Portfolio 2022-2024

Selected Projects 2022-2024 | Syracuse University Bachelor of Architecture

Terry Boxuan Xu

About Me

Third year architecture student at Syracuse University with a 3.56 GPA. With eight years of experience studying abroad in North America, I am fluent in both English and Chinese. Proficient in architectural design, researches, and computing softwares.

Always passionate to communicate with others, I like to share my thoughts on design with others in order to push to a ideal result. I am patient when working, especially with model making. I prefer to make highly precise and delicate models that demonstrate a project in the most direct way.

Education

Syracuse University VPA Interior Design 2020-2021

Syracuse University School of Architecture

Bachelor of Architecture Class of 2026 2021~2026

Skills

Rhino

SketchUp

Revit

Grasshopper

Twinmotion

Vray

Real Estate Minor 2022~2026

Invest in Success Scholarship 2020-2024

Dean’s List 2020-2024

Adobe PhotoShop

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDeisgn

Adobe Experience Design

Adobe Premiere Pro

Experience

Architectural Work Exhibited in Sarajevo 2024

Buildner Competition Iceland Snow Cabin 2024

Environment Design Summer School of ACCD 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Syracuse Architecture | ARC 407 | Spring 2024

Aquatic Seed Library

Syracuse Architecture | ARC 208 | Spring 2023

Interlinked

Syracuse Architecture | ARC 307 | Fall 2023 Flex and Adapt

Syracuse Architecture | ARC 207 | Fall 2022

Wrapping

02-09 10-17 18-25 26-33 34-39

Aquatic Seed Library

A Seed for a Song

Spring 2024

Individual Work

Instructor: Christina Chi Zhang

Boxuan Terry Xu

Site Plan Miljacka River

The story behind my concept is about how complete strangers living in different parts of the city can meet each other on the river by crossing it every day, therefore they can get connected. The plants on the river will grow and spread, and so does the people that will get connected on the water library, spreading their own stories to others. The history of this river, the Miljacka river, is the history of the city. Running from the east to the west, the river flows through the entire city. The city was built alongside of the river, and it is an culture signature for Sarajevo. Although being an important part of the city, the river was heavily polluted just decades ago. Moreover, people don’t linger on the river and appreciate the beauty of it but rather just cross it and using the sides of the river for commercial purposes. This library space is intended for people to stay on this river more often, it is a space for people to rest, pause, connect and get a closer relationship water and the plants on this river. The structure follows the path of the river, in the Center space, there is a hollow space in the middle for plants to grow. It is a space where people can sit around and chat over the growing plants and rain can also pour down from the slanted rooftop into the space in the middle. The water plants are local Balkan aquatic plants like water lily, water chestnut and lotus. The common thing about them is that they are all edible and

people come here are not only for the seeds but also the fruit. The space for cooking these is the café.

The Café space is facing the waterfall, with the counter in the enclosed space, the seats and tables are all exposed to the fresh air. Even during winter, local Sarajevan can enjoy a nice cup of coffee or tea outside. From hearing the sound of the waterfall, to looking at people skating on ice during winter, the exterior space is open to all. Here is a video of the waterfall.

At last, it is the seed picking area. All plants here are pickable, however, when taking a plant, you must plant a seed here into the water, in that way it keeps the diversity and the numbers of the plants. The floor is natural river sand that is sloped into the water. Walking into the water, people can get closer to the plant that they prefer. This open space is also for the animals. There are a lot of ducks on the miljacka river, the fruit of the water plants will also attract them, there more influencing the biodiversity.

The form of the whole thing has a curvature, it is taken from the side of the river bank because of the terrain of the river side on the south is significantly complicated, where the east side is a small hill, and the west side is nearly right at water level. Through out seasons, this place will change, during Sunny days it is for public gathering, when raining it is a shelter, when snowing it is a playground. Over time, plants spread, biodiversity goes up as other life forms come in.

Boxuan Terry Xu

Boxuan Terry Xu

Interlinked Animal Rehabilitation Center

Spring 2023

Individual Work

Instructor: Joseph Godlewski

Boxuan Terry Xu

“Interlinked”, aka the Calabar Small Primate Animal Rehabilitation Center. The Rehabilitation center is focused on the protection of small primate animals that are endangered in Southern Nigeria like golden Angwantibo, slow Loris and Galagos. The site circulation design idea comes from the local carnival events. People will gather before Christmas and the main route of the event circles around the center of the city starting from the stadium and passing through the cultural center. People will come from all over the town, cutting through and linking all the circulations into a loop. So in my design, there are two circulations that are intertwined together, one on the ground and the other 12 feet above. Both circulations connect all the programs on site, each building is accessible by taking any of these routes.

Boxuan Terry Xu

Boxuan Terry Xu

Boxuan Terry Xu

Flex and Adapt

Housing is the City

Fall 2023

Individual Work

Instructor: Brian Lonsway

Boxuan Terry Xu

As one of the most common type of living components in our society, apartment design of modern days requires more flexible ways of designing from unit to building, from manipulating pieces of furniture to exploring innovative living styles. In this project of “flex and adapt”, I explored the flexibility of apartment design with combining units, making clear spans in the interior and adapt to the constant cloudy weather of Syracuse. In order to achieve these goals, I have designed small rooms to connect two neighboring units. The small room can serve as a multi-purpose area, whether public or semi-private. Furthermore, since clear span is applied to the units, the alteration of living spaces is far more easy with movable walls. The foldable, movable walls can create spaces with

different sizes. Living areas for sleeping, living, eating or etc. would not be set into one specific room just because of the size of it to determine its function. On passive design strategies, Syracuse is in a region with constant cloudy weather. So every balcony in this apartment building will face either east or south with the most sufficient sunlight. Even in the interior, I have used glass tubes reaching from the ground all the way to the rooftop, which could let in more light into the units from the ceiling. On the facade, diamond shaped solar panels will absorb energy whenever they can and produce part of the living use of electricity in this apartment building.

Unit Flexibility Diagram

Boxuan Terry Xu

Boxuan Terry Xu

Based on an abandond slaughter house located in Aranjuez, Spain. This projects aims to rehabiliate this space by using the form of wrapping, to preserve the original features and main structures and wrapping new materials on the exterior. By keeping the main structure that holds the roof, the renovation in the interior is mainly focused on reprogramming this space into a community center. The community center consists with a restuarant, a kitchen, a market and few offices and bathrooms. The original roof tops are breaking down, so in the new method they are replaced with semi transparent reinforced plastic panels. There are also two gardens within this space, one is interior for fragile plants. The other one is on the exterior, the roof is not covered and the structures are exposed to the outside.

Aranjuez Slaughterhouse Reuse

Fall 2022 Individual Work Instructor: Laura Salazar

Scale: 1/16” = 1’

Boxuan Terry Xu

Boxuan Terry Xu

Terrian Study

Spring 2023

Individual Work Instructor: Joseph Godlewski

WATER MOVEMENT DUE TO CHANGE IN ALTITUDE

RAKAIA RIVER, NEW ZEALAND

Iceland Ski Cabin

Boxuan Terry Xu

Boxuan Terry Xu