Duc Cao - Academic Portfolio - Urban Design

ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM

P O R T F O L I O CAO NHAN DUC

E: nhanduc.cao@gmail.com T: (+84) 933 699 361 A: District 2, Ho Chi Minh City.

AB O UT ME HI! I’m Cao Nhan Duc, an graduated urbanism student from the University of Leuven , with a desire to make the living environment more enjoyable. I’m an avid observer with a deep appreciation for detail. I’m interesting in using creative approach to problem solving and eager to learn new skills. I found myself being able to adapt with complex situations. More information about me can be found in my Curriculum Vitae on the next page.

Cao Nhan Duc Bachelor of Urbanism, K.U Leuven E: nhanduc.cao@gmail.com A: District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam T: (+84) 933 699 361

PROFILE

PUBLICATIONS

A fresh graduate from the University of Leuven, Belgium. A highly organised and efficient individual. Desire to work in a creative environment as well as multi-cultural teams. A high ambitious individual with aspiration to improving urban issues and create sustainable living environment through design.

• 2016 -”Antwerp New South : Redesigning Strategic vacant landscape” Publisher: KU Leuven, Belgium ISBN: 978-94-6018-980-7

EDUCATION Bachelor of Urbanism 2012-2016 • 2012 -2015: Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture • 2015 - 2016: University of Leuven, Belgium Graduated in August 2016 with final results: 67.46%

• 2016- “Future tissues of Ca Mau : Anticipating new urbanisation” Publisher: KU Leuven, Belgium.

ISBN: 978-94-6018-995-1

EXPERIENCES • Coordinating/ Analysing: “Problem and potential of slums in Viet Nam and a comparison to Seoul.”

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. 2015 Association: Handong International University, Korea.

• Workshop/ Coordinating/ Concept Building: “District 4 Port Revitalisation.”

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, 2015 Association: Huddersfield University , UK.

SKILLS & CAPACITY • Graphic: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator.

LANGUAGE

• Achitectural and Rendering: AutoCad, Sketchup, Lumion, Cinema4d, Vray.

• English : IELTS 6.5 | 2015

• Analog: ArcGIS, hand drawing, mapping, model making, technical drawing, perspective and diagram visualization.

CONTACT

• Others: Microsoft Office, Sketching, Motion graphic, Web and logo design.

• Able to work within an international group.

• Able to perform independently.

• Capacity to work under pressure and deadlines.

• Creative, organised and efficient.

• Open-minded and hard-working

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/duccao Facebook: /nhanduccao7 Portfolio: nhanduccao.wixsite.com/duccao Publication: issuu.com/nhanduc.cao

AB OUT This portfolio is a compilation of different projects completed at Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture and University of Leuven. The works presented ranges from housing typology to regional planning and urban design strategy.

TA B L E O F CO N T E N T S ANTWERP NEW SOUTH

page 6 - 17

CA MAU FUTURE URBAN TISSUE

page 18-39

DISTRICT 8, L ANDSCAPE AS INFRASTRUCTURE page 40 - 54 FR ESHMAN WORKS

page 55 - 60

ANTWERP NEW SOUTH Redesigning Strategic Vancant Landscape ANTWERP, BELGIUM

Firtsly , when analysing parks and urban spaces that have meaning on the scale of the whole city, one notices that the quay and south-docks definitely have their potential but at the moment this part of Antwerp lacks a well-designed open space of city - important. So it is essential that the open space for Antwerp new south is not merely another part of the key, an extension of the south docks, or a small park, but that it is a city park in itself, a park that forms a gravity point on the quay and connect to other public spaces, creating a public space meaningful for the whole Antwerp.

The vision of the proposal was to keep the continuity of the Green Singel as well as the built environment of the old city Antwerp interms of physical and spatial realm.Learning from the way that topography, vegetation, buildings and infrastructure formed the Green Single’s landscape, especially the spaghetti knot, the kinetic landscape with topographic movement is continued by creating a valley perpendicular to the Scheldt river.

Moreover, these modification of topography also create the opportunity to give more room to the river, which is resulted in the variety of landscape from wet to dry are and enable flood control. This also adds spatial quality with floodable landscape transitions with the plant divergence and soil variation where adaptive and flexible wetland can work with and bring people closely to the water.

City scale strategy

Site scale strategy

Master plan , scale ; 1/2000

Cut and fill process

Through the cut and fill on-site method, a valley is created perpendicularly to the Scheldt River, which forms a gravity point on the quay , connecting to other public spaces, results in the city-scale public facilities for the whole Antwerp. These topography modifications also grasp the opportunity to create more rooms for the river, adding spatial quality of a floodable landscape in which contains vegetation divergence and soil variation. The flexible and adaptive wetland brings people closely to the water, together with new housing typologies making adaptation for the long term flood protection.

These alterations can be achieved by a cut and fill method of articulating new levels of topography. By only heightening terrain with soil dug out from the site itself, there is no need for soil from somewhere else. In addition, the new housing topologies accommodate the new landscape, together making the adaptation for the long term flood protection, a great park, great views and high quality of living.

Water retreat strategy

Topography changes and vegetation diversity

On a more detailed level, every apartment in this new design should have great quality, both the indoor space, as the views to the collective and public outside domains. This is achieved by a stipulation of apartments types with double height rooms, by the large public park and the spatial quality of the collective spaces if the huge building blocks.

The building typology also plays with topography changes, create a split level typology that create different space experiences for the people as well as dealing with extreme flooding

Zoon in plan , scale 1/500

The Slab typology

The courtyard typology

CA MAU Future urban tissues of Ca Mau

VIET NAM

Urban development through time and the existing landscape

As contemporary cities grow, there is a common issue that is how to repurpose the remaining land surrounding the city center and resources for urban development. Ca Mau city is a prime example of this problem, with the characteristic of a linear city along the water ways and the main intercity roads, Ca mau is rapidly expanding due to the fast pace of urbanization as well as the demand for housing of citizens.

On the city scale level, our main focus is to deeply understand the logic of how the urban has been sprawling and at the time studying the importance of a unique productive landscape around Ca Mau. In addition, the refections of future city regional planning is also taken into account.

Morphology analysis.

Linear urban development

Ca Mau urban expansion logic over times can easily be recognized as a linear city establishing along the two main structure: the waterways and roads thus, leading to its two logics of settlements. As the city stretching out of its boundary, a vast distinctive productive landscape on the urban and rural edge is gradually being taken over by overwhelming hard infrastructure construction and residential development.

The project regconizes the development pattern on the site is following four main spines : -The water-based structure that is an identity of Ca Mau, living with the water.

-The commercial spine which is Ngo Quyen international road, has the high transportation density throughout day -The institutional spine which hosting the hearth of administrative and institutional program -The regular urban structure with grid system , was planned to be a new residential neighborhood.

Phan Ngoc Hien Street: Wide profle, hosting series of public buildings and public spaces.

Normal new grid development: Complete infrastructure, no house were built

Ngo Quyen street: Narrow setbacks, high density of transportation

Overloaded street with narrow profle, water relation is not enhance

Rooted from that studying, our intention is to continue that linear urbanization logic, the road network would become the main urban carrier in our strategy. After the analysis, there are four main urban carriers running through the site: the waterbased, the commercial & services, the institutional and the new residence. Due to their different qualities and characteristics, they carry different types of fabric, density and.

Meanwhile, in order not to let the city take over a tre mendous productive landscape which has always been an identity of Ca Mau on the way its growth, the idea is by embracing the impressive characteristic of the mosaic landscape pattern structure and at the same time give value to the future urban fabric. The two existing unbuilt strips which run along the urban spines will be reactivated as city public spaces. Besides, a number of connections between those built and unbuilt strips has also been proposed at strategic position which directly oriented to the river. Finally, city after expansion is going to reach its limit, thus, our strategy also suggest where it should end: the river the origin of Ca Mau.

Current development trend

Proposal integration

the ‘In-between’ landscape

Collector and infiltration

City scale strategy

River neighborhood

Hybrid neighborhood

Low Density

Medium density

The main idea is to emphasize the four main built spine, which can be regconized by density and building height along with two unbuilt spines .which are urban parks.

River neighborhood

Hybrid neighborhood

Mixed use

Low Density

Medium density

High density

Hybrid neighborhood Medium density

Mixed use

Productive neighborhood

High density

Low Density

Taking the analysis and the city strategy as a departure, in this scale strategy, the main idea is to create four distinctive urban fabrics being shaped and at the same time given values by the two in between landscapes. By that, instead of demolishing existing productive felds for infrastruture construction, these landscape mosaic will be integrate with the existing infrastructure creating new framework for the proposed new urban tissues.

Firstly, four distinctive urban spines carrying four different types of settlements each with different density. Secondly, the two unbuilt strips has been consolidated and reprogrammed basing on their existing conditions in which one would become an urban park with preserved pattern while the other one would become a productive park. Moreover, in order to control urban sprawl from utilizing these landscape, a linear park is design running along their edges. Lastly, four types of neighborhoods will be created and given shaped namely: water-based neighborhood, urban hybrid, mixed-use open block and productive neighborhood.

Concept diagrams

urban spines

Mosaic productive landscape

Integrated mosaic urban spines

Plan zoom - Hybrid neighborhood

From the existing condition of the street profle as well as housing condition along the spine, the proposal introduces new typology that enhance the existing local housing and create new neighborhood that have a hybrid characteristic of living and work and have hiearchy of spaces to adapt to the demand of living on the main infratructure of the city

Plan zoom -Riverside neighborhood

Studying the pattern of river-infrastructure canal, the proposal introduce a new system that rooting from the begining logic, that is to provide a system of rowhouse opposite to the existing. The gardens of the local household are vast and have no boundaries, so it should be a clear stop for this situtation.

By that , the new and the local neighborhood will have a shared garden with the canal as collector, bring a better living environment to a bustling area next to the river.

Plan zoom -productive neighborhood Aqua-culture

From the existing condition and the initial idea at the begining, The proposal introduces new canal systems and productvie felds into the area. These two will interweave with the unfnished grid structure to create new urban fabric that will have more aquaculture oriented-which is also an image of Ca Mau city. The logic of the “urban spine� from the Agriculture neighborhood also applied to this site.

Densifcation will occur on the main access with commercial and services oriented, the inner space is private and full of community relationship

Plan zoom -productive neighborhood Agriculture

From the existing conditions on site., and from the main concept which is to integrate the landscape pattern into new urban fabric.,The proposal introduce a combination of the existing infrastructure with the productive pattern, that means the grid infrastructure will be broken by the landscape pattern , the productive felds infltrate into the urban block which will results a new structure and identity for the neighborhood. Keeping the mind the linear development pattern of the whole Ca Mau, the “urban spine� remains the main access and desifcation will gather along the street while the inner areas are provided comon spaces for better community living conditions

Central square mixed use Commercial and offices

From the existing conditions of the area with big square with no shades and a downgraded cultural building, with an ideal street profle and directly connected to the existing administration center, the proposal introduces the main idea that to end the spine with a cultural complex and a new central square, defned by high rise mixed use building

DISTRICT 8.

Landscape as Infrastructure

VIET NAM

Previously, the majority of the population heavily concentrated in two banks of the canal, because their activities mainly take place in the channel, especially trade, barter, moving, and some berths still exist in the coming days. However, this practice is gradually eroded the land 2 canal is narrower. Furthermore people found jobs in the land and tend to move in and settled along the the main road. Since 2006, Vo Van Kiet Boulevard was built, which is attached to the factory, industrial parks were built, thus creating a series of works for the people, encouraging them to inland to live, work, these new apartments were built to serve the housing needs for people.

In the 2000s, agriculture still accounts for a large area of the region, the field concentrated along the canal to supply water easily. chemical industry and the settlement was gradually occupying an area of agricultural land to build infrastructure, agricultural land is relatively low at present, some are abandoned.

The map shows the location and the density of three main street of this area. Basically, they have lower density than the other site in HCM city, however, we can clearly see the difference between each main street based on the density of circulation so that we can determinet how people circulate inside the place and how the street connect to each other.

Because there is not enough open space for people so they have to use some small spaces in front of their house or spaces that locared along side canal. In addition, the spaces in front of schools and pagodas are also used as open spaces.

There are many natural areas in this site. However, these spaces are untoughed and these do not make the palce more beautiful. Therefore, these natural spaces should be improved or changed into green spaces and parks.

HOW DID WE ARRIVE AT THIS VISION ?

The increasing of unmaintained vacant lots has potentially transformative impact in the form of landscape that can be collectively harnessed into a new multifunctional landscape system to improve the area in terms of ecological performance and its communities. Through natural process, these plot turn out to be spontaneous green space and are not used to supply open spaces for its residents. Population is increasing rapidly leading to the demand of more spaces to live, meanwhile there are a lot of lands available. However, in order to provide a community open spaces that are not only as recreational landscape, but they also productive landscapes, we suggest to transform these vacant lots into a series of multifunctional landscape network, to make these vacant lots valuable.

Our project aims to redefine and diversify the traditional perception of landscape as only recreation by showing multiple effects of landscape such as improving residents’ health, reducing pollution problems, collecting stormwater, creating resources for research, providing food and even job opportunities. Our process consists of identifying vacant lots in various scales, reshaping them base on the traditional pattern of the site, establishing linkages between these lots and finally make them become a multi problem-solving landscapes. In this way, the strategy encourages landscape infrastructure as an instigator for the site. Our framework focuses on a series of analytic mapping of existing conditions and researching on relevant case studies about productive landscape, landscape urbanism and remediation as well as ecological community to bring the best solution for this area.

Making landscape productive is a guideline of our project.

Specifically, green infrastructures can clean air, water, and soil and improve the health of urban ecosystems. Blue infrastructure collects stormwater, filters and cools down air while ecological types create habitats for wildlife species, combine with community engagement and research.

Productive types, including food and energy production will provide the residents on-site resources as well as employments.

FRESHMAN WORKS Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture.

2012- 2015

The project was operated in Spring,2014 with the assistance from prof.

Bruno De Meulder and Kelly Shannon (K.U Leuven) and tutor Ivan Ilach. as well as the cooperation from HCMC University of Architecture.

The design process ranges through scales, from a housing unit to a neighborhood area, which was formed following principles and guidelines. The central park that create a gravity point for the whole site, connect to other public spaces on the quay, and open spaces inside each residential blocks. The urban green artery infiltrates the industrial site and enable new living condition.

We are a group of six people and have our housing typology combined together.

Master plan with two seperate neighborhood connected by a central parkway. By a method of cut and fill on-site, the park is levelled higher than a canal in order to create a better view for people and also act as a water treatment system.

THANK YOU

E: nhanduc.cao@gmail.com T: (+84) 933 699 361 A: District 2, Ho Chi Minh City.