PORTFOLIO
YAO TONG
Selected Work 2021-2022
Application for the MA Architecture and Urbanism
Manchester School of Architecture
Telephone: +86 19967305086
Email: tongyaoo@outlook.com
Yao TONG
Born Email
Dec 21 2000
+86 19967305086 City Tel
Fuyang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
KEY SKILLS CONTENTS
LANGUAGE RESEARCH
SOFTWARE
tongyaoo@outlook.com
Chinese (Native), English (Fluent).
Field research, Inductive Analysis, Data Analysis, Quantitative Analysis, Qualitative Analysis. SPSS, Photoshop, Illustrator, Grasshopper, MS Office.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
After I entered university, I participated in a field study in my hometown. I found that it has become more beautiful alongside my architectural knowledge development. Changes focused on buildings with an identical style under the pragmatism and standard plan was overthrown and replaced by modern facilities with aesthetics and humanistic spirits. With the progress study in architecture, I have learned about the history, culture, politics, present and possible future state of architecture, hoping to create meaningfully and agent forms via in-depth study, from the perceptions of people and urban socio-political context, to bring buildings that can provide radical interventions for social problems, such as using small areas to offer accommodation for the poor through modular buildings or challenge existed social power structure.
Foe me, exploring spaces is a gradual process, but intriguing. When first getting in touch with architecture, I held the principle that the fancier, the better. However, after seeing Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, I noticed that the complexity and simplicity of architectural forms were opposites. The two forms had different orientations in terms of functions. When I saw Glenn Murcutt’s residence, I was amazed at his selection of building materials and architectural design ideas that consider aesthetics and practicality. These experiences prompted me to think about material space and architectural concepts.
To achieve a comprehensive recognition of interdisciplinary studies and develop a theoretical and practical understanding of architecture, studying in-depth expertise is essential. And only the MA Architecture and Urbanism programme at the University of Manchester, which offers an unparalleled platform to strengthen both my academic foundation and professional competence with a specialised emphasis on real-world applications, could support me better. Your programme’s commitment to the forefront of advanced architecture and urbanism, with its studio-based courses and well-known practice platforms, is consistent with my ambition to create buildings that can provide radical interventions for social problems.
Thinking about the distance between people's ideal world and their real lives
Individual work 2022.07-2022.09 Year 5
Beijing, China
A combination of traditional Chinese gardens and modern memorials
Individual work 2022.02-2022.06 Year 4
Shaoxing, China
Seeing the world through the eyes of insects
Individual work 2022.11-2022.12 Year 5
Guangzhou, China
Shelter for the homeless with removable modules
Individual work 2021.09-2021.12 Year 4
Las Vegas, USA
FINDING THE ENTRANCE TO PEACHLAND DEVICE DESIGN
Thinking about the distance between people’s ideal world and their real lives
Individual work (Academic)
2022.07-2022.09
Site: Changchun Garden, Beijing, China
The ancient Chinese article ThePeachColony tells the story of a fisherman who happened to arrive at a pure land and it mentions that many others have gone there in later times, but nobody successed.
For modern people, the busy workload puts a huge amount of mental stress on them. Almost everyone longs to find their own piece of pure land. However, the search process is complex and difficult, with some people succeeding immediately, but most returning without success. And the project simulates the search process through three different scales.
CONCEPT INTRODUCTION
Many depictions of the Pure Land appear in The Peach Colony, and these depictions contrast greatly with the real world of the time. The device is divided into three scales, large, medium and small, and all three follow the principle of contrast. One needs to interact with the device three times, each interaction being a process of finding the next entrance.
Organised / Disorganised
The entrance itself contains these contrasts, as well as the process of making it. Getting the entrance is the final step towards the Peachland and is the smallest part of the device in terms of scale.
Far/Near
Smooth/Rough Wide/ Narrow
Accessible / Unaccessible
Balanced/Unbalanced
Smooth/Rough
Wide/ Narrow
Chaos / Order
Isolated/ Social
Far/Near
Quiet/noisy
Chaos / Order
Accessible / Unaccessible
Quiet/noisy
TRANSLATION PROCESS
STEP 1: Making the entrance to Peachland.
Wide/ Narrow
Accessible / Unaccessible
Isolated/ Social
Organised / Disorganised
Isolated/ Social
Quiet/noisy
Organised / Disorganised
Balanced/Unbalanced
Far/Near
Smooth/Rough
Chaos / Order
Balanced/Unbalanced
TRANSLATION PROCESS
STEP 2: Making the boat to the entrance of the Peachland.
Chaos / Order
The rods outside the device are made up of elastic rubber cords and rigid plastic tubes, both randomly distributed, and one can only find the entrance to the device by the act of trying to flick the rods.
Quiet/noisy
Wide/ Narrow
Isolated/ Social
Smooth/Rough Organised / Disorganised
Far/Near
The bottom of the unit is a curved plate, and the unit will sway from side to side when someone enters. The plate has holes cut into it based on ancient Chinese maps of Qin and Jin, creating high platforms and low valleys.
The base plate holds a number of components of varying sizes, deconstructed from ancient Chinese gardens, and they suggest the illusion of the Peachland.
Accessible / Unaccessible
Bottles of varying sizes hang from interlocking lines inside the installation, and they slide over the lines to follow the device. Inside one bottle is hidden the entrance to the Peachland.
Balanced/Unbalanced
SCENE DISPLAY
STEP 3: Hide the boat in the garden where it once existed.
The Changchun Garden was the first large royal garden built in the western suburbs of Beijing by the Qing dynasty with the idea of ‘avoiding the noise to deal with imperial affairs’, but it was burned down in 1860. A new garden has been built on its site. The device is hidden in the garden, and no one knows whether it exists as a garden of the past or as a garden of the present.
TRANSLATION PROCESS
FREEDOM IN ADVERSITY MEMORIAL HALL DESIGN
A combination of traditional Chinesegardens and modern memorials.
Individual work (Academic)
2022.02-2022.06
Site: Yuecheng District, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China
Shaoxing is a famous ancient city in China, with numerous ancient buildings remaining. The encircling moats, the well-organised road network and the scattering of vegetation are interwoven into Shaoxing’s unique regional landscape. In order to develop tourism, the local community wanted to combine the preservation of the ancient city with the culture of famous people and began to build memorials to famous people.
Cai Yuanpei is one of the local celebrities and this project resolves the issue of conflict between the ancient city and modern architecture by abstracting the life story of Mr. Cai, translating it into different emotions and then integrating it into the architectural space, combining the modern memorial with the garden culture.
Site
CONCEPT GENERATION
Shaoxing is a city where modernity and ancient charm coexist. To the west of the site is the centre of the Yuecheng district, where there is a large number of modern buildings. To the east is the surviving old city of Shaoxing. The memorial hall is divided into two parts, above and below ground. The above-ground part translates the garden elements to ensure harmony with the surrounding buildings; the underground part emphasises emotion and retains the ritualistic feel of a modern memorial.
ABOVE-GROUND CONCEPTS
The above-ground architecture uses many gardening techniques from classical Chinese gardens and combines them with modern elements.
Obstructive Scenery
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
Cai Yuanpei (1868-1940), a native of Shaoxing, lived a legendary life as a Chinese educator, revolutionary and politician who advocated freedom of thought and tolerance.
UNDERGROUND CONCEPT
Enframed Scenery
Borrowed Scenery
FIGURE-GROUND
The project is located between the city and the ancient village in a medium transitional volume.
Death of father
Becoming Certified Student Becoming First-degree Scholar Becoming Imperial Scholar
Becoming Supervision of the Chinese and Foreign Schools Promoting Western culture
Publication of the Feminist Convention
Serving as Principal of Chengzhong School
Organization of the Guangfu Hui/Union Society
Travelling to Germany
Returning to China
Interim Chief Education Officer/Resignation
Travelling to Franch/Returning to China Served as President of Peking University
Resignation Resignation
Reforming university institutions
Resignation
Protest against the imprisonment of students in the May Fourth Movement
Organizing the Chinese-French University Resignation
As Dean of the University / Minister of Justice / Inspector General
Resisting the Japanese War Organization of the Shanghai Cultural Salvation Association
Supporting for the New Culture Movement passed away from illness
Establishment of New China
1860 1960
CUTAWAY PERSPECTIVE VIEW
The underground part of the memorial is themed on the five emotions that have been translated to generate five different spatial forms that give people a different feeling. A tour route has been selected in the diagram to simulate the scenes that people will see during their visit.
1- SOLEMNITY (STARTING POINT)
2- EXPLORATION
3- EXPLORATION
4- EXPLORATION
4- EXPLORATION
5- EXPLORATION
5- EXPLORATION
Moon gates and low walls intertwine in the gardens.
The entrance square to the memorial has a straight flowing stream to emphasise the ritual of the central axis. The buildings on the ground are progressively smaller in volume in order from south to north.
UNDERGROUND (-1) DISPLAY
EXPLORATION
A bridge runs across the lake where people can look across to Mr Cai’s former residence.
Exploration is a freeing emotion, each space is fresh and no one knows what is on the other side
The curved walkway stretches the length of the tour, and the dim and uninteresting journey finally comes to an end. Outside, the light of day pours down the stairs and the greenery comes to life, giving visitors a tangible sense of what hope is.
The long, narrow corridor was unlit, and the staircase before it seemed to have no end.
The space is like a labyrinth, with rough walls that give a hard feeling. Each twist and turn during the tour gives hope of closure, only to be disillusioned when the next path appears.
03
LET’S BECOME INSECTS
INSECTS INSTITUTE DESIGN
Seeing the world through the eyes of insects
Individual work (Internship)
2022.11-2022.12
Site: Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong, China
When people think of Guangdong Province, they always associate it with prosperity and liveliness. However, in the centre of the city lies a densely wooded area which hides an abandoned chemical factory. The land near the factory is polluted by the accumulation of chemical products and there is no sign of life around .
Over time, the land became surrounded by vegetation and the surrounding woods became a haven for insects. In order to keep the land from being abandoned and to improve the surrounding environment, the project has transformed the abandoned chemical plant into an insect research institute, with the hope of gradually restoring the ecology by attracting visitors.
BACKGROUND
The site has a certain elevation difference around its perimeter, with the terrain gradually decreasing from south to north. The site is densely vegetated and a lake exists in the north of the site.
TYPES OF INSECTS
· Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera
Represented by butterflies and bees, they prefer nectar and need light and temperature.
· Dermaptera and Mantodea
Prefers to inhabit earth, rocks, bark and weedy species and prefers warmth.
· Odonata and Ephemeroptera
Prefers to be on or near the surface of the water
PRECIPITATION
· Blattodea
It is abundant in Guangdong Province, likes darkness and moisture, and likes to survive in crevices.
TYPES OF PLANTS
The average annual precipitation in Guangdong Province over the past ten years has been above 1,500 mm/ year, and the high precipitation is ideal for insects that like moisture to grow and breed.
The site is rich in flora, with shrubs, trees, flowers, angiosperms and aquatic plants.
The average humidity in Guangdong Province has been above 50% for the last two years. In addition, the average temperature in Guangdong Province over the past two years has been above 15 degrees, making the warm and humid climate very conducive to insect survival.
SCENE DISPLAY
The project consists of five exhibition halls, each with different spatial characteristics according to the habits of different insects.
The bee and butterfly gallery is bright and full of flowers; the cockroach gallery simulates the cockroach’s preference for darkness and clutter, and the interior of the space is dark and filled with shaped cabinets; the mantis gallery simulates the mantis’ life under the bushes; the ant gallery has a skylight at the top, and the interior walls are rough and winding; visitors pass through a ramp flush with the water to get from the ant gallery to the dragonfly gallery to experience the dragonflies’ activities on the water.
1. The Cockroach Showroom 2. The Mantis Showroom
3. The Ant Showroom
Axonometric Drawings
Stone decoration
30mm Cement mortar adhesive layer
50mm Concrete cushion
20mm Cement mortar protective layer
50mm Polystyrene board insulation layer
3+4mm Asphalt waterproof layer
33mm Cement screed coat
150mm Reinforced concrete slab
Brick
40mm Air space
20mm Double glazing
40mm Air space
Brick
20mm Wooden floor
20mm Cement mortar protective layer
50mm Polystyrene board insulation layer
25mm Cement screed layer
150mm Reinforced concrete slab
120mm Paving flags
30mm Cement mortar adhesive layer
150mm Concrete cushion layer
200mm Lime soil
Drip mould
THE REBIRTH OF STOEM DRAINS
TINY LIBRARY DESIGN
Shelter for the homeless with removable modules
Individual work (Competition)
2021.09-2021.12
Site: Las Vegas, USA
Las Vegas in the USA suffers heavy rainfall every year and after several catastrophic floods, the city were forced to create several storm drains underground, which intertwine and weave a fine web under the bustling city.
In the absence of rain, these drains are often occupied by homeless people who have to live like moles. However, they still have a desire for a better life. Most of them have the habit of reading but cannot enjoy it in this situation. Their miserable lives are the trigger for their crimes.
This project aims to improve the living and reading environment of the homeless by placing uniformly modelled and easy-to-fit structures that will regenerate these abandoned storm drains and create the same social harmony underneath the Las Vegas ground as above to reduce crime rates.
TUNNEL SELECTION TEXTURE GENERATION
The drains are divided into three sections, the first of which is small and damp, so low that only one person can stand and it is not exposed to sunlight all day. The second part is still low, but it is topped by a grille, which means that it will be warm and sunny on a sunny day. The third part of the drain is taller and more spacious inside, and most of this area is filled with sunlight, which is a favourite area for the homeless.
So the project combined elements from these sections to form an ‘experimental storm drain’ to ensure that the installation was logical and universal.
MODEL GENERATION
DETAILS
SPACE GENERATION
This is a display of two large nodes in space, they are transformed from Mondrian-like squiggles, a process of evolution from purely geometric patterns to spatial models. These are two public spaces in which homeless people can do anything and pose in any way they want.
CROWD PATH ANALYSIS
Daytime Routes Night Routes
The floor of the storm drain will be divided into several square hexagons of the same size and the modules will be combined and placed on the set surface.
The stormwater drain is divided into two states depending on the movement of the population: a daytime state and a nighttime state. Homeless people who need enough space to move around during the day will take the walls of the modules in, while at night they will choose to pull the walls out to ensure they have enough privacy to rest.
SCENE DISPLAY
Once an unemployed man hoped for a rebirth in a Las Vegas casino, but he ended up losing all his money.
With despair in his heart, he planned to enter the underground storm drains to live the life of a mole man.
But he was surprised to find that the once dilapidated rainwater drains had been filled with strange modules that looked solid and neat, with books and household items on them, looking like a small library.
The tops of the modules were filled with homeless people, but surprisingly they didn’t look at all depressed, as decent as if they were living on the ground.
Other homeless people told him that this was a new installation added by the government to help them live better. The structures are of a uniform module and you can combine them to make them look like anything you want. The man was shocked to hear this, but it wasn’t long before he was settling into life here too...
