E X T R A | O R D I N A R Y
Architecture portfolio @ Long Xiao Feb. 2021
LONG XIAO
B.E. South China Agricultural University M.Arch Candidate. University of British Columbia e: littlorxl@outlook.com t: +1（236）865-5080
HOMETOWN GLORY Village Centre Date: August - October, 2017 Location: Sichuan,China Instructors: Elliot Xie, Jing Bao Individual Work
This is a non-profit Village Centre that is constructed by the villagers themselves in my hometown. The idea of doing such a project occurs to me every time I recall my childhood and the people who live there. In China, there are many villages like Fuxing which are "degrading" as most of the youth move to fast-developing cities to earn money and support their families, leaving their kids and elderly parents behind. These village communities thus face a serious crisis. Unluckily, I was one of these left-behind kids. Luckily, I left the village and moved to study in a town, then a city and finally a metropolis. Meanwhile the situation in the village worsend as more and more young people left. Over the years, I have never forgotten all the good old times I had growing up in the little village. One of my lifelong goals has been to contribute all the skills and knowledge I learned in architecture school to help develop the place where I was born and grew up. I will always remember where I am from, where I belong and where I proudly call home.
Population Loss of Sichuan Province started from the 1980s
The Severe Loss of Inhabitants I was born in Southwest China, the Sichuan Basin. Since the 1980s, government economic development policies focused on two other regions. The eastern region, including the major coastal cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, focuses on trade and high-tech industries with their geographical advantage. The western region, including the provinces of Xinjiang, Tibet and Qinghai, exploits local resources for industrial output. Due to economic migration, Southwest China has suffered a massive decline in population. The loss of labour and the aging population have contributed to the collapse of the social structure in many shrinking, backward villages.
Village
Roads and water networks are laid out in a grid. Residences develop along both sides of the roads.
The elderly left behind This photograph was taken in my grandparents’ house. It shows my grandmother talking with her pet dog during her daily ritual of cleaning his fur. Although 150 villagers are registered, current residents are less than 30 and the rate of housing vacancy is up to 30%.
Traditional handicraft In this area, bamboo is the main material for making tools, architecture and handicrafts. This photograph shows an old craftsman weaving a traditional bamboo basket. With the loss of elderly craftsman, this intangiable cultural heritage is endangered.
Site
History of the site
1995 Fuxing was a simple farming village.
1999 The first and only factory was built.
2003 A mysterious fire burned the factory.
2003 - now The factory remains idle and obsolete.
Consolidating community programs
Strolling on the road
Waiting at home
Socializing at a home-shop
BONDING IN THE OLD FACTORY DISTRICT.
Learning in the fields
Selling at the roadside
Farming the fields
Design concept
5 The bamboo grove will become a memorial to the lives lived here.
1 Engage the elderly craftsmen in the construction of the new bamboo Village Centre.
2 The architecture provides a public space open to all residents, gathering the left-behind elderly and addressing their loneliness. The Centre restores a sense of community.
4 New bamboo will grow among the ruins of the Centre.
3 The architecture will degrade slowly as the residents pass away.
Study of bamboo structures in different scales
Form selection and development
2950mm
11500mm
4680mm
3200mm
3800mm
6500mm
16000mm
UNIT:mm
▽ GL+19600
▽ GL+8750 ▽ GL+8400
▽ GL+4500
▽ GL+3250 ▽ GL+2750
GL+300 ▽ GL ± 0 ▽
▽ GL+190
▽ GL+75
▽ GL+75
▽ GL+75
EXPLODED VIEW
Chess room
Assembly hall
Store
Bamboo studio
Office
Food market
Storehouse
PERFECT ILLUSION Excellence Award Guangzhou "Drama Box" Competition Date: July, 2017 Location: Guangzhou,China Coworker: Jingyi Wu
This competition was for the design of a “Drama Box,“ a performance stage, at a designated venue, Guangzhou Banghua. The device was required to provide an area between five and eight square meters. The height was unspecified. The “Drama Box“ could be a single box or mutiple boxes combined, deformed and/or superimposed. This box device had to consider programs for the different populations of the city. Possibilities proposed by the competition organisers included: a creative studio for creative people and artisans, an outdoor pavilion for tenants or artists in the park, an interactive art installation, a transient pop-up garden or a combination of multiple functions. Our proposed “Drama Box,” a playspace for children, focuses on the relationship between the box and the venue and its surrounding communities. Colourful exterior glass panels and the interior mirrored surfaces are enlivened by ever-changing weather conditions.
The site is in the courtyard of Guangzhou Yichuangshe in Haizhu, a highly urbanized residential area of Guangzhou. After our onsite investigation, we learned that the residents are accustomed to dense urban living with commercial, residential, office and educational institutions combined. The extreme lack of natural elements such as vegetation, soil, wind and water leads to a decline in natural cognition, even numbness.
Step 1: Choose a box
Transparent box ?
Solid box ?
Step 2: Capture the sunlight
Hollow box !
Evening
The device will be placed in a sunny courtyard between two office buildings. The angle and intensity of sunlight varies over time in a day, producing many possibilities. We took advantage of the basic properties of light-dispersion to scatter common sunlight into the rainbow spectrum, heightening the onlooker’s awareness. The diagram below is a study of the different effects of sunlight at different angles. This is the foundation of variation and interaction with the device.
Office building Site Office building
Morning
Prism and shaft
Step 3: Create rainbow 60
o
90
o
120
o
7:00 AM
9:30 AM
12:30 PM
15:00 PM
The images above depict an experiment conducted on 07/15/2017, which aimed to find the most suitable interior angle for the box. We experimented with boxes of 60 degrees, 90 degrees and 120 degrees. By comparing the effects of reflection and the comfort in the different spaces, we found that 120 degrees was the ideal angle. Therefore, a hexagonal box was deemed optimal.
STRUCTURE EXPLODED
Facade Square, coloured glass panels
Insulation Gypsum board
Structure Solid wood connected by tenon joints
Reflective layer Mirrored tiles glued to gypsum board
Floor & Foundation
Mesh panels in wood structure with metal feet
Tryin' to get control & Pressure's takin' its toll Stuck in the middle zone & I just want you alone My guessing game is strong & Way too real to be wrong Caught up in your show Yeah, at least now I know It wasn't law, it wasn't law. It was a perfect illusion Mistaken for law, it wasn't law. It was a perfect illusion You were a perfect illusion ——LADY GAGA<Perfect Illusion>
Rivet
Tenon
Furring
Mesh skeleton
CROSS SE
ECTION
Tenon
Base
Steel anchor
Rivet
FOUR Studio Work - Canton Art Museum Date: September - November, 2015 Location: Guangzhou,China Instructor: Chen Fanghui & Qu Hanfei Coworkers: Zhang Wang, Zhao Wenjia, Gong Jinghong Project redeveloped for portfolio. All work here completed individually.
Guangdong Province has a rich artistic culture. The old art museum, unable to meet the cultural needs of the new century in its current form, decided to build a new building. The new museum would display traditional works, such as Chinese paintings, oil paintings, engravings and sculpture, arts and crafts, as well as contemporary art including installations, new media, design and more. The building must also provide space for education, administration, restaurant, giftshop and bookstore. The site for the museum is on the exclusive island of Ersha, home to wealthy residents and numerous cultural institutions.
SPATIAL ORGANISATION Graphic art
+
+
Connect all the galleries with one single circulation path.
Three-dimensional art
+
+
Integrate different scales of exhibition spaces.
Performing art
+
+
Preserve traditional spatial theatre typology and atmosphere.
Multi-media art
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+ Create boundless space.
Performing Company Headquarter
Office Building
Xinghai Theater
Overseas Chinese Museum
SECTION 1
Orient
Disconnect
Reconnect
The museum is sited between the Pearl River and the central park of Ersha Island. The entry is oriented towards Ersha’s main plaza.
The massing of the building allows for public movement through the site without entering the museum and provide greater access to daylight.
The scattered building blocks core circulation space.
s are reconnected by the
Government Office
Restaurants
Ersha Community Center New Innovation Center
SECTION 2
Adjust
View
The massing of the blocks is adjusted to enable optimal views.
Windows are positioned to frame specific views of the city and the surrounding landscape.
EXPLODED VIEW
Facade The museum’s facade is inspired by the unique Haoke house in Guangdong Province. The Haoke house facade, covered with shells, has good physical properties; it is moisture-proof and anti-corrosive. The proposed design combines the abstracted form of a shell with modern technology, referencing local building traditions and adapting to the humid climate. The new porous metal facade opens and closes in response to changing light conditions and facilitates air flow.
GOOD OLD DAYS
Canada Indigenous Housing Competition Date: November, 2017 Location: Berens River, Manitoba, Canada Instructor: Linshen Xie Individual Work
There are over 600 Indigenous communities in Canada with over 60 ethnic groups located in diverse landscapes, many with remote access. Current housing is provided by Indigenous communities, or with funding from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation or Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Housing demand can exceed supply causing overcrowding. The purpose of this competition is to raise awareness of Indigenous housing in Canada and to increase opportunities for the design, delivery and maintenance of housing for remote-access Indigenous Canadians.
Current situation In research on the living conditions of Canadian Indigenous people, several problems in their living environment became apparent. Most families live in a limited space in a family unit, which causes many inconveniences. Independent and private spaces are in high demand. Also, because most reservations are in remote areas, complex construction projects are difficult to achieve.
Concept The concept for the project is the design of a modular house that provides increased privacy and accomodates growth easily due to its simple light wood construction.
Community plan
Bathroom Area: 2.8m x 2.4m Accommodates: 1-2 people
Single bedroom Area: 2.8m x 2.4m Accommodates: 1-2 people
Den Area: 2.8m x 2.4m Accommodates: 1-2 people
Kitchen & Dinning Area: 3.6m x 3.6m Accommodates: 2-4 people
Activity room Area: 3.6m x 3.6m Accommodates: >4 people
Bedroom & Bathroom Area: 3.6m x 3.6m Accommodates: 1-2 people
Living room Area: 3.6m x 3.6m Accommodates: 1-5 people
This diagram shows that, during the growth of the house, the interior can be flexibly changed on demand. A 3.6m x 3.6m module provides confortable living spaces from bedrooms to kitchens.
Bedroom & Den Area: 2.8m x 2.4m x 2 Accommodates: 1-4 people
Bedroom & Den Area: 2.8m x 2.4m+2.8m x 3.6m Accommodates: 1-5 people
Living Room & Kitchen & Dinning room & Bathroom Area: 3.6m x 3.6m x 2 Accommodates: 2-4 people
Bedroom & Bathroom & Storage Area: 2.4m x 2.4m x 2+2.8m x 2.8 Accommodates: 2-3 people
Living room & Kitchen & Dinning room & Bathroom Area: 3.6m x 3.6m x 3 Accommodates: 2-4 people
2 Bedrooms & Bathroom & Den Area: 2.4m x 2.4m x 3+2.8m x 2.2 Accommodates: 2-5 people
Two or more units can create a comfortable family gathering space.
Step1: Cultivation
Laying modular foundation Participants: construction team supported by the government Season: summer Time required: each unit/ 2 days Equipment: excavator, concrete mixer and welding Materials: concrete, steel
Concrete foundations are buried in the ground.
Step5: Forming
Roof construction Participants: the Indigenous inhabitants Season: any Time required: 1 unit/ 1 week Equipments: hand tools Materials: timber, hardware
Roof structure composed of wood members and joint.
Step2: Seed
Cover temporary layer Participants: construction team supported by the government Season: summer Time required: varies according to the size of foundation Equipment: crane Materials: manmade soil
The temporary soil cover is made of gathered waste.
Step6: Maturity
Finish exterior and interior Participants: the Indigenous inhabitants Season: any Time required: 1 unit/ 3 weeks Equipment: hand tools Materials: plywood, gypsum board, prefabricated panels with insulation
The roof construction is multi-layered.
Step3: Germinate
Start construction Participants: the Indigenous inhabitants Season: any Time required: 1 unit/ 1 week Equipment: hand tools Materials: timber, hardware
Columns are fixed to the foundation with steel.
Step7: Growing
Add modules Participants: the Indigenous inhabitants Season: any Time required: 1 unit/ 8 weeks Equipment: hand tools Materials: timber, hardware, plywood, gypsum board, prefabricated panels with insulation
Prefabricated insulated panels can be convenient for expansion and reuse.
Step4: Accrescence
Form frames Participants: the Indigenous inhabitants Season: any Time required: 1 unit/ 3 weeks Equipment: hand tools Materials: timber, hardware
Standard wood framing is used for the floors.
Step8: Community
Form a community Participants: the Indigenous inhabitants Season: year round
Multi-layered windows and door provide insulation.
Wood doubl FL4+
3.6 1.2 Ridge beam: 105 × 150mm@450mm Purlin: 45 × 75mm@450mm
Upper surface of cross beam height ▽ GL+3600
Cross beam: 125 × 150mm
Plaster board t=9.5mm Puttied cheese lath acrylic emulsion paint f inish ceiling joist 30 × 45mm@275mm Glass wool t=100mm Beam: 125×150mm
Cedar siding: 12 × 150mm Natural resin varnish finish asphalt roof ing 18kg Vertical furring strips 45 × 30mm@900mm Glass wool t=50mm Structural plywood t=9mm Lauan plywood t=5.5mm Sandpapered texture, wax f inish Structural plywood t= 12mm Floor joist 45 × 60mm@450mm Rigid insulation foam t=30mm Floor height ▽ GL+275 ▽ GL ± 0
Floor joist: 45 × 60mm@450mm
Sleeper: 100 × 100mm preservation
Frost penetration depth ▽ GL-1200
SECTION PE
den skylight ficed le glazing +A12+PW6.8mm
Plaster board t=9.5mm Puttied cheese lath acrylic emulsion paint f inish ceiling joist 30 × 45mm@275mm Glass wool t=100mm
treatment
ERSPECTIVE
Window fram: western hemlock 20 × 155mm paint f inish
Slate board t=6mm Acrylic emulsion paint f inish
READ : SHARE : GROW Malawi Middle School planning and design International Competition Date: March 2019 Location: Malawi Type: Educational Planning and Design International Competition Collaborators: Zhong Ji Cai, Yating Wei
Universal education, gender equality and empowering women are vital components of the mission in developing countries. Educating children gives the next generation the tools to fight poverty and conquer diseases. School also offers children a safe environment, with support, supervision and socialization. Here they learn life skills that can help them prevent diseases, including how to avoid HIV/AIDS and malaria. Children may receive life-saving vaccines, freshwater and nutrient supplements at school. This project aims to provide better education to the youngest citizens of the country by allowing them to access a decent secondary school infrastructure.The school must be designed to accommodate four academic years. At first, only one classroom per academic year will be constructed, but participants will have to take into account that the school could be extended in the future to three classrooms per academic year. Twelve classrooms could be built in the future.
1 Existing Site
2 Site Planning
3 Massing
4 Courtyards & Comminity
5 Reading Corridor
6 Green Belt
7 Concepts United
8 Integration
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Numerous trees are situated within the site. Perserving as many trees as possible will be a focus of design.
A long, covered exterior corridor links the entire site. Within this corridor, flexible activities and reading areas are accommodated.
In the first phase, four classrooms and toilets are constructed.
The site is divided into four segments. The classroom area is located in the center, sandwiched by the teacher and student residences. The latrines and animal area are at the rear of the site, in alignment with the prevailing wind.
The corridor between the classroom and residence zones are used for agricultural planting. Wrapping around the classrooms, this network of irrigated planters provides space for learning about agriculture.
Add four classrooms, kitchen, warehouse, teacher residences and student residences.
Architectural masses are formes based on different functional demands.
The reading corridor, the green belt, and the five courtyards weave together to form a highly connected and dynamic campus.
Complete the classroom network, ass labs, library, computer room, multi-purpose hall, and more residences.
Five unique courtyards are carved into the site, providing different spaces for communal activities.
additional The site is finished with the additional landscaping and trees, forming a coherent sequence of campus spaces. It is a village for learning.
Remaining buildings are added for a complete campus.
Library tower & Main entrance
Teacher housing & Thatch corridor
Floor plan
Central courtyard
Shaded Outdoor Spaces
Clay planters with seating and trees provide a comfortable outdoor space in the courtyards.
Read, Learn, Grow
Classrooms are sandwiched by the dynamic reading corridor on one side, and the greenbelt on the other side. It is an ideal place for education.
Flexible Housing
Teacher houses have removeable wood plank partitions. When removed, the living room is connected with the dining room and the outdoors.
Thatch Roof Corridor
This dynamic space is for circulation, gathering and reading.
Library & Computer Lab Tower
The Library tower highlights the importance of books as well as a place marker for the site. The tower allows for vertical stack-effect ventilation to cool off the computer lab.
Reading Corridor
A Covered and shaded area adjacent to the classrooms is lined with desks and bookshelves providing an openair library.
More Flexible Spaces
The multipurpose room has a removeable plank wall that faces the courtyard. The planks slide in tracks, and the space extends to the outdoors.
LOVE IS FREEDOM 2016 Vancouver Pride Parade Type: Photography
LAST BUT NOT LEAST Other works
Life is all about perceiving, experiencing, accumulating and growing.
BUILDING BLOCK Innovation hub planning and design Date: Sept.- Dec. 2018 Location: Vancouver, Canada Type: Regional planning, landscape design & architectural design Studio work/Solo work
SWEATY ACTS - UV RED UV degradation as a new easthetics Date:Sep.- Dec. 2019 Location: Vancouver, Canada Instructed by: Thena Tak Type: Architecture Design/Experimental Project Studio work/Solo Work(Site model finished in ahalf studio group)
DANCING BELT
VSP Studio Work - Wood as process Date: July - August, 2016 Location: Vancouver, Canada Instructors: Mari Fujita & Blair Satterfield Coworkers: Tian Yijia & Zhang Jinzi *Project redeveloped for portfolio. All work here completed individually.
NOVAPLAN - NINE VILLA COMPLEX (CONSTRUCTED) Location: Italy Type: Residential project Worked as Student Intern in Ruggero Baldasso Architects (RBA Guangzhou) Team work | Supervisor: Ruggero Baldasso Duties: Modeling, section and construction detail drawings
DESIGN MEDIA - FROM MAKING PARCTICE Date: Mar. 2019 Type: Coursework Collaborator: Grace Morazzani Software application: Rhino+GH Plug-ins: Pufferf ish+kangroo+ladybug+vary for rhino
CORBEIL
Date: Oct. 2017 Type: Handcraft / Bamboo knit Solo work
RESIDENTIAL STADIUM
Date: Dec. 2018 Type: International Competition Collaborators: Zhong Ji Cai, Yating Wei, Cicily Du Result: Finalist (30/300)
SCAU SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE MODELING Date: May 2016 Type: Modeling competition Collaborators: Shi Qican/ Yuan Xiaoming/ Wu Wenguo
PAVILION
Date: Aug. 2016 Type: VSP studio, UBC SALA Collaborators: Tian Yijia/ Zhang Jinzi
2017 SCAU GRADUATION EXHIBITION Date: June 2017 Type: Modeling Designer and supervisor: Shi Qican Model: Long Xiao/ Zhang Wang/ Wang Yuanda/ Li Zhichong/ Fan Minong
ARCHITECTURAL SKETCHES
FAIRY'S FRET
Date: Dec. 2014 Type: Ink & Markers Solo work
Date: June 2015 Type: Watercolor Solo work
FOSHAN CANTONESE OPERA THEATRE
Date: Feb. 2017 Type: Public Competition Designer and supervisor: Zhanbo Li Role: Intern architect Responsibilities: sketching, architectural design, visualization, technical drawings
STILL LIFE Date: June 2014 Type: Pencil sketch Solo work
B.E | South China Agricultural University M.arch (Candidate) | University of British Columbia e: littlorxl@outlook.com | t: 1-236-8655080 @ Long Xiao Feb. 2021