ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO Xi Cao Architecture + Health Candidate. Clemson University
Architecture - Landscape Selected Work
2014-2017
Architecture is a tool to improve lives.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
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“CASTLE OF SPIRIT”
Clemson Spiritual Center Design
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“WALKING TOGETHER”
Reabilitation Center and Walking Trail System design
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“DIFFUSE THE CITY CORE”
Beijing North Railway Station Plaza Design
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“STREET ACTIVATION”
Asheville Street Reform Landscape Design
33 DIGITAL DESIGN AND DRAWINGS
41
HAND DRAWINGS
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“CASTLE OF SPIRIT”
Clemson Spiritual Center Design Time : Location: Area : Instructor:
Dec 2016 ( First Year Architecture) Clemson, South Carolina 3 Acre Peter Laurance, Associate Professor Andreea Mihalache, Assistant Professor
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Master Plan + Plan + Perspective
This design located on a secondary axis in Clemson campus to avoid the sharpness of the main axis as well as the symmetrical layout. The surrounding buildings and trees creates a cozy hub for students to relax.
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Floor Plan
Clemson Spiritual Cnter Design
The chapel was designed to respond the existing circulation streams on this site, thus the new building can create a good conversation with those existing ones without conflict in terms of the overall shape. And the position of the entrances are carefully selected to better direct people into the building.
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Plans and Sections
The sanctuary is on the west side of the building with a vertical crack on the very end, which allows subtle light come in to create a rather dramatic atmosphere. Classrooms, meeting rooms, cafeteria are on the north-west with light coming in from the rear. Spaces level up as the privacy increases.
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Section of Sanctuary
Clemson Spiritual Cnter Design
Sancturay is designed to be dark using two tall concrete walls. Thus the light could be better appreciated and perform a significant role in directing users both physically and mentally. The rythem of lights is a guidence for people when they approach the alter.
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“WALKING TOGETHER”
Reabilitation Center and Walking Trail System design
Time : Location: Area : Instructor:
Dec 2014 ( 1st Semester, 1st Year Graduate) Oconee, South Carolina 280 Acre Matt Powers, Associate Professor
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Suitability Analysis
The geographic information system (GIS) is the leading method in the preliminary design phase of this project. Useful information maps are selected based on their contribution to the origional program. They were put in catagories to prepared for later analysis.
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Site Selection
Reabilitation Center and Walking Trail System design
Information was re-organized in this phase and maps were given different weight according to their relavance with the site selection requirement, after that they were converted into scores and shows the result in the suitability map.
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Plan and Analysis
The ralationship between decking, tree arrangement and the waterbody gives diversity to those trails and creates varies atmosphere.
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Plan and Analysis
Reabilitation Center and Walking Trail System design
And all the sight analysis considered both people on the wheelchair as well as standing to fulfill different user groups.
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“DIFFUSE THE CITY CORE”
Beijing North Railway Station Plaza Design Time : Feb 2016 (Second Year of MLA) Location: Xizhimen, Xicheng District, Beijing, China Area : 4.62 Acre Instructor: Mary G Padua, Professor
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Site Inventory
This site is in a crazy city center of Beijing. The origional design of the plaza was not able to direct the circulation of pedestrians and vehicles and make this transportation core even more complex and chaos.
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User Groups Analysis
Beijing North Railway Station Plaza Design
Entertainment
Commuting
Social Activities Shopping
7.7 9.0%
60%
Schooling 14.6%
Chart 1 : Trip purposes by transit in Beijing , 2005
Non-Commuting
52%
Commuting
Commuting 60%
Shopping 9.0%
Schooling 14.6%
Time
Highly
Not Sensitive
Sensitive
Peak
7:30-9:00 a.m. 5:45-7:20 p.m.
Friday Evening Weekend
7:00-7:30 a.m. 4:00-6:30 p.m.
Moderate Distance Walk a lot
Short-
48%
Chart 2 : Rate of commuting and non-commuting travels in Beijing, 2007
Other Long Distance (59mins)
Analysis of the pedestrian circulation based on types and their travel behavior.
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Vertical Design
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Plan
Beijing North Railway Station Plaza Design
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Programs
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Story & Senarios
Beijing North Railway Station Plaza Design
Commuters
Newcomers
Customers & Residents There are different senarios for all types of user group on this site. Navigation need to be clear and intuitive to people coming from every possible directions and able to direct them to where they need to go.
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“STREET ACTIVATION”
Asheville Street Reform Landscape Design Time : Oct 2015 ( 1st Semester, 2nd Year Graduate ) Location: Asheville, North Carolina Area : 5.8 Acre Instructor: Hyejung Chang, Associate Professor
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Precedent Studies
Two case studies were done specific in spacial relationship and the impact of the design “edges� on user interactions.
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Concept
Asheville Street Reform Landscape Design
Design should be a living thing, which keeps an active conversation with users. They should able to talk to, embrace, protect and attract each other.
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Module Solution of Street Design
Due to the width inconsistancy of the street. I came up with the idea of “module solution� to fit different situation. Street section is broken into funciton units, and through simple re-connect those pieces, streets of varies of width are able to function well.
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Plan
Asheville Street Reform Landscape Design
The idea of “platform” is carried throught the project to immitate the image of mountains. At the same time, breaking a certain vertical change into several levels helps eliminate the pressure of a tall retaining wall to people. And through converting objects from “city scale” to “human scale”, the design could be welcoming and friendly.
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Perspective
Rest Area
Street Arts
Fountains
Diverse Pavement to define space
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Perspective
Asheville Street Reform Landscape Design
Pedestrian Street Seatings
Street Lights
Street Furniture with Planter
Street trees are helpful in releasing pressure and shortening the distance between people and built environment by humanizing streets. Trees as a mass also break skyline and add more layers to spaces.
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DIGITAL DESIGN AND DRAWINGS Time : Fall 2016 ( First Year A+H ) Instructor: Joseph Choma, Assistant Professor
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Digital Design and Drawings
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Digital Design and Drawings
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Renderings
An urban design created in Rhino. “ array along curve” + “loft”
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Digital Design and Drawings
Light comes in through the crack created by the loft command.
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HAND DRAWINGS
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Sydney Opera House
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Hand Drawings
Chinese traditional garden. Hangzhou, China
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Chinese pavilion
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Hand Drawings
Interior Practice
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Amphithether, Botanical Garden
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Hand Drawings
A penguin
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Thank You ! ARCHITECTURE+HEALTHCARE, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY (864)-643-9606 cao8@clemson.edu 811 Issaqueena trl, 416 Central, SC 29630