Work Sample 2018-2024
Master of Science, Advanced Urban Design
Cornell University
Bachelor of Architecture
Huazhong University of Science and Technology
+1 914-438-6642
Education
Cornell University
Master of Science, Advanced Urban Design
Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Bachelor of Architecture
• GPA: 3.91 / 4.0
Assistant Writer
Academic
College of Arch, Art & Planning NYC Program, Cornell University
linkedin.com/in/ruoxi-li-241778202/ rl794@cornell.edu
New York City, United States
Aug. 2023 - Expected Aug. 2024
Wuhan, China
Sept. 2018 - June 2023
New York City, United States Jan. 2024 - present
• Produced bi-weekly blogs for AAP NYC Center, reflecting ongoing academic projects and community cultural engagements.
• Conducted interviews with scholars, showcasing their research to enrich academic and professional dialogues.
• Coordinated with students and faculty to gather feedback, ensuring content aligns with educational and community interests.
Architecture Shadow Professional
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
• Gained hands-on experience in architectural workflows, collaboration strategies, and multidisciplinary team engagement.
San Francisco, United States
Jan. 2024
• Contributed to team discussions and meetings, engaged in construction-site visit to gain knowledge about the complete design cycle.
Research Assistant Wuhan, China
Academic Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Federal University of Minas Gerais
• Conducted geographical statistics analysis to speculate the correlation between HSR construction and rural development.
Mar. 2023 - Apr. 2023
• Worked collaborately with Brazilian professors and students to propose an urban design proposal and detailed architecture design.
Design Discovery Participant
Academic (virtual)
Graduate School of Design, Harvard University
• Engaged in lectures on public-private sectors and climate change, and posed targeted questions for discussion.
June 2022 - July 2022
• Developed conceptual designs among various scales through collaboration with graduated instructors from architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture disciplines.
Awards
03/2023
07/2022
06/2022
11/2021
Skills
First Prize Cube Award, The 19th Architectural Talent Award
Winner Archtwist Regeneration Competition, Architectural Heritage Preservation Competition
Shortlist Movable Chair International Design Competition, Public Space Renovation Removable Seating Competition
Honorable Mention Young Architect Competition (YAC), Cultural Station Competition
Software Rhinoceros, Revit, Vray for Rhino, Twinmotion, AutoCAD, SketchUp, Grasshopper, ArcGIS pro, Python Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign English, Chinese(Mandarin)
Language
Soft Skills
Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Innovation, Resillience
Social Innovation Competition
Finalist
• Identify a significant issue in current female gender education and the impact of social media on this topic.
• Proposed solutions focus on female self-awakening
• Designed the user interface (UI) for the project’s digital platform.
United Nations Women
Sept. 2020
- 2022 Spring HUST Studio
- Collaborator: Wenzhuo Cai
All the drwaings except ones annotated with*
- Site: Wuhan, Chiana
- Industrial Renovation project - 3540㎡
- Instructor: professor Wei Zhou weizhou_@hust.edu.cn
-Winner - Archtwist Regeneration Competition
Situated in the center of China alongside the Yangtze River, Wuhan has long been praised for its convenient transportation and rich mineral sources. During the 1890s, Zhang Zhidong realized its marked influence on the whole country and built the Hanyang Iron Plant.However, in the 21st century, the significance of industry decreased. The enclosed factory areas were shut down and become forgotten barren places inaccessible to the public.
The project thus aims to resolve the conflict between present urban development and the preservation of old buildings. The primary intervention is to break down the intimidating large-scale blocks and open up the campus to the public. Physical boundaries are eliminated and urban networks are introduced. Some of the factory's historical value are reused as museums that are educational to the public.
For the specific architectural design, the same concern is how to introduce new functions and forms while meeting the historical value of the heritage. After a careful examination of the authenticity and originality of the factory, an elevated curve ramp is inserted into the factory, serving as a link between the old and new programs and a commemorative route regarding the workers’ closely-supervised and isolated working environment under the time of collectivism. The preserved structures and ruins of the original factory buildings have become part of the tour, allowing visitors to have a chance to get a closer look at the industrial relics. When stepping on the soil and ruins, feeling the brutal structures from the past, visitors can recall the old and glorious days of the factory.
Being relocated west to its original site twenty years after WWⅡ , the Hanyang Iron and Steel Work had its time of glory, providing construction materials nationwide. However, the ironwork was shut down and became an industrial heritage in 2007. With most of its buildings obsolete, the heritage urges the need for transformation.
The site is programmed for exhibition and educational purposes.
There
The project is an exhibition with some public functions.
A route through the equipments and trees indicates the gateway.
Along the path is the preserved brick wall.
* Collaborated with Wenzhuo Cai
The tower suggests the negligibility of the workers and the supervision power
Surveillance
Windows inserted into the wall suggest visual control over other visitors.
After a careful examination of the authenticity and originality of the factory, an elevated curve ramp is inserted into the factory, serving as a link between the old and new programs and a route regarding the workers’ closely supervised and isolated working environment under the time of collectivism.
The character between the workers and the supervisors are reversed while proceeding.
Isolation
The matrix of vegetation suggests a status of seperation.
The curved wall defines a theater on the ground floor and also serves as a monitor window allowing visual connections with people on the elevated ramp.
At the end of the route is a book shop in the woods. Readers can watch the bustling tourists from a quiet space and experience how workers were isolated by the equipment in the past.
Scenario A Scenario B
"An elevated curve ramp is inserted into the factory, serving as a commemorative route regarding the workers’ closely-supervised and isolated working environment under the time of collectivism."
The preserved ruins of the original factory buildings have become part of the tour, allowing visitors to have a chance to get a closer look at the industrial heritage relics. When stepping on the soil and ruins, visitors can recall the old and glorious days of the factory.
* Collaborated with Wenzhuo
- 2022 Fall
- Instructor: Haoyu Dong
- Individual Work
- Site: Wuhan, China
- Industrial Park Renovation and Urban Design -0.6k㎡
As the periphery of Wuhan expanded throughout the last fifty years, industrial areas were relocated to the outskirts of the city, leaving a number of brownfields within the city. This project is located on the east bank of the Yangtze River, previously known as the Wuhan Shipyard, which officially declared closed in 2016.
This area is also the node linking Wuhan Yingwuzhou Yangtze River Bridge to the Wuchang Riverbank, so it has good accessibility as well as the advantage of being a gateway to the city. Taking into account the location of the site and the distribution of surrounding functions, the former factory and the worker dormitory are transformed into an innovation park. use design of the Innovation Park allows it to host different groups of people: incubators, office buildings and apartments meet the employment and living needs for many young people, while commercial and urban public spaces provide cultural and recreational spaces for citizens throughout the city.
A system of public spaces was set up around the original dock and factory. The high-rise and multi-story buildings enclose the central green space, allowing all who arrive at thepark to focus their sights on the public space in the center of the site.
Meanwhile, greenlands combined with the natural environment are set up on the east and west side of the site, allowing people to march along the walkway to the waterfront and enjoy the intimate contact with nature from the busy city life, forming a rich spatial experience and transformation of atmosphere.
Wuhan built many factories along the Yangtze River in the funding years of the country, forming the Yangtze River Industrial Belt. As the periphery of Wuhan expanded, idustrials zones were divern to the outskirts of the city, leaving industrial brownfiled to be transformed.It is found that most industrial sites are transformed into commercial pedestrian streets, and a few are transformed into science and technology business parks serving nearby universities.
Alongside the Yangtze River, two metro lines and over five bridges were build for crossriver transportation.
There are three significant waterfront parks located along the river, creating a green corridor for the citizens.
A number of docks and routes are stil in use today, for tourism and cargo transportation purpose.
The innovation park is built on the former shipyard factory site and part of its workers dorms.
The primary road network is based on a grid of 300*400m, and the block is approximately 100*100m in scale.
The typology and height of the blocks are varied by functions and location. Basiclly, the site shows a semi-surrounded feature with a high-rise cluster in the east and north.
Along theYangtze River is a natural continuous wetland and a central public space. Linear public spaces were inserted into the blocks to enhance public interactions.
1. retail shop
2. exhibition
3. resting area
4. conference room
5. meeting room
6. office
7. lecture hall
8. open working space
9. activity space
10. visitor center
11. pavillion
The semi-enclosed feature is emphasized by the view of the entire site from the Yangtze River. The form of the green space is also differentiated according to its function, with the natural wetlands serving primarily as a gathering place for people to relax, while the man-made green space provides more hard paved areas and a marina to add vibrancy to the waterfront.
- 2022 Havard Design Discovery Virtual
- Instructor: Alex Yueyan Li, Elyjana Roach, Sophia Xiao
- Individual Work
- Site: São Paulo, Brazil
- Urban Spatial Renovation
Paulista Avenue is one of the oldest and most significant boulevards in São Paulo.
However, as rapid urban development took place, high-rise towers were constructed, taking up spaces for residential units. This urbanization process has led to the demolition of many homes and the alignment of high-rise buildings along the street has become a rift across the middle of the residential area.
As a result, the existing urban scale is too large for people to fully participate in public events, yet the current strategies that citizens take are passive. They will have to construct temporary flyovers and allow no vehicles to trespass whenever holding an event, causing a lot of troubles to the regular routine.
The strategy is to create a connector between the large and small scales, to reserve space for people to move around, and to strengthen the identity of the street and the city. The nodes were designed to solve the problems between the small-scale residential areas, the large-scale highrises and the linear street.
By inserting four different types of space, chessboards can be set up again, banners will have a place to hang and more people are encouraged to participate in this event.
Paulista Avenue is in the center of São Paulo. This 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometer) route connects the southern and western part of the city.
As one of the oldest and most significant boulevards in São Paulo, countless civic events were held and celebrated in this streeet, as well as protests and parades.
Through the same structural system and prototypes, four types of public space different in functions and combinations have been designed to address different street issues.
Node
The joint of several roads creates a large-scale unused space where it is difficult to cross several streets at once or to carry out activities on the site. As a result, a community connector to connecs the branches of the roads and allows for multi-level activities is designed. One end of the architecture connects to the low-rise residential area with a walkway that leads to a massing embedded in the high-rise and then across the road to the complex on the other side.
Daily Circumstance
The architecture can be used as a cultural and economic centre for the community in everyday life, where residents can read, play and rest in.
Ephemeral Circumstances
During civic events, resideents can lower the walkway to create a multi-layered communication with ground level. This can promote citizens to participat in civic activities while providing enough space for activities
100mm floor covering
20*300mm steel hollow beam
100mm ceiling covering
500*500mm steel hollow column
300*200mm I-beam
260*200mm I-beam
The architecture uses a combination of portal structures and sling pulleys to suspend and move the panels.
The horizontal beam is attached to the main framing, the bracing is connected to the system by a bolt
TC bolts are used to attach the X plate to the beams.
A larger high strength steel bolt with a hex head is used in the connector.
The newly added system uses the fragmented spaces as drop-off points for columns, elevating the connections between the upper floors, while creating sufficient buffer space for the metro stations.
The strategy is to build a footbridge from the residential area, embed it into the high-rise and extend it to the street, increasing connectivity while dissipating the volume of the original high-rise.
Unused plots are selected as a basis to elevate and expand the public spaces of the community. The elevated space allows residents to hold group activities and enhance neighborhood interaction.
Node #2: Infrastructure Connector
Node #3: Cross-Block Flyover
Node #4: Community Center
- 2022 Spring HUST Studio
- Collaborator: Wenzhuo Cai
All the drwaings except ones annotated with*
- Site: Wuhan, Chian
- Residential deisng project
- Instructor: Mei Jiang jump_jm@126.com
-First Prize - Cube Award
The rapid urbanization of China that began at the end of the 20th century swallowed up large amounts of agricultural land but failed to absorb the homesteads of the agricultural population protected by state land policies, thus creating villages in the cities.
Aesthetically, the urban village is seen by many as a scar on the city; politically, it is a ticking bomb. Yet in the small-scale space of existence, people are closer to each other than in most areas of the city, at the same time, due to the mix-use of functions, the urban village is also a condensed society where people live, work and participate in many social interactions.
Therefore, a proposal is made to rethink the present living pattern. Streets are extracted as a skeleton to link housing units and different layers are superimposed with each other in terms of height.
After studying the living and interaction patterns of people in urban villages, typologies of the street were extracted as a skeleton to link different housing units and superimposed different layers in terms of height. The closeness between neighbors is re-established, and traditional forms are inherited while meeting the demand for high-density living space.
* Collaborated with Wenzhuo Cai
In this proposal, street were extracted as a skeleton to link different housing units and different layers are superimposed with each other in terms of height. The goal is to re-establish the closeness between neighbors, and traditional forms are inherited while meeting the demand for high-density living space.
Implication of social media qualities on the built environment
- 2023 Fall
- Practicum Project
- Instructor: Brian Ho
- Collaborator: Melanie Chu, Yongcong Gou
All the drwaings except ones annotated with*
- Site: Manhattan, New York
- Urban Spatial Analysis and Application
Instagram has evolved into a powerful tool for individuals to explore new places, serving as a public database shaped by the community rather than a centralized agency. However, there exist two New York Cities. One is the vibrant metropolis showcased on social media, while the other is the hidden reality, often overlooked in the confined dimensions of a single photograph.
This study unfolds in two phases, each addressing critical aspects of urban spaces in New York City. Initially, the focus is on analyzing ten of the most frequented locations, aiming to discern the disjunction between social media portrayals and the reality.
The second phase of the study delves into the intriguing question of what happens when public urban spaces are set to be "Instagrammable." A series of controlled variations are introduced for testing, utilizing both surveys and social media posts. The outcomes of these tests are collected to discern the specific spatial qualities that contribute to the heightened popularity of urban spaces on Instagram.
Through this comprehensive exploration, the study endeavors to unravel the intricate dynamics between social media, public perception, and the design of urban spaces, offering guidance for future urban planning endeavors.
TIMES SQUARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram has become a powerful tool people use to explore places and it is a database that is created by general public and without an agency. However, we realized there are two New York Cities, one is what we see on social media, and one is the experimental reality that are
Site Engagement and Complaint
Based on the survey result, a final streetscape is synthesised to show how to generate a appealing urban public space. Social media, as a bottom-up research perspective, provides us with the most authentic preferences and needs of the public: there is a demand for more greenery, signage, and a variety of building facades in the city.
Cultural Station Renovation in Elini
- Young Architect Competition 2021 -Competition Work
- Instructor: Jingjing Lei
- Collaborators: Zemin Yan, Wenzhuo Cai
All the drwaings except ones annotated with*
- Site: Elini, Italy
- Infrastructure Renovation
-Honorable Mention - YAC Cultural Staion Competition
Rail infrastructures have long been neglected or abandoned, for they are linked to a form of transportation that was considered obsolete and incompatible with the speed of modern times.
Elini is a perfect mixure of tradition and future, and this is the feature we decided to build our culture station on. We grasped several images from different times and collaged them into a bigger picture.
Using time as the thread, we connect Parco Carmine, Elini Town and the Old Mill together.Our new station is a linear space which interact with the old buildings and the site. Arriving at the station, tourists are able to take a quick glance at this time-honored town or enjoy a leisure time at the
We are hoping that this culture station is not only a transfer station for tourists, but also a wonderful depiction of Sardinian culture, and Elini will *
