UNDERGRADUATE PORTFOLIO 2010 - 2012
Feifei Zhang
Informal Threshold Studio II, Spring 2012 kNot Architecture Design fundamntal II, Spring, 2010 light render Drawing, Fall 2009, Spring 2010 Porous gap Studio I, Fall 2011
I|vformal Threshold Undergraduate studio II, Spring 2012 Instructor: John Commazzi
Seqeuence study of boundary condition
Diagram to the left emphasizes “open� boundary between the physical form and site, showing through the viewing transparency to its surrounding.
Site condition: well developped trees andconcrete pavement
Conceptual diagram: overlapping among programs and site
This project starts with flexible programs that celebrate interaction, communication,
and innovation. It is geared toward an informal collaboration center on the Knoll, which is located on the east bank of University of Minnesota. My attention is brought to the dense trees and concrete path cutting through the grasscovered site. Flexibility is translated into informal boundaries, level of exposure and openness, and bleed of inside and outside. The concrete shell mimics the path on the site by wrapping out enclosure, while leaving traces of openness for space to flow out and greet the existing site condition.
Diagram to the right is an exploded axonometric showing the relationship between structure and material: concrete shell and different types of glazed opening.
Wood surface bleeding in/ out porous concrete shell
Pencil sketches of the concrete shell with development on enclosure and exposure, solid and void relationship
Sketches studying the indoor space bleeding out, meeting the existing tree! (It is a very big tree on the site)
Sectional model made out of bass wood emphasizes the fluidy and contineous spatial quality. Imgae on the above showing cuts through, courtyard, linking space, and service space.
|<Not Architecture Design fundamental II, Spring 2010 Instructor: Adam Jarvi, John Comazzi
String knot sequence, with highlight on three parted strands
Knot architecture is a metamorphic learning experience, transiting from linear material to planer material, mean while reflecting between tangible models and
intangible imagination.
Three strands of the strings, three loops of wire, and three chunks of stacked cardboards are my intervention in this process.They all share the idea of three parts and unity. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;piano wire knotâ&#x20AC;? is a result of sketching, wire bending, and reflecting back and forth between it and the original knot. I am interested in translating uniform and unity from the string knot to my wire one.The three hollow loops all contribute to balance, defying gravity.The cardboard model focuses on transforming linear quality to spatial quality. I imagine the center of mass in the wire knot becomes a void space in the cardboard volume model. By three section cuts, I can reconfigure the solid and void space. By rearranging, I become curious beyond its form. Within the body, the void becomes inhabitable space, yet with different nature.
Itatur accum et, solorum asperum que omnihici adit
Volumetric model (stacked cardboard) shows spatial variation: void and solid; light and shadow. By adding scale figures, the form becomes a ground for imagination. The space comes â&#x20AC;&#x153;aliveâ&#x20AC;?.
l | ght render
Introduction to drawing in architecture, Fall 2009 Hybrid drawing (in collaboration with Yicai Chen), Spring 2010
Sketches study opening and light condition of the Gutherie theatre.
Study of light informing glass, absorptive wall, and reflective floor.
Hybrid drawing of the east concrete stairway in Rapson Hall. Analog drawings includes perspective, section, plan, and axonometric. Material quality is added digitaly as cropped images matching up the line drawings. The intent is to convey a sense of chaos yet order: intruding platforms and circular stairways.
The media used in the drawing on the left is white pastel on black paper. It allows building up a wide range of tones, which is able to capture the rich layers of light.
Porous g /\ p
Undergraduate studio I, Fall 2011 Instructor: Daniel Winden, Dzenita Hadziomerovic, Martha Mcquade
Sketches studying in between space
Porous gap is a project focusing on the relationship between material and space. The goal is to design a path connecting the street front to the Cedar Riverside community. The project has an emphasis on the nature of process. By photographing spatial sequence, I am triggered by the â&#x20AC;&#x153;slimâ&#x20AC;? space between buildings. The in-between space lies in the gap. In plaster, the heavy solid volume has a strong contrast to the void space.The gap is created through pulling apart the solid. In paper, the planer quality allows the gap to be more porous. By staggering layers, I start to study the space between two planes- inhabitable gaps. My intention is to create a path taking advantage of the linear and planer surface quality. As one move through the path, he experiences the staggered space and receives porous views.
MDF models studying spatial condition
Material and spatial trnaformation among mdf, plaster and paper
Study of various in between void
Staggering plane dissects path, creating enclosure and open space
The in between space in the plaster model transforms into the split of solid, running through as a volume of gap. By changing the scale of the gap, the space becomes either inhabitable or formal language. The lighting condition reflects the depth, emphasizing the idea of layering of planer material and spatial porosity.