PORTFOLIO Ni Zhen
Ni Zhen HELLO CONTACT
EDUCATION
I'm Zhen. johnnyni1996@outlook.com (+86) 152 2110 1171 CAUP, Tongji University, No.1239 Si ping Rd, Yangpu District, Shanghai, China Psot code: 200092 Tongji University, Shanghai, China | Sep 2014 – Jun 2018 College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP) B.Eng. in Conservation of Historic Architecture Cumulative GPA: 86.52/100 DC Alliance, Shanghai, China | Aug 2017 – Sep 2017 Intern, participated in conceptual design, modeling, drafting, rendering
PRACTICE
Conservation Site Practice | Aug 2017 Team member, participated in data collection and processing, sketching, thesis writing of Jinci Temple, Shuanglin Temple, Longshan Grottoes and Qu Family’s Compound in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province Ancient Architecture Mapping Practice | Jul 2017 Group leader, in charge of on-site mapping, photo taking, consolidation of drawings and mapping paper of Lu-Mansion in Dongyang, Zhejiang Province Art Sketching Practice | Aug 2016 Made scenery drawing and still life sketching in Chengkan, Anhui Province
INVOLVEMENT
Research Project: Building Pathology of CAUP Building B | Dec 2016 Group leader, responsible for on-site photo taking, in charge of the mildew part of report writing and report cover design CAUP Student Union | Oct 2014 – Oct 2016 Vice-chairman of International Group, in charge of affairs of international students. Won ‘Excellent Leader’ Award Shanghai Urban Space Art Season | Aug 2015 Assisted in preliminary information collection through exhibition arrangement and decoration
OTHER
Golden Award in Sketch | Nov 2017 Students’ Portfolio Competition of the Fourteenth Art Teaching Seminar of Architecture and Environmental Design of Higher Institutes in China 2017 Entry: Landscape Sketch Language | Chinese (Native), English (TOEFL ibt: 102; GRE: 150+170) Software | AutoCAD, SketchUp, Photoshop, V-ray, Illustrator, Rhino, InDesign Travel | Spain (2016), Japan (2015), Russia (2014)
"Architecture is a container, with memory as its content."
Cont
I. Riveting &
II. Collectiv
III. School
IV. City T
V. Pathology Stud
VI. Ancient Archi
tents
& Symbiosis
ve Memory
Reminisce
Theatre
y on Red Building
tecture Mapping
Riveting & Symbiosis Site Location: Hongkong Bay Project Time: 2017/09-2017/11 Co-workers: Li Shuren Fang Jianghong Guo Haoyang Fang chengxuan
What would happen if we rivet two kinds of culture that have a huge contrast? Behind these architectural methods, what we are really riveting are two different memories; what we are really creating is a new merged memory. · Merged Memory · Self-Gentrification · Culture Contrast (Responsible for the design of the red area on next page.)
Overall Bird's Eye View (Via Li Shuren)
Overall Strategy
Overall Site Plan (Collaborative)
BEFORE
AFTER
Traffic Condition
Function Distributiuon
Conservation Attitude
Current pedestrian traffic around the site is inconvenient and broken, especially inside each block. We recreated some streets and paths by opening up several space nodes and made them connected. In southern part there is a walkway on two-storey height, linking south and north.
On scale of function, we add some commnunity business industry into northern site which is mainly a residential area, hoping to promote people's living quality. In southern area, we create a cultural creativity atmosphere revolving around a New Media Company.
All the newly-built architeture and reconstruction projects are based on current buildings of low conservation level. As for those historic architecture and street facade, we did maximized protection and tried to revive the traditional atmosphere recall local people's memory.
Block Overview
Block Plan
I am personally responsible for this block. I made three actions to this area. First one was to demolish the abandoned area in the middle and changed it into a higher-standard settlement. Second one was to renovate and reorganize the conservation area on the west side, forming an interaction with the settlement. Third was create a business and cultural area at the southwest corner by adding new functions into this comuunity like museum and shopping centre, aiming at offering opportunities to the small society to achieve self-revitalization and self-gentrification
Current Status & Existing Problems Currently, this block has many problems needing solving. Most street corners are abandoned and passive to the public; Some streets and lanes are extremely narrow and chaotic, with stacks of sundries on both sides, losing its fucntion of connecting and transportation; In the middle of the area, there are several old buildings without people living in it. They can do nothing but separating the west and the east from each other.
Existing problems
Abandoned corner space
Great contradiction between east and west region
Flat roofs and slop roofs are chaotically connected
Narrow streets difficult thing
make walk a
1.Abandoned corner
2.Rounded corner
3.Historic building
4. chaotic rooftops
5. Dead ends
6. Narrow streets
Solid facades ruin street 7. Uninhabited houses 8. Unattended square 9. Cursory renovation atmosphere
Response Measures
ACTION I: Make housing area, co facing western m
Overhead space a for residents
Retreat of house rooftops. The he west also realize to modern
ACTION II: Mak long houses, usi market
Use cover to creat
Use residential h form a inner squ market
ACTION III: Crea area at the sout few high-end fun
Merge two hous Facade elements c
Newly built comm square
e the middle area a new onnecting eastern part and market
at the bottom forms squares
es makes activity space on eight decrease from east to the transition from traditonal Apartment Axonometric and Floor Plan
ke some rennovation to Li ing the U shape to make a
te an entrance feeling
ouses in good condition to uare and make it a grocery
ate a modern commercial th-west corner, planting a nctions
Grocery Market Axonometric Li long facade (Conserved) Commercial Retail (Newly built) Social Centre (Renovated)
ses and make it a gallery; conserved
mercial buildings forming a Commercial Square Axonometric
Response Measures
s
sines
u ss B e e n i Bus sidenc
e Re c n e d Resi
Section Perspective
s s e n i Bus
y t e i c So
Life
styl
e
Busines s
Block West Elevation and Reuse Patterns
Collective Memory Site Location: Ti Lanqiao Community Project Time: 2016/09-2016/11
Architecture is a container, a container of memory. In this work, I tried to find out how people's collective memory would affect architecture's generation. · Collecteve memory · Mixed culture · Community Architecture
Site Analysis
3 1
2
5 6
4
This Community Museum of History and Culture is located at the cross of Huo Shan Rd and Zho u Shan Rd, which is an essential area in Ti Lanqiao Historic Conservation Area in Hong Kou District. A few yards north to the site there is Ti Lanqiao Prison, and Huo Shan Park lie at its south. Some a ncient Jewish residential buildings are still nearly intact, conserved at the opposite of Zhou Shan Rd. It is an area combined with different kinds of culture and history like shipping, Li Long, Jewish and prison. And what is woth being noticed is that inside the site there is a preserved building which grew out of American-Jewish Joint Distributioin Committee. How to deal with the connection and link between it and the newly built museum would be an interesting and meaningful quesion.
1. Ti Lanqiao Prison (currently out of use)
2. American-Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
3. Huo Shan Park (Rennovated)
4. White Horse Cafe (Relocated)
5. Old Jewish Residence on Zhou Shan Rd
6. Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum
Pano view from the site
Generation
?
Museum of
Phase VI: now & future Regain old memory Recreate new memory
Phase IV: 1930s-1950s Commercial Center Jewish Comuunity Little Viena
COMMUNITY HIST
Phase V: 1950sLi long Rennovation Business Integrity Hongkong Gentrification
A traditional Chinese community with many Jewish elements
A histor commer business p
COLLE MEM Phase III: 1903-1920s Far East No.1 Prison
Phase III: 1903-1920s Far East No.1 Prison
Phase I: 1796-1830s A real bridge across Upper & Down srtream
Phase II: 1840s-1920s Li long district Business Community
Continuous rooftop Stratified facade
Enclosure c History em within m
TORY CULTURE
ry where rcial and prospered
and
Setback of two directions out of respect to the old building
Setback roundly at the corner, interacting with urban space
Cut to create an oblique wall, forming a friendly entrance
Extend the Li long frames at the level of rooftop
Frames can be percepted inside as public space system
A culture that represnts Shanghai's classical Li Long experience
ECTIVE MORY
connection mbedded modernity
L-shape volume surrounding the old bulding
Cramped space Micro spatial scale
Circulation
Visitors' Circulation
Staff Circulation
Freight Circulation
Bird's Eye View of Axonometric
Axonometric Analysis y Continuous double-pitch roofs that dispell the sense of mass and interact with the old
Simple frame structure that is easy to construct and reconstruct
Bay window on the facade to create the sense of layering A glass interface that combines the traditon Li long gable wall and modern material Corridor that leads to the old builidng
A double-height space that connects lobby and the second floor
Vertical traffic for visitors Vertical traffic for logistics Few walls on first floor, flexible for exhibitions
1F Plan
2F Plan
A-A Section
B-B Section
Facade Analysis
On the opposite of the site there is a block of historic residence of Jewish style. From the point of architecture, they have two main characters that are worth noticing. The first one is their material, brick. The mixed use of black brick and red brick make those buildings different from each other while they present a consecutive facade as a whole. The second character, as well as the most important one, is the layering of the facade. On the surface of these Jewish buildings, pilasters, windowsills and architrave of doors and walls together form the layering of the facade. The variety of concave and convex give us a sense of compexity. In this community museum, I use some modern materials, such as steel and glass, on the facade, trying to duplicate this sense of layering and making a conversation between the old and the new.
Face brick Concrete outrigger
Concrete column Reinforced wall Black and red brick
Wall Detail
Close Shot on Facade
East Elevation
School Reminisce Site Location: Tongji University Project Time: 2015/02-2015/06
What would happen when the architecture has two different meanings to two groups of people? How would their memory be reflected under the same roof? · Individual memory · School experience · Function flexibility
Concept Design
Sense of Belonging
Harbour like
Classroom
sense of sheltered
Enclosure
Reference Hall
Intimate Feeling
Reminiscence
Architectural Home
Lover's Slope human home Memory At School Canteen
Self-studyy
Galleryy Enclosure
Affected by the rectangle site Lecture
Perforemance Intimacy
Interact through grey space Rest
Stand
Meal
Gathering
Multifunctional Slope
Site & Mode Analysis
Site
Site Plan
CURRENT
FUTURE
student dormitory
classroom
office & labs
multimedia building
library
When studying at CAUP in Tongji University, there are a few buildings having much connection with us students, such as major classrooms, the lecture hall, the canteen, the dormitory and the multifuntional building. And they themselves form up a whole memory of a CAUPer's school life because at most time we are travelling between those buildings at a fixed order, like from dormitory to canteen, then to the classroom and back to canteen. In this Home of Alumni design, I want to create a space where each scene would have connections and links between the rest ones. It would be more like a grid, a network instead of a single line that strings everything up. So the school memory of CAUPers would be maximized inside this limited area
Places of memory
CAUP Student Gallery
Multifunctional Hall
Cafeteria
Reading Room
Alumni's Tour & Memory
Dr. Mccree went back to Tongji University on the decoration day with his adorable girlfriend Sombra. They saw a huge picture frame at Home of Alumni and took many selfies there.
Then Mccree and Sombra went around an oudoor exhibition of CAUP students' work. Mccree shared his early memory and experience with Sombra. After walking tired, they took seats at the central slope.
Section Perspective
Later, a performance was held at the mutifunctional centre. They sat on the slope and watched the show. Sombra told Mccree that she would be a great actress now if she learned performance at college.
The sun was going down. They lingered at the souvenir shop for a while. Mccree bought a T-shirt for himself while Sombra got herself a 1000-piece puzzle. "Let's go home and put it together ok~?" "Sure we will."
Plans & Elevations
1F Plan
Multifunctional Room Plan
WC Plan & Elevation
West Elevation
North Elevation
Wall Detial
City Theatre Site Location: North Sichuan Rd Project Time: 2017/02-2017/06
When it comes to people's memory that already exists within an area, what role would a newly-bor n architecure play? How to create connection between the new and old? · Inherent memory · Localized feature · Redefinition of complex
Theatre within Architecture
Hongkong Grand Theatre
V-Day Art Cinema
Emancipation Cinema
People's Theatre
Yong An Cinema
19 08 19 13 19 19 19 24 19 27 19 28 19 29 19 30 19 31 19 32 19 49 19 50 19 52 19 68 19 87 19 89 19 98 NO W Hongkong Activity Cinema
Tokyo Activity Cinema
Hongkong Grand Theatre
Hollywood Grand Theatre
Asakusa Cinema
Towa Cinema
Guangdong Grand Theatre
Shanghai Performance Hall
Renmin Grand Theatre
V-Day Art Cinema
Emancipation Cinema
Hongkong China Grand Theatre
New Oriental Theatre
Demolished
Still In Use
People's Theatre
Yong An Cinema
Abandoned
Abandoned
Demolished
FUTURE Through long history, cinema, or theatre has always been a symbol of this area. Numerous cinemas, theatres and performance halls have emerged along North Si chuan Rd and Zha pu Rd. Most of them have been removed, rennovated, reconstructed, renamed, demolished, abandoned, with only one or two still in use now. In this urban complex, we want to keep this memory and make t h e a t re a k e y t o t h e generation and operation of this whole architecture complex.
Generation Paths
HOTEL
HOTEL
HOTELHOTEL HOTELHOTEL HOTEL
OFFICE OFFICE OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL RETAIL RETAIL
RETAIL RETAIL
Two points where would be people gathering together, forming entrances.
DEPARTMENT STORE
DEPARTMENT STORE
DEPARTMENT STORE DEPARTMENT STORE DEPARTMENT STORE DEPARTMENT STORE DEPARTMENT STORE DEPARTMENT STORE
Make a central stage at the middle, with three parts of funtions around it.
Make a level two circulation connecting three parts and the metro station at the west.
Platforms at different heights reach out from the building, facing the central stage.
Community business in the site to connect commerce and performance art
Set two high-rises at the west side, opening up the southeast street corner.
Make some gaps and cuts on the facades to counteract the huge volume.
The opposite bank is also a perfect place for the central performance.
M
E
T
R
O
Make the central point of the site an attractive place, forming the circulation.
General Analysis
Retail covers the facades along two major streets, maximizing business value.
A circulation from two street corners to the inner part, with six entrances along.
Lots of platforms growing from the retail part, creating stage-like space.
Hotel locates at the west corner, closest to the metro station.
The circulations of tenants and logistic are differentiated at two elevations.
The volume of the hotel part is divided into four smaller area with different heights.
Office statys between the latter two, having a chance to interact with both of them.
Office workers can use the corner square to make a U turn or enter the garage.
Office part takes the same tact of hotel part. These high stages offers great view.
Three Major Theatres Outdoor Theatre
A small outdoor theatre with a fabric cover. The form of stepping up symbolizes the modern theatre mode. It can be used as a stage alone as well as a stand towards the central arena. Central Theatre
The central stage of the whole site. Flexible as it is, people can have any kind of event on it, especially something modern and futuristic. It can also interact with the opposite bank on the north. Public Theatre
A small sunken theatre with columns around and a cover. The sense of closure symbolizes the traditional form of theatre of performance in China: the performer in the middle and the spectators around him.
1F Axonometric
Spectators' Stages The whole urban complex' architectural distribution is like the arena of ancient Rome, with retail, office and hotel forming a side and a stage at bullseye. For the performers, they can do their performances in these modern theatres within the complex. For the audience, which refers to the users of this complex like visitors, tourists and white-collar workers, they can enjoy the performance at numerous platforms. The second-level pedestrian is the main stage where people may have a panomara view. And on the highrise buildings, the plan of the top four floors begin to shrink and form platforms.
Hotel Axonometric
2F Axonometric
Sections
Saltpetering
Pathology Studio Site Location: Tongji University Co-workers: Fang Jianghong Fang chengxuan Li Shuren Wang Yanzhi
¡ Face Brick ¡ Elevation Damage ¡ Experimentation W. Elevation
Ming cheng Building (Building B for short) is designed by Dr. Dai Fudong, and its area of strcture is 7760 m2. With its sculptural apperance and dark red color have made it unique among all builidngs inside Tongji University.Building B is also called Red Building by us students because its color. But time has cast much trace on it, especially on its elevation material: face brick. Out of Building B's poor maintaining condition and a more detailed understanding of it, we chose it as our research object.
Mildew Hollowing
The major material of Building B's elevation is face brick, so in this report we laid much emphasis on face brick, rather than damage brought about by other material like painting and mortar. According to our on-site analysis and research on relating information, we classified damages into three categories: physical damage, mildew and saltpetering. Then we did more specific obsevation and record in order to make comparative analysis aiming at different parts and phenomena. After we got more specific classification, we analysed and deducted on the reasons and sources behind these phenomena. Meanwhile, we designed some protective methods.During the study, we found that there were some connections among various damage. For example, the white material that came into being because of saltpetering would then affect the brick's weathering; and water, or more precisely, water vapour, was the common factor leading to mildew, saltpetering and cracking. As for the maintaining method, we also did some barehanded experiments, hoping to find some simple and effective ways to slow down the damage of face bricks.
E. Elevation
Saltpetering
Mildew
Crack
Saltpetering
Falling off
S. Elevation
Biological
Falling off
Mildew
Hollowing
Biological
Falling off
N. Elevation
Hollowing
Mildew
Mildew
Physical Damage Deduction for damage reason 1. Low construction quality 2. Low mortar quality 3. The special craft of setting gap between every two columns of brick while not having horizontal gap 4. Diurnal temperature variation makes thermal expansion shearing stress beteween bricks 5. Low quality of cementation
Hollowing
Falling off
Two major factors of biological damage 1. Creepers: suckers of the creepers create acidoid that corrodes on the surface of bricks. 2. Moss: most downspouts of Building B don't end near the ground, and are always leaking water so it is where moss appears
Creepers
Moss
Mildew & Saltpetering This is a comparative analysis of mildew on different surfaces. We found that no matter what surface it is (face brick on the left or padded concrete on the right), it would go mouldy and the severity is the same. It turned out that the surface material was not the key factor. What really counted was whethere there was a water pipe around. The differences were apparent between bricks near one and another away from one
Mildew on face bricks
Mildew on concrete
Experiments
1. Original face brick
2. Use knife to scrap off creepers
3. Instant result after scraping
4.Five days later
5. Hot water cleaning
6. Instant effect after claning
7. Ten days later
7. Steam cleaning
9. Instant effect after claning
Mapping Studio (Team Work)