Resilient desert community design Fall 2023
revival of the old flour mill Spring 2021
Sharing Homestay across Raccoon and Human
Architecture Design, Individual Work
Site Area: 350 sqm
Location: Hamlin Lake, Michigan, U.S.
For too long, humans have been in the position of "ruler" in nature, where species have been domesticated, adapted or genetically modified, forced to be uprooted from their ecosystems, and additional functional exploitation or modification of the original ecosystem is only part of an asymmetric power relationship based on more or less extreme forms. Today, we should rethink the "human-centered"design concept, in the context of today's social and built environment, we should take seriously the concept of sharing the environment with other species, in the face of the environment and other species behavior, to create a new type of "symbiosis measures", is extremely necessary.
Raccoon Homestay will propose experimental and speculative methods for studying interspecific relationships and the possible Spaces in which they may occur, imagining, conceptualizing and designing a space for interaction and coexistence between individual raccoons and humans based on new forms of relationships between raccoons and humans. The space is dedicated to cohabitation, efficiency exchange between the behaviors of different species, and harmonious coexistence and mutual benefit through the behavior and spatial differences such as outputconsumption, day - night, cave - gap.
Raccoons splashing around in the water is not only a part of their daily lives, it is also an important way for them to stay healthy, have fun and learn survival skills.
Raccoons usually breed in areas where food is abundant, such as forests, farmland, and urban
areas near water sources.
Raccoons are widely distributed across the U.S. where they use varied habitats from streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands to forests, prairies, farmland, and urban areas.
are widely distributed across the U.S. where they use varied habitats from streams, rivers, lakes, and
and urban areas.
Architecture Design, Individual Work
Site Area: 2800 sqm
Location: Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
Dafen Village in Shenzhen is currently known as China's first oil painting village. In the early days of reform and opening up, low labor costs and rent attracted many overseas painting dealers, and began to turn oil painting into a labor-intensive industry. When this assembly-line production model develops to a certain scale, drawbacks are also exposed. The "imitations" piled up by labor and time can neither gain high profits nor realize the spiritual satisfaction brought by artistic creation. This conflict between identity and work has become the main theme here, as painters squeeze into small, dark Spaces to produce world-renowned works.
Dafen art center is designed to address the village's industrial transformation and the growing demand for production and creation. The tower is no longer a mechanical place for workers to copy, but a temple of creative storytelling. Workers transform from the mechanical roles of the past and reshape their independent souls. It encourages creativity, promotes exchanges, and provides artists with new opportunities for survival and industrialization.
Dafen Village is a cluster of urban village-style studios. The architectural mass, in terms of size, height, density, does not blend in with the nearby residential and commercial areas.
The market demands a large quantity of imitations to satisfy the needs of the low-end market. This although providing a plethora of goods, overlooks the true value of artistic creation and original products.
Workers, provide imitations of high-end artworks with low-paid. This reflects the inequality in cultural and wealth distribution existing within society, where the creativity and labor of workers are undervalued.
According to living habits of painters in Dafen Village, soho units can be freely inserted into the central hub and studio units that can be flexibly shuttled.
Creative Studio Residence Module:
The perfect integration of living space and creative space, each living unit has a spacious work area, so that artists can create in a comfortable environment, while enjoying family life and comfort of creation.
Adjustable space design:
With movable partitions and folding walls, the living space can be adapted to the needs of the residents. This flexible design allows residents to change the spatial pattern according to different working and living scenarios.
Refurbishment of Old Flourmill
Architecture Design, Individual Work
Site Area: 157,000 sqm
Location: Tongzhou, Beijing, China
Architecture is studied as a container to carry human emotions and form a large immersive narrative structure system. The space of the abandoned flour mill is designed as a container for historical memory and future imagination, narrating its past glory, the dilemma of decline, and the hope of regeneration through the architectural language, and ultimately guiding visitors to feel the social and ecological revival.
Therefore, the industrial revolution transformation of the abandoned flour mill is adapted into a giant immersive theater structure, divided into the main story chapters of history, transformation and rebirth, and the story lines are intersected into a maze, and the identity of the public is transformed from a spectator to a participant, becoming a link in the confused hub of the development of The Times. Each part is composed of several building containers, carrying the human behavior and emotions under each story node.In shaping the single space itself, the methods of light and shadow, streamline and scale are used to translate the characteristics of events with architectural language as much as possible, and create an experiential atmosphere of social and historical change.
Factories are natural storytelling stages, and the vast and continuous space coupled with the addition of time accumulates a multitude of cultural information. A spatial translation of the three stages of the factory's time iteration is carried out to construct a multi-functional and dynamic narrative park system.
The immersive theatre setting is not only functional and clear, but also capable of providing an immersive educational and interactive experience for the audience, fully reflecting and utilising the concept of sustainable development.
storyline of a BYSTANDER
Flour mill are faced with the challenge of changing times, analyzing their history and current situation as a prerequisite for transformation and sustainable regeneration.
Based
The audience takes a small train and gradually enters the first section.
Visitors can participate in a small machining experience and feel the historical value of the factory.
and
and nature and industry are quietly integrated.
History of the flour mill
History of railway development
History of city development
Industrial heritage is not protected, historical memory is forgotten and cultural identity is lost.
Production line workers, equipment maintenance personnel, management personnel
Community business and services
Residents who depend on the plant for development
The lack of employment opportunities for young people and graduates in the region has led to a brain drain.
Businesses and services shutdown
Unemployment of surrounding residents No investment
After
The facilitation of future employment provided by regeneration projects Activate the intra-regional economy
Provide
Green restoration
Restore the green vegetation coverage of the site, build rain gardens and planting areas, sow grass seeds and wheat seeds.
sowing
Lack of attraction and vitality
Regional marginalization
Lack of attraction and vitality, difficult to attract
Resources are underutilized
Environmental pollution remains Site decay
Enhancing Biodiversit
Restore important plant communities in the ecosystem and enhance the ecological function of the site. Appropriate introduction of plants with high economic value.
Combining ecological functions with urban functions to create multiple values, wheat can be recycled and produced when it is mature.
Resilient Desert Community Design
Urban Design, Individual Work
Site Area: 201,600 sqm
Location: Tillabéri, Niger
Desert cities and their communities face a grim future, mapping out a more sustainable and resilient path for the city's future, proposing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas and carbon emissions, increase resilience to extreme heat, improve green building standards and develop multimodal transportation networks.
As an important city in the Sahel belt, Tiraberi faces multiple challenges such as extreme heat, increasing desertification, water scarcity and socio-economic vulnerability. The impact of climate change is significant, especially land degradation and competition for resources, which increase the pressure on residents. To this end, the design scheme aims to alleviate the current environmental crisis and improve the quality of life of residents by creating a sustainable and resilient community module. The development of an adaptive, sustainable and socially inclusive desert community model in the city of Tiraberi to provide a replicable solution for the Sahel and beyond.
The Sahel belt which stretches from Senegal to Sudan on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, is a global hotspot for desertification and climate change. This is a semi-arid transitional zone, with low and concentrated annual rainfall, which is prone to floods and droughts.
Niger is one of the most severely affected countries in Africa by climate events such as desertification, drought and floods.
The Niger River is the third longest river in Africa, after the Nile and the Congo River, flowing through
Niger,
Nigeria and other countries, and finally into the Gulf of Guinea in the
Tillabéri's abundant sunlight by deploying distributed photovoltaic panels to provide clean energy for the community. Design modular housing units that can expand or contract according to family needs, accommodating diverse living requirements. Ensure walking accessibility to residential and public service facilities through the spiral grid layout, reducing dependence on motor vehicles. Cultivate drought-resistant crops (e.g., millet, sorghum, and cowpeas) in the western zone to meet food security needs while generating income through local markets.
electric tricycles and bicycles within the community to minimize carbon emissions.
Concentrate residential, commercial, educational, and public services at functional nodes, interconnected by dynamic spirals for compact yet efficient layouts.
Distribute multiple mosques throughout the community to accommodate local Muslim practices.
Utilize
and
angles resulting in intense sunlight. During the summer solstice, the sun reaches its zenith, leading to minimal shadows at noon. In contrast, during the winter solstice, the sun's lower position results in longer shadows.
Establish "resilience hubs" within the community that provide shelters, emergency supplies, and public services during disasters. Develop small-scale cooperatives in the wetland agriculture and eastern livestock zones to promote circular community economies. Riparian wetland
Water is used for watering and acts as a flexible barrier during flooding farmland transition area wetland river
Connect the wetland, residential, and livestock zones through greenbelts to form an
plazas and night markets to align with Sahel cultural traditions and encourage social interaction. Implement
Built using local materials such as clay, wood and grass.
It is famous for its towering minarets and symmetrical geometric patterns
Thick wall, good thermal insulation performance, adapt to desert high temperature.
The floating bracket uses aerated materials to form a buoyancy device to support the floating function of the building.
The airbag base supports small hydroponic facilities and is suitable for humid environments.
The base area of each residence is 3m*3m*16=144 square meters, residents can choose the layout and combination of the area according to their needs.
