Portfolio Tianli Gu 2020-2021 by Tianli Gu

PORTFOLIO

TIANLI GU TIANLI GU | INTERIOR DESIGN | PRATT INSTITUTE EXPECTED GRADUATION 2023 | SELECTED WORK: 2019-2021

T G

Tianli Gu Date of birth: May 8th 1998 Nationality: Chinese Address: 180 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn 11205 Phone number: 4437140608 Email address: tgux7@pratt.edu Web: https://gutianli.squarespace.com/

Profile Currently studying interior deign as an graduate student at Pratt Institute. Originally born in Shanghai, China, I am strongly influenced by my multi-cultural background. The traditional and the non-traditional become the core issues discussed in both my fine art pieces, illustrations and interior designs. Take nourishment from the traditional, my designs attempt to rethink interior design in a contemporary context, and emphasize the significance of immersion.

Education 08/2020 – present New York, United States

TABLE OF CONTENT

OASIS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINIC

04 - 11

HOUSE W/O ISOLATION

12 - 21

RETI CENTER

22 - 31

ESCAPE TO THE GROTESQUE

32 - 41

ATELIER 1065

42 - 49

Healthcare

Interior Design | Master of Fine Arts Pratt Institute

Portfolio Based Scholarships: Graduate Scholarship 08/2016 – 05/2020 Baltimore, United States

Illustration | Bachelor of Fine Arts Maryland Institute College of Art

Residential

Portfolio Based Scholarships: Presidential Scholarship Creative Vision Award

Work experience 05/2018 – 08/2018 New York, United States

Studio Intern

Office

Lesley Dill's Studio

Maintained the daily running of an artist's studio, including the set-up of working environment and the preparation of arts supplement. Supported the ongoing sculptural project and independently completed the full making process of several small-scale sculptures. Joined the arrangement of existing artworks and devised a curatorial method for the upcoming exhibition. Trained new interns in mandatory skills of textile.

Conceptual

Exhibtion 04/2021 – 04/2021 New York, United States 10/2018 – 10/2018 Baltimore, United States

PEAW Student Work Exhibit Virtual, Pratt

Hospitality

Juried Undergraduate Exhibition Meyerhoff Gallery, MICA

Skills Adobe Creative Suite

Microsoft Office

AutoCad

SketchUp

Rhino

Revit

Enscape

V-Ray

_01

OASIS

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINIC

[RATIONALE] Project Info [PROJECT YEAR] [PROJECT TYPE] [LOCATION] [SITE AREA]

Fall 2021 Healthcare Cleveland, Ohio 11,497 ft2

Oasis is the promised land with water resources in the desert, and the OASIS Behavioral Health Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, aims to provide minors between the ages of 2 and 18 with an oasis on the spiritual level, an infrequent hope in the desert of mental illness. The clinic focuses on creating a warm and tranquil atmosphere to provide a pleasant and elegant medical experience to its clients. The oasis is not only metaphorical, in the design of the OASIS Clinic, but considerable space is also used for interior vegetation. But contrary to tradition, what the interior garden reproduces is not the thriving botanical garden scene in the conventional sense, but the reflection and reproduction of the desert. It is precious because of its scarcity. The biophilic landscaping inspired by the oasis is a design metaphor and emphasis for the future and hope. In addition, a similar strategy was applied to the spatial layout of the clinic. Oasis surrounds each therapy room. Patients can feel the joy of being in the oasis during the treatment process, but the sense of distance brought by the glass partition effectively reminds the patient of the preciousness of this hopefulness.

[LARGE GROUP THERAPY]

[CHECK-IN] [CONTINUED] The use of materials also shapes and accentuates the imagery of the oasis in all directions. The interior partition walls are based on rammed earth. The earth image contained in the material gives a soft and warm touch, but the texture of the rammed earth also establishes a spiritual connection with the Grand Canyon, which not only symbolizes desolation but also heralds tranquility. The duality of rammed earth interprets the contradictions of the oasis itself. The use of a large amount of glass, as mentioned before, is not only a filter for patients to appreciate the oasis landscaping but also a means to make the interior fully illuminated by sunlight. Therefore, the warmth of sunlight at the tactile level and the temperature of rammed earth at the aesthetic level enable patients to fully feel the warmth and hope, devoting themselves to the treatment. This warmth is also shaped by the contrast of materials, the floors of the clinic’s circulation area are concrete, while the functional areas, such as the therapy room’s floor, are beige wool carpets. The contrast between soft and hard, cool and warm emphasizes the particularity of the clinic as an oasis. By recreating the oasis on both the physical and spiritual levels, the OASIS Behavioral Health Clinic establishes a healing experience like no other in Cleveland. The minimalist and elegant design sets off the oasis as the visual center, allowing patients to immerse themselves in vastness and tranquility that is different from the daily life of Cleveland, and then pursue spiritual health and pleasure in such a warm and elegant environment.

1 Check in 2 Waiting Area 3 Vitals 4 Exam Room 5 Healing Garden

6 Small Group Therapy 7 Large Group Therapy 8 Office Consult 9 Outpatient Clinical Consult 10 Research Consult Room

11 Patient Lockers 12 patient Bathrooms 13 Clean Utility 14 Soiled Utility 15 Staff Break Room

16 Staff Bathrooms 17 Copy/print 18 Manager Office 19 Clinicians Workroom 20 Administrative

18 15

7 17

17 8

8 16

12 11

7 9

6 3

FLOOR PLAN SCALE: 1/16” = 1’ - 0”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

LEGEND

CHECK IN WAITING AREA VITALS EXAM ROOM HEALING GARDEN SMALL GROUP THERAPY LARGE GROUP THERAPY OFFICE CONSULT OUTPATIENT CLINICAL CONSULT RESEARCH CONSULT ROOM PATIENT LOCKERS PATIENT BATHROOMS CLEAN UTILITY SOILED UTILITY STAFF BREAK ROOM STAFF BATHROOMS COPY/PRINT MANAGER OFFICE CLINICIANS WORKROOM ADMINISTRATIVE WORKROOM

REFLECTED CEILING PLAN SCALE: 1/16” = 1’ - 0”

[AXONOMETRIC]

[WAITING AREA]

SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[RESEARCH CONSULT]

[STAFF BREAK ROOM] [MATERIALITY] [RAMMED EARTH]

[WOOD FLOOR] [BEIGE CARPET]

[CONCRETE]

[TILE] [LEATHER]

[OAK]

[GLASS]

[OUTPATIENT CLINICAL CONSULT]

_02

HOUSE W/O ISOLATION

[RATIONALE] Project Info [PROJECT YEAR] [PROJECT TYPE] [LOCATION] [SITE AREA]

Fall 2021 Residential Manhattan, NY 7764 ft2

When two families must share a house, there is an inevitable question that must be explored: what is privacy and how to achieve it. Do people really have privacy when living in a metropolis like New York? On the contrary, everything about life is closely related to the concept of sharing, sharing sunlight, air, temperature, humidity, water resources and even the space in this case. How to construct an active sharing has become my proposition. Privacy can be achieved through simple but at the same time brutal partitions, but the ensuing isolation of sunlight, air, temperature, humidity and other factors makes the space lifeless. Therefore, in my design, I constructed the socalled inadequate isolation. By subtracting partitions, while still gaining privacy, I created a series of ambiguous boundaries in a space, thereby constructing an active shared space, not physically, but spiritually. Dawn, dusk, hot, cold, dry, and humid, all intangible concepts can penetrate the given partitions and circulate in the entire space. Vitality is introduced to make the space vivid. The house is no longer a place to live, but another living body that can resonate with it.

[LOOKING DOWN VIEW]

[CLIENT PROFILE]

[SPATIAL STRATEGY]

Family A: Mina, William + Hao Mina is a botanist & organic farmer who works a rooftop farm at Brooklyn Navy Yard. William is a Pulitzer prize winning writer on leave from the New York Times to write a book. He has over 2000 books on a wide range of subjects including large-scale display volumes and some collectible editions that need special cases. They live with her father Hao (who was born in China) He is a collector of contemporary Asian ceramics and loves to cook. He walks with a cane, and finds climbing steps challenging. Family B: Mavis, Robert + Kisha & Jaden Mavis is a documentary film maker who works often for public television. She requires a small screening room. She meditates daily and does yoga. Robert is a chef with his own restaurant on Avenue B on the Lower Eastside of Manhattan. He is also a very good electric bass guitar player. They have two children a girl 8 (Kisha) and a boy 5 (Jaden). They are an African American family.

In terms of spatial arrangement, I splitted the two families on different axes to establish their privacy. Family A gains vertical free space while family B is wider on the horizontal plane. This also gave birth to a different space design. For family A, I removed the original floors and added a structure for the rooms to suspend on the ceiling. Therefore, the recession between suspended rooms and the elimination of columns allow sunlight and air to circulate freely. For family B, the continuous space has autonomy. By retaining the old skylight, the barrier between the interior and the exterior is partially resolved. On the other hand, the shared partition between the two families is designed as a translucent glass brick wall to make money. The two households intervene in each other’s lives by means of light and shadow without interfering with each other. A fragile but special privacy is established.

[EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC] SCALE: 1/32" = 1' - 0'

FAMILY B A Family

FAMILY C Family B

[SECTION A]

SCALE: 3/64" = 1' - 0'

[FAMILY B]

[FAMILY A]

[SECTION C]

SCALE: 3/64" = 1' - 0'

[SECTION B]

SCALE: 3/64" = 1' - 0'

[BEDROOM FAMILY A]

DN UP

THIRD FLOOR

[LIVING ROOM FAMILY A] SECOND FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR

[LIVING ROOM FAMILY B] C

A UP

BASEMENT

[FLOOR PLAN]

SCALE: 3/64" = 1' - 0'

[BATHROOM FAMILY A]

[PRIVATE KITCHEN FAMILY A]

[LIGHTING STRATEGY]

THIRD FLOOR

[DEN FAMILY A]

SECOND FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR

[BEDROOM FAMILY B]

RECESSED CEILING LIGHT

WALL LIGHT

SUSPENDED LIGHT PENDANT

WALL WASHER BATTEN FLUORESCENT, 1 LAMP

BASEMENT

[DINING/KITCHEN FAMILY A]

_03

RETI CENTER

[RATIONALE] Project Info [PROJECT YEAR] [PROJECT TYPE] [LOCATION] [SITE AREA]

Fall 2021 Office Brooklyn, NY 17334 ft2

Corporations need to change their core ideology. In the past companies were in the business of providing supplies and core objects. We moved away from that to a convenience economy where we make it convenient for you to get what you need. Now we are moving to the empowerment economy. It’s no longer about providing an object or convenience; it’s about giving customers the power to supply themselves. -- Gray Scott, “Futurist” With the development of mobile technology, the form of the office is constantly revolutionized. As a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the community through economic development focusing on resilience, the space required by RETI is different from traditional office space. Workstation with employees as the unit is no longer the focus of the design. Instead, what RETI needs is a flexible configuration that can be freely switched between seminar and charrette.

[ENCLAVE SPACE]

[SPATIAL STRATEGY] [EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC] Therefore, I utilized the opportunity of the staircase funded by the Lever House and transcribed such staircase into a open bridge with multiple functions, redefining the programs in traditional office. The boundaries between working, dining, lounging, gaming is rewritten, through the essental bridging of functionalities.

SCALE: 3/32" = 1' - 0'

[PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION]

[RECEPTION]

[ALTERNATIVE WORKSPACE]

[AUDITORIUM - PRESENTATION CONFIGURATION]

[AUDITORIUM - SEMINAR CONFIGURATION]

[9TH FLOOR]

SCALE: 3/32" = 1' - 0'

[8H FLOOR]

SCALE: 3/32" = 1' - 0'

[CONFERENCE ROOM]

[MATERIAL LAB]

[COFFEE SHOP]

[WORKSPACE]

_04 ESCAPE TO THE

GROTESQUE

[PROJECT DISCRIPTION] Project Info [PROJECT YEAR] [PROJECT TYPE] [LOCATION] [SITE AREA]

Fall 2021 Conceptual N/A 4000 ft2

In this project, one specific activity and two verbs are explored as the conceptual driver of spatial design. The chosen activity is meditation and the chosen verbs are to rotate and to inlay. The starting point of transcribing the written verbs to three-dimensional spaces is to create two conceptual collages. Then, the conceptual designs created in phase one are transcribed into a more concrete programmed interior space. Three conceptual masses from phase one are selected, and a spatial narrative is developed to support the transcription. Finally, the graphic representation is explored to support the conceptual and spatial design generated in the previous stages. A single drawing technique is to serve as a hypothesis, and multiple iterations are experimented to best explain the design narrative and its expression in space.

[SECTION]

[CONCEPTUAL COLLAGES]

[TO ROTATE]

[TO INLAY]

[METROPOLITAN ESCAPISM]

This collage attempts to create a surreal and mental scenario to establish a connection between rotation and meditation.

This collage attempts to create a metaphor between inlay and meditation. Meditation as the process of embedding oneself with the environment, is the same as inlaying.

Now that most people live in metropolises, endless busyness has become the norm for urbanites. Although there are many recreational public facilities to relieve people’s tired mind and body, it is more like a placebo in most cases. In this case, an open and soft meditation facility really provides an opportunity to escape from the metropolis on a spiritual level and rethink the relationship between man and the city.

[BASE MODELS]

[HYBRIDIZED MODEL]

[INFLATION]

[PENETRATION]

[VENTILATION]

[FIRST FLOOR] SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[SECOND FLOOR] SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[THIRD FLOOR] SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[FOURTH FLOOR] SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[ELEVATIONS]

[INTERLOCK]

[LANDSCAPE]

[RADIATION]

[EAST] SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[NORTH] SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[LONGITUDINAL] SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[TRANSVERSE] SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[SECTIONS]

[RUNNING WATER]

[TUNNEL]

[FLOATING ISLAND]

[GRAPHIC HYPOTHESIS]

[ISOMETRICS]

[PLAN OBLIQUE 1]

[PLAN OBLIQUE 2]

[REFINING TECHNIQUE]

[NORTHEASTERN ISOMETRICS] SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[SECTIONAL ISOMETRICS] SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[SECTION]

[PLAN OBLIQUE]

[PERSPECTIVE 1]

[PERSPECTIVE 2]

[FINAL GRAPHICS]

[EXPLODED ISOMETRICS]

SCALE: 1/16" = 1' - 0'

[PLAN]

[PLAN OBLIQUE]

[SECTION]

[SECTION OBLIQUE]

[INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE]

[HYBRIDIZED PERSPECTIVE]

_05

ATELIER 1065 HOTEL

[RATIONALE] Project Info [PROJECT YEAR] [PROJECT TYPE] [LOCATION] [SITE AREA]

Fall 2020 Hospitality St. Petersburg, FL 8049 ft2

Located in an area with many galleries and art museums like the Edge District, Atelier 1065 in St. Petersburg is a boutique hotel featuring contemporary art and design. The concept of “living within a design museum” is not only to provide guests with an opportunity to appreciate modern design up close, but also to use the interactivity of design furniture to enhance the guests’ staying experience. Focusing on art does not mean sacrificing comfort, and Atelier 1065 aims to build a resort full of artistic atmosphere without losing warmth. The potential customer base is not limited to those who are obsessed with contemporary art and young people who dare to try new things. Couples and families who come to St. Petersburg for vacation are also targeted.

[STREETVIEW]

[ENTRANCE HALL]

[RECEPTION]

[FLOOR PLAN]

SCALE: 3/64" = 1' - 0'

[LOBBY]

[BAR]

[RESTROOM]

[COUNTER]

[ELEVATOR LOBBY]

[RESTAURANT]