Daqi Bao PORTFOLIO
Reconnecting The City Spring 2023
In the past 20 years, the population of Edgewater has increased by 47%. However, this population growth has not made the community more vibrant. On the contrary, the constantly rising demand for housing has led to the demolition of many old buildings, which are replaced by high-rise residential buildings. One of the main challenges with high-rise buildings is that they tend to be more isolated from the surrounding community. This is because they are often physically separated from other buildings and amenities, making it more difficult for residents to interact with their neighbors and the broader community. Additionally, high-rise buildings can create a sense of detachment and anonymity among residents, further eroding a sense of community. This can be exacerbated by using elevators instead of stairwells, reducing incidental interaction between residents.
Another challenge facing Miami is flooding caused by global warming. According to a Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact report, the number of days with flooding in Miami is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades. The report projects that by 2040, Miami could experience up to 33 days of flooding per year, and by 2060, up to 80 days of flooding per year.
To address these challenges, my proposal is to build a bridge that connects the various high-rise buildings in the area, making it more convenient for residents to live and communicate and enhancing the atmosphere of the community. Depending on the bridge’s width, bike lanes, pedestrian walkways, green belts, and other public facilities can be added. The different ways the bridge connects to the buildings will also impact the interior of the buildings, transforming them from single-function residential buildings into multi-functional spaces. The bridge’s height is about 55 feet from the ground, which can connect existing public facilities located on parking lot rooftops and transform the singularity of the public facilities. Vertical transportation connecting to the ground will be located every 500 feet along the bridge, allowing residents who do not live in high-rise buildings to efficiently use the bridge. The bridge will connect Blue on the Bay and the railway station from north to south, while the east-west branches will connect distant buildings, providing more possibilities for the future extension of the bridge.
Bridge TypeASTC Venue Renovation Challenge 2023
Team: Allision Summer, Daqi Bao, Erin Shaw, Jessica Hightower, Yun Yen Spring 2023
Squirrel Theatre will function as a co-op space for the arts students of The Ohio State University. Without the ownership of a specific department, this venue encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and provides a home for it to flourish. An outdoor venue will benefit all of the arts on campus. Students passing by can stop to view performances, which may encourage them to seek out work being produced within any of our departments. The visibility and foot traffic around Squirrel Theatre allows students to exhibit their work and make new connections in ways that are not available in traditional indoor spaces. Our Theatre seating area will also serve as a study spot for students when performances are not occurring, making this venue more than just a performance space. Squirrel Theatre will become a new campus landmark.
New Jesse Owens Recreation Center North
Spring 2021
BRIEF: In honor of its most famous alumnus - Jesse Owens, the Ohio State University has named the football stadium, the stadium plaza, and a number of ancillary recreation facilities after him. Our project is to redesign and replace one of the Jesse Owens Recreation Facilities with a new building, one more worthy of its namesake. The new building will be around 60,000 SF and replace the old facility of 28,000 SF.
The New Wexner Gallery and Art Center
Spring 2021
BRIEF: In the aftermath of wildly the successful exhibition at the Wexner Center, Transfigurations: Modern Masters from the Wexner Family Collection (Fall 2014), Leslie and Abigail Wexner have decided to establish a gallery to house a permanent display of works from their collection. Each student must select become familiar with the collection and consider which works they will house in their gallery. In addition to displaying works by recognized masters, like Picasso, Giacometti, De Koonig, Degas, and Dubuffet, all of whom are well---represented in the collection, there will also be community outreach spaces, like classrooms, a lecture hall, a café, a visitors’ shop, and an area for children’s art, as well as apartments and workspace for three visiting artists. An additional requirement is an exterior space, which can be used to hold “Art Symposia,” modeled after outdoor stone carving competitions, which take place on the main piazze of Tuscan marble quarry towns, like Cararra, Massa, and Pietrasanta. This exterior space should also be able to accommodate informal concerts, performances, performance art, small---scale theatrical works, and community activities. The aim is to educate the public about art by making art a part of their lives, and to create a reputation for Columbus as an art center by inviting internationally renowned artists to partake in these events.
In this design, I referenced the circular design used in SANAA’s art gallery. In the center of the circle, there is a large courtyard with tall trees planted, which can serve as a place to display animal sculptures. On the ground floor, there are primarily public facilities, including a lecture hall, souvenir shop, offices, children’s activity room, and a café;The second and third floors are mainly exhibition areas and classrooms. The top floor of the exhibition hall is an artist village, consisting of separate small houses where artists can live and create art.
Lake Volta Market
Team: Ali Ahmed, Daqi Bao
Spring 2022
There are hundreds of small villages scattered near Lake Volta, where the residents primarily engage in fishing and fish farming. The purpose of this project is to establish a market for these residents, allowing them to engage in trade and purchase necessary goods and supplies. The project takes the form of a village, consisting of residential areas, a marketplace, and public spaces. The residential areas primarily consist of dormitories and small family homes, with each unit sharing facilities such as kitchens and laundry rooms. The market area is divided into two parts: an open-air market where residents from other villages can come by boat to sell their products, and shops located beneath certain residential buildings, resembling home-based workshops. The public area also includes a large dining hall, a boat repair workshop, and a community center for various activities. In terms of design, we have extensively studied
traditional Ghanaian patterns and incorporated them into the facade of the architecture.