent concrete in the middle public area and the marble in the external main function exhibition area. Connecting the past and the present. Especially in the space of nature element, the buildings demolished at the site are used as the main construction materials. In this way, we can not only respect to nature, but also feel nature better. In this museum, using architecture as a carrier, people can feel the power of nature through their senses. Architecture is no longer just for people's basic needs of shelter, it is more like a medium, let the natural elements collected through the building and transmitted the power to the user, bring the user different thoughts and feelings. The design of the Convent Museum is no longer just for exhibition items and a period of history, but also for tourists to experience the true connotation and value of Catholicism and monasteries.

Roof exhaust pipe structure

Roof drainage

Curtain wall structure

Balustrade structure

Linear transparent space Modern library in the ancient city area, Suzhou The ancient center of Suzhou is in today's Suzhou District. Today, instead of destroying all the buildings due to the development of society and economy, Gusu District retains most of the Soviet style dwellings. Also, there are still many old Suzhou residents living here. As a public builing, Suzhou Library can not only meet the needs of the surrounding residents to acquire knowledge, but also provide a broad place different from the Soviet style residence with narrow streets, so as to enrich the leisure and entertainment life of the surrounding residents. Some observation points are selected within 100m of the site. These points are selected in the surrounding roads and blocks where the site is most easily observed. The visual angle of human eye comfort is 60 degrees, and the visual range angle of human eye is 124 degrees. The accessibility of the surrounding to different areas of the site can be obtained according to the direction of the selected point facing the site, and then according to the visual range of people. As the design basis of the distribution position and angle of the library functional area space.

Space prototype, Rockery space in Suzhou garden The landscape design of Suzhou is one of the most representative things in Suzhou. Rockery plays an important role in Suzhou gardens. Ancient craftsmen created rockery spaces with different light and shadow effects by controlling the direction and size of stones and analyzing human scale data. Through the analysis of rockery space in Lion Grove Garden, Suzhou, the rockery space in the garden is changed into 8 architectural space prototypes.

Library space design According to the design proposal, the internal area of the library needs to be 2000 square meters. After learning from several case studies of libraries, the total internal area is divided into different functional areas of the library in proportion. Taking 8 rockery architectural space prototypes as the design basis of functional space in the library, the internal layout of each functional space is designed. Finally, all functional areas are divided and placed on the site to adjust the building space moving line. There are three types of functional spaces: dynamic space, static space and tansition space. In the dynamic space is often used to guide people's exploration of space. By controlling the height of obstacles, people can change their perspective and explore space spontaneously. For example, exhibition area, shelving area and indoor commons space in the library belong to dynamic space, because people mainly walk in the space. Static space create a peaceful atmosphere by controlling the size and location of the opening. The reading area and meeting room in the library are static spaces, where people might stay for a long time in this kinds of functional space. The transition space is mainly used for connecting two or more spaces. The walkway is the main transition space.

1.Shelving area (230 sqm) 2.Reading area (270 sqm) 3.Meeting room (35 sqm) 4.VR/AI (75 sqm)

1.Shelving area (230 sqm） 2.Toilet (49 sqm) 3.Storage (40 sqm) 4.Office (25 sqm) 5.Meeting room (35 sqm) 6.VR/AI (75 sqm) 7.Lecture hall (70 sqm) 8.Indoor commons space (70 sqm)

Spatial accessibility and open rate

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The proportion of publicity and privacy affects people's reading experience. The degree of privacy and openness depends on the accessibility and opening ratio of the space itself. When the space is put into the coordinate axis for evaluation, the accessibility and open rate of the space can be calculated respectively. Each space of the library has its own space characteristics. For example, the reading area needs to be set with a higher degree of openness, while the office needs more privacy. According to the characteristics of each functional space of the library, using the research of space accessibility and opening rate, each area of the library is designed respectively. So that the public building is suitable for readers, and has a scientific and comfortable reading and communication experience.

1.Outdoor commons space 2.Toilet (49 sqm) 3.Storage (40 sqm) 4.Office (25 sqm) 5.Lecture hall (70 sqm) 6.Lobby (70 sqm) 7.Cafe (40 sqm) 8.Exhibition hall (80 sqm)

The south of the Yangtze River is often rainy. The sloping roof is one of the characteristics of Suzhou dwellings. The design of sloping roof not only has local characteristics, but also enhances the lively effect of the whole building.

The interspersed space makes a single space connected to enhance the integrity of the building.

The road is mainly ramp, convenient for the elderly to walk. The continuous passage promotes people to walk and explore, so that people can travel in the building, change the visual point to have different experience.

According to the different areas formed by the view point map, the terrain is undulating and the user's walking path is controlled. The sunken terrain can be used as a venue for temporary activities. Make the building more flexible to use.

1.Decorated concrete slab 50mm 2.Water proofing 30mm 3.Sealant 50mm 4.Insulation 50mm 5.Concrete wall 240mm 6.Coating material 10mm

7.Brick slab 30mm 8.Steel fixed base 9.Water proofing 30mm 10.Sealant 50mm 11.Insulation 50mm 12.Perlite insulation 74mm 13.I-beam 14.Suspended ceiling 15.Sound insulation floor 30mm +Water proofing 30mm 16.Concrete floor 200mm 17.Perlite insulation 50mm 18.Suspended ceiling

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19.Low-E glass window 20.Concrete column 21.Gutter

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Space with human dimensions and sensuality Teen orphans guest house, Suzhou The project is located in south of Gusu District, Suzhou. The area is close to the Green Ring Around Old Town, which has a long history. The surrounding scenery is beautiful and the building function is mostly residential area, so the site is relatively quiet. Orhan is the target group of this project and the main type of bulindg is guesthouse. Orhan refers to the children who lost their parenets. The feeling of home are important to them. For them, friends are family. They fell insecure because of the loss of their parents. They often feel lonely and seldom communicate with others. Despite their different experiences, they area still an important part of society. Their needs area not the sympathy from people, they want people to treat them like everyone else in society. Depend on the research, the project will combine the city identities and characteristics of target population. There are two floors in each house, which can accommodate four to six people. Learning space and leisure space are arranged on the first floor, and second floor is the living space. The living area will increase a certain degree of privacy due to differnet heights, but because there is only a height gap of 20 to 30 cm, everyone can see each other on the second floor, and can have opportunity to communicate. This lay out is like a home. And the aim of this living building is to let orhans feel the warmth of "Home".

Site

Combining city identites, historical elements and functional design Conceptual design process

Design development There are similarities between the traditional caravanserai and the ancient Chinese courtyard. The sense of home and security that orphans lack are taken into account. Instead of building a tall building, the village type might be more suitable for orphans. Each living unit is composed of four small rooms, which are relatively low in height, making people feel protected by the house. The layer with different hight provides a certain degree of privacy without losing contact. The separation of living environment and living environment can effectively promote the communication between people. As the separation of the whole village and the outside world, the water use refers to the protection of the inner city with moats inthe ancient city of Suzhou.The architecture of watering-hole comes from the pattern of cloth. Circulation is conducive to leading people to explore. At the same time, the heights of the roof depends on the children's maximum standing height and siing height, which are 150cm and 90cm, repersentively. When a thing is at the right distance, people will feel a sense of security. It is neither too broad nor oppressive.

Roof

The shed roof of Oprah guest house is designed with reference to the roof design of residential buildings nearby, so that the house has its own characteristics and will not be too abrupt, so as to achieve the desire of orphans not to be treated specially.

Private space

For orphans, privacy is as important as company. The orphan's room is located on the second floor of the house, separating the private area from the public area. In addition, the placement height of each room is different, which can further increase the privacy of the space. Each room can accommodate 2-3 people, they can communicate with each other.

Circulation

The circulation of high and low increases the interest of the space, making the space lively and in line with the characteristics of teenagers. Two stairs can increase the space circulation and convenience the occupants.

Public space in the house

The public space meets the basic living needs of users, including dining room, living room, amusement room, kitchen and laundry room and so on. The public space is more open and users can communicate freely.

1.Gutter 2.Wooden beam frame 3.Wooden purline 1

4.Concrete 80mm 5.Insulation 100mm 6.Roof batten 7.Tile 30mm 8.Wooden beam 9. Coating material 30mm 10.Water proofing 30mm 11.Low-E glass window 12.Insulation 50mm 13.Concrete wall 200mm 14.Coating material 30mm 15.Floor Wood 40mm Water proofing 30mm Concrete floor 150mm Coating material 30mm

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Kaleidoscope petals (Team work) Integrated facade system for architecture Teammate: Xinyi. Liu, Yuyin. Xiao, Chuling. Wang

Advances in the field of technology always influence the advances in architectural design since history. Technology offers numerous solutions and opportunities to improve the structural and energyperformances of a building. While high energy consumption and rising carbon emissions are theconcerning threats for the recent and coming decades, architects are recently using computerapplications to go for more sustainable and eco-friendly designs without compromising the everexploring new aesthetics of forms. With this regard, ‘performance’ has become a vital drive for architectural designs through the combination of new materials and shapes, and consequently pushing the boundaries of Architecture. Therefore, the integrated facade system becomes important for architecture development. The project is inspired by the condition of "blossom" and "beehive" in nature. The facade system is designed by computer modeling and physical model making.

Semi-open

Open

Close - 0°

Semi open - 30°

Open - 60°

Concept development

Material and sustainable consideration

The project starts with a survey of tessellation. Tessellation means "inlay", that is, new vertices are automatically embedded between vertices. Tessellation is often paraphrased as "subdivision surface", because after automatically inserting a large number of new vertices, the surface of the model will be divided very finely and look more smooth and compact. Through the rotation, translation and reflection, three forms of tessellation, combined into a variety of new patterns.

Since digital tools became an unavoidable part of the discipline of Architecture, the focus has been progressively shifted from manual or digital drawing to digital simulation. New theoretical approaches found their reasons and have been introduced in the design stage changing the classical design paradigm.

Nature is the best teacher. By combining the blooming process of flowers and the shape of beehive, the basic form of facade is established. By combining the three expressions of tessellation, the movement mode of facade is solved. By rotating the middle shaft, the blade is driven to expand, so that the opening and closing size of a unit can be controlled according to the demands. Through the reflection and translation of unit, a overall integrated facade system of building is formed.

By using the digital model made by grasshopper and the 1:2 physical model made by hand, combined with the concept of sustainable architecture, aluminum and ETFE (Ethylen Tetrafluoroethylen) are used as the main materials of the actual building facade shading system. Based on the consideration of quality and climate, aluminum is selected as the material of the outer frame. Because aluminum is relatively light, it can reduce the burden of building facade. At the same time, aluminum can form a layer of oxide film to prevent metal corrosion in humid air, which has good material stability. ETFE is a material with fluoro-polymer quality. It was used in today's architecture for its light permeability and lightness. As the main material of the blade in the integrated facade system, ETFE can open smoothly and block too much sunlight.

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1. Drainage 2. Stainless steel tie bar 3. Embedded parts 4. Double glazed window 5. Stainless steel supporting bar 6. Terrazo windowsill 7. Plastic fan core surface 8. Fan bones

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Innovation of school design (Team work) Guiwan nine-year school, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China Teammate: Xinyi. Liu, Chuling. Wang The project is located in Qianhai Shenzhen Hong Kong modern service industry cooperation zone in the west of Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province. Qianhai sitting on the east bank of the Pearl River Estuary and neighboring Hong Kong. It is planned as a demonstrative zone for in-depth cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, and a new urban center of Shenzhen. As one of the cities with the fastest economic and cultural development in China, the improvement of education level has become the focus of sustainable development of a citiy. Primary and junior high school education has an important impact on a person's physical and mental development. Nowadays, most schools pay attention to the improvement of academic performance, but ignore the students as a part of society, they need a certain amount of outdoor activity time and social time. Therefore, the design of Guiwan nine-year school focus on both learning space and social space design. 7:30 Go to school

8:30 Go to class

9:10 Class break

10:00 Reading

12:15 Have lunch

13:10 Midday rest

15:00 Sketch and photographic course

16:00 Music and dancing class

17:00 After school

The site is divided into small pieces by different functional areas. Building blocks with diagonal distribution can effectively increase the area of public space. Considering the illumination time, the hollow area is added and the height of the block is changed to create a platform. Students can conduct learning and social activities on different platforms. The series connection of platforms forms the campus life of different students in one day.

Team work

Promoting the development of students' physical and mental health by means of architectural design The development of physical and mental health plays an important role in academic improvement. To promote the healthy development in physical and mental of students, we need not only to study in class, but also to communicate with each other after class. In traditional school design, there is only one aisle between classrooms. The design of each floor is basically the same and monotonous. There are few public areas for students to learn, communicate and socialize. Through the design of outdoor and indoor platforms, students are encouraged to have fun in learning and increase opportunities for communication with each other. At the same time, adding public teaching areas between classes can promote academic exchanges between classes. In addition, adding teachers' offices between classrooms can make teachers know more about students' living conditions in school, increase communication opportunities between teachers and students. Such school design innovation can better promote the future development of students.

1. Lobby 2. Nomal classroom 3. Balcony 4. Storage 5. Teacher's office 6. Tea room 7. Supporting room 8. Toilet 9. Stairs and elevators 10. Corridor 11. Flexible classroom 12. Lab for physics, biology and chemistry 13. Music room, Dancing room and Art room 14. Multi-functional hall 15. Library 16. Equipment room

1. Nomal classroom 2. Storage 3. Balcony 4. Tea room 5. Teacher's office 6. Stairs and elevators 7. History and grography classroom 8. Toilet 9. Broadcasting room 10. Computer room 11. Network conctrol room

1. Nomal classroom 2. Storage 3. Balcony 4. Tea room 5. Teacher's office 6. Stairs and elevators 7. Supporting room 8. Toilet 9. Office 10. Science classroom 11. Flexible classroom

1. Nomal classroom 2. Storage 3. Balcony 4. Tea room 5. Teacher's office 6. Stairs and elevators 7. Supporting room 8. Toilet 9. Mixed-class room 10.Office 11. Meeting room 12. Security control room

1. Nomal classroom 2. Storage 3. Balcony 4. Tea room 5. Teacher's office 6. Stairs and elevators 7. Inquiry lab 8. Toilet 9. Club activity room 10. Moral education exhibition room 11. Psychological counseling room

1. Nomal classroom 2. Storage 3. Balcony 4. Tea room 5. Teacher's office 6. Stairs and elevators 7. Team room 8. Toilet 9. Office 10. Administrative office

1. Nomal classroom 2. Stroage 3. Baclony 4. Corridor

1. Nomal classroom 2. Corridor 3. Mixed-class room

Team work

Design to promote communication between classes The classroom is surrounded by two platforms. The platform on the left is used as corridor and balcony, and the platform on the right is the public teaching area between classes.

Other works Rendergraph for the cover of Domus Greater China and Venice Blennale 2021 The rendering work "floating courtyard" was contributed to Domus Greater China magazine as a cover picture. At the same time, this work represents the Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University to participate in the Venice Biennale 2021 as an exhibition work.

Exhibit organization Arrange the site for RIBA academic portfolio exhibition, find the required information and materials, and repair the model. Make and repair the physical model of Suzhou old town for 2019 Suzhou design week, shoot videos, and participate in the planning and arranging layout of the exhibition.

Small shelter space for Suzhou Newton Kindergarten A 1.2m-high shelter was handmade with cardboard for Newton kindergarten in Suzhou. Use the understanding of materials and learned mechanical knowledge as the basis of design. Also with the consideration of children's scale. This work was welcomed by the children and won the third place in the competition (a total of 48 groups).

Physical model making During the four years in University, a lot of materials were tested for model making. Try to cut and glue by hand with wax, paperboard, PVC board and so on. Use physical model to think about the formation process of design and express the design concept.

Water color, Rubber-stamp carving, Photography

Try different art forms, such as watercolor, rubber-stap carving and photography. Understand objects, buildings, cities and even society from different perspectives. Study the interaction between different light and shadow effects and blocks. By thinking and understanding the relationship between people and society through art forms, get the inspiration of design.