ZHANG ZIXUAN PORTFOLIO
2017-2020
“Life it is not just a series of calculations and a sum total of statistics, it's about experience, it's about participation, it is something more complex and more interesting than what is obvious.” Daniel Libeskind
Zhang Zixuan
I am always curious about how architecture influences our life. All the conclusions seem to take me to the same origin, the emotion that the architecture brings us. Your life could be dull and dark when the building gives you this feeling. Your life could also be full of hope when the room introduces sacred light. The emotion could come from the history, the order of the arrangement, the differences against the surroundings, or even a lovely stone you step onto. Architects should be able to define the emotion of what he is going to create, adding more valuable memories into our short, yet unique life.
1998.12.30 Suzhou
Information Flat 303 Building 47 Zhongnan District Wujiang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China Tel: +86 18962589360 zzx_98@163.com
EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS 2017.9 - 2019.7
Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University XJTLU, Suzhou
2019.9 - 2021.7
The university of Liverpool, Liverpool
Bachelor of Architecture
Bachelor of Architecture
WORK EXPERIENCE Kengo Kuma and Associates, Shanghai
2019.6 - 2019.9
Intern of model making, rendering and scheme testing
Zhijian Studio, Suzhou
2020.6 - 2020.7
Intern of diagram making and rendering
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE First Class Progression scholarship of XJTLU
2018.7
Outstanding performance in all the subjects in Year 1
CHENG TSUNG FENG Bamboo workshop
2020.6 - 2020.7
Traditional methods of bamboo making
SKILLS Software Rhinoceros, Blender, AutoCAD, SketchUp, V-ray for Rhinoceros, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere
Other Pencil Sketch, 3D Printing, Laser Cutting, Modeling
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CONTENT The Encounter with a Monster
3-14
Music Amplifier
15-20
Meet Me under the Cherry Blossom Tree
21-24
Away from City
25-28
Supplement
29-30
A sequel to the Moby Dick Literature, narration, biology
A chamber music school Nature, daily life, neighbourhood
A vertical cemetery Mythology, atmosphere, impermanent life
An academy of classical learning Changing sections, visual experience
Construction study and internship Model making, research, circulation
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The Encounter with a Monster A sequel to the Moby Dick 2020.7 - 2020.10 Tutor: Chuxiao Wang
Site: Mersey River, Liverpool Individual work The project documents an uncanny experience near Mersey River. I entered a giant monster in water, which seems to be an ancient creature from fictions. With the knowledge of the great marine novel Moby Dick , I began to explore the space. Finally I understood what the monster is trying to say, while it looks so incompatible with the modern world.
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Moby Dick and Liverpool
1839 Herman Melville, the writer of the Moby Dick , arrived in Liverpool for the first time, the great city inspired his interest in whaling.
William Scoresby Jr was the most famous whaler in Liverpool, his work about the trip to the Arctic influenced Melville.
1851 The final battle against Moby Dick took place in the Pacific.
1851- The sperm whale's body floated all the way to Liverpool, transforming with its experiences and finally got trapped by the fish dart.
Tide information in Liverpool Date: February 16 Time
Tide
16:40
8.2m
19:00
6.1m
20:50
3.9m
23:35
2.4m
Exploration route
Storyline
Moby Dick the book
The experience inside monster
The warning from the chaplain
The warning signs at the entrance
Captain Ahab dropped his pipe, which is a symbol of peace
The monster keeps searching for the pipe
Ahab showed the reward, a gold coin
The coin is preserved and could only be seen instead of touching
Ahab changed his leg made of the whale bone
The leg is kept in the safest and deepest room
Ahab built his new dart and stubbed it into Moby Dick
The monster is hurt and trapped by the dart 4
On February 16, I encountered the monster near Mersey River. It was in the late afternoon, I was attracted by an extraordinary smell and I found the entrance. The experience is influenced by the tide range. As the tide runs about two cycles 24 hours, a complete journey happens at certain points of time. The average tide range in Liverpool is 6.7m, which gives a massive difference to the space inside the monster. In addition, the sequence of the journey complies with the storyline of Moby Dick . The monster seems to be fond of memorizing this experience, providing an accurate and detailed record to the visitors.
I followed an uncommon sweet smell to the beach. As it got dark, the entrances began to emerge. The snowy dome in far distance appears to be a nice destination. He paused a little; then kneeling in the pulpit’s bows, folded his large brown hands across his chest, uplifted his closed eyes, and offered a prayer so deeply devout that he seemed kneeling and praying at Moby Dick the bottom of the sea. This ended, in prolonged solemn tones, like the continual tolling of a bell in a ship that is foundering at sea in a fog— in such tones he commenced reading the following hymn.
Warning Since entering the tunnel, I had been surrounded by all kinds of clothes with words on it. These were lines written by the former visitors, warning newcomers not to step inside. I had a bad feeling about the things ahead, but I still could not resist the temptation. Words quoted from Moby Dick
Marine plants obtain shine gold color
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Soft ground like cushions
Temptation Despite of the smell that seduced me, I found the sea weed inside the monster has been transformed into some shiny objects. The gold color asks me to go further as there must be more ahead. I took of my shoes to avoid wetting my shoes, and the moment I stepped on the ground, I felt the extremely soft surface. This might be the softest part of the monster. I gained more courage to explore deeper.
No wonder there had been some among the hunters who namelessly transported
Moby Dick and allured by all this serenity, had ventured to assail it; but had fatally found that quietude but the vesture of tornadoes. Yet calm, enticing calm, oh, whale!
Contrast Walking through the tunnel, I glanced at the creature from time to time. The harmony above is trying to conceal the mysterious scenery underwater, which seems very dangerous. It reminds me of the description of the ocean. 6
Stepping out of the tunnel, I found a boat eaten by the whale and set sail in this fantastic space. In addition to the smell, I also heard a long voice coming from these containers. 7
The tide went lower and the boat was travelling between the containers. I saw the gold coin nailed to the mast by Ahab.
Almost midnight, the tide reached its lowest level. I finished my journey on boat and headed to the bright space emerged from water. 8
Partial section Time: 17:10
Partial section Time: 20:30
Partial section Time: 23:20
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Moby Dick
Dropping his spade, he thrust both hands in, and drew out handfuls of something that looked like ripe Windsor soap. And this, good friends, is ambergris, worth a gold guinea an ounce to any druggist.
Sweet smell The smell comes from the ambergris that once belonged to Moby Dick. The precious stone like object keeps diffusing scent and travels through a separate pipe. With its small density, the ambergris floats on water and follows the tide. Larger room with lower frequency
Smaller room with higher frequency
Sound The huge pipe above that runs through the whole space is the monster’s trachea. When large amount of air passes the pipe at a high speed, the air in the containers would vibrate and make sound. Different tide levels give different frequency of sound. The sound echoes in the large space and creates resonance.
The impression becomes accurate
The monster's eye is searching for the pipe
Moby Dick
“This thing that is meant for sereneness, to send up mild white vapors among mild white hairs, not among torn iron-grey locks like mine. I’ll smoke no more—” He tossed the still lighted pipe into the sea.
Captain Ahab’s pipe The pipe is a symbol of peace that was abandoned by Ahab. The monster wants to regain the peace between the human world and itself. But the impression of the pipe was not clear at first and it collected many useless stuffs. The position of the real pipe is still empty.
The mast of the whaling ship has become part of the monster's kidney
“All ye mast-headers have before now heard me give orders about a white
Moby Dick whale. Look ye! d’ye see this Spanish ounce of gold?”—holding up a broad bright coin to the sun—“it is a sixteen dollar piece, men. D’ye see it?”
Gold coin The gold was nailed to the mast by Captain Ahab as a reward to whomever discover Moby Dick. The coin could be seen from the adjacent container but due to a theft conducted by a former visitor, the monster has forbidden touching of the coin.
Moby Dick
At that moment his hand had made one final effort to push the boat out of the bite. But only slipping further into the whale’s mouth, and tilting over sideways as it slipped, the boat had shaken off his hold on the jaw.
Moby Dick
Boat The boat the I have been travelling by was the one that Moby Dick swallowed in the final battle. It is rotten and damp but still functions.
He bade him without delay set about making a new leg, and directed the mates to see him supplied with all the studs and joists of jaw-ivory which had thus far been accumulated on the voyage, in order that a careful selection of the stoutest, clearest-grained stuff might be secured.
Captain Ahab's leg Moby Dick bit Ahab’s leg in a battle. Now the new leg made of sperm whale bones is hidden by the monster in its heart. It represents the deepest hatred against those who shows no respect to the ocean. The heart is unbreakable and only allows a peep through the hole. 10
The dart in the middle is the main structure that traps the monster. The air pipe above is still making sound, like wail of pain. Should I try to rescue it?
Taking a closer look, the dart is rotten at the lower part. Ironically, despite all the human construction, the monster could escape at any moment. But, after my fierce inner struggle, I chose not to help the monster. I fear that my action would bring us disastrous result. I have no idea how our human world could coexist with the monster. 11
With body arched back, and both arms lengthwise
Moby Dick high-lifted to the poise, he darted his fierce iron, and his far fiercer curse into the hated whale.
Whale dart During the final battle, Captain Ahab stubbed his dart deeply inside Moby Dick. Now the dart is stuck in the seabed and trapped the monster.
Surveillance and reinforcement Many monitors were installed during the last century, the dart is reinforced by using the monster’s own bones. But this place seems to be forgotten recently.
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It was not Moby Dick’s desire to fight against human, it was the mysterious ocean that developed our hostility to these giant creatures. The fear and hostility to the unknown could never be eliminated.
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Music Amplifier A chamber music school 2020.1 - 2020.6 Tutor: Peter Farrall
Site: Berkly Street, Liverpool Individual work The project is located in an old neighbourhood in Liverpool, facing a Greek orthodox church of neo-byzantine style. The proposal is to build a small chamber music school to provide a mature and complete teaching process, as well as bringing vitality to the district. With the notion that a school is formed by teaching space, outdoor space and green space, the design is carried out by considering the importance of group practicing. In addition, the final appearance and the experience of the residents should be attractive to benefit the neighbourhood.
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Chamber music learning process
Practice rooms concept
Auditorium Woodwind Different floor levels imply the rhythm of the woodwind music "Blue Bird"
Periodically Outdoor exhalation
Practice
Piano + String/Woodwind/Brass Dominated by the piano space and creates rich sound reflections
Reading
String Individual practice rooms become group practice rooms
Physical Performance
Articulating opinions
Most of the time
Brass Double layers of walls insulate the loud sound from other rooms
Group formation
Lessons Teaching steps Learning tips
Piano + String/Woodwind/Brass String quartet Woodwind quintet Brass quintet
7 1 1 1
As the most important process of chamber music learning, practice rooms would be the place where the students spend most of their time. They are designed to be transformable from individual rooms into group rooms and are distributed between the small woods to provide better outdoor experience.
treet rine S Catha
Residence
Residence
eet ent Str Parliam Upper
eet ent Str Parliam Upper
Pr in ce s
Residence
The teaching process of chamber music is shown in the elevation. A sunken plaza is created for students to wait for spare rooms.
Street Berkly
The school does not completely block the view of the church, with the method of cutting and breaking up the volume.
Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas
Ro ad
et pe Stre Stanho Upper
Residence
et pe Stre Stanho Upper
Residence
Residence
et n Stre Emerso
1ďźš2500
Site map Berkly Street, Toxteth, Liverpool
The outdoor areas of the school are organized in a natural way and offer a nice place for both the residents and the students.
The practice rooms obtain a shape similar to a vacuum amplifier and the whole school becomes a "chamber music device". 16
The church is considered to be a dominant figure at the site. In order not to block this "Image of the City" of the local residents, the new building would keep some of the original visual paths. The extension of the publicity from the square in the north would be preserved at the northern entrance, and the southern entrance also allows the neighbours to experience the music school.
ator Elev
oom ce r racti ss p a r B
m itoriu Aud e stag nd ma o o en r Gre
m roo tice Prac
m f roo Staf
e Offic
ge loun and y r a Libr e stor sic Mu
oms ssro t e cla men Larg base in
Circulation of students
Circulation of residents and teachers 17
PLAN 1:200
3
2 4 1
2
7
Functions 1. Practice room 2. Tutor Office 3. President's office 4. Library 5. Reading room 6. Lounge 7. Toilet 8. Elevator
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7
6
8
7
Pin Oak
1 Acer campestre
1 Silver Poplar
Scots pine
1
Acer campestre
Scots pine 1
Silver Poplar 1 Acer campestre
Trees
Shrubs
Flowers Soft Grass
Soft Grass
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Flowers
Shrubs
Plant rules 1.Taller plants should be in the background and shorter plants in the foreground. 2. Every bit of growing space is utilized. 3. Soft plants should be within human reach.
Framework and dome construction 1. steel framework with H beams 2. steel plate is attached onto the frame 3. crossed steel glass frame is installed onto the steel plate 4. five steel joints for shading device 5. 8 pieces of aluminium perforated shading panels 6. 8 pieces of customized curved glass
Roof Construction 1. pine wood from local fencing and pallets 2. breather membrane 3. 30 x 40 battens 4. vapour barrier 5. bituminous timber weathertight board 6. insulation made of leftover clothes 7. softwood studwork 8. gypsum plaster
Floor Construction 1. floorboards 2. 30 x 40 battens 3. vapour barrier 4. softwood studwork 5. insulation made of leftover clothes 6. bituminous timber weathertight board 7. pine wood from local fencing and pallets
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Wall Construction 1. pine wood from local fencing and pallets 2. 30 x 40 battens 3. breather membrane 4. bituminous timber weathertight board 5. insulation made of leftover clothes 6. softwood studwork 7. vapour barrier 8. plywood finish
Student
Resident
On the afternoon of a school day, I arrived early and had a nice chat with my friends before our appointment of the practice room.
I was on my way to the church when I discovered the natural scenery, the columns and trees seem interesting and I decided to step inside.
I walked upstairs and passed through the woods on these elegant walkways. My group room is over there, behind that poplar tree.
The smell of nature surrounded me and I even heard slight sound of music, it must come from these lovely little rooms.
My partner has already begun his practice of the piano. I will try to join him after a few tunings with my violin.
I climbed up and came across an interim performance of the students, I decided to enjoy that for a while since there is no hurry. 20
Meet Me under the Cherry Blossom Tree A vertical cemetery 2019.9 - 2020.1 Tutor: Xiaoliang Deng
Site: Shinjuku, Tokyo Individual work
The lack of cemeteries has become an important issue globally. Tokyo is also facing the problem because of its fast expansion and development. In order to coordinate the relationship between the residents and the silent neighbours, vertical cemeteries are taken into consideration in the recent years. This project aims to build a place for reflection and urn storage in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The upper levels are imagined to be the world of the dead and the annual meeting with them happens under the cherry blossom trees, which represent the border between heaven and earth in the old Japanese book Kokin Wakashu . A lot of design ideas come from the Japanese literature and are endowed with modern meanings.
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World of the dead
Cherry blossoms in the Japanese literature blur the border of life and death, showing the fragility of life.
Cuckoos are believed by the Japanese to be a symbol of the spirits longing to come back.
Border of life and death
World we live in
Meeting on the border The cherry blossom trees form the dim border of life and death. Above it is the world of the dead, only the urns and the cuckoos exist. We come every year to meet them under the cherry blossom trees.
Traditional pancake in Tokyo
Plate with name and date
Bulb controlled by the string Gear and sound device Light-weight urn
Cuckoos bring you back to me A well-trained cuckoo is attracted by my pancake and hovers above my head. I find the string with your name and pull it. The bulb and the sound device that belong to you start to work. The cuckoo locates the sound the light and brings the urn to me.
Old wooden boards from the abandoned houses of the dead
Washing the dirt away I find a spare reflection room beside the path. I put you on the small table and we begin to recall the wonderful moments with you. The rainwater collected is used to wash the dirt on the urn, which echoes the traditional funeral event of pouring water. 22
It has been a year, my dear I look up and see the cuckoo bring you back to me. Every year in this season we meet under the same cherry blossom tree. Seeing you travelling through all these strings and flowers makes the whole process solemn and respectful. All the urns and strings are swinging in the wind and experience the rain and the sunshine all the time, which reminds me of the old saying that life and death are impermanent. 23
Let us talk in this cozy space I scoop up the water from the rainwater filter and start pouring it onto the urn. Spending a year in the air above has made the shell dirty, but that's what life is. Now the water comes from the sky is purifying the urn and washing away all the bad omens. The space formed by the old wood makes me feel like being at home. I wish I could stay longer at this blurry border between life and death. 24
Away from City An academy of classical learning 2018.9 - 2019.1 Tutor: Xiong Sun
Site: Tai lake, Suzhou Individual work Under the pressure of daily life in big cities, this project aims to build a shelter for the ones who seek for a relaxing weekend. The small house helps the visitors to complete their mental change by creating an extraordinary experience and to finally escape from the boring urban life, even if for just one day.
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Precedent study From the Chinese painting called 'Chess Game of Multiple Screens', a visual experience of seeing through different layers of space and the change between 2D and 3D is studied. Coincidently, the famous 'Slow House' project, which brings the visitor a constantly changing section while walking through the room. Both of them offer the visitor a chance to explore different visual experiences and senses of space when they reach different positions.
Chess Game of Multiple Screens by Wenju Zhou
Plan of Slow House by Diller and Scofidio
Section of Slow House by Diller and Scofidio
This project took the idea of those two precedents by strengthen this constant change and carefully considered the functions that could help people enjoy themselves aside from the busy urban life.
Site The project is located in Suzhou, China, 30 kilometers from the city center. The location indicates its visual connection with the surroundings, the mountain, the lake bay and the island lead the view of the house in three directions. Experience of space The experience of entering and using the house is divided into several parts, which together forms an 'architectural promenade'. After walking through the entrance without visual connection to the outside, the natural light leads to a fork and you are able to see through the corridor, the classroom and at the far end, the mountain. If you turn left you would find the view fixed in the frame at the end of the corridor. You can't tell the authenticity of this view until you reach the window, where you also find a big space that is completely open towards the outside. You could choose to walk past it and get relaxed with the beautiful landscape. 26
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Supplement 1 1:10 construction model Structure and materiality 2019.1 - 2019.7 Tutor: Richard Hay Site: Head of the Nangou Valley, Shuiguan Great Wall of China Group work Group members: Zixuan Zhang, Shiran Luo, Yucheng Deng, Zhixuan Song In this report, our group looked deep into the project by Gary Chang in Beijing. We studied the structure, material, construction process and its usability. The study was developed in the activities like online research, tutorial learning, sketch drawing, 3D model making and physical model making. The structure is mainly made of steel and reinforced concrete to resist the weather condition of the site. These two materials make the extremely long house rigid under strong wind. The timber finish gives the house an integral and simple appearance, from inside to outside. Wooden appearance also creates a warm and harmonious look since the winter near the Great Wall could be very cold. The mass application of teak makes the house high-grade but also costs much. The idea of the suitcase house is to make the space multipurpose, related to the high density and lack of land in Hong Kong. This idea is important in big cities. The most popular solution is to “exchange time for space”, similar to the suitcase house. Gary Chang is very experienced in this aspect and developed an excellent work. Gary’s idea is very useful in the interior design in big cities with high density. The house he designed is capable of undertaking many kinds of activities. It is a small treasure box at the foot of the Great Wall. Finally, by focusing on one part of the whole project, we obtained a clear understanding of the house. The fundamental knowledge like steel structure and insulation for wooden house will also be very useful in our future learning.
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Supplement 2 Internship projects Xuhui Xinqiaogao 2019.6 - 2019.9 Project manager: Guangyuan Yan Site: Xuhui, Shanghai Kengo Kuma and Associates In this project, I was mainly responsible for the physical model of the final presentation, along with some interior scheme testing and rendering. The physical model contains hundreds of units and requires much reality. I developed the work by hand cutting and painting. With a lot of patience and the help from the staff, the result was recognized by the client.
Gusu Xiaoyuan Hotel 2020.6 - 2020.7 Project manager: Jiawei Ma & Jiang Dong Site: Pingjiang road, Suzhou Zhijian Studio I join the group at the end of the project and took the job of the website publishing. By communicating with studio members, I understood how the space is organized and the materiality of indoor and outdoor. The hotel is special for its interesting circulations, so I produced sections and axonometric drawings to illustrate that quality. The publishing of the project received great credit.
首层包括前院、水院、中庭，以及室内公区，体验到的是一个精 致的带有苏州元素的时尚庭院，属于微观尺度
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