WORK SAMPLE architecture + landscape architecture Xiaoyuan Zhang
Harvard Graduate School of Design, MLA ‘19 Iowa State University, B. Arch ‘17
CONTENT
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Wheels Up Harvard GSD I Fall 2018 I Pittsburgh, PA Northshore transit hub
Crystal Armature Axi:Ome I Summer 2015 I Kaliningrad, Russia Renewed castle
Bosque Autรณnomo xiaoyuanzhang@gsd.harvard.edu +1 515.708.0987
Harvard GSD I Spring 2018 I Puerto Rico Forest as catalysts of Puerto Rican autonomy
From Episode to Adaption
Xiaoyuan is currently pursuing a degree in Master of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
Harvard GSD I Fall 2017 I Boston, MA Alternative society for sea level rise
After gaining professional experiences through internships with Gensler (Phoenix, AZ), Turenscape (Beijing, China), Perkins Eastman Architects (New York City, NY), and Axi:Ome LLC (St. Louis, MO), Xiaoyuan is interested in utilizing participatory methods to engage communities.
Iowa State I Fall 2016 I San Franciso, CA An alternative typology of preservation
She hopes to make a difference as a designer by creating spaces that overcome barriers and encourage new possibilities of interaction.
Architectural Association I Spring 2016 I Monaco Urban activity platform and landscape loop
The Edge
Linking
Art in Transit Better Philadelphia Competition I Summer 2016 I Philadelphia, PA Multi-dimensional transit center
WHEELS UP
Northshore transit hub
Fall 2018 I Prof. Tilo Herlach, Simon Hartmann, Simon Frommenwiler (HHF Architects) Pittsburgh, PA I Individual project The architecture of Soft Spaces, an architectural type which can blur separation and security perimeters in a smart way in order to link the public space with substantial privatized areas in the urban fabric. A lot of seemingly public spaces like market halls, shopping malls, train stations or sport stadiums have strict limits and constraints of social activities. In fact, those are privately owned public spaces with precise boundaries. The studio focused on studying the architectural potential of Soft Spaces, the spatial interface in between private and public. Is there a way these large-scale infrastructures for sports and other big events could become less of a mostly unused and closed off forbidden city to the adjacent urban fabric and society? What spaces function as tools to create new ways of transition between public and private, in between less controlled and heavily controlled spaces? The studio searched for long living architectural solutions, which have the power and strength to contribute to the site’s identity or even help to create a new identity.
PROJECT STATEMENT Throughout the history, Pittsburgh is an industrial and manufacturing city which known as the “Steel City.” After WWII, the steel industry began to collapse. Only in the last couple of decades the city’s experienced a renaissance. The urban environment has been degrading, suspending potential development of the area. The Northshore riverfront, an area with large scale infrastructure, sports facilities and parking lots, has many leftover spaces and urban in-between zones that seek for development. The proposed transit hub is in one of the in-between zones that
TYPICAL FLOOR PLANS surrounded by three freeway infrastructures. Four different territory interventions are consolidated in this proposal, connecting crowd flow from underground Metro station, urban traffic, freeway suburban/long-distance traffic and possible future air bus in a three-dimensional spatial system. The transit hub will become part of the network of the Pittsburgh transit system ranks as one key tool for connecting the city as a whole, a moment for people to gather and to memorize, as well as a platform of new technology to perform.
2nd Floor Plan
Transit level 2
4
4th Floor Plan
5
4
3
3 3
SITE PLAN
2
6
4
2 2
1
5
1
1. Passenger’s waiting room 2. Office 3. Meeting room 4. Balcony 5. Car ramp 6. Exhibition and display area
1
1. Passenger’s waiting room 2. Temporary parking 3. Car pick-up / drop-off 4. Car ramp
1. Exhibition space 2. Co-working area / conference room 3. Classroom 4. Reading room 5. Rest area
Ground Floor Plan
6
7
8
9 5 Metro station
1
4
10
Metro line
3
N 0
45
90
180m
11
N
DIAGRAMS Public programs (Future airbus terminal) Transit center Metro station
Building volumes
12
Interior programs
Freeway connection (upper level) Harvard Graduate School of Design
Freeway connection (lower level)
1. Pop-up shops 2. Car pick-up / drop-off 3. Bicycle room 4. Product display room 5. Car ramp to underground 6. Car ramp from upper levels 7. Waiting room 8. Open sitting area 9. Gallery 10. Cafe 11. Open sitting area 12. Ground parking lot
2
1
Option Studio - Wheels Up 1
EXPLODE AXONOMETRIC DRAWING People’s circulation Car’s circulation Stairs, escalator and elevators
Transit level 1 - Car pick-up / drop-off - APP Ride - Waiting room - Express parking
Roof Gallery - Gallery space - Future airbus terminal - Roof garden
Ground level City auditorium
- Car pick-up / drop-off - APP Ride - Waiting room - Shops / restaurants - Product dispaly area
- Exhibition space - Performance stage - Open auditorium
Co-working space - Shared office - Meeting room - Open sittimg
Underground level 1 - Waiting room - Shops / restaurants - Product dispaly area
Transit level 3
Underground level 2
- Car pick-up / drop-off - APP Ride - Waiting room - Express parking
- Long-term parking - Waiting area - Pop-up shops
Underground level 3
Transit level 2
- Long-term parking - Metro station
- Express parking Harvard Graduate School of Design
Option Studio - Wheels Up 2
SECTION AND PHYSICAL MODELS
1.
1
39.00
Roof garden / future air bus terminal
33.00
Exhibition / workshop space
27.00
City auditorium
21.00
Co-working space
16.00
Transit level 3
12.00
Transit level 2
2
3 2. 4
8.00
Transit level 1
3. 0.00
-6.00
2.5
5
10m
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Option Studio - Wheels Up 3
Passenger center
-12.00
Metro Station / Long-term parking
-18.00
Metro Station / Long-term parking
4.
0
Ground level Passenger center
INTERIOR RENDERINGS
Transit level
City auditorium
Co-working space
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Option Studio - Wheels Up 4
CRYSTAL ARMATURE
Renewed Castle
Axi:Ome LLC I Summer 2015 I Kaliningrad, Russia Team: Jaymon Diaz, Joshua Chan, Colleen Qiu, Jaebum Byun, Ran Gu, Tianyi Zhang, Zhaoyu Zhu, Yi Zhou, Xiaoyuan Zhang Contribution: Facade design development, Drawings, Study model, Final model, Photography and post-production
DESIGN PROCESS
Tower & Facade Design Study Model
Courtyard Designs
First Phase
Landscape Design Study Model
Courtyard Designs
Second Phase
Third Phase
Perspective view of model, showing landscape and main entrance
For this design competition, Crystal Armature pays homage to historic structures on site while reinventing their composition as an icon of memory. We embrace the idea of fluid histories that are part of a systemic order and understood in relation to generations of cultural influences shaping the spatial reading of the historic center of Kaliningrad. The reference to historic structures represents an understanding of unfolding typologies rather than a commodification of history; contemporary dialogues of a relativist historicism contrast with principals of erasure predominant in the post war era. Axi: Ome
Fourth Phase
Top view of model, showing courtyard
PROJECT STATEMENT Kaliningrad City is emblematic of the complex histories between eastern and western Europe. A Russian exclave, the project situates between Poland and Lithuania with a Prussian history that dates back to the Northern Crusades. The city was largely reconstructed following WWII and renamed Kaliningrad, formerly known as KÜnigsberg under German rule. Our site is located in the historic core of Korolevskaya Gora, King’s Mountain, a location chosen for its proximity to two rivers and heightened ground contours giving a visual overview of surrounding territories.
Tower Design Process
North Perspective Crystal Armature
EXPLODE AXONOMETRIC DRAWING
ELEVATIONS AND SECTIONS
Crystal glass facade
North Elevation Special exhibition hall (amber room)
South Elevation
Amphitheater
Fairground and underground parking
Section AA
Theater Axi: Ome
Crystal Armature
Section BB
PLAN
Level 3 floor plan
Ground floor plan
Below ground floor plan
Level 2 floor plan Axi: Ome
Crystal Armature
PHYSICAL MODEL AND RENDERINGS
Perspective view of Model, looking south
Interior view from North East
Perspective view of Model, looking north west
Interior View from North West
Perspective view of Model, looking west
Panorama from Kant Island Axi: Ome
Crystal Armature
BOSQUE AUTÓNOMO
Forest as Catalysts of Puerto Rican Autonomy
Spring 2018 I Prof. Sergio Lopez-Pineiro I Puerto Rico Team: Cally Hickey, Yanni Ma, Chengzhang Zhang, Xiaoyuan Zhang Contributions: Idea, GIS mapping, Diagrams, Plans, Sections, Renderings, Manifesto collage, Physical model
The U.S. colonial empire today remains robust, harmful, and rooted in extraction. There is no better example of this modern imperialism than Puerto Rico, which the U.S. gained control over as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1898, and today remains an unincorporated territory. The relationship between the mainland and its territory has remained extractive and self-enriching, at the deliberate expense of the Puerto Rican people, for an unbroken 120 years. This studio, with its focus on the political agency of ecology and the design and de-design of entire territorial systems, provides an important, critical framework for approaching landscape architecture interventions in Puerto Rico. With ambiguous sovereignty and rapidly changing economic, political, and environmental realities, Puerto Rico lives a dual reality – one subject to both local and U.S.
policies, regulations, impulses, and sway. Its continued status as an unincorporated U.S. territory has subjected the Puerto Rican people to a series of experiments and exploitative relationships. The results have contributed to a sustained out-migration, which has been compounded by destructive storms like Hurricane Maria. Emigration, to both the island’s coast and to the U.S., has left a series of physical, institutional, social, and economic voids. Within these, a number of emergent phenomenon have installed themselves. Most prominently of these is reforestation, of which Puerto Rico has had the highest rate in the world in the latter half of the 20th century. Our project takes this history and its remnants and reverberations as a starting point for our proposition – that learning from and mobilizing forests can open up spaces of sovereignty for Puerto Rico in ways that can prove fl exible to multiple futures, without being contingent upon a single one.
TIMELINE OF THE FOREST
Deforestation
Reforestation
1800: Natural forest
1920: Agricultural production
1950: Natural disaster + working force outflow
PROJECT STATEMENT
Puerto Rico’s unincorporated territorial status and exploitative cycles have contributed to a sustained out-migration, which has been compounded by destructive storms like Hurricane Maria. Emigration,
to both the island’s coast and to the U.S., has left a series of physical, institutional, social, and economic voids. Within these, a number of emergent phenomenon have installed themselves. Chief among them is reforestation, of which Puerto Rico has had the highest rate in the world during the latter half of the 20th century. Within such a context, we propose that learning from forests can open up spaces of sovereignty for Puerto Rico in ways that prove flexible to multiple futures. More specifically, we utilize the forest as a method of switch to provide autonomy to the people of Puerto Rico.
URBAN ANALYSIS
Scale 1:150,000
2000: Forest regeneration
2020: Reverse vacancy
2035: Mutualist planting
2076: Ecological boom
PLANT SPECIES: DESIGN AGENT
Puerto Rico cannot be understood from a single perspective. Its status as an unincorporated territory has produced an experience subject to both local and U.S. policies, regulations, impulses, and sway - a dual reality. The representation of our project recognizes this dual nature and demonstrates that different sets of definitions produce different realities.
Puerto Rican reforestation changes (1991-2000)
1970: Vacancy
The Forest as Switch proposes interventions that work with the remoteness and accessibility of inland Puerto Rico to switch colonial occupations into methods of autonomy. The Forest as Switch proposes the subversion of abandoned agricultural fields and roads. This enables the accessibility of local communities to resources while simultaneously increasing its remoteness. We are utilizing the invasive African tulip tree, which was first introduced for its ornamental flowers, as a trojan horse. The Forest as switch “switches” the function of this invasive species to its new role as an ecological agent.
The African Tulip tree is found as an invasive species throughout the island, but it is able to grow in abandoned agricultural lots where other plants cannot. The tulip tree is considered invasive because its dense shade tends to block out sunlight. However, the tulip tree amends the soil so that other species can grow. Besides decorative purposes, African Tulip Tree can provide shade for coffee, which will improve the quality of coffee and maintain the stability of the microecosystem. After one generation, African Tulip Tree is usually replaced by another species, which is called Muskwood. We focused on the shades created by African Tulip Tree, and their symbiosis with coffee.
AFRICAN TULIP TREE Spathodea campanulata Remoteness
Puerto Rican reforestation changes (2001-2011)
Accessibility
Coast reforestation to mitigate sea level rise Scale 1:150,000
Scale 1:150,000
1950: Decoration
2001: Soil regeneration
Spathodea campanulata 2018: Ecosystem build-up
Spathodea 2076: campanulata 2035: Shades Agroforest
Elevation shadow distribution
Plan shadow distribution
Coast reforestation to mitigate sea level rise Scale 1:150,000
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Branching structure and shadow density
African Tulip Tree as economic value
African Tulip Tree as economic value.
Core Studio IV - Bosque Autónomo
African TulipTree Tree as as ecological African Tulip ecologicalvalue value.
EXISTING FOREST
FOREST INTERVENTION
Plans
Detailed plan A Scale 1:250
Existing forest and vacancy
Detailed plan B
New planting pattern proposal
Scale 1:1000
Scale 1:250
Scale 1:1000
Sections
(i) Existing riparian condition: little vegetation.
(i) Existing road section: paved road with little drainage.
(ii) Existing riparian condition: steep slope.
(ii) Existing road section: paved surface increases runoff and erosion.
(iii) Existing riparian condition: soil runoff ends up in river and lake.
(i) Proposed: plant African Tulip Trees
(iii) Proposed: soil stabilization condition.
(iii) Existing road section: bench cut with wall.
(i) Proposed section: unpaved road; African Tulip Tree decreases sedimentation.
Harvard Graduate School of Design
(ii) Proposed: root growth along steep slopes.
(ii) Proposed section: planting starts to interrupt roadways.
Core Studio IV - Bosque Autónomo
(iii) Proposed section: planting starts to interrupt roadways amd pathways.
PLANS, SECTIONS AND RENDERINGS Steep slopes and paved roads increase runoff and erosion, so we proposed dense planting patterns of the African Tulip Tree in the watersheds along the road. Eventually the trees will take over the abandoned road. On the haciendas, we proposed more spaced planting patterns that allow the canopy to grow, where mutualist relationships can occur in their shade, such as shaded-grown coffee. Removal of the abandoned roads manifested remoteness while the agroforestry shows the increase of accessibility for the local residents.
Plan A
Plan B
Detailed section A
Detailed section B
Scale 1:2000
Scale 1:200
The rendering of Accessible shows how the switch intervenes at the scale of the hacienda where the African Tulip tree can create an agroforest and contribute to inland autonomy. The rendering of Remote shows how our intervention near roadsides will eventually take over the road to increase remoteness of inland Puerto Rico to decrease sedimentation. Our proposal will ensure adequate water resources and a functional dam to generate electricity. In the long run, the African Tulip tree will create a condition to allow for settlement in the area to have reliable resources.
Scale 1:2000
Scale 1:200
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Two ways of looking at forest - Accessible
Two ways of looking at forest - Remote
Core Studio IV - Bosque Autรณnomo
FROM EPISODE TO ADAPTATION Alternative society for sea level rise
Fall 2017 I Prof.Craig Douglas I Boston, MA Team: Helena Cohen, Shawna Meng, Xiwei Shen, Xiaoyuan Zhang Contributions: Idea, Diagrams, Plans, Sections, Renderings, Isometric drawings, Manifesto collage, Physical model Since the 17th century, Boston has been addin fill to expand its land mass. Now, with the threat of sea level rise, that same land is facing rapid contraction. This project investigates and challenges the dual notion of expansion and contraction through exploring diverse spatial relationships and employing a new type of urbanism.
URBAN CATALOG Blue + Green Infrastructure Landscape basic elements + Circulation
Surface
Flat
Water
Site
Irregular surface
Wet
Bioswale
Tide
Green space
Green space
Water pocket
People - full
Canopy - grid
Canopy - grid
Dry
Bioswale
Tide
Green space
Green space
Water pocket
People - empty
Low tide
Medium tide
High tide
Canopy
Crop
Stream
Wetland
Pier
Connectioin
Deployment A
Deployment B
Shallow slope
Medium slope
Steep slope
Steep slope
Crop - row
SHrub - grid
Canopy - row
Canopy - grid
Shallow
Deep
Salty
Icy
Small island
Medium island
Large island
Individuals
Perimeter
Perimeter
Vegeation Shrub - row
Sloped
Landscape seasonal change
Summer Shrub
Winter
Shrub
Canopy
Crop
Stream
Wetland
Slab
Linear
Perimeter
Detached
Pier
Sports field - on
Sports field - off
Color
Color
Working + Productive landscape
Linear
eg. Libeskind building, Berlin
High - rise
Mid - rise
Snake
eg. Row house, Boston
Low - rise eg. Row house, Paris
Slab
Cross
Clustered
Slab
eg. Mietskasene, Berlin block
eg. Medieval cities
eg. Lower east side, NYC
High-rise apartment, mixed-use apartment
eg. Haussmann block
eg. Eixample, Barcelona
eg. Soviet mass housing
Residential apartment, cultural program, eg. museum, school
eg. Wohnburg, Hamburg
Harvard Graduate School of Design
eg. Habitat, Motreal
Waterfront, recreation, shopping mall, public program, eg. transit center, common activity space Core Studio III - From Episode to Adaptation
Combination
Combination
CNC MODEL
SECTION PERSPECTIVE OVER THE SITE
Green roof Theater, amphitheater Science center Contemporary commercial
Campus building
Parking lot
Research center
Landscape filtration
Mixed-use residential Mixed-use residential
Ecological lab Harbor park
Museum, gallery
Library
Recreational center
Wetland Sports field
Temporary exhibition
Landscape Filtration Zone Winter
Working / Productive Zone Autumn Harvard Graduate School of Design
Working / Productive Zone Summer
Urban Cultural Center Spring Core Studio III - From Episode to Adaptation
PLAN AND TIDAL CHANGE IN 60 YEARS
Water level 4
Water level 3
Water level 2
Water level 1
0 year
Water level 3
Water level 2
Water level 1
10 year
20 year
30 year
40 year
50 year
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Detail 1 - Working / productive zone
Detail 2 - Connection between islands
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Core Studio III - From Episode to Adaptation
60 year
THE EDGE
An Alternative Typology for Preserva-
Fall 2016 I Prof. Mitchell Squire I San Franciso, CA Team: Marissa Engel, Kendra Koch, Zachary Werba, Xiaoyuan Zhang Contributions: Idea, Diagrams, Plans, Sections, Renderings, Isometric drawings, Manifesto collage, Physical model Sitting on the edge of continent, the cultural icons that San Francisco grew upon, are continuously being decommissioned, deconstructed and in other words, “lost� in the process of making room for the bigger and better of the technological advancements in our modern world. The architecture we proposed address the disconnect of people to their place and to each other, and as a medium to bringing back to light the displaced goldenness of San Francisco’s culture. How can architecture play a role that juxtapose the past and present, and yet allow neither to take dominance over the other? Our ideas thus far lean towards rethinking the current historical preservation typology and spatial experience derived from the Situationist International political agenda.
SITE CONTEXT With this idea in mind, through research of lost places we came upon the site of the Sutro Baths, located within Land’s End Park on the northwestern side of the city. In 1896, Adolph Sutro, the mayor at the time, designed this large trip`le domed glass building as the world’s largest indoor swimming pool for the working class of San Francisco to come and be entertained. However, since the fire of 1966, all that
is left is the concrete foundations surrounding the baths and a few remnants leftover to be worn away as time goes on. The site speaks of a lost culture that once was San Francisco. A time where the recreational Sutro Baths combated corporate greed, economic depression and an industrialized working life. The culture today is pleading for a reinvigoration and renewal of the place.
Golden gate bridge
Timeline 1896
1900
1905
1930
Sutro Bath and Museum opened to public
Ferries & Cliff House train became major transportation to access the site
Electric line was Program built to connect changed based the site with on people’s need inner city
1966
1980
2016
Fire destroyed Sutro Bath
Site remained empty with the ruins
Historical Transportation Change
Fort point
Site location
Sea Level
+120’
Topo
Site
Year 1990
Local attraction Potential connection Public transportation Presidio of San Fransico
Coastline
Year 1930
Public transportation Ferries & Cliff House train
Public transportation Ferries & Cliff House train
Year 2016 Private car
Electric lines
Green space
Historical Programs Change
City landmark
China beach
Legion of honor Lands end park
Swimming pool
Ice rink
Fishing
Museum
Diving pool
Photography
Restaurant Locker room Social event Metro Cliff house
Rapid bus
Historical Photos of Sutro Bath
Sutro Historic District
Ocean beach De Young museum
Golden gate park Academy of Science Iowa State University
The Edge
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT Thus, the architecture we propose address this disconnect of people to their place and to each other; bringing back to light the displaced goldenness of San Francisco’s culture. The goal is not to rebuild the Sutro Baths, but rather the magic that was held inside - the thriving culture and excitement of the various programs within. With our architecture we wish to re-present the past atmosphere that had before, brought thousands to the site at a time.
Event space
Temporary event
The proposed architecture itself is not the walls or floors or structure, but the adaptation of the spaces within to the existing natrual landscape that capture the atmosphere of the site. The built form begins to work with the existing natural fabric that provide open spaces for a reactive/adaptive system for the present culture of the time.
New relationship
Dialogue space
ARCHITECTURAL POTENTIAL The abstract floor plan shows the potential programs within the space that could happen from today to 100 years later.
Movement
Isometric view from southwest
Horizontal Flow and Vertical Flow By studying the theory Situationist International Agenda, we rethink the type architecture that is concerned with the nature of the event itself and resultant opposition. The design process was not one of applying a known solution, but of searching for compatibility between different forms and their functional implications. We believe that the shapes of a building should indicate, perhaps display the usage and way of life of its occupants, and it is therefore to be rich and varied in appearance. Here, architecture
in which space, movement, and events are independent, yet stand in a new relation to one another, so that the conventional components of architecture are broken down and rebuilt along different axes. The vertical flow aims to create dialogue between people with lanscape, people with light, people with people. An ambiguity of being in or outside created between the void of spaces and the site.
Flow of nature
Flow of light
Flow of people Iowa State University
The Edge
Roof Plan
Exploded Axonometric of Building
Roof
Second Floor Ceiling
Elevator
Roof Truss System
Roof merges into the site surface
Interior Programed
Hypostyle Hall Columns
Parking lot on the east of the building
Ruins is untounched on the ground Ceiling
Ramp
Floor Truss System
Pedesrtian path along the south side of the building
South entrance connects with the Cliff House
Amphitheater Insertion
Site/Context
Iowa State University
The Edge
RENDERINGS AND MODELS
Perspective view from roof top
Perspective view from southwest
Iowa State University
Perspective view from the hypostyle hall to ocean
Perspective view looking east
Sectional model
Interior perspective view in hypostyle hall
Sectional model
The Edge
Linking
Urban Activity Platform and Landscape Loop
Spring 2016 I Prof. Naiara Vegara, Marie-Isabel de Monseignat I Larvotto, The Principality of Monaco Individual Project Sitting on an acute topography by the Mediterranea Sea, the country of Monaco has an area of 0.78 sqaure mile and a population of about 37,800, which is the second smallest and the most densely populated country in the world. It is one of the well-known destinations for tourist and rich by its climate, scenery and gambling facilities. The city is dominated by high-rise hotels and apartment blocks that rise into the hills, and utterly bewildering street layout. This densely built city is challenged by the restricted land availability and the relationship it has with the sea.
URBAN ANALYSIS
Circulation and Flow
City Network Today’s rail route Existing old train track Public transportation Major attraction Activate buildings Activate business circle Related activity Public greenspace Bus stops
Larvotto Existing Conditions
10 ft above sea level 20ft 40ft Walking path
Bus station Traffic road
1. Located at the intersection of the casino, conventional center and residential area.
S-N accessibility
W-E accessibility
Pedestrian path
Pedestrian access
2. Lack of connecting system to link and promote potential social and commercial activities within the area. 3. The embankment of the old train track seperate the inner urban area from the water edge.
0
400’
Solid and Void
800’
Attraction, Greenspace and Public Transportation
Bldg and water boundaries Bldg and water openings Public space activate by openings
Girmaldi Forum Casino de Monte-Carlo
Solid - volumes above 50ft Solid - volumes under 50ft Void - public space
Edge and boundaries
Buildings and public spaces
Coventional center Commercial Residential Public green Coastline open space
Building programs
Water and greenery Japanese Garden Fairmont Monte-Carlo
National Museum
Prince’s Palace of Monaco
Japanese garden
Stade Louis II Stadium Access path Green space
Architectural Association School of Architecture
Activate public spaces by water and greenary
Visual access
Visual access to water Linking
Impact circle
Pedestrian access to water
DESIGN STRATEGY
Existing Condition
Therefore, I decided to use the old train track as the key transforming point to improve the existing conditions. By moving the car routes to underground, a walking path is created on the embankment that interprets the cultural landscape and establishes new destinations. A varied program of activities related to the adjacent neighborhoods are installed along the path. Three new accessing points are created on south, middle and north along the path that make the walking path not only accessible to the residential surroundings, but also extended to the seafront to create a loop that activate the whole area. Set in varying
terrain along 1960 feet, the landscape loop measures with an average of 32 feet in width. At a larger scale, the corridor addresses the urban connectivity. It creates a connective tissue between the water front area on west to the urban context on the east that activate the negative spaces in between the high rise residential buildings and the embankment of old train track. No longer just a landscape loop, the walking path becomes a fully integrated park and social platform.
Residential Old train track/fast speed car route Car route Car route Single lane Single lane
Pedestrian Commercial
Residential
Existing Ramp Japanese garden
40ft
20ft Sea
7. Landscape walkway
8. Tunnel exit
9. Landscape playground
Design Strategy
40ft 4. Gallery 5. North side ramp access 6. Landscape balcony
20ft
10. North entrance/ Viewing deck
a. Move the car routes to underground, create car tunnel - free the space on the train track for landscape pedestrian usage
40ft
20ft b. Link urban context on two ground levels Connect two ground levels on two sides of the old train track - by creating space beneath the surface of the train track
2. Circular amphitheater
3. Tunnel entrance
1. Seaside promenade 40ft
20ft c. Connect seaside area with inner urban context - by creating circular platform for access and public usage
Proposed Section Perspective
URBAN CONTEXT
WATER CONTEXT
URBAN CONTEXT Architectural Association School of Architecture
Linking
DESIGN STRATEGY
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Activity & Circulation Diagram
Responded to the surrounding dynamic topography, the repurposed corridor acts as a level horizontal datum, generating a new kind of experience for local residents, tourists, and kids for community revitalization, sea front usage enhancement, recreation, and wildlife. The loop promotes sustainable
Plants options
living as a shared individual and communal undertaking, at the same time that it generates new living experiences and new kinds of public spaces from its various components along the path.
Basic Elements Ficus
Prunus Bigaradie
Cycas
Chorisia
Seaside
Functional Diagram of Part C
Elevated trails will be proposed along the ocean to open up the Japanese garden and the coastline, connect with the landscape walking path to form a complete pedestrian loop.
Bycicle path Promenade Water
Water deck
Paving
Amphitheater
Amphitheater
Amphitheater are located at the west entrance of the loop, provides space for the view to ocean and spontaneous events.
Fountain View point Stairs
Exhibition Transform the negative space of the embankment to the new gallery space, connect the the higher level of residential/commercial area where people can shop and eat to the lower level water front.
Train track
Restaurant Shop Gallery Exhibition Cafe
Wall
Landscape Corridor Green spaces in the neighborhood create relaxing space in between dense urban environment. Sitting area and viewing pockets are also placed along the path.
Playground
Landscape Art gallery Car tunnel Accessing point Architectural Association School of Architecture
Playground for kids are created on the north side of the walking path. The activity zone maximizes the potential use of negative space in between buildings.
Sitting area Tree
Landscape walkway View pocket
Sitting area Playground Outdoor activity Sitting area
Massing Linking
Landscape corridor
PLAN AND SECTIONS
Amphitheater
South end entrance
Pedestrian deck
Section Sequence
Type f Playground
Section 1 Landscape corridor Type a Pedestrian deck along seaside
Residential building
Pedestrian deck
Gallery
Type e Landscape bridge
Section 2 Playground
Car Tunnel Landscape corridor
North side entrance
Type d Viewing pocket
Section 3
Type c Gallery
Landscape corridor Gallery Car tunnel
Type b Concrete platform
Landscape corridor
Section 4
Landscape corridor Gallery Car tunnel
Landscape corridor
Playground
Proposed Connections
Section 5
Section cut Architectural Association School of Architecture
Linking
RENDERINGS
Seaside activity
Playground on the landscape loop
Sectional collage of landscape loop
Seaside greenary
Architectural Association School of Architecture
Isometric view of the landscape corrider from south
Linking
ART IN TRANSIT Multi-dimensional Transit Center Summer 2016 I The Rail Park, 2017 Better Philladephia Competition I Philadelphia, PA Individual Project Philadelphia’s City Branch is an unused network of 115-year-old depressed rail lines that transported goods and people into and out of Center City Philadelphia. In 1992 the tracks were taken out of service and now lay dormant. The design challenge of the competition is to design interventions that improve access to, transit through, lighting in, and programming for the abandoned viaduct, making it a useful, fun, and safe public space for all.
URBAN ANALYSIS
DESIGN PROPOSAL Diagram of Transit system and spatial relationships Center City, Philedaphia
Key Features
University Campus
Scholar
Art and Cultural Activities
Student
Tourists Attraction
Artist
Heavy Traffic
Tourist
Center City, Philedaphia
High Density Residential area
Retail owners
Commercial Center
Resident
Target Client
Student
Scholar
Resident
Retail owners, employee
Tourist
Employee
Groups
Building skin: Louver system
Programs Sustainability Program
Needs
Artist
Academic exchange
Student conversation
Display platform
Commercial/ Cultural attractors
Retail space
Community interaction
Efficient transportation
Spatial Connective Methods
Art In Transit Program
Customer Service
Needs
Public Art and Cultural Center
Spatial Requirment Cafe
Reading room
Studio
Gallery
Landscape
Outdoor seating
Retail store
Playground
Research space
Transit station
Art works + Exhibition space
Office + Interview space
SEPTA Tower of Reseach Lab and Office SEPTA
SEPTA
Second Level: Landscape Park
Community Platform
Broad street line Market line Petco Regional rail
Urban Scan Major Traffic Road
Infrastructure Ridership of every stop
Major traffic Area boundary Subway outline High speed car route
Cultural institution Academic institution Greenspace Activate area Groups
Boundary
Second Level: Light Rail Line
Site Cultural Attraction
Light Rail Station
Commercial Store University Campus Residential Area Greenspace Subway Line High Speed Car Route
Truss Structure
Bus Station
Ground Level:
Art in Transit - Art Gallery
Bus Line
Underground: Fast Speed Car Route
Potential Subway Line
Better Philladephia Competition
Art in Transit
DESIGN STRATEGY
Basic Dimensions of the Vehicle
Creating places out of movement patterns is the initial idea of the infrastructure development. Center City has the busiest traffic within its dense urban context, therefore the new commute method needs to dealt with existing conditions and limitation. Through research, we found an eco-friendly, light structured system – the Personal Rapid Transit system. It is a public transport mode featuring small automated vehicles that typically carry 3 to 6 passengers operating on a network of specially built guideways. The advanced operational ICT control system allows mobile integration from passengers, which promotes flexible and personalized transit process. Therefore, we decided to insert this new system that works along but independent with the existing infrastructure. The proposed new light rail line runs through the viaduct, four major parks, downtown university campus, SEPTA headquarter and historical district. The viaduct as the main station will be activated by this new connection. We see the proposal for the viaduct design as the prototype for future development on other light rail stops along the track.
4 ft Station platform
Drive motors
3 ft Trac gauge
Diagram of the PRT Line - New transit system as urban connection Light rail line Subway line Bus line
1/2 mile 6 ft
1/4 mile
Control panel
Museum University
Software
Franklin Square
12 ft
Convention Center
City Hall
Washington Square
SEPTA Headquarter
Logan Square
Rittenhouse Square
Better Philladephia Competition
PRT Light Rail LIne Fast Facts Overall Distance : 5.8 mile track Travel Speed: 30 mph - 40 mph Power: Computer controled electric motor University students, faculty, and staff can ride the PRT for free using their school ID card
Art in Transit
BUILDING SECTION Connective point
Artist Researcher
SEPTA Tower
Employee
Customer Tourist
Resident
Connection
Interaction
+ new transit system works with existing systems for more efficient and sustainble way of transportation
Customer Service Program Private office and lab
[[limited access office space]
Researcg Lab
+ new cultural and commercial attraction beyond Center City
Bus
Student
+ dialogue created through art exhibitions and events
Light Rail + platform to display and demostrate art works
Sustainability Program
Art in Transit Program Public platform and landscape
Transit center
[24 hrs accessible public programs]
Community Center
Outdoor Landscape
Office
Open-air Cinema
Customer Service Center
Transit Station
Open-air Seating
Gallery
Gallery
Light Rail Station
Retail
New Bus Station
Interior Spatial Condition
Better Philladephia Competition
Art in Transit
Xiaoyuan Zhang
+1. 515.708.0987 xiaoyuanzhang@gsd.harvard.edu https://xyzhangdesign.com/