Urban Design Portfolio_2019

IBWC HEADQUARTER Breaking Border "Wall"

Academic Work | Fall 2017

Professor: Shelby Doyle

Site: El Paso, TX, America

The project is to design a headquarter for IBWC (The International Boundary and Water Commission) in the border area between the El Paso (America) and Juarez (Mexico). The cities are separated by the Rio Grande, which serves as the border line here. The America–Mexico border is a fluctuating, yet highly controlled political landscape. Over the past 150 years the border has changed from an invisible and unmapped line into a 2,500 mile frontier region characterized by unique economic and spatial conditions. Especially after Trump's proposal of the construction of border "wall", whether such huge physical walls should be built to split two countries draws attention all over the world.

My proposal is to prevent the “wall” being built along the boundary. I prefer to imagining a U.S./ Mexico border in which people are allowed to walk freely but cannot have physical contacts with the region of other country in order to maintain security. As to the International Boundary and Water Commission, it provides binational solutions to issues regarding boundary demarcation, national ownership of waters, sanitation, water quality, and flood control in the border region. Its headquarter is programmed to provide offices and labs for the stuff of IBWC and also to open to the public of both countries for visit, leisure and education.

Relationship between border line and ports of entry

Aerial view of border from American side

Types of IBWC projects

Site context : Seperation/ Connection

The Rio Grande in El Paso continually shifted between 1852 and 1962, then in a 1962 agreement between two countries, the Rio Grande border between Juarez and El Paso was moved and stabilized within a concrete channel. This shift left a void in the urban fabric between Juarez and El Paso that still exists today—Chamizal Zone, an intricate terrain vague. The two cities only connect by three bridges.

Historical shifts of the border offer an opportunity to redesign it as a fluctuating, indeterminate space. The space becomes a series of momentary events in constant flux that will never repeat in the exact same way. From this point of view, the Rio Grande can be seen as the seperation but it also provide great potentials to be connection between two countries.

History

Change of water level

Although the Rio Grande is stablized by the concrete channel, it is still a fluctating system because its water level changes through seasons. By providing programs interactive with the change of water level in the border area, various kinds of people's activities would happen making the border accessible and active.

Current situation of border crossing

Three bridges cross the Rio Grande are the only connections between El Paso and Juares.

Employment Education Shopping Car crossing Trunk crossing Pedestrian crossing

Concept development: active border Across the border

Dynamic river indicates an active border. Located in the desert area, water use of both two cities rely heavily on the Rio Grande. Along the border, plenty of water treatment facilities use different type of water tanks to process waste water and store water. The form of water tanks Location

represent both interaction with water and mutual concerns between America and Mexico. So by studying water tanks along the border, the concept of the project is to abstract water tanks' volume to create active and neutral space on the border.

Material: Plastic Usage: Home use

Material: Concrete Usage: Water plant

Material: Cast-in-place concrete Usage: Water plant

Material: Concrete Usage: Community

Material: Stainless steel Usage: Water plant

Material: Cast-in-place concrete Usage: Water plant

Isometric drawing : water filtration system

Pedestrain paths extend from two countries to the building making the border area more accessible. The building also works as a water process system to monitor and improve the water quality of American Channel and the Rio Grande.

American Channel

Water filtration system Rio Grande

America Mexico

Programs of water tanks

Activities through building: isometric sections

Theater

Audiences from different countries divert through different floors. First floor is accessible to Mexicans, second is to Americans.

Outdoor Stage

Mexicans get to the three-storey outdoor stage by the ground foor level. Activities happened here can be seen by Americans on the first and second floor inside.

Pool

Pool is accessible to the American visitors on second floor and it connects to the water process system and water storage tanks.

Botanic garden/ lab

Botanic garden and the lab uses the water abstracted from the Rio Grande to irrigate plants and test water quality.

View in public spaces

From American side

From Mexican side

Walk across the border

Walking from the Amercian side, visitors can see the cylindrical volumes of different sizes and materials and the paths hanging around the building.

YACHT CLUB

New layer in-between city wall and landscape

Academic Work | Fall 2015

Professor: Lei Zhu

Site: Nanjing, China

Nanjing City Wall built in the middle period of the 14th century was an important defense project for guarding the capital of the country upon Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang establishing a capital in Nanjing. The ancient city walls both divide city from landscape and make their interrelationship more tangible. Nowadays, due to the rapid modernization of Nanjing, the city sprawls far beyond Ming City Wall. Ancient city walls are surrounded by more complex city context.

The site is situated in-between the Xuanwu lake and the city wall, which is one of the oldest part human use landscape navy training. The project considers how a contemporary public space could negotiate between city and landscape by continuing the cultural and historical features of ancient city walls.The yacht club grows from the slope of lake band, trying not to destroy the natural scenery around the lake and historical features of city wall, but to connect the vertical gap and lead people to the lake. It brings new opportunities for people to be closer to the water and complete the full circulation of tour route around the lake.

Relationship between city walls and surrounding context

View of site from lake

Site context : In- between the city wall and the landscape

The site is situated in-between the Xuanwu lake and the city wall, which is one of the oldest place recorded in the historical documents back to Dongwu Dynasty. Nowadays, Xuanwu Lake park has constructed surrounding the lake, and there is a walking trail goes through between the city wall and the lake. The relationships among

the city wall, walking trail and Xuanwu lake change as people walk around the lake, and it is clearly showed by a sequence of sections. The yacht club is designed as an extension of the walking trail and it provides public space for possible activities and enriches experience when walking around the lake.

Site Condition

Sections along the trail

Concept development: landsacpe - City wall - city

Design strategies

Site Condition

The relationship among landscape, city wall and city has a deep historical origin.

Walking path

Introduce walking path to connect the height gap between road and the lake

Respond to City wall

New public space

Introduce new program: cafeteria facing the lake and backyard facing the city wall

Scene of Nanjing City in 1690s cut from " Kangxi South Tour Map "

The yacht club has three vertical layers. The lowest platform strech out to the lake leading people to the yacht and the waiting room is embedded into the slope. The second floor has a cafeteria facing the lake and a backyard surrounded by trees facing the city wall. And the roof is slightly higher than the walking path leading people directly to the viewing platform.

Vertical layers are connected by a staircase constructed with black bricks using traditional brickwork technics, which strengthen ancient city wall's features throughout the building.

Activities through building: long section

The yacht club defines a new layer between the city wall and the landscape, provide a new publc space to the existed route around the lake. It is a connection between the road and the lake.

Represent city wall

brick bearing wall perforated brick wall

wood bearing beam

People get down from the higher elevation of the road to the lake through the walking path through the woods. The vertical staircase constructed by bricks divides the building into two parts: the backyard facing the city wall and the cafeteria facing the lake.

HEXING MUSEUM RENOVATION

Commemorating the alternation of old and new

Academic Work | Fall 2016

Professor: Zhijiang Yang

Site: Shanghai, China

Hexing warehouse was built in 1930 along the Huangpu River during the industrialization of contemporary Shanghai It had the unique flat slab concrete structure with octagonal columns and façades. However, after industrial structural upgrade in 1980s, it was abandoned, and nowadays it is one of the perserved industrial buildings in World Expo park. The purpose of the project is to renovate the warehouse into a museum memorizing modern industry development in Shanghai from 1930s.

Although China is generally in the middle age of industrialization, some essential changes are happening to both economic and social structure of big cities. Under such situation, how to bring more industrial buildings into the proper protection and reuse, becomes an important and urgent new subject.

The concept of the program is to juxtapose the new and the old structures, so people would experience the cultural gap when wandering around the building in 80 years and sense the continuity of time. The northern façade facing the river will remain the features of old warehouse. Also, the new insertion would adapt to the light, sight and circulation needs of the museum.

Modern Indusrial building heritage along the Huangpu River

Aerial view of site inside the Expo park

Site context : Shanghai World Expo Renovation

The holding of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo promotes directly a process of urban renewal and transformation of old city areas. The Expo area is dotted with a large number of industrial buildings and historical buildings which are transformed into exhibition pavilions, theaters and so on to meet the requirement of the Expo.

After the Shanghai World Expo, the area has been planned by the government as commercial and leisure districts. How to make rational use of the renovated industrial buildings has become a new problem. Hexing warehouse is one of these old industrial buildings which will be renovated to culture related orgnizations.

Study of the old building

Addition to the old building

Perservation

North facade and old structures are perserved as parts of exibition.

Hexing warehouse was built in 1930 along the Huangpu River during the industrialization of contemporary Shanghai. During the maintenance in the 1980s, 45 degrees of inclined beams were added to increase structural strength. Its most prominent feature is the elevation facing the river and its structural form. Its original structure was concrete slab-column structure with octagonal columns and octagonal caps. At present, although facades, columns and beams are well preserved, the overall structural strength is not enough and the roof structure is completely destroyed.

Old and new juxtaposition

New steel structures are inserted to the old concrete frame to form new exibition space.

Introduce new public space

Renovated old stairs lead people from riverside to the new public space added on the top of the old building.

Renovated Hexing warehouse

Hexing warehouse is located along the Huangpu River and its most featured facade faces the water. People mainly come from the square on its eastern side and the park on its western side. The renovation provides new glass staircases leading people from the waterfront to the art space located on the top of the museum.

Meander along the path: sequence sections

Southern Corridor Special exhibition

New exhibition hall Corridor between old and new View from square

ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK Cultural heritage protection and new plan

Academic Work | Spring 2018

Professor: Hao Deng

Site: Nanjing, China

Since 2005, the discovery of Dongwu Tomb in Nanjing has provided valuable information and a platform for the study of Dongwu culture. We can detect the economy visage and social status of Dingwu Dynasty from the tomb, wares and inscriptions unearthed. The project is to perserve the discoveried tomb and develop the area into an archaeological park.

In the Six Dynasties era, people faced anxiety in the contradiction between life and death, and the Confucian tradition’s evasive attitude was particularly weak. People's view of life and death first manifests itself as a naturalistic attitude and an understanding of individual meaning and value. This theoretical achievement with the highest attitude of life and death is manifested in the view of the dead of the mysterious students. Tombs are not only one of the ways to deal with corpses, but also indirectly reflect people's understanding and attitude towards death.

The concept of overall planning is to restore the burial system and introduce modern activities. It not only shows the grand narrative of the burial system, but also makes tourists feel the daily life of the city. Besides the exhibition of the main body of the tomb, the museum and the archaeological station, the main function of the park is to plan the experience area of Sun Wu culture - the experience of nostalgia culture / the experience of city life.

Heritage Trail

Heritage Sights

Industrial development zone

Lingyan Temple Mont Fang Memorial Gateway

Dongwu Tomb She Village

View of current situation of tomb perservation

Culture heritages in the area of Jiangning new district

Concept development: Modern interpretation of burial ceremonies

The concept is to restore the memory of burial ceremony and the cultrual experience in Dondwu dynasty. Two main touring routes are developed, one is along the axis of burial path and another is along the river and landscape. When people enter the main enterance square, they first enter the modern translation axis which is perpendicular to the original axis and ends with the Dongwu Cultural Museum. Through

streamline transformation inside the building, tourists are introduced into the tomb axis. After the tour of tomb itself, the underground passage is used to enter the tomb museum to further understand the knowledge of the tomb. Then the path in the natural landscape lead visitors to the top of the terrain and to the riverside where tourists can rest and participate activitites related to Dongwu culture.

Overlay through time

Burial ceremony axis

Underground archaeological axis

Reshape terrain

Main

Planning structure

Programs in the park

Tourist center

The design of the tourist center is to make a certain comparison with the "heavy" of the tomb body, suggesting that the different feelings of life on the ground and death under ground.

Dongwu Dynasty Cultural Museum

Dongwu Dynasty Cultural Museum is at the start of the tomb burial axis. Tourists can get the knowledge of the Dongwu culture in this museum and through the change of height to get ready to enter the burial ceremony axis.

Archaeological Work Station Exhibition Hall Ancient Tomb Museum

Archaeological work stations and tomb museums are located on both sides of the axis perpendicular to the main body of the site, and are half-hidden in the soil, avoiding having too much influence on the site itself.

The design of tomb exihibition hall aims to minimize the impact on the tomb. After the tour, the underground passage is used to enter the tomb museum to further understand the knowledge of the tomb.

Ancient Tomb Museum exhibits the funeral objects of the Dongwu Tomb and other tombs discovered in this area. It introduces the knowledge of the tomb body, restores the scene through multimedia, and interacts with visitors.

View through routes

The routes are designed to let vistors visit the tomb and learn the archaeological knowledge or just walk through the landscape to rest in the natural environment. Along the route, vistor can experience the solemn and repressive atmosphere of tomb axis and the active and relax atmosphere of landscape.

Spring: Music stage

Summer: Riverside Square

Autumn: Tombs of Six Dynasties

Winter: Viewing Platform

Fine arts

In the summer of 2016 and 2017, I went to the Hong village and Xidi Village in Anhui Province for touring and sketching. Both places are historical villages well known for Hui style ancient dwellings and Chinese traditional planning of architecture groups. During the two weeks of living in the village, investigated the distribution of streets and alleys and perserved traditional houses, experienced the life of traditional streets and alleys and drawed sketches.

Other drawings

Hong village | 2016

Hong village | 2016 Hong village | 2016

Xidi Village | 2017 Xidi Village | 2017

Xidi Village 2017 Xidi Village | 2017