PO R O F T
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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Xiao Hou | December 2016 | Michigan State University
Hi, I’m Mike! Mike is Xiao Hou’s English name. He is a landscape architecture student at Michigan State University. He has lots of interests but generally he considers himself a full-time designer thinker and a part-time explorer dreamer. Mike is originally from Xi’an, China. He thinks in two cultures.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Stadium District: Transit Oriented Development
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Warehouse Hostel (RE)development
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The Green Fabric: Boyne City Waterfront Masterplan
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The Grand River Greenway: Revitalizing our relationship with nature
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MSU x Playground 2.0: The future campus @ MSU
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Branding Design
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Sketches and other works
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Stadium District: Transit Oriented Development
Project Description This is a group project with two classmates. I learned to do site analysis, build both digital models in SketchUp and physical models, use AutoCAD, Photoshop and Illustrator to create a transit-oriented development solution for this urban infill site.
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Warehouse Hostel (RE)development
concrete with warm plant materials to remind people of our industrial past. I learned to compile a design package from site analysis to design details in the form of a booklet to convey my design solution. This is a personal project.
Project Description This design tries to minimize waste and reuse the remaining building materials as much as possible and to create friendly public space for the community in the mean time. This design seeks to transform the existing abandoned human built structure left by the industrial era to a more comfortable and social environment for modern people by combining the cold industrial materials such as steel and 5
The Green Fabric: Boyne City Waterfront Masterplan
draw visitors to the city. This is a group project with Haoxuan Xu. We went through the complicated design process together and created a solution in the form of a booklet. Seen here is a small part of the graphics in the package.
Project Description By connecting the city with the waterfront through a continuous greenway system and a series of green infrastructure, we hope to both create a better place for the residents and also help the city make the waterfront a catalyst to 6
The Grand River Greenway: Revitalizing our relationship with nature
Project Description The purpose of this project is to develop a greenway network throughout a portion of the Grand River Watershed, which is inclusive of 19 counties within the State of Michigan. Identification of an ecological focus is also required in order to define suitable locations for education centers within the study area. This report focuses on identifying the best areas
for greenway connections and regional education centers. These centers, combined with components along the greenway, will seek to educate the public about water pollution and its effect on human and environmental health. Utilizing GIS as a platform for regional investigation, extensive research will be necessary to determine future design strategies aimed at achieving better water quality throughout the watershed and 7
the State of Michigan. Through promotion of civic participation and environmental stewardship in the design process as well, the Grand River Greenway will emerge as an interactive social learning experience that seeks to create a more symbiotic relationship between humans and their natural surroundings.
MSU x Playground 2.0: The future campus @ MSU
Project Description For my senior design project, I chose to rethink what our central campus could be. The current campus core as seen in the map is dominated by surface parking lots. As thinkers and designers, we think about future. Does this type of landscape plan serve the mis-
sion of the university? Do we have the physical environment ready for the challenges of future? Do we need a giant parking lot at the core of our campus? The plan features a irregular design that brings energy to the campus. The central Innovation Hub serves as the iconography that defines the newly 8
developed place. The irregular site design will create informal meeting space for the students. I also used the opportunity to create a website that holds the interactive medias such as videos, interactive maps and slideshows as part of the experiences. http://mikehou001.wixsite.com/msufuture
Branding Designs
Sparty's Cabin Sparty's cabin is an interdisplinary project I participated in the second half of my fourth year. In the develpment of this project, I was mainly working on providing graphic materials for display. I also worked part-time as the project photographer and
general labor. I was also excited to make a beautiful step stool out of no previous woodworking experience. Hexagon Studio Mike wants to open up his design practice one day. He thinks it should be called Hexagon Studio. He 9
even created a logo for his firm just in case. He felt the need for a change in people’s perspective of the outdoor environment. He has been experimenting relentlessly on the ideal outdoor space that can connect people with the environment in a better way.
Sketches and other works
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