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.

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.

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.