Simba Xin Mai - Architecture Portfolio

SIMBA XIN MAI

01 FROM A LITTLE TO A LOT

Professor Michael Piper

Can parking lots be a space for public life? Until transit equitably reaches the far corners of our vast urban region, parking lots will continue to be a necessary infrastructure. Designers and urban planners often see parking lots as an opportunity for new density, but where they are required for mobility, such a formula proposal is not always feasible. This project explores an alternative strategy to developing parking lots that can preserve them as both for cars and for public life, while bringing density to the site and allowing the city to grow from a little to a lot.

THESIS

DundasConnectsstudyareas:HurontarioStreet&WinstonChurchillBoulevard

Many urban designers would claim to promote public life at and on the street level, which leads to promote dense urban cores such as what we see in Toronto, where we assume that social interactions can thrive in the tight corridor of the street. But what about spaces like the Suburbs, where the spaces are filled with large swathes of parking lots and wide arterial streets?

These parking lots may seem mundane, serving only corporate big-box stores, with public life scarce - from the occasional run-in with a neighbor, or eating a quick bite form the local fast food chain in your car. And so, many designers approach these kinds of sites with the downtown formula of densification and built form.

The Dundas Connects project for a bus rapid transit (BRT) route along Dundas through the city of Mississauga aims to bring redevelopment and densification at various stops. Areas such as at Hurontario and Dundas - where the proposed Hurontario LRT would intersect - would allow for the strategies of densification to be warranted to follow the downtown formula of towers and street-focused public life.

What about the sites on the fringe where increased density is much lower, such as at Winston Churchill? The proposed redevelopment shows 7-12 storey midrise towers, placing public life at the street. Again, that works well on tighter corridors but not on a 45m wide six-lane road. What if there was alternative way to bring density, while utilizing the parking lot as a space to redevelop the public life in the suburbs?

One of the strategies explored in this project was to build along the stripes of the parking lot, in the form of elevated, 4-storey blocks spaced on every other parking aisles. Though this would not match the proposed density that tall towers would bring, this allows for the ground plane to be continuous and allows for greater possibilities in promoting public life. Each row of parking stripes can be transformed to help promote new public life - whether it is into artwork, or permeable pavers with plant growth - while the function of the parking lot as a parking lot remains.

The flexibility of the space would allow for a dynamic development, where each aisle could be transformed one at a time. Using a concrete plinth as a base for prefabricated units that could be placed on top would reduce the construction impact on these sites, as well as the time to be completed in comparison to a condominium tower. On a daily/weekly schedule, the parking lot would be used more productively, serving as residential parking throughout the night, retail parking during the daytime, and public space for events and such on evenings and weekends.

The design of each building can vary, aiming to provide private spaces in the busyness of the parking lot. This would be achieved through voids, stepped form, or interior space that would help to bring light into units. Each building might have different unit types, such as individual apartments to stacked units to support a variety of different residents - from units that can support larger families to student housing, to temporary refugee support. As well, the ground floor has the flexibility to infill as well as remove the need for parking spots as transit becomes more reliable along the BRT, reducing vehicular use.

First Floor Second Floor Third Floor Fourth Floor Roof Plan

02 FRACTURE

LOCATION: Toronto, ON, Canada

GRADUATE STUDIO 2019 | Professor Sam Dufaux COLLABORATORS: Blake Wallace

FRACTURE is an aquatic facility that caters to both leisure and athletic users, situated in the heart of the Golden Mile area. The aquatic center includes an Olympic-size 8-lane 25-metre lap pool, and a 6 lane training pool. The facility features an all-gender universal change room accessible and inclusive for all, in addition to male and female change rooms. A fully equipped fitness centre lies within the hillside of the building while the upper level features the seating gallery for those who come to watch swimming events, and a therapy recovery centre for athletes.

The landform nature of the building helps to define the site, having one portion as softscape, and the other as hardscape (01). This naturally creates two sides of the site: a hill that houses all the facilities that can be habitable above, and a new public plaza that can be used for events and festivals (02). Interior and site circulation is introduced, dividing the area by programs (03) while the hill acts as a connection from the Eglinton LRT to the Meadoway (04).

Large steel trusses are used to frame the triangulated roof. To create a sense of heaviness within the spaces, these trusses are covered with a ceiling that is sculpted to replicate the same triangulation above. The steel structure holds up the habitable intensive green roof above. The main pool mechanical spaces run along side the pool walls to allow for regular maintenance. Two courtyards lie in the fitness centre, which are large enough to house trees and allow people to gather for physical exercise or to relax.

Leftpage,topto bottom: Atrium & Cafe; Pool HallOlympic and Training Pool

Topleft:Section through fitness centre

Topright: Section through pool hall

Left:Fitness centre and courtyard

RIFT

LOCATION: Ottawa,

Andonian

Ottawa has seen an influx of immigration from all over the world, with insufficient space and resources to support the transition into Canada. The Rift seeks to provide immigrants these services, but also allow cultural barriers to be broken. The building itself acts as a rift in the urban fabric of Ottawa to create a new space for all to experience.

Located at Kent and Albert Street, the Canadian Centre for New Immigrants houses many different programs within its space. At the ground floor, people gather at the celebrated space for different cultural events. As one progresses up the floors, there are spaces for a market place, an auditorium, hub office spaces, and a maker hall - a space where people can create and build new things. Above all this are resident spaces for incoming immigrant families looking to stay temporarily until they find permanent residency. The entire space is divided by a large glass well that creates a rift in the building. This rift embodies the division that exists between cultures in Canada, but the space represents and promotes the unity amongst all peoples - to come create, celebrate, and live life together.

Top: Maker space & prototyping labs; Bottom:Residence entrance; Right: Celebrated space.

WOODLOT

Scarborough, Ontario,

Miranda Fay, Edward Marchant, Yukun Bai

The Greater Toronto Area is seeing an increased focus on areas in the city where redevelopment and intensification can occur. The Woodlot project proposes an urban design scheme in the Golden Mile Area in Scarborough that introduces a productive urban forest as the main driver of the plan that would promote the forestry industry, wood construction, and a new take of a forest in the city.

Grow Season Length

Recent research has shown that there are great benefits from growing trees in urban settings compared to rural counterparts, which ultimately outweigh the negative effects that the urban environment can have on trees. The Woodlot begins to look at areas within the Golden Mile district where productive forests can begin, such as empty lots, or large paved areas. From there, development along Eglinton Avenue would be initiated to coincide with the completion of the Eglinton LRT, as well as the planting of new forest patches. The forested areas emphasize a NorthSouth connection from the existing ravine system to the south, and the Meadoway to the north. The remainder of the site would see either redevelopment or adaptive reuse, all done in wood construction to promote the forestry industry and provide a precedent of advance techniques in this versatile building material.

COOLIDGE SQUARE05

Boston, Massachusetts,

UNDERGRAD

Coolidge Corner at Beacon and Harvard is a dense urban fabric. As a result, there is no large public gathering space for community events. Coolidge Square proposes a new public square near Coolidge corner. A new recreation center and hub office space will be introduced into the area, drawing in the community. Welcome to Coolidge Square.

By separating the functions and closing off the street, the buildings create the edges of a new public square. The form is then cut to provide access into the square from the residents. In order to connect the programs while reinforcing the square, connections will be made above ground. The square is duplicated within the buildings as gathering spaces become microcosms of the larger square.

HUB SPACE

LIBRARY

leftpage;clockwisefromtop: Recreation center atrium; hub space; gymnasium

above:performance stage left:Outdoor reflection pond becomes a skating rink

PROFESSIONAL WORK

Courtesy of Gow Hastings Architects

Ryerson University

Project

York

Courtesy

Courtesy

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Digital & print media for The MCBC sermons & events

SIMBA XIN MAI

WORK EXPERIENCE

Moffet & Duncan Architects

Toronto, ON February2021-Present

INTERN ARCHITECT

■ Used AutoCAD to prepare working drawings for renovations to schools for COVID mitigation; performed general and deficiency reviews

■ Prepared plans and elevations for new school projects in design phase

■ Used AutoCAD and Revit for working drawing phases for new school projects

■ Used InDesign to prepare RFP’s and client presentations

GowHastingsArchitects

Toronto, ON June2019-Aug2019

ARCHITECTURAL ASSISTANT

■ Used Revit to prepare working drawings for permit and tender, as well as creating interior layouts for higher education projects

■ Used AutoCad to prepare As-built for pre-renovation audits

■ Created and edited renders in Photoshop for RFP and client presentations

■ Prepared and developed the Owner’s Statement of Requirements for a major design-build project; organized multiple design-build applications from various entities

■ Organized and prepared sample boards for on-going projects

Turner Fleischer Architects

Toronto, ON July2014-Aug2015 [Co-op] May2016-Aug2017

DESIGNER/TECHNOLOGIST

■ Using AutoCad and Revit to prepare working drawings for permit, tender and construction, and As-Built phases on various retail and high-rise residential projects

■ Oversaw various items in contract administration, such as shop drawing review and issuing contemplated change orders

■ Coordinate with project team, consultants, clients, and landlords in pre-development stage of projects

■ Edited renders in Photoshop for RFP’s and client presentations

■ Generated mass models in SketchUp and Revit for feasibility studies

■ Created graphic content for Turner Fleischer Academy classes on Adobe Creative Suite

EDUCATION

UniversityofToronto

Sep2017 -Dec2020

CarletonUniversity

MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

JohnH.DanielsFacultyofArchitecture,Landscape,andDesign

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES

AzrieliSchoolofArchitectureandUrbanism[Design][Co-Op]

VOLUNTEERING

MINISTRY LEADER

TheMCBC[Mississauga]

May2016-Present

Active ministry leader for English Worship Ministry

Leading music team and congregation

worship for church services

Graphic designer for church news

CONGREGATIONAL LEADER

Ottawa Chinese Bible Church [Ottawa]

Led music team and congregation

Led university fellowship

Taught Sunday school classes

CHRISTIANITY

Current member

PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY

Shooting and editing photos

Premiere Pro

Architecture, nature, event,

ARTS

Graphic design

Playing guitar,

Ultimate Frisbee

Softball

Curling

Soccer

PUZZLES

design

CAD SOFTWARE

ADOBE SOFTWARE

MICROSOFT OFFICE