PORTFOLIO SOPHIA SHENHAN ZHU / application for year-out 2014 / the university of hong kong
Shenhan ZHU (祝沈含)
Education The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
09. 2011 - present
Bachelor of Art (Architecture Study) Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
09. 2010 - 06. 2011
Undergraduate in Architecture Department
The University of Hong Kong
BA(AS)
366A, 4F, Chung Ah Mansion, No. 352-366 Des Voeux Road West, Hong Kong sophiazhu.hku@gmail.com 00852-54931302 (Hong Kong) /
Experience
0086-13540399936 (Chengdu, China) Intern at Priestman Architects, Chongqing, China
06-08. 2013
Assisted in researching and designing for Bisezhai Renovation Project, Mengzi, Yunan, China Historical Research Project with Tianjin University, Hebei, China
07. 2013
Documented historical Chinese architecture and made innovative analytical drawings Intern at Jiakun Architects, Chengdu, China
06-07. 2012
Assisted in producing diagrams for Leshengyuan Complex, Ningbo, China Assisted in concept design phase and physical model making for Brick Kiln Museum, Suzhou, China
Honors and Awards HKU Entrance Full Scholarship (480,000 HKD)
07. 2010
Degree show of the year 2014
06. 2014
Skills and Languages Rhinoceros (3D Modelling, V-Ray), Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign), Autocad, Autodesk 3ds Max, Sketchup Chinese (First Language), English (Fluent), Cantonese (Fluent)
01 HOUSING 02 STRUCTURE 03 MIXED-USE 04 URBANISM 05 HOUSE 06 OBJECT
01 HOUSING 2014 Spring Design Studio
Chongqing Express Mixed-use Residential Tower Design, Chongqing, China Director: Olivier Ottevaere
Connection
Public datam
Dissolving
In the existing building, the smartest architectural achievement is the middle level communal corridor.
Slicing
Carving out
Contouring
It is not only for circulation, but also used as public space where people share their social life with neighbors. Commencing from that, the new proposal aims at emphasizing on the middle level to create a public datam, which, in an urban point of view, can be considered as an extension of streets and a way to introduce public urban life into the complex so that it could be better linked with the city. Residential units are dissolving into it both above and below.
The structural system is composed of cores and shear walls in a radiant configuration, which are continuous from the ground all the way up to the top. Therefore, units are allocated also in a radiant way, following the pattern of shear walls. Typical floor plan upper level Semi-public level
Typical floor plan public datam
Public datam Courtyard
Public spaces are allocated into different places in the complex based on their different programs and potential users. Public datam: programs such as restaurants, gallery, reading room, majhong room are provided in the public datam to enforce the connection with the city and encourage people outside to come in. It is supposed to be highly public and therefore shared by citizens. Semi-public level: the level right above the public datam would be a semi-public level shared by residents only. There is no fixed program but paths for circulation and open space for neighnors to socialize among themselves.
Typical floor plan public datam
Landscape ground level: Mostly following the topography, the ground level is covered with natural landscape with some pathways to connect both sides and leading people up the slope. It can also be seen as a park shared by citizens. Courtyard around core: A gesture to invite people outside to feel like also involved and people inside to feel like blend in with the context. Courtyard
Landscape ground level
Atrium
Flat types One modular span Bachelor studio
Two modular span Couple
Three modular span Core family
House types
Unit typology arrangement Towards the back: vertical individual living pattern flat types Towards the front: horizontal living pattern house types -- one family occupy one floor
Upper level
Lower level
Ground
Balcony
In general, every unit is a composition of a certain number of modular span, which provides a great flexibility in terms of how many modular spans are contained in a unit based on how many areas are needed.
Four modular span Core family
Three modular span Duplex with double-height living room Core family
Six modular span Extended family
02 STRUCTURE 2013 Fall Design Studio
A COLUMN-DRIVEN HOUSING DESIGN Director: Olivier Ottevaere
In this slab & column structural prototype, vertical elements and horizontal ones are so smoothly connected that loads can be transferred in a highly efficient and continuous way. Since the distinction between horizontality and verticality is blurred to some extent, this spatial ambiguity will lead to various flexibility and potential for housing.
Apart from structural purpose, the column could also serve as the separation between interior and exterior, or more subtly, the separation among programs demanding for different degree of privacy. These separations can hold some variations such as height, location, orietaion and size of interface with slabs. With these columns, the floor slabs are naturally subdivided into several zones and the peripheries get freed up. Geometry study
Three layers of separation
1. Structural column with staircases or bathroom inside 2. Programmed column with kitchen, bathroom or storage inside 3. The enclosure of apartment
The study of Solar Energy Rectangular Void
Crisscross Void
Crisscross Void with Wider Openings on the Edges
Crisscross Void with Wider Openings at the Center
Five Openning Void
Five Openning Void Rotated Based on the Sun Path
Five Openning Void Altering the Width of the Opening
Five Openning Void Altering the Depth of the Opening
1000 Plan
1300
1700
Void
Massing
N
An internal void is created as lightwell. The carved-out volume is adjusted based on a series of solar study to control the degree of exposure. By doing so, floor slabs are splitting when it comes to upper levels. They are later connected to the core by bridges.
03 MIXED-USE
A
2013 Spring Design Studio
FRAMING THE VIEW Director: Christiane Lange
Triplex 1
Duplex 1
Triplex 2
N
Duplex 2
Triplex 3
Floor Plan at +33.2m Scale 1:50
A
The design is a mixed-use pier. Assigned programs include a bike terminal, a ferry terminal, a kindergarten and a cafe. The concept of framing the view is inspired by my personal experience of biking. Bikers’ eyes should be fixed to one direction and highly concentrated when riding at a serious speed. In the design, there are two ways to frame the view. One is on the volumetric level, where spaces are cut out to form viewing platforms, providing people with complete view. The other is on the planar level, where a system of pathway is created to penetrate through the entire volume, providing people with fragmental view.
Unit Typology Study
Simplex Duplex Triplex Single Floor Apartment
Conventional Programming
One apartment with two columns
Flexible Zoning Programming
Distribution of Units One apartment with one column
Visitor
Bike terminal
Cafe
Ferry terminal
Cafe
Resident
Worker
Day care center
Ferry terminal
Day care center
Bike terminal
Different places in the building can provide different views or different perspectives towards the surroundings.
Villager
The relationship between the four programs and four types of potential users
Bike Terminal
Ferry Terminal & Cafe
Kindergarten
04 URBANISM
METROPOLITAN SCALE: DISTRIBUTION OF TABULA RASA BUILDINGS
METROPOLIS SCALE: DISTRIBUTION OF TABULA RASA ARCHITECTURE
2012 Fall Design Studio
GROWING COMMUNITY
TABULA RASA ARCHITECTURE
Director: Pascal Berger
View towards mountain
View towards Hong Kong skyline
Motropolis Scale
TABULA RASA ARCHITECTURE
Tabula Rasa Architecture
View towards village
View towards sky
District Scale View towards water & mountain
View towards water
Neighborhood Scale
Viewing platform
Bike testing pool
Cafe and viewing steps
Shanghai, being the financial centre of China, is not built on a blank slate, but upon layers of history and still constantly growing at a dramatic rate. The growing pattern is determined by several factors, such as natural topography on motropolis scale, historic heritage on district scale, street culture on neighborhood scale and accessibility on block scale.
Block Scale
Tabula Rasa Architecture
2nd Class Heritage Architecture 3rd Class Heritage Architecture 4th Class Heritage Architecture
It is a growing system. A high-rise hotel and some low-rise programs are proposed as the fixed part of the system. A framework is set up on the top of the low-rise buildings for developing flexible uses as demands change, providing space for new programs to be attracted in. Courtyards are opened as entrances of the community, and also connection between fixed bottom part and flexible upper layer. Paths are attached to the framework. As new programs attracted in, they would occupy the flexible units, which are located in between the framework.
The Fixed
Framework
Courtyards and paths
Flexible Units
06 OBJECT
05 HOUSE
2011 Fall Design Studio
2012 Spring Design Studio
SUPER SHELTER
COUNTRY HOUSE Director: Thomas Tsang
Director: Jean Choi
It is a family house located on a hilly area. It contains two cantilever sections. The overhang slopes allow maximum light to come into the ground floor, which serves as an open public space. While spaces for family activities are lifted up to upper level.
The super shelter is a one cubic meter structure. It is located in the end of a narrow platform enclosed with high railings. Light and shadow are the main forces that the super shelter needs to respond to. Layers of shadow
The super shelter allows for various possibilities of utilization, including both exterior and interior occupation. It also offers a way for people to get out of the enclosed site. Traces of light