RUOTIAN CAI 2006-2013
architec tural works
RUOTIAN CAI r e s u m e E M W A
ruotian.cai@gmail.com 213.249.5676 ruotiancai.wix.com/portfolio 5528 Pershing Ave., Apt 203, St. Louis, MO 63112
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
EDUCATION
Obra Architects Intern Architect New York, NY 07.2012 - 08.2012 joined design team for London Floating Cinema Competition precise 3D modeling and physical modeling by laser cutter
Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO 09.2011 - 05.2013 Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts Master of Architecture with honors GPA: 3.74/4.00
Cheng-Guan Highway Office Area Commissioned Project Chengdu, China 09.2010 - 12.2010 50,000 sqf. made contract with clients built up design team and coordinated with government accomplished SD, rendering and project reports Shanghai Shenlian Architectural Design Intern Architect Chengdu, China 07.2010 - 12.2010 involved in 3 urban commercial complex designs assisted Project Architect in all design phases 1+A Studio (Canada) Intern Student Chengdu, China 03.2009 - 07.2009 finished 2,000 sqf. Shuanglin Primary School Extension Project completed SD, DD & construction drawing coordinated with structure and lighting consultants ZACO Studio Intern Student Chengdu, China 07.2008 - 08.2008 assisted bidding project for Pan-Cheng-Gang District Planning and Design with Gensler Beijing finished plans for East District in AutoCad Jiuyang Advertisement Media Co. Ltd. Intern Designer Chengdu, China 07.2007 - 08.2007 made 40 illustrations and assisted publication of Handbook of Dadu River San-Tong Culture
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
Southwest Jiaotong University Chengdu, China 09.2006 - 06.2011 Bachelor of Architecture cum laude rank: 2nd/89 Exchange program: Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS Heart & Hands Book Art Exhibition Entry Award, UNL, 2012 Dean’s Merit Scholarship, WUSTL , 2011-2012 Outstanding University Graduates, SWJTU, 2011 Works selected for NAAB accreditation, OSU, 2009 5.12 Earthquake Memorial Competition Excellent Award, ASC , 2008 Vice Minister of Public Relations Division, SWJTU, 2008 National Scholarship, MOE (P. R. CHINA), 2007
TECHNICAL SKILLS Graphic advanced hand draft, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite Digital modeling advanced Rhino rendering in Vray , Sketch Up rendering in Cinama 4D BIM middle-level Autodesk Revit, Grasshopper, VB Script Making advanced modeling by hand, lasercut, 3D print, basic CNC Managing proficient MS Office Language English, Chinese
Comprehensive Projects
Experimental Projects
Professional Projects
ARCHITECTURAL WORKS
2006-2013
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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07 Professional Projects
TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURED WORKS 01 RIVERFRONT FISH FARM A Response to the Lost River Culture 02 FLOATING WATER PARK From Mountain to Sea 03 INTERLOCKING WELLNESS COMPLEX A Connection with Tradition 04 CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTER A New ‘Trade-port’ of the City 05 HIGH-RISE OFFICE COMPLEX A Liberation of Vertical Space 06 CONTEXTUAL TOWER Parametric Controlled Design 07 SCHOOL BUILDING EXPANSION A New Identity on Rooftop (Built) 08 BIM IN PRACTICE Proposal for WashU Arch Hall Facade & MOMA P. S. 1 Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
SUPPLEMENTARY WORKS 01 04 07 09 11 13 15 17
09 10 11 12 13
CHENG-GUAN HIGHWAY OFFICE AREA DESIGN PAN-CHENG-GANG DISTRICT PLANNING AND DESIGN YUN-NEI VILLAGE LANDSCAPE IMPROVEMENT COUNTRYSIDE VILLA DESIGN 2013 LONDON FLOATING CINEMA
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14 SEOUL MEGACHURCH 15 RETREAT FOR PAINTERS
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ADAPTABLE BRIDGE RETRACTABLE CELLUAR STRUCTURE CORAL LANTERN OBSERVATORY
[ bird view on pedestrian bridge ]
A Response to the Lost River Culture
01 RIVERFRONT FISH FARM The fish farm is an architectural response to the declining urban life and river culture of an old industrial city on the Mississippi River St Louis. Located on the bank of the river, the fish farm transforms the original deserted industrial land behind the flood wall into a prosperous riverfront public space celebrating the culture of river life. The fish farm integrates an aquaculture facility, a hydroponic
farm, and a fish market. By connecting with the Arch grounds and exposing itself to the water the building becomes a new tourist destination. By creating gaps between the buildings the farm is exposed to the public and provides a continues experience from production to consumption.
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
[ drawing of river life ]
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[ photo collage of master plan ]
[ drawing of floor plans ]
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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[ vision of hydroponic farm ]
[ vision of fish market and aquaculture facilities ]
A Roof Detail 1 r einforced concrete exterior double wall with waterproof sheathing between 2 accessible roof with gravel layer, waterproof sheathing, rigid insulation, vapor permeable course, screed forming slope and reinforced concrete slab 3 steel truss supporting structure 4 skylight with double glazing 5 four-pipe fan coil cooling system 6 hydroponic rotating units 7 fluorescent tube 8 emergency lighting 9 poly carbonate sheet in white 10 retracting sun blind
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B Roof Detail
C Wall Detail
D Ground Floor Detail
11 planted roof with soil layer, gravel layer, waterproof sheathing, vapor permeable course, screed forming slope and reinforced concrete slab 12 interior rainwater duct 13 outage in reinforced concrete wall for skylight supporting structure
14 floor with smoothed cementand-sand screed, water proof membrane(functional need), rigid insulation screed with and reinforced concrete slab 15 exposed reinforced concrete wall with interior water proof, rigid insulation and screed in white(increasing light diffusion) 16 perforated corrugated aluminum panel with tube steel back-up structure mounted on reinforced concrete wall
17 aquaculture floor with hydroponics floor with smoothed cement-and-sand screed, water proof membrane(functional need), screed rigid insulation and reinforced concrete slab 18 reinforced concrete bed for fish tank 19 water duct for aquaculture system 20 mechanical controlled ventilation blinds with insulated glass 21 screed forming slope with marble pavement 22 drainage steel panel 23 fluorescent tube
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[ section from bank to river ] Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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[ photo of physical model ]
From Mountain to Sea
02 FLOATING WATER PARK Floating water park is located in Monte Carlo, a mountainous waterfront city on the coastline of the Mediterranean. The project values the complexity and richness of the moving experience in the city and intends to extend this experience onto the sea. The building is driven by the views to the landscape and the city, integrating city culture, waterfeatured programs and floating mechanics together.
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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1 View to Coastline
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2 View to Casino
[ drawing of master plan ] A Floating Water Park B Public Coastline C Art Museum D Public Roof Platform E Private Roof Garden
[ diagram of moving experience: speed, light and memory ]
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[ diagram of visual sequence on site ] 3
3 View to Mountain
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Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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[ drawing of first floor plan ]
[ collage of structure concept ]
[ section from coast to sea ]
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
A New ‘Trade-port’ of the City
04 CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTER The conventions and exhibition center is located in Chengdu in the central China. It contains five exhibition halls, one convention center and corresponding commercial spaces. It is as large as 500,000 sqf in total area. The project is considered as a continuous part of the city artery, adapting itself into the local
[ diagram of trade-port]
industrial situation by providing flexible and combinable exhibition space. It concerns egress, lighting, ventilations and large-span structure issues through the whole design progress.
[ bird view ] Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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[ drawing of master plan ]
[ drawing of section ]
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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A Liberation of Vertical Space
05 High-rise Office complex
The high-rise building consists of an exhibition center, an office tower, a hotel and a restaurant. The design goal is to dissolve the traditional isolated experience of in the stacked space in tower building and create a transparent experience for the users of the tower. By creating an air parking system
and an open-view elevator system, the project enhanced the both driving and moving experience in the building.
[ street view ] Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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[ typical plan ]
[ tectonics of skin ]
[ section through corridor]
[ diagram of composition ]
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
[ corridor view ]
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Parametric Controlled Design
06 CONTEXTUAL TOWER
Contextual tower begins with the idea of material consideration: can ETFE plastic material be used in lighting condition adjustment by changing its density and layering? The design consists of two parts: performative component and contextual tower. Performative component concerns about the definition of the units on tower and makes them variations to the attractors.
Contextual tower cares about the definition of the floor plans of the tower and also the performance of the units mapping on the tower according to the sun light conditions of the local area ( St. Louis ).
[ view on roof top ] Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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[ definition of tower ]
[ optimization of tower ]
[ variation of ETFE units ]
[ solar pattern of tower ]
[ meshing tower surface ]
[ mapping units ]
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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A New Identity on Rooftop (Built)
07 SCHOOL BUILDING EXPANSION The project is located in Chengdu, China. The floor area is 2,000 sqf. The building used light-steel structure considering about low cost, loading issue and construction level. The project makes use of the original concrete roof garden structure, creating a loft space on the top of the existing classroom building. The openings on the roof considered about lighting and ventilation. The first floor is used as extracurricular activities and second floor is designed as office area. The project also involves insulation, lighting, electricity and furniture design.
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
[ exposed perspective ] 1 corrugated aluminum sheets 2 rigid insulation 3 I-beam structure
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[ sectional perspective to north ]
[ construction drawing ]
[ structure system ]
[ sectional perspective to ] south ]
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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[ Proposal for WashU Arch Hall Facade ]
BIM IN PRACTICE III Ruotian Cai + Zhexiong Chai
Unit on Surface
Proposal for WashU Arch Hall Facade & MOMA P. S. 1
08 BIM IN PRACTICE [ panel schedule ]
[ shadow tool ]
By making use of 3D shadow tool and schedule calculation in Revit, the panel system for Washington University architecture hall facade provides 100% shading from direct sun at 1 pm on August 21st in St. Louis and at least 70% of the surface area of the panel system made from transparent material. The panel system
is created by curtain system in Revit and panels are curtain panel family with different types. These types are controlled by values of parameters and can be adjusted to achieve the goals of shading, transparency and functions.
Surface Performance
[ proposal for MOMA P.S. 1 ]
Vertical Type *Height = if(b/a> 6, 2', (b/ a) * 1') Vertical Type
Shelter/ Lighting Vertical Type
Stairs/ Ground
Horizontal Type *Height = if(b/a> 3, 6�, (b/ a) * 1')
Horizontal Type 1 Type
Water/ Vegetation
Surface Angle Performance Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
The proposal for MOMA P. S. 1 is an adaptive surface behaving as water containers, stairs, seats and shading, providing an emergent event space for gathering people. The panels on surface have a changing folding ratio and a changing opening ratio. The
parameters are all built in the surface. In other words, given a surface, the panels will be self-organized and meet the function of human use
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Professional Projects
SUPPLEMENTARY WORKS
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CHENG-GUAN HIGHWAY OFFICE AREA DESIGN
made contract with clients; built up design team and coordinated with government; accomplished SD, rendering and project reports.
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COUNTRYSIDE VILLA CONSTRUCTION DRAWING
finished conceptual design of countryside villa; made construction drawing of floor plans, sections and details.
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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PAN-CHENG-GANG DISTRICT PLANNING AND DESIGN
assisted bidding project for Pan-Cheng-Gang District Planning and Design with Gensler Beijing; finished plans for East District in AutoCAD.
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YUN-NEI VILLAGE LANDSCAPE IMPROVEMENT
coordinated with client and government; made landscape conceptual design; prepared proposal package and documents.
2013 LONDON FLOATING CINEMA COMPETITION FINALIST
joined design team for London Floating Cinema Competition; precise 3D modeling and physical modeling by laser cutter.
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Comprehensive Studio Projects
SUPPLEMENTARY WORKS
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SEOUL MEGACHURCH: “CAMOUFLAGE”
Megachurch is defined as a holistic mega-structure which merges the urban landscape and the infrastructure of the city together. The building used light weight ETFE structural system, providing a transparent experience for the citizens and prayers from all over the country. By ‘camouflaging’ itself in the city, the mega-church keeps changing its status to satisfy the demands of the urban life, working as a cultural and religious harbor of the city.
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RETREAT FOR PAINTERS: AN EXPANSION OF LOUIS KAHN’S UNBUILT MEETING HOUSE
The retreat is located in southern California and it contains six private studio spaces for residential artists and one public gallery space sharing with the scientists working in Salt Institute. By making use of the existing concrete platform proposed by Kahn and the dropping natural landscape, the building provides a descending walking experience for users and an enclosed intimate space for artists and scientists to meet. Visual experience, materials, tectonics are mainly discussed in the design process.
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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Experimental Projects
SUPPLEMENTARY SUPPLEMENTARY WORKS
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ADAPTABLE BRIDGE: DIGITAL ANIMATION
Adaptable bridge established the experimental field between architecture and machine. Our body is moving, changing and adaptable; So does the space around us. Architecture is an extension part of our body. It is changing with the movement of our bodies and the fluctuation of the nature. It is a bridge between our body and the rest of the world.
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CORAL LANTERN: DIGITAL FABRICATION
Coral lantern is a combination of the formal feature of Manicina areolata(rose coral) and the tectonic character of turbine compressor. A Maya animation is made to describe the ‘ bones & fins ‘ form, the moving capability and the lightness quality of the coral. Then the turbine tectonics is applied to the fabrication of the coral. The lantern is the final industrial product integrating the previous operations.
Ruotian Cai’s Architectural Works | ruotian.design @ gmail.com | 213-249-5676
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RETRACTABLE CELLUAR STRUCTURE: MAPPING/ BIOMIMETICS
One of the greatest feature of microtubules is the retractable mechanism which is achieved by the very fast hydrolyzing and compounding process. This feature makes the structure of the cells flexible and adaptable to the changing cellular environment. To apply this mechanism, a retractable study machine is physically made. It consists of two logical structure: emergent structure, which represents the visible cellular form, and latent structure, which stands for the invisible environment factors.
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OBSERVATORY: DIGITAL CRAFT
Observatory is a study project focusing on the intersection of digital making and craftsmanship. Combining laser cutting technology based on AutoCAD platform and craft work by hand, the design process overcomes the programing constraints of computer software and the repetitive labor force of traditional handcraft. Thereby comes out the optimized result.
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