PORTFOLIO
Qiyin Liu BSc Architectural and Interdisciplinary Studies Bartlett School of Architecture Selected Work 2018-2020
CONTENT 01
Creative Design And Practice
MAGIC
by manipulating the preconcepts, imagination and ambiguity are imbued to an ordinary object 2019.09
02
Creative Design And Practice
03
Engineering Design
PERCEIVING THE SCALE
by tweaking the perception, the scale of space is no longer defined, rather, subjectivity of small and big space is revealed 2019.11
REDESIGN UMBRELLA
by rethinking the function and manifacture of a product, the current consumption pattern is criticised 2019.09
This collection showcases the research conducts in the three-year undergraduate study. Building on the nature of the course I am majoring,
04
from installation, device, and intervention, the exploration also extends to
05
informing a performance and interaction are uncovered.
Creative Design And Practice
RITUAL
by constantly performing certain gestures, a ritual is taken shape 2018.01
creating an interactive experience by using an architectural space. Through a series of research, design, and manufacture, the various methods of
LEXUS NEW CAR LAUNCHING
by cooperating with spatial features, a narrative is transformed into an interactive experience 2019.09
Architectural and Interdisciplinary Studies, these projects aim to celebrate the diverse exploration of space, perception, and interaction: starting
Architectural Practice and Enterprise
06
Creative Design And Practice
DESIGN MARATHON
by elabrating three assgined words through three media, a lexicon of individual gestures is assmbled 2018.01
07
Computing For Creative Practice
"SEE-THROUGH WALL"
by exploring various drawing techniques, the story behind a design iterration is narrated thorugh illustrations 2018.09
08
Transport Policy and Planning
CAMDEN TOWN TRANSPORT STUDY by improving city transport, the road sfatety is prioritized 2019.09
09
Urban Form Formation
THAMESMEAD REGENERATION
by reshaping the urban form, the liveliness is brought back to city and a space is created for citizens' communication and interaction 2019.01
Magic 2019.09-12 Module: Creative Design and Practice Group Project
Our project is a design abstraction of the concept
of imbuing an object with power, meaning and mythology. We researched manipulation techniques and
case studies, and abstracted the research into an installation as a magic show. This project commenced with the creation of the myth that St Paul’s was
saved by divine power during the blitz bombings. We
understood
perception curated
a
magic
and
set
as
the
manipulation
imagination,
of
manipulation
and
of
thereby
techniques,
specifically, authority, bias, physical framing, storytelling
and
body
language,
to
create
a
performance which would catalyse imagination and create ambiguity and depth in the stone.
M A G I C S
H
O
W
First Stage
Second Stage
Third Stage
Fourth Stage
Final Stage
INITIAL RESEARCH
SCRIPT WRITING
STAGE DESIGN
PERFORMING
THE SHOW
Identify a phenomenon that has
Responding to the research, a script will
Having scripted the magic show the
Decisions were made about the nature of
An installation is the final physical output
occurred in London’s history that can
be written for the magic show. Instead
stage on which is performed would
the performance. Engaging the audience
of the show. However, the show is not
be described as ‘magic’. In researching
of using traditional representation of
be designed. This is presented as a
i n t h e p e r fo r m a n c e a n d s h a p i n g
only a time-specific illustration of magic,
this phenomenon and the site on which
script, text, the script takes the from of
combination of sketches, models, plans
them into the performers, ultimately
rather, the audience has been engaged
it occurred to uncover the conditions
storyboards, and a device. Directing the
and sections. By deconstructing the
representing magic as the interaction
and experienced the show before they
that caused it to happen or speculate
performers by guiding their actions.
essence of the magical phenomenon, the
between the audience and performers
view the actual installation and step into
on how it may have occurred, and why
techniques caused it would be reapplied
it captured the public imagination. This
to the new environment.
research will go on to inform the design of the magic show.
the exhibition.
Fri st Sta ge : I ni ti a l Resea rc h
The second incident is the London stone. It is a historic landmark located at 111 Cannon Street. It is considered to be the original piece of limestone once securely fixed in the ground and was firstly recorded around the year 1100. However, its significance is emphasized even more by the way it is displayed and the legendary story passed down generation by generation.
Hatton Garden is famous for the heist happened there. After the heist happened, there was no evidence, but three holes left on the wall, and no one had ever thought the crime was committed by three elderly men in their 70s. The mystery was created by the conspiracy to conceal or disguise criminal property. The photo of St. Paul survives made St. Paul’s Cathedral magical as it was not damaged during the blitz. This made people believe that Britain was protected by a divine power and the hope kept them fighting in WW2. More in-depth analysis was conducted regard to St. Paul’s Cathedral and its magical survival illustrates the idea of magical realism.
Magical Phenomenon Site searching
The concept of magic realism was firstly focused as it is a way of telling real stories but adding magical elements. Based on this definition, we started to focus on the incidents that became unusual and unbelievable because of the stories they carry and three sites were firstly considered: Hatton Garden, London stone, St. Paul’s Cathedral.
After the initial research, the image St. Paul
German and British newspaper, as well as making
Survives was chosen to futher carry on
use of the deep-rooted status of St. Paul's Cathedral
the project. Focusing on the dual realities
among the people, this project deconstructs magic
created by editting the identical image
as a series manipulation techniques that creates
differently and respectively pubished by
multiple realities.
1930
The reason why choosing St. Paul Cathedral to bring hope to the people suffered in war was due to the significant status of it. St. Paul Cathedral was built after the great fire in London, it represents the
© Landmark Information Group Ltd and Crown copyright 2019. FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY.
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Oct 10, 2019 16:17 Christina Lin University College London
rebirth of London.
1930
1940
St. Paul’s
Cathedral
As the historical maps of London show, the urban morphology in that area has always centralised the © Landmark Information Group Ltd and Crown copyright 2019. FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY.
location of St. Paul Cathedral – a “satellite” form
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Oct 10, 2019 16:18 Christina Lin University College London
was constructed based on the location of St. Paul Cathedral, which emphasizes the symbolic meaning of St. Paul Cathedral even more.
1940
Uncover Magical Condition
1960
The map shows the bombing locations around St. Paul’s Cathedral. As the bombing was very intensive around St. Paul’s Cathedral, so people tended to believe the survival of St. Paul’s Cathedral is rather fantastical.
This research also shows that creating mythology
© Landmark Information Group Ltd and Crown copyright 2019. FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY.
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Scale 1:7500 500
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Projection: British National Grid
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Oct 10, 2019 16:19
needs to build on existing belief – magic requires a
Christina Lin University College London
foundation.
1960
Se co nd Sta ge : Sc r i pt Wr i ti ng
Experiment 2: From Script to Performance The second one was interpreting the performance of a script and re-translate it into a new script. For this one, we made an
Experiment 1: From Performance to Script In the script writing workshop, we were asked to
We took the form of a series of storyboard to translate
perform certain actions and translate it into a script
the performance into script. When creating the
to guide other people’s performance. We found an
storyboard, we focused on the feeling of reacting
umbrella with a broken triggered and performed how
towards the broken umbrella. For example, when closing
the umbrella automatedly opened after unattached the
the umbrella, the tendency of opening up existed in the
strip and the process of closing it by only using the strip.
umbrella is like grabbing a struggling beast with a bag.
intervention to demonstrate the guidance of people’s movement as they could follow and perform the same postures without understanding the context.
Final Script Writing The script was design into a device that contains a plain cardboard sheet with gaps for people to hold and view, a paper roll is extended to the front, which contains guidance to show people information. This device aimed to lead people view St. Paul Cathedral from the perspective of British people and German pilots. Symbols such as footprints and eyes were used on the roll in front of the view, which aimed to inform the viewer when to watch or where to look at. Testing the idea of making a script into a device – following the symbols on the roll to test clarity of the guidance
Inspired by 3D drawings, we used colours to reveal and hide different realities: red patterns and green acetate sheet for the British perspective, while green patterns and red acetate sheet are to reveal the pilot’s view during the blitz.
Third Stage : Stage D e s ign
Experiment: Dual Perspective of one fact We went along the direction of showing the children-adult
mother to write a narrative for the two characters on the
dual perspectives. We searched for the incidents that have
funeral day.
different impacts on children and adults and considered a
Following the direction on the device to “read� the script.
funeral the incident to explore. We discussed the overall
The narrative was further developed into a model of the
settings, then each of us took the role of a girl and her
funeral house based on the narrative and the overall setting.
For the same funeral house, we took photos from
Illustrations were made to show the
the perspectives of both the mother and the girl
grief an adult experience; and the
to illustrate how it is seen differently for the two
enjoyment and ignorance a child has
characters.
on the same funeral day.
Conspiracy While the other reality aimed to s h o w t h e co n s p i ra c y, which is St. Paul’s Cathedral is cracking and this fallen stone was the evidence of the conspiracy
Commodity Showing the stone as a commodity, displaying the rock as a founding s t o n e o f S t . P a u l ’s Cathedral
ambiguity of the truth of it, and thereby produce the
angles, to intensify the effect of the created two realities.
multi realities. As a debate of the fact of the rock from the viewers would Fact and Manipulated Fact A debate led by perceiving different "facts" over one
fact that were manipulated and started researching
matter
the manipulation techniques that are used in luxury goods, advertisements, media, authority, and history
Children and adults consider one thing differently is
events.
an undeniable fact, which deviates from the multi perspectives of a single fact that are deliberately
Based on the research, we decided to apply the
created. As a result, we took a step back to look at the
techniques to an ordinary object to create the
The final selection of the object fell on a rock as a rock
be the desired result, therefore, we further simplified the
gives more space for people to imagine: the London
display of the rock, which was dividing the viewers into
stone, the rock from the space etc. In order to create the
different groups but all groups would look at the same
different realities for people to experience, we came up
rock in an enclosed space. While the environment, such
with options of putting the rock in the separated space
as the lighting and audio provided for each group would
and create different environment that tells different
be completely different.
stories for each space’s rock. In addition, not the only the rock would be displayed, Making use the window and peephole, we planned to
viewers at the other side would be considered as part of
project light with different colours and from different
the performance as well.
Fo ur t h Stage : Stage D e s ign Framing The design for the final magic show includes a series framing. Viewing Firstly, instead of creating a box to display the rock, we purchased a limestone and made use of the landing space on the 2nd floor in the building. The glass door between the lift space and the landing became a natural separation for two groups to view the stone at the same time.
Emailing Then we emailed all the critics before the crit day. The email only contains the title "St. Paul’s Stone" and the pictures of the limestone, aiming to trigger the curiosity and imagination to make people wonder what is the meaning behind the stone.
Animation The storyboard shows the plan of an abstract animation that was inspired by John Morena and 59 Productions, which was planned to be projected at the wall facing the stairs. This animation aimed to use to abstract geometry forms and symbols to imply the conspiracy of Continuing from the idea of guiding the audience and revealing two
the stone.
realities, this installation was designed to reveal multi realities of one object.
Illustrations showing the scenario
at the other side view rock from
of viewing the same rock from
the peephole, seeing the other
two sides and percieve two
group from window as the crowd
realities. One group would view
comes to admire the precious
the conspiracy of the stone from
stone, flash light mimicking the
the big window and see the rock
effect of the crowd taking pictures
display in front of the newspaper
of the stone will also be showed to
report as well as eyes creeping
the “peephole” group.
from the peephole, while the group
Display the stone as a museum - imbuing credibility in the stone Referring to the research on the authority revealed through museum displays as a manipulation technique, we also made a plinth and a casing out of plywood and acrylic sheets, guiding the viewer to imagine the reality of stone through the way it displays.
Storyboard 1. Transporting the stone - 4 people in the line
- Going to the corner of the stone one by one - Raise the stone slowly and steady
2.Putting the stone on the plinth - 4 people enter the scene with the stone raised - Carefully putting it on the plinth 3. Cleaning the stone
- Brushing the fragment of stone - Blowing the dust on the stone 4.Displaying the stone
- Measurement on the plinth - Carefully and slowly move the stone to the plinth - Move the casing and covering the stone
Process of producing the final installation
Ritualistic - Studying of gestures Aiming to bring the stone to people’s eyesight
reality of the stone, we added a series of
in a bizarre way and create an even more
ritualistic gestures to strengthen uncertainty
subtle impact to trigger the debate over the
of the stone.
Fi na l Sta ge : T he Show Final Film
Scene 2: Putting the stone on the plinth
Scene 1: Transporting the stone In order to demonstrate the professionalism,
to leave enough imaginary space for the
wearing black and blue nitrile gloves were
viewers to put clues together and form
consistent throughout the film. The scenes
the reality they believe in. (Please find the
in the film, however, were less continued.
video, Magic-Final Film, in the link here:
It was formed by short clips as we intended
https://vimeo.com/398803803)
Scene 3: Cleaning the stone
Scene 4: On display
Final Installation
Perceiving the Scale 2019.11-2020.02 Module: Creative Design and Practice Individual Project
What is the scale of a space? Small or big, what can be the boundary of it? Can the perception of a space's scale be altered?
This work aims to demonstrate findings through the exploration, research, and experiments: the perception of the scale of a space can be
manipulated through different techniques. In fact, perception of a space’s scale can be
completely subjective, there is no universal definition for a space of being small or big.
Clips from the final film, showing the studying result that the perception of a space's scale is subjective
Altering the Scale Senario I: Small lift The lift in the Science Library was firstly selected. It is on the right-hand side to the entrance and has around 0.7m in width, 1m in depth, and 2m in height. It is seldomly used by people. “It is too small, it feels very crowded even when I take it by myself.” That’s how most of the people describe this lift.
Observations on people's movement in the lift was firstly conducted. By placing a piece of paper in the middle of the lift could record the trace of how they move. As the marks on the piece of paper shows, the footprints on it is firm and clear, which means that people in the lift are seldomly move around - they walk into the lift, find a slot and stand there until they exit the lift. However, eyes move more often when they are in the lift, to detect their surrounding environment.
Test I Referring to the “contrasting” method, I decided to create an “even smaller” lift by making a model that only allows people to put their heads in it. Also, the details such as the buttons were engraved on the grey card by laser cutter to imbue the realness and refer to the techniques used by the tea house, which is leading the viewer to the details.
As the size human head, which is around 22cm from the back of the head to the nose and 18cm from the left ear to the right ear, the dimension of the first iteration is 19cm in width and 37.4cm in height. Therefore, people can put their heads in the model from the back so only the environment in the model is precepted by putting their faces in it. However, the participants in the test did not feel many obvious changes regarding to the scale of the lift as they said without blocking the back part, they did not feel they are in a smaller space but remaining in the original lift.
Test II Based on the feedback, I enlarged the lift model and removed the bottom part of the model so the testers can wear the this model – having the entire head in the enclosed space.
After using this model, the participants only felt “more comfortable” after taking off the model, rather than detecting the changes of the scale. The deep-rooted memory of this lift, which is the lift being a small space might have a considerable effect on the experiments’ results, as the lift is a familiar environment and numerous studies on the lift have shaped a preconception of lift being a small space for the public.
Senario II: Small British Kitchen Moving on from the lift test, I intended to re-apply the techniques to the kitchen. As one of my on-going research project is about the strong relationship between Chinese family culture and domestic space in a transcultural environment, I conducted several interviews with Chinese people who are current living British cities. All interviewees emphasized the point that they wish they could have a larger kitchen in their British homes.
As the study in the book, the Hidden Dimension, states, people feel the space small when they bump into things. Knowing this
In Chinese culture, Kitchen is an essential space in Chinese people's home as being able to prepare food for all family members represents the union of a family, which is considered as the happiness that Chinese pursues for.
kitchen. Enlarging the area that is used more often in a kitchen to create a spatial memory that the kitchen is large enough to
Therefore, I further proceeded the research and applied the techniques to make a kitchen feel bigger.
fact, an entire outfit was designed to record the movement in order to compare which part of the body is used the most in a proceed the kitchen’s functions.
Based on the result, the table where the arms performs the actions require more space, especially for the area where the stove and sink located, more space is needed to avoid knocking pots or arms on the wall. This is due to the cooking style that Chinese people prefer- fried food and they also hand-wash the dishes more often as dishes with fried food are often more oily and need to be carefully cleaned. On the other hand, the floor area is not required that much even though it is more limited than the area at the top.
Test I
Test II 500.00
200.00
?225.00
180.00
The first iteration was strictly follow the
Going on from the previous
proportion of the kitchen and scaled it down
test, I changed the overall
to only provide the space for a head in the
shape of the kitchen’s model
position of looking forward. The model was also
into a square, and the inner
put on four columns that have 1.4m in height,
boundaries are designed into
which allows people to walk into the model
8cm far away from the head
and percept the space, aiming to restore the
as the minimum distance for
experience of being in the kitchen as much as possible to eliminate the impact from factors other than the scale.
human eyes to focus is 5-10
Combining all the tests’ results, the final model was made,
cm. In addition, I also reduced
which includes the following features: height maintained
the height of the model.
proportional to the original kitchen, length-width ratio changed to around 2:3, cupboards at the top right were pushed more inwards, sink along with the cupboard underneath were extended to both right and left side, the window is put in the middle but remained the same proportion to the wall it is on.
In terms of proceeding the experiment, I
In the final test, I again asked the participant to walk into the real kitchen first,
asked a Chinese friend to experience small
went into the first model that did not change anything except for the scale, then
model as she is less familiar with my kitchen
experienced the final model that includes subtle changes based on the previous
so the result becomes less likely to be
experiments, finally asked the participant to back to the original kitchen.
affected by any memories or preconceptions. I asked her to go into the real kitchen firstly, have a brief glance at the furniture in the
After two rounds of manipulating the perceptive scales, the participant stated that
kitchen, then go into the small model. After
during her final visit to the real kitchen, she was fully aware of all the details of the
staying in the small model for a few minutes,
kitchen and created a sense of the size of each space (gaps between furniture and
the participant would be asked to go back
the size of cupboard etc.) within the kitchen, when all the observed details suddenly
to the original kitchen and see if the scale is
increased sizes, she unconsciously believed that the overall space must be huge to
feeling changed.
contain all the items. In fact, she also believed that the final model with all the subtle changes is reflecting the real kitchen, as the contrast between two models and her
After testing, the participant explained that she felt the kitchen is much deeper than
surreal sense in the real kitchen made her automatedly created a link between the
she firstly experienced and she felt the gaps
By doing so, so that all details can be included in the eyesight, the participant
between cupboards and other furniture
could turn around freely and fully explored model’s space.
were actually very big as she thought all the things were closely touch each other.
Same procedures were asked to the participant to test the impact of this model,
However, not being able to fully turn her
yet the change to this model made it less relate to the real kitchen. When she
head in the model made she feel the kitchen
went into the model, she felt like experiencing a new space rather than thinking
even narrower than the beginning.
of the kitchen.
real kitchen and impact from the manipulated model space.
Subjectivity of Scale: Small Space. Big Space Moving on from the small space in the real life, I further abstracted the techniques of changing the perceptive scales to create an intervention. The intervention is two identical spaces and connected them by a channel with two shrunken boxes in it. By creating different scales for the perception, people walking from one space then through the channel to the second space, they would feel the second space is bigger than the first one.
The dimension of the two identical space at two ends is 1.2m *1.5m*2m, which is defined as a small in the book, the Hidden Dimension. While the dimension of smaller boxes in the middle is based on the results from the previous research: one of the small boxes is 0.31m*0.39m*0.52m – each wall is 8 cm away from the face to allow eyes to focus; the smallest box is 0.18m*0.22m*0.3m – only leaving the space for a head and all walls are stick to face.
The illustration showing the procedures of walking through the intervention and how the perception would change.
A film that shows the process of a person walks into the first small space, then passes through the channel in the middle and finally enters another space in the end of the space sequence was created. Different scales of human figure illustrations were also added to impy the scale of each space. The camera follows the person and shows the viewer the process of preceiving a space’s scale. When it comes to the end, the actual boundaries of last space was not filmed but the person’s behaviors after entering the space was showed, creating the ambiguity of the actual scale of final space and giving the viewer enough imaginary space. (Please find the video, Subjectivity of Scale, in the link here: https://vimeo.com/398805701)
In order to be more easily constructed, the structure for the 1:1 scale intervention was changed to use 10 columns made of cardboard to support and plain cardboards were used to support the two small boxes in the middle, the rest part is covered by thick wrapping paper. The corner of the living in my rented flat was selected as the site to construct the intervention since two walls of the corner can be made use of. Also, light from the window of the living room can project into the series spaces from the top, thus enough light is provided for people walking through the enclosed space and enable them to carefully observe the space and percept the scale of it as well.
Finished 1:1 scale intervention, which was used to produce the final film
Redesign Umbrella 2019.09-12 Module: Engineering Design Individual Project
Context
This project focused on redesigning a product
Umbrellas play an important role in our
methods of extending the length of an
daily life. Building on my own experience,
umbrellas’ life cycle in order to change the
that
unreusable,
umbrellas are one of the most common
current consumption mode.
unreferbishable, and unrecycable. Through the
wind could easily break an umbrella and it is
Therefore, the principle approach of this
often found to be hard to repair.
project is redesigning an umbrella into an
is
curretly
exploration project the
of
evokes
existing
unrepairable,
redesigning the
umbrella,
rethinking
commodity
is
of
designed
the and
this
consumables as any heavy rainfall or strong
assembly style so that each component can
way
Based on the bried that asks to select a
be taken of and replaced with a new one –
used
currently unrecyclable product, redesigning
no need to throw away the entire umbrella
it so it can be modular and become part of
for one broken part.
circular economy: to be repaired, reused, refurbished, and recycled. As the research
Being able to assemble not only makes
shows above, an umbrella contains nylon
the umbrella repairable, but also meets
canopy which is an unrecyclable material,
the consumer's need for different sizes of
more importantly, umbrellas represent
umbrellas as well as the aesthetic choice of
the linear-economy products, which are
various styles of canopy. Thereby reducing
“designed to be thrown away”. Therefore,
the waste of repeatedly purchasing different
this redesign project aims to explore the
sizes and styles of umbrellas.
Instead of using a series of metal strings and
together by hands was the main method for this
stick pulling each other, this iteration achieves
iteration. Stronger materials such as wooden
foldability by designing each section of the rib into
plates and 3D printed SLS were also used for the
a sunken structure and the sizes of rib sections
shaft’s prototype making. Strips cut from shopping
are increasingly smaller as getting further away
bags were attached to a canopy taken from a real
from the center, so the outer sections of ribs
umbrella to mimic a new style of canopy that is
can be folded into the sections that are closer to
proposed to be entirely made of polypropylene in
the center. In this design, the overall size can be
real life
adjusted by the number of sections taken out. Each rib consists three pieces of rectangular This iteration can be further divided into three
carboard: one would be put at the bottom; two
parts, designing assembly ribs, designing assembly
other pieces are at erect position and glued at two
shaft, and designing assembly canopy. Laser
long sides of the bottom piece. For the section
cutting 2D components from cardboard and glued
that would be spread out, its length of three
Testing the mechanism of the redesigned umbrella
rectangular pieces is shorter than the section that
the middle was attached at the end of the bigger
would be connected to the main shaft, and size of
section. The round piece would be the joint that
width of its bottom piece needs to be reduced as
connect each rib to the main shaft.
well, so that it can be folded into the sunken slot of its adjacent section.
As the idea was when the umbrella is fully folded, all ribs will be aligned at one side of the shaft
Two sets of identical holes were drilled at the end
and the length will be same as the length of one
of each section of rib respectively. having a metal
section of rib, width is the accumulated height
string bunched through two sets of holes can
of eight ribs. In addition, the shape of a folded
connect two sections together and provide an axis
umbrella similar to a book, which can be more
for the smaller section to rotate as well.
easily to fit in a backpack than the current cylinder shape of a folded umbrella.
Another round piece of cardboard with a hole in
Testing the mechanism of the redesigned umbrella
Testing the mechanism of the redesigned umbrella
The final prototype was combining three designs
to the real nylon canopy by stainless-steel splinting pins.
(assembly ribs, assembly shaft, and assembly canopy)
Besides, an additional runner and a tray that acts as
in iteration 2 together. It consists laser cut ribs; stainless
stretchers were made into the interlocking style so the
steel bolts and nuts used to combine each section of ribs
position of ribs can be further secured and these two
together; 3D printed shaft; polyethylene strips attached
components themselves can be taken off as well
Details showing the prototype of the redesigned umbrella
Through the process of redesigning an umbrella,
before coming up with the new approach of
I found that it is relatively easy to create
achieving foldability, the project became very
one fully operational component, while the
hard to be pushed forward. Finally, the good
obstacle of a design is to combine a series of
qualities of the current umbrellas need to be
components and all of them need to function
carefully considered and maintained in the new
properly. Also, redesigning a product that has
design as much as possible in order to maintain
been fully developed and functioning perfectly
competitiveness in the market since no one
can be challenging as it is hard to jump out of
would be willing to buy a sustainable umbrella
the deep-rooted paradigm of how the current
that has sacrificed the advantages such as
products function, and sometimes it can restrain
compact style and light weight of the current
the realization of new feature. For example,
umbrellas.
Lexcus New Car Launching
2019.09-12 Module: Architectural Practice and Enterprise
Individual Project
focus on the interaction between humans and space. When conducting the design practice for Lexus’ new car launching, I corresponded the features and design philosophy of Lexus to the architectural elements. By doing so, the event has integrated within the site and the idea of using architectural features to facilitate the sense of immersion was manifested through the progression of this project as well
Three aspects are emphasized in Lexus' deisgn philosophy: seamless anticipation, incisive simplicity, and intriguing elegance. Going on from it, the use of sustainable fuel highlights the new Lexus' products. Therefore, this project turns Lexus' design philosophy into a tangible experience that allows people to feel. The new car launching would take place in the Welbeck street car park, which is situated in Marylebone, the north of Oxford Street. This is a commercial district of London with a large number of visitors. Taking advantange of the location of the site, larger impact on people could be achieved
One-Day Event
Design Principle 1. Cooperating the architectural features with the brand's feature and d esign philosophy
2
2. Revealing the engineering aesthetic of a car. 3. Building a storyline to allow the audience to experience the unique features of the car.
1 3
4
The new car launch would not only be an exhibition, but would be designed into a one-day event, allowing people immerse in the ennvironment and creating narratives for the new car's feature with different methods and techniques. As a result, the product is not seperated from its users, rather, they would be surrounded by the experience of having the product and using it.
15.00 pm-Evening
Faรงade Design
Celebration The final part of the event takes place on the top floor. This floor would be
Based on the analysis of the street section, the eastern side of facade ist the most
renovated into a resturant, providing afternoon tea for the visitors. While the
1
higher level of the floor would be changed into a stage, with the car parking on it.
outstanding among its nearing buildings,
With the performance and catering, the launch has turned into a celebration party
therefore light projections or install LED screens on this faรงade can be used to
2
14.00 -15.00pm
display the design process of the car: from the initial sketches to manifesting and assembling. By showing this, we want
4 pm scenario
also to encourage people to appreciate of the birth of this car allows people to understand of the culture of the brand and
the car by walking through each scene.
3
not only to attract more customers, but the engineering aesthetics, see the story
Experiencing the day of using the car - Interacting with key features of
12 pm scenario
8 am scenario
1. Using narrative-based methods and create scenes of one day of a young family driving to work, driving their children to school in the morning, and driving to a family dinner in the evening 2. Based on different scenes, different music will be played accordingly.
4 Section showing the building viewing from different streets
8 pm scenario
the car itself, rather than merely an object.
3.Intergrating the outside environment: the natural wind, light, and noise on the street enable the imaginative scenes to be more real. 4. Using the original marks (arrows) on the ground can be used as guidance leading people from one scene to another since there are no clear boundaries of different
Cooperating the Architectural Features
sections in a car park.
with the Brand's Feature
12.00 -14.00pm Interacting and understanding the car components
1. The hollow triangular structure of the building echoes the faceted panels/angular
1. Setting clear screen walls around the car and use holographic laser projection to
edges of the car shape.
show the inside structure of the car, especially the battery of the engine.
2. Allowing the natural light injects through
2. Using touchable clear screen walls, components such as gears and different parts
as spotlight and lights in the direction
of the battery under the engine bonnet ar displayed, encouraging the audience
people are watching. The straight light
to move and assemble the components themselves to experience how the inside
beams align with the streamline design of
structure is formed.
both the car's interior and exterior
10.00 am-12.00pm
3. The staggered floor level forms a natural platform and stage for displaying the car
Displaying the Car
Proposed facade design - projecting the design and manufacturing process
1. Making use of the height difference created by ramps in the car park, people can stand on the higher level and have a full view of the car before walking closer to view details. This also create a photo moment for adervising the new car. One-day event taking place on different floors
Making use of two sets of ramps and stairs in the car park building, the exhibited car would be driven up by using the northern ramps, while visitors would use the stairs and lifts at the southern part of the Car Route South elevation of the car park building
Visitor Route
building
Ritual 2019.01-05 Module: Creative Design and Practicce Individual Project
An intervention of a waterclock was
designed as the elaboration of the
theme of ritual within the context
of a feast. During the studying, the meaning of ritual was explored through
people’s
behaviours
in
terms of how a ritual takes shape by constantly performing certain gestures.
This
design
involved
numerous experiments on the production
of working mechanisms as well as the
tests
of
different
people’s
reactions towards it. Through this process, I understood the role of
human behaviour in shaping a concept
Rituals are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours.
D raw i n g f ro m t h e i d e a o f Step 5: Pull string between shutter and pulley
Step 4: Pulley at top spins
the
Step 7: Shutter taken off
bonding people, time, space,
being
and unpredictability to form a ritual, a intervention that uses water to drive the mechanism of rotating waterwheels, and
The idea of ritual has been closely tightened up with time and space. Inspired by a Chinese ritualistic activity in old times, this activity invites all the people sitting along the winding water and a
Time Line
Time Line
Intersec�on of Time and Flowing Water
hereupon rings a bell was
Step 3: String connected with waterwheel is pulled Step 2: Waterwheel spins
created. The time interval Step 8: Water stops leaking from the hole
Step 1: Water falls on waterwheel
between each bell ring is random. This intervention was sited on a dining table
Step 6: Floatage provides an uplift force once shutter starts being lifted
and aimed to inform a new table etiquette as a ritual.
wine cup would flow along the
With the random sound of bell
water, whenever the wine cup
ring, people were reminded
stops flowing, the one who is the
to perform certain gestures,
nearest to the cup would be asked
for example communicating
to create a poetry.
wi th the neari ng guests,
Water Flow Path
change to another dish, or
Intersec�on of Time and Flowing Water
Water Flow Path
Timing 1
Timing 2
Timing 3
Timing 3
The alternative routes of winding
s o m e t i m e s m a ke a t o a st .
water imbue unpredictability into
(Please find the video,
the idea of ritual, bonding people
Waterclock- The Mechanism,
in the certain space with a time-
in the link here:
specific event. Timing 1
Timing 2
Timing 3
Timing 3
1. Collect water in the tank 2. Water flow through the pipe and start pumping water upwards
3. End of the pipe reaches the tube, and water flows into the tube.
https://vimeo.com/398814175)
The waterclock situated in the feast, performing ritualistic gestures
(Please find the video, Waterclock- The Feast, in the link here: https://vimeo.com/398811808)
Appetite The glass made out of clay with an apple in the middle, enable the person wearing it can see nothing else but the apple. When people cannot have a certain thing, they would keep wanting it. Since the apple can only be seen, instead of being touched or actually eaten, so that the appetite would stay strong and cannot easily fade away.
Marathon 2017.09-12 Module: Project X: Creative Design and Practice Individual Project
Courtesy Use one of three common media to elaborate/ describe/interpret/articulate one of the assigned trigger words to assemble a lexicon of individual gestures in a design marathon. The assigned three words were Appetite, Courtesy, and Guilt. I used clay, short film, and found object as three media to respond understandings of these three words respectively.
A Short film is the media for this word. In the film, the screen was divided into two, the left half is the expressions of real feelings and action, the right-hand side shows that the smile must be shown in order to be considered as being polite. The mask is a symbol that shows people are required to show appropriate manners in all circumstances. (Please find the video, Marathoncourtesy, in the link here: https://vimeo. com/398813487)
Guilt Guilt is more about the feeling of doing wrong things. This is a broken glass and glued back together. Therefore, when the person does not know it was broken already and pours water into it, the glass will break again, they would feel sorry and be being responsible for the broken glass. The feeling of guilt would be stimulated.
ALIGNING LONG BOARDS ALONG THE ORIGIANL
DEMOLISHING THE
WALL BOUNDARY
ORIGIANL WALL
I
II
III
EMBEDDING A COLUMN
EACH BOARD IS 10MM THICK.
BETWEEN TWO SEGMENTS
THE INTERVAL BETWEEN TWO
OF GRATING
TOP BOARDS IS 30MM, 90MM FOR THE REST. FOR THE WINDOW, THE SPACE BETWEEN TWO BOARDS IS 180MM ONE SEGMENT CONSISTS OF 48 WOODENBOARDS
INSERTING SHORTER BORADS BETWEEN TWO LONG BOARDS TO CARVE THE SHAPE OF THE IV
WINDOWS
V
VI
Formation of the "See-Through Wall"
"See-Through Wall" 2018.09-2019.05 Module: Computing for Creative Practice Individual Project
This project takes place in North Cloister, which is a space gathering different people and doing various activities. Therefore, reconstructing the north-facing wall of North Cloister into a "See-Through Wall" that contains a hollow structure not only allows passengers at the terrace to see the diversity of activities exist in a college campus, but more importantly, the changes of light and shadow created by the “SeeThrough Wall” brings new vitality to this space.
Choosing the style of illustration aims to create a narrative of experiencing the "See-Through Wall" from the perspective of a normal passenger in North Cloister. Drawings aim to explain how the "See-Through Wall" was formed and what it would look like after establishment, depict the light effect created by the new façade in the evening and the scene of seeing Wilkins Terrace from the "SeeThrough Wall" from a passerby’s point of view. This design iterration focuses not only the intervention, but it is also a process of exploring the methods of producing architectural drawings, celebrating the narrative that manifests through a drawing with different styles and using various techniques. Elevation in the evening
Illustration showing the view of terrace seeing from the wall
Site Plan of UCL Campus
Illustration showing the pespective of the interior
SITE SURVEY Surveys of people flow, speed, vehicular flow,
Camden Road
concentration, and junction turning movement were conducted during the morning peak, afternoon nonpeak time and evening peak of weekdays on both
108
major and minor roads within the study area.
1956
336
Camden Street
Pratt Street 420
1908
As the survey result shows, the pedestrian flow is
864 168
888
significantly high on Camden High street. At the same
264
time, however, the flow, concentration, and speed of motor vehicles are high on Camden High Street as well, which have led to major conflict between
Camden High Street
pedestrians and motor vehicles, causing safety issues.
1680
Photos below also show the unreasonable crossing system and limited space for the pedestrians Pedestrian Flow More than 1500 p/h 500 - 1500 p/h Less than 500 p/h
Bayham Street
Camden Town Transport Study 2019.09-12 Module: Transport Policy and Planning Group Project
This project takes a close look at the transport system in Camden Town, specically focusing on the measures to improve the safety of pedestrians. Through the primary research, the strategy containing five proposals were studied, aiming to restore a safe
Issues
high-street enviornment into Camden neighbourhood.
Long Waiting Time for the Traffic LightLead to Regula Jay-Crossing
Lack of Continuity in Crossing Leads to Regular Jay-Crossing
Narrow Pavements Cause People Constantly Walk on Car Lanes
Aims and Objective Based on the results of surveys and research, our proposals are to prioritize the improvement of road safety through
Proposal 1
improving both cycling and walking conditions and reducing
Widening the pavement and changing the current puffin crossings
traffic speed. As Camden experienced 21 serious collisions
located on Camden High Street (between Camden Town Station
in 2018, where Camden High Street was the main area of
and Mornington Crescent Station) into zebra crossings. At the same
concern, we propose to shrink the size of CHS to allow for
time, improving the continuity of crossing systems at all junctions
more space for pedestrians and cyclists, which will also cause vehicles to travel at lower speeds, thus improving overall safety. However, this requires less vehicle flow and vehicle concentration on roads, so it is proposed to reduce on-street parking, improve streets quality and provide bicycle lanes
Proposal 2
and facilities to increase cycling and walking as an alternative to driving. Considering that current crossing system and
Camden has a limited amount of kerb space meaning that it is
the high proportion of freight vehicles have a great safety
important to balance the competing demand of various groups
risk, we also propose the changes at conjunctions and safer
of road users. The study area is covered by a control parking zone
transport modes of freight.
where all streets are subject to parking controls from 8.30am6.30pm during weekdays. Tariff 3 is currently applied in paid-for parking places and shared-use parking places (Camden Council, 2019) and we propose to raise the charge to Tariff 4 to control the concentration of on-street parking.
Proposal 3 More sustainable and safer transport modes, such as rail freight on North London Line and waterborne freight on the Regent’s Canal are proposed to ease traffic congestion, reduce environmental impacts as well as improve road safety for other users. Also, the Click and Collect services at Camden Town Station and Mornington Crescent Station can be introduced to local residents as an alternative to home delivery.
Proposed crossing change Proposed loading area Widened pavement Proposed treea Proposed zebra crossings Proposed two car lanes
Proposal 4 Creating two-way cycle lanes on Camden St by extending the existing cycle lane and adding another lane so that some cyclists who going from north to south on CHS can be diverted to Camden St with increased speed and safety. There is also a two-way cycle lanes on the road from Oakley Square to Lidlington Pl and three dedicated one-way lanes added on Pratt St, Bayham St, Crowndale Rd.
Plan view of the overal proposals
Thamesmead Regeneration 2019.01-03 Module: Urban Form Formation Group Project
This project takes a close look at a vacant land in Thamesmead, specically focusing on bringing the prosperity to the town and highlighting the town centre.
Context
Through the reasearch and exploration, a form based on the urban morphology was proposed. Apart from that, this
Thamesmead is a London district in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Bexley.
proposal also aims to accomodate open space into this area in terms of designing spatial nodes into parks and
The original master plan for Thamesmead included several
allocating squares within building blocks. By doing so,
ambitious developments, promising potential residents that it would be the town of the future. It was intended to
a connection between the town centre and the reset of
provide 60,000 people with new modern homes through a
land would be facilitated and the space and opportunity
mix of maisonettes, terraced housing and Corbusian towers
for people to interact and communicate can be created to.
(Markowitz, 2017). However, soaring expenses resulted in a scaling down of the original master plan. Plans for several promised developments were abandoned and residents realized that their ‘dream’ city was never arriving (BBC, 2014). During the 1970s, Thamesmead began to decline, as it was being used as a sink estate where the current wealthy residents moved out as poorer residents moved in (BBC, 2014).
Existing urban fabric of Thamesmead
1870
1970
1990
Present
DLR RIVER BUS RAIL EXTENDED OVERGROUND LINE EXTENDED DLR
Proposed urban form of the vacant land: based on the urban morphology, the form maintains the continuity with the existing fabric.
S trength River Thames
African immigrants are the second largest group apart from the English
Residen�al
Re�al Morgage is the most common tenure condition
Residen�al Residen�al
Mixed Use Mid-age, ranging from 30-40 is the highest population
Green Space
Re�al
1. High crime rate 2. The established buildings are in the form of clusters with an enclosed open space in the middle 3. Buildings are denser in the districts around the town center, while the town center contains less but larger volume buildings. 4. The town center is independent from main roads and far away from the established plots. 5. Most of the roads are designed as caraccessible 6. Public transportation is underdeveloped; only a few bus stations are located at Central Way. 1. DLR and London overground is under planning in this area 2. Rail lines connecting to central London - more people could be brought here to stimulate the development
2m
12m
Current street section, showing the dominance of motor vehicle of the street
The overall form of the newly-planned site will be a continuity of the current site in order to fit well into the existing urban fabric. Therefore the form of the districts is based on the topography, and the buildings are still arranged as clusters.
W eakness
T hreaten 4m
Proposal Consideration
1. Large existing green area - giving opportunity for parks and green corridors along the river bank. 2. Large vacant sapce - the potential for full development
Proposed road system and spacial nodes formed accordingly
O pportunity
Current building types in Thamesmead: high density and lacks open space
4m
Similar form of the building cluster with the exisitng ones, yet the open space within each cluster is emphasized
2m 4.5m
1. Large development could damage the enviornment 2. People might not be willing to move in due to the current development condition
Illustration showing the proposal of designing spatial nodes into open space for people's gathering, thereby facilitates communication and interaction
Illustration showing the elevation of proposed design
Nevertheless, the space between buildings will be enlarged, since narrow streets or dead corners often lead to crimes and antisocial behaviors. To simultaneously build a less dense area and meet the housing demand, heights of the new buildings will be increased, varying from 10 to 15 stories to create an intriguing city skyline Within the site, three major roads will be accommodated: the high street running through the site east-to-west; the other two are in the northsouth direction, which connects the community in the hinterland with the waterfront area. In addition, two streets will be deviated from the high street, directing people to the town centre and the waterfront respectively. Squares and parks are designed at the intersections of the main roads as spatial nodes to welcome people to gather
Qiyin Liu BSc Architectural and Interdisciplinary Studies Bartlett School of Architecture Selected Work 2018-2020