Sai Liang | USC School of Architecture | Portfolio

SAI LIANG PORTFOLIO

ACADEMIC

01 MONTAGING AND MONTAGED Coworking Office

02 TAPPERED TIERS

Mixed-Use Affordable Housing Project

03 FLUID

Mixed-Use Tower

PROFESSIONAL

04 SHENZHEN BAY CULTURE PARK

MAD ARCHITECT

05 LISHUI AIRPORT

MAD ARCHITECT

06 530 BROADWAY

LIPMAN STUDIO

07 685 FIFTH AVENUE

LIPMAN STUDIO

Gallery

Airport

Commercial

Residential

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HUTONG NO.9 USC Thesis Instructor: Yaohua Wang 2020 Spring

Master of Architecture Distinction The word montaged refers to the building form is montaged by units, from pieces to whole. And montaging refers to the process of perceiving context. Architectural montage lies in-between these two conditions.

The project explores the spatial sequence by repeating, scaling, connecting and overlapping different units. The architectural montage is both an act of formulating spaces, and a process of perceiving the environment. Space quality varies in the openness of each unit and the exchange from interior to exterior. Montaged moment is also crafted by blending two contrasting elements and environments. Perception of space is a sequence of montaged views, and each view is composited by both building elements and surrounding context.

In a passionate modern society, accelerated construction becomes the symbol of prosperity and development, while defending the past has been long neglected under the modernity. The project takes a hutong in Beijing as the site to explore the possibility of coexistence of preservation and construction. By means of montage, the preservation and construction are juxtaposed to present a shared interface of “new” and “old”, and at the same time, spatial sequences are used to enhance the feeling of use.

The project is located in a homogeneous hutong area which remains the characters of the traditional building. Each unit of the project is tangent to the tradition buildings at ground level, where traditional buildings act as thresholds. Hence the inbetween space becomes a courtyard to complete the outline of units that has been curved out by the site building. At second level, the roof of traditional building starts to collide with the unit. By creating a pocket at intersection, the roof is brought into the unit to create a montage view of the old and the new.

Circulation follows the shape of each unit, connecting not only floors within the unit but also between the units to complete the interior to exterior exchange.

= Sadness

= Hunger

= Lust

= Montaged Space

=

Montaging Context

Left: a montage with Thomas Eakins [Man Walking-Stroboscopic Photograph] Top right: Kuleshov effect illustrating montage in film history.

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BEIJING

HUTONG NO. 9

The site is located in the center of Beijing. It is a hutong area.

This area is occupied by the uniform traditional building, and many of them form a quadrant courtyard.

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6

Architectural montage lies in-between two conditions.

The spaces are montaged by architect, and the process of perceiving context is what has been left for people to find out.

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The spiral stairs lead people through out the entire building, from open space, to semi-open, and close space.

Since the openness and height of the units varies, each unit experienced differently.

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0

0

50

25

100

50

150

100 ft

9

10

02

TAPERED TIERS USC Comprehensive Studio Instructor: John Southern Partner: Melissa Gavidia 2019 Spring

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award – Best Graduate Submission Tapered Tiers is a 6 story, 159-micro unit, mixed use housing project in Leimert Park. This project provides affordable housing for those “in between” people who do not qualify for government assistance, yet, cannot afford local housing. With rising housing prices, this group of people (who are often single) are moving away from the city to find housing they can afford but are commuting back for work. The idea here is to keep these Leimert Park residents in the neighborhood where they live and work. The micro units of Tapered Tiers provide affordable housing while creating a sense of community by exploiting the concept of social connectivity in order to connect inhabitants with, not just one another, but also with the surrounding neighborhood.

AVERAGE SALARIES

Leimert Park

Los Angeles

74K

LVN/CNA

36K

Firefighter EMT

51K 29K

Teachers

50K

The “in between” people listed above do not qualify for government assistance, yet, cannot afford local housing. They move away fromabove the city to qualify find housing The “in between” people listed do not for they can afford but are commuting for work. government assistance, yet, cannot aff ord localback housing.

Theymove away from the city but commute back for work.

School Staff

24K

Metro Crenshaw Line Touring Route 33rd Annual Kingdom Day Parade Main Drive Route Metro & Bus Station Site Building Mass Open Space Pathway Green Land Green Land Sidewalk Parking Hardscape

Threshold Pedestrian & Bike

N

Bus Stop

Site & Block Circulation Diagram

Forming Process

Building Mass

CIRCULATION & ENTRANCES The city is pulled into the project to optimize pedestrian’s experience, where the main entry points of the building guide users towards areas of public transportation.

The central courtyard acts as an extension of the city beyond.

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13

N

BUILDING CONCEPT All units facing the central courtyard creates a sense of a community; where residents are connected to each other and to the building’s public space.

Circulation resides on the outer perimeter of the building, therefore allowing units to face one another.

400 SF

ADA

DOUBLE HEIGHT

200 SF

300 SF

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TYPE II CONSTRUCTION - STEEL FRAME The building consists steel structural framework and concrete floors and walls.

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The micro unit typology allows for maximization of units, as a result, the building’s form signals an increase in density within the neighborhood.

All units facing the central courtyard creates a sense a community; where residents are connected to each other and to the building’s public space.

Circulation resides on the outer perimeter of the building, therefore allowing units to face one another.

The programmatic concept at the unit level is to maximize vertical space to accommodate daily routines of a user within the spatial confines of a micro unit.

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03

FLUID USC Topic Studio Instructor: Alvin Huang 2019 Fall

Exhibited at A+D Museum “Future of_Space” FLUID is a proposal for the mixed-use hi-rise tower in DTLA, exploiting the concept of co-working through the form of fluid totality. Planning of the city begins with establishing a connection of polycentric urban structure, that is connecting downtown to every other center of Los Angeles. This project aims at connecting downtown to Hollywood with a film factory complex.

THE COMPOSITION OF LOS ANGELES INFLUENCED BY THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

BUILDING MASS

Towers Plinth Buildings

BLOCKS

Villages Markets Hybrid Industrial Public Facilities

City is a production of economic development and cultural evolution. The history of Los Angeles urban development has not only influenced the urban conctruction at earlier time but also constituded a modern city. The development of streets, markets, landscape and buildings not only shapes the life sytle of urban users but also causes some problem and dilemmas in the use of modern cities.

The proposed urban planning begins with establishing a connection of polycentric urban structure, that is connecting downtown to every other center of Los Angeles.

This architectural project aims at connecting downtown to Hollywood with a film factory complex.

VEHICULAR ROADS

Pedestrian Paths Bicycle Paths Bridges

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20

20ft

40ft

60ft

80ft

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SHOT ONE

THE TRUMAN SHOW

SHOT KILL

Super Cyclorama in Truman s world

HEROINE JUMP POIN

CAMERA U

1 : 1 : 1 Truman:Boat:Cyclorama 48 ft

1 : 1 Truman:Boat 72 ft 48 ft

6 ft

24 ft 6 ft

Scene One Requires 48ft cyclorama

Scene Two Requires 72ft cyclorama

In 1998, before the technology of special effects was widely available, the Truman Show produced one of the biggest live-action facades in the film.

In the movie, they claimed to have created a 22-story sky island for Truman in Hollywood.

Each floor height of the project varies depend on the program. By analyzing the Truman Show, the maximum floor height is estimated to be 72 feet.

T TWO

SHOT THREE

BILL

GOODFELLAS

What is ONE

SHOT?

Tell a story without a cut Narrator’s perspective and realistic drama BUT It is HARD to shoot The camera has to follow the actor in the limited space all the time

SOLUTION Ceiling Camera Track Design Orbit 2

Orbit 1 Flexible

front

Single shot series of 8 characters

up back

Main Character

H

Character

down

Leading man

Me

Orbit 3

Shadow man

J

Orbit 4 360

Paths in the scene of the hall

TABLE BAR

TABLE

BAR

J M N

W

F P CAMERA LINE

NT

UP AND TURN POINT

For film shooting, it requires two types of circulation that the movements of camera and actor orbit simultaneously. Taking the advantage of the fluid space, the camera track in the shooting studio can be mounted on the walls and ceilings.

Since the floors, walls and ceilings are integrated, it free the movement of camera. The fluid form benefits the cyclorama shooting because there is no corner within the space, and it provides adequate convenience for the post-production.

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Fluid Space 1: Facade Inhalation

Space Frame Concrete Panel Integrated Stair

Fluid Space 2: Super Cyclorama

Fluid Space 3: Lobby and Commercial

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04

SHENZHEN BAY CULTURE PARK MAD ARCHITECT Status: construction To be completed in 2023 Bringing a visionary concept into the city, where people can establish a renewed perspective of time and space, the project holds two monumental pavilions sitting on opposite sides of the site. “Along the top floor of the south pavilion, visitors can walk through the exhibition space to reach a viewing platform that overlooks Shenzhen Bay and the city skyline”. The unique gallery can accommodate a diverse display of large-scale installations, videos, multi-media, and performances, delivering stunning architectural spatial effects, with its highest space soaring to 30 meters.

Working Phase: Schematic Design 3D modeling 2D drawing Rendering Diagramming Site development

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05

LISHUI AIRPORT MAD ARCHITECT Status: concept MAD Architecture is often characterized by its novel approach to the old “nature vs. civilization” debate, designing structures that are linked to their environments in atmospheric. Lishui Airport contains a series of ancillary airport facilities, including ground transportation hubs, hotel, retail, and parking lots. Despite the building’s inevitable size, MAD’s design seeks to establish an architectural program that is human-scale, efficient, and energy saving.

Working Phase: Schematic Design 3D modeling 2D drawing Diagramming

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06

530 BROADWAY LIPMAN STUDIO Status: concept

The idea is to design a lobby with an unexpected look and feel - a space where every object is treated as an art piece. Minimal and contemporary design on the interior, which contrasts the rich detail of the iconic, historic soho cast iron district. A design that felt fresh, while still fitting the fabric of the neighbourhood. Floating objects are meant to feel uncanny, like there is a weightlessness in the space, despite the objects appearing like heavy solid.

For the curtain sculpture on the left wall, the general idea was thinking about causing the surface of the wall to do things they shouldn’t be doing, but were doing them in such subtle way that people might walk into a room and not notice immediately. People could be in the room for a second before it’s presence would jump out and once people saw it would be confusing, but wasn’t loud and receded into the background masses.

Art Director

3D modeling Logo Design Interior Design

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685 FIFTH AVENUE LIPMAN STUDIO

Status: construction Located on the illustrious Fifth Avenue, in the heart of New York City’s luxury retail and nestled among some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, 685 Fifth Avenue presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a 5-star hotel serviced residence at the world’s best address. The 20-story building, once the headquarters of fashion house Gucci, was originally built in 1928 and was known as the Dorothy Gray Building. At present, a brand new flagship Coach retail store occupies the first three floors, with Stuart Weitzman just to its south. The property will be redeveloped and ten additional floors will be added to the top of the tower.

Art Director

3D modeling Floor Plans Interior Design Branding Design

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