Xin Zhong Architecture Portfolio

P O RT F O L I O

XIN ZHONG Master of Architecture University of Pennsylvania Academic & Professional Works 2018-2021

Aug. 25th, 2021 To whom it may concern, It is with great pleasure that I write this letter for Xin Zhong to endorse her outstanding performance as an intern designer at the NBBJ New York office. I had many positive experiences working directly with Xin over the course of her internship at NBBJ in the Summer of 2021, during which she demonstrated her strong design sensibilities, impressive technical skills, and positive attitude through a variety of tasks in our Commercial Studio.

During her internship, she mainly worked with me on a 240,000 sqm Mixed-Use Development in Hangzhou, China. Xin joined the team at the beginning of the Concept Design phase and was able to jump very quickly onto various research topics and later on, testing design options. In this project, Xin worked on a diverse set of tasks including constructing digital models, building conceptual physical models, creating conceptual illustrative diagrams, drawing plans for client presentations.

I cannot overstate the intensity of this project’s timeline, which often called upon Xin to work later hours than the rest of her peers. In every instance, Xin went above and beyond to learn, cooperate, contribute, and foster a positive environment of teamwork and camaraderie. Xin was a tremendously valuable member of our studio and her contributions still resonate in our project from her time here.

It is with my highest regards that I endorse Xin for the potential architectural designer position in the future. For any further questions regarding her ability or her contributions to NBBJ, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Sophia Zhu, LEED AP BD+C Designer NBBJ 140 Broadway, 29th Floor NEW YORK NY 10005 Direct: 646.767.2180

9 August 2021 9 August 2021 9 August 2021

To Whom It May Concern: To Whom It May Concern: This letter in reference Xin Zhong, who was employed by CallisonRTKL Inc. in our Beijing To is Whom It May to Concern: Thisasletter is in reference to Practice Xin Zhong, who SED was Sector, employed

by CallisonRTKL in our Beijing office, an Intern in our APAC Group, Architecture service,Inc. from 15 July office, as an Intern in our APAC Practice Group, SED Sector, Architecture service, from 15 July 2020 to This 17 December letter is in2020. reference to Xin Zhong, who was employed by CallisonRTKL Inc. in our Beijing 2020 to 17 December 2020. office, as an Intern in our APAC Practice Group, SED Sector, Architecture service, from 15 July During her tenure CallisonRTKL, 2020 to 17with December 2020. Xin Zhong was responsible for conceptual elevation and During her tenure with CallisonRTKL, Xin Zhong was responsible conceptual elevation floorplan design in several large-scale mixed-use projects as well as for some involvement in theand floorplan design in several large-scale mixed-use projects as well as some involvement in the presentation preparation.

During her tenure with CallisonRTKL, Xin Zhong was responsible for conceptual elevation and presentation preparation. floorplan design in several large-scale mixed-use projects as well as some involvement in the Over herpresentation 5-month internship, I have gotten to know Xin Zhong well and I can confirm she preparation.

Over her internship, I have to dedication. know Xin Zhong well and Iknowledge can confirm operates with5-month a high level of integrity andgotten personal She has shared of she operates with a with high level of integrity and personal dedication. Sheofhas shared knowledge design applications theinternship, team.

She Ialso has a solidtounderstanding the of she Over her 5-month have gotten know Xin Zhongthe wellsubtleties and I canofconfirm design applications with the team.

She also has a solid understanding of the subtleties of the architectural space planning. operates with a high level of integrity and personal dedication. She has shared knowledge of architectural space planning. design applications with the team. She also has a solid understanding of the subtleties of the I wish her the best success she explores employment outside of CallisonRTKL. architectural space as planning.

I wish her the best success as she explores employment outside of CallisonRTKL. If you have anyher further questions her background or qualifications, please do not I wish the best successregarding as she explores employment outside of CallisonRTKL. If youtohave any further questions regarding her background or qualifications, please do not hesitate call me. hesitate to call me.

If you have any further questions regarding her background or qualifications, please do not Sincerely, hesitate to call me.

Sincerely, CallisonRTKL Inc. Sincerely, CallisonRTKL Inc. CallisonRTKL Inc.

Chun.Xia /Credentials Chun.Xia /Credentials Associate Principal Chun.Xia /Credentials Associate Principal Associate Principal

[ ARCHITECTURE - ACADEMIC ] 01 | Aquatic Terminal

Data Center | May 2021, Studio 602, Graduate | Philadelphia, USA

02 | The Peak

Residential Highline | Dec 2019, Studio 601, Graduate | Philadelphia, USA

03 | Tar Pit Momento

LACMA Gallery Extension | Dec 2021, Studio 701, Graduate | Los Angeles, USA

04 | Curlinear

Public Market | May 2019, Studio 502, Graduate | Philadelphia, USA

[ ARCHITECTURE - PROFESSIONAL ] 05 | NBBJ: Hangzhou Future Sci-Tech City Mixed-Use Development CD | Jun 2021, NBBJ, NYC | 60,000 m2

06 | gmp: Hengqin Science City

Urban Master Plan DD | Jun 2020, gmp Architekten | 300,000 m2

07 | CRTKL: OCT Yibin Mall

Commercial Complex SD | Dec 2020, CRTKL | 109,248 m2

[ INTEGRATED DESIGN ] 08 | Woven Grove

Digital Fabrication | Aug 2019, Antistatics Architects | Beijing, China | 3m * 7m height

09| Apomachenes

Media Performance | Jun 2019, META NYC | Athens, Greence | 30-min-long

01 | Academic AQUATIC TERMINAL Data Center Parametric Kinetic Facade, Water Works, Hydrodynamic Underground System Core Studio 602, May 2021 Year: Instructor: Danielle Willems Location: Fairmont Dam, Philadelphia Project: Feature:

The project research the morphology, of how hydrodynamics reshape and generate architectural forms. The project aims at changing the enclosed and vacuum data center into a hydrophilic vessel to the envir to the public, if imaging the virtual world is gradually became the reali

The project researches the morphology of how hydrodynamics reshape and generates architectural forms. Anchoring at the existing dam river, the project interacts intensively with the natural and artificial and the cavity, poche, tectonics of the architecture become a response erosion, r ippling and streamline. The project aims at changing the enclosed and vacuum data center into a hydrophilic vessel to the envir to the public, if imaging the virtual world is gradually became the reali

We focused on the idea of water and modularity. We learned the idea of modu cenotaph on the right, which is a rounded shape memorial with protruding varied in size and height, and they have different functions such as viewing, lighti entrance. Also on the left this cenotaph also shows the modular gaps around the

es the terrain e traditional ronments and ity right now.

es the terrain of Schuylkill water f lows, to sediments, e traditional ronments and ity right now.

larity from the oval windows ing, or using as rounded pond.

Typology Studies Our precedent is a deep underground data center hidden in the cave and tunnel that is intuitively shaped by the rocky tectonics, and these chambers is organic, but it unexpectedly fit in the rows of default modular machines

CA Rules from abramclark.github.io color = x => abs((x/(2*PI)+1) % 2 - 1) * 255; (a, b, c, i) =>{ let s = a + b + c, r = 10, ri = 1/(2*r+1), depth = 8, avg = cell_neighbors(r,i). reduce((x,y)=>x+y)*ri, w = sin(avg)**4 + sin(avg/2)*.3 + .3 return ( (.333 - sin(s)*.2)*a + .333*b + (.333 + sin(s)*.2 + max(.0015, w*.01))*c ) % (depth*PI) }

The Fairmont Dam The Philadelphia Fairmount water work and the Fairmount dam used to be significant municipal hydro-infrastructure and the flood control tool in history, therefore the amazing streamline of the dam is maintained. On the one hand, we extend the dam to a gradual level to simulate the sediment; on the other hand, we sub-split the dam to make a more dynamic sub-drainage. Anchoring at the dam, this project interacts intensively with the natural and artificial embranchment.

The Philadelphia City From a larger scale, this project consists of the urban axis and the periphery of this project is tangent to a larger urban radius. The composition of t h e m a s s i ng a l s o c re ate s t h e panoramic viewing radius and landscape radius.

The Program & Circulation We iterate our design to utilize the streamline to intertwine the programs together. The overall massing is spreading out from the fairmount waterwork, but also tied back. It runs off from upstream to downstream, b u t a l s o i nv e r s e l y e l e v at e d t h e height pointing looking up toward the Philadelphia city center. In the downstream part, the programs got scoured into pieces.

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Section A_Cantilever & Imagiry Fiber-Glass Facade B_Basement-Floor Entrance from Pedestrian Bridge C_Concrete Foundation and Water Management Machinery System D_Data Center E_Underground River Portal F_Pile Foundation on the Riverbed

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Plan A_Sightseeing Deck on the "Tail" B_Data Center Corridor C_Drivable External "Data Boat" Connecting to the Data Center D_"Interior River" for Cooling Data Storage Machine E_Ground Floor Lobby F_Basement Floor Lobby G_Ground Floor Bridge Entrance H_Basement Floor Bridge Entrance I_Inner Lake Viewing the Fremont Dam and Little Waterfall

Detail: Roof Structure Triple-Layered Facade

Detail: Photovoltaic Panel and Steel Rod

Ground Floor Details: Triple-Layered Facade Connection between Steel Structure & Concrete Structure

C Photovoltaic Fac Opening for introducing more

Bouncing back extra sunlight for better con

Cladding System Mock-up cade Panel In-Active State: e sunlight into the interior and nstant interior temperature

Cladding System Mock-up Photovoltaic Facade Panel Active State: Absorbing solar energy for supplying electric power for Data Center and Shading for cooling the interior temperature of heavily-loaded Data Storage

Night Scene Axon Render Photovoltaic Panel System will store electric power and supply nighttime-lighting system

Lower-Level Bridge Entrance The Lower-Level Bridge serves as a water-landscape corridor and sightseeting platform, as well as the inner lake as a children water playground

Upper and Lower Level Lobby from the Stairs The "boddy part" of the building serves as a public gathering space.

Through the triple-strenghted glass window portal built on the shape of the original dam, visitors can see how water purification system works in the underground river channel.

Data Center Overview Data Storage on the upper rack, connected with the high-speed fiber-glass transmission system.

Underneath the rack, decks for drivable "Data Boat"can load on and off large volume of data from the transmission system Robotic arms hang on the roof roller system serving as an in-the-air transportation system.

02 | Academic THE PEAK Project: Location: Feature: Year:

Residential Project 915 Spring Garden Street , Philadelphia Urban farming; Railway station renovation Adcanced Studio 601, Dec 2019 University of Pennsylvania Instructor: Scott Erdy THE PEAK is a monumental respond to the heritage of Philadelphia Highline Railway. With the morphology of Old Board Street Train Shed, The Peak anchors at the existing Spring Garden station and floats its volume over the whole railway complex, affiliating for both the pedestrian connectivity on the Highline and the altitudinal linkage of street ground, railway, historical building and modern high-rise. The Shed, constructed on the long-span space frame system, creates a city of sky over the fully-preserved historical site context, where the brave new world meets the collective memory of generations.

The volumetric climax of the 300ft in the neighborhood manifests the ambition of being the iconic highlight in the effort of Philadelphia Highline revival.

THE PEAK also adopts the assembly of basic units of organic metabolism. Metabolism of the single sheds not only provides the effective farming space and the equal access to sunlight and rainfall, but also reinforces the joint efforts to maintain the whole community, in responding to the crisis of farm land decrease and food waste in process. The Peak is our homeland, our productive livelihood and our collective neighborhood.

Prototype of Housing Units Food Crisis has become a serious concern towards human society, especially when intensive urbanism sharpens the conflict between available farmland and efficient population concentration.

The goal of this housing project isthat, how could we reach maximum volume of living space on the basis of mininum footprint; and how could we include agriculture into building programs and integrate the cultivating activity as a community bond?

The prototype of this housing project is a single-occupant shelter with sustainable food production. Here, the volumetric technique of folding and flexible subprogram combination are employed, and the cultivation conditions of sunlight, airflow and rainfall are considered.

Single Cable and String System | Green Space Circulation | Space Frame System Massings | Column Grid System

System Diagrams Cable and String System | Green Space Circulation | Space Frame System Massings | Column Grid System

Section 01_Housing Unit A_Studio Size 2,670 SqFt 02_Rooftop Garden and Circulation Platform 03_Rooftop Cultivation 04_Public Stepped Corridor 05_Public Space and Vertical Z-Grow System 06_Housing Unit Corridor 07_Housing Unit B_One Bedroom Size_6,890 SqFt 08_Rooftop Garden 09_Philadelphia Highline 10_915 Spring Garden Street and Existing Train Station 11_Indoor ETFE Membrane Based Greedhouse 12_Cable and String Structural System 13_Space Frame Structural System

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Structural Model. 1/8":1' Floor Plate | Steel Core System Cable and String System

Chunk Model Part. 1/4":1 Housing Units A and B | Building Core Main Circulation | ETFE membrane Double Screen Verticle Z-Growing Steel Bracing and Prefacricated Modular

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Right: Rooftop Plan 01_Cable and String Structural System 02_Public Space and Vertical Z-Grow System 03_Housing Unit B Corridor 04_Public Lobby 05_Housing Unit B_One Bedroom Size_6,890 SqFt 06_Public Stepped Corridor 07_Rooftop Garden and Cwultivation 08_Space Frame System 09_Housing Unit A_Studio Size 10_Housing Unit A Corridor Stairs 11_Rooftop Cultivation Garden 12_Philadelphia Highline 13_Indoor ETFE Membrane Based Greedhouse 14_Prefabricated Housing Unit Assembly System

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Left: Studio A and Studio B Unit Plan

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Interior Renders One Bedroom Housing Unit Public Stepped Corridor

03 | Academic TAR PIT MOMENTO Project: Location: Feature: Year:

Gallery Extension Project LACMA, Los Angeles Museum; Tar Pit Site Adcanced Studio 701, Dec 2021 University of Pennsylvania Partner: Yangkenan Li Instructor: Karel Klein In this studio, our group is focusing on utilizing AU training to reveal the convulsive beauty hidden in everyday reality.

Also, situated in Los Angeles between LACMA museum and the La Brea Tar Pit, this project conceive the eternity of time, the infinity of space, and human being’s everlasting desire of immemorial memory.

La Brea Tar Pit exists in the bustling metropolis LA as an strange urban artifacts. The fluidly, heaviness of tar arose terrifying beauty. The strong smell of the tar as well resonate human beings nostalgia of stepping back to the uncanny but familiar prehistoric world.

The computer help us to explore new and unseen facade formations. In this project, the computer becomes a tool for search and exploration, a partner in our quest for the hitherto unseen. The design process strikes a balance between the expected and the unexpected, between control and relinquishment. While the processes are deterministic, the results are not necessarily entirely foreseeable. It allows us to create objects of exceptional breadth and depth: endless permutations of designs with a richness of detail that can once again evoke marvel, curiosity and bewilderment.

Site La Brea Tar Pit L a Brea Tar Pit exists in the bustling metropolis LA as an strange urban artifacts. The fluidly, heaviness of tar a r o s e t e r r i f y i n g b e a u t y. T h e s t r o n g smell of the tar as well resonate human beings noldtagia of stepping back to the uncanny but familiar prehistoric world.

In generations, people carefully dive in to the pit, and they erect fences. They put up a concrete tigger and a plastic tiger by the side. People lost in the notion of time, but they never stop trying hard to position themselves in the eternity.

Site Plan Based on StyleGAN Training

Chunk Plan

Chunk Section

Ostagram AI Training Results

Porosity of Facades

Facade Iterations Based on SinGAN, StyleGAN AI Trainings

04 | Academic CURVILINEAR Public Market Project: Figure Grounds; Deep Texture; Site Feature: Continuity Year: Foundation Studio 502, May 2019 Instructor: Brian DeLuna Location: Manayunk, Philadelphia

Public markets were once essential parts of the cityscape and they are becoming so again.

Markets serve several purposes, social, political, and economic, and so planners interested in multipurpose tools for development will be interested in public markets. Markets can help achieve a variety of goals including placemaking, employment, and entrepreneurship.

The public market system had ser ved the nation well. Cities were able to organize space, materials, and authority over food retailing that no sing le me rchant could do alone .

Many of the location and design characteristics of public markets were brought from Europe by settlers. Public markets ourished in an age when the American economic structure was highly local or regional. But private enterprise expanded and became integrated not only geographically, but also organizationally.

Municipal controls over producers and food retailers were eventually overshadowed by a corporate enterprise system of food marketing.

“One can say that the city itself is the collevtive memory of its people, and like memory it is associated with objects and places. The city is the locus of the collective memory.” “one cannot make architecture without studying the condition of life in the city.” - Aldo Rossi.

This project understands and catalogizes the c it y, Manay unk by the Philadelphia , int o a my r i a d of dif f e re nt archit e c t ural typologies, and resorts to graphic and symbolic re p re s e nt at i o n o n c re at i n g e nt i rely n e w forms of cultural alignment and expression.

This project intends to fully present the hybrid, dynamic social and geographical characteristics of the site. e hilly typography, the mix of canal, river and green space, the newly merging commercial demands for the young professional residence, the collaboration between several public parks and the close connection between Main Street. e conceptual massing design starts to inve in the theme of equility, multiple entries/exits, uent circulation and experience of solid and void

2D Graphical Research on Formality The two-dimensional exploration on spacial formality of market space is generated by graphic analysis based on the extracted lineworks from the site analysis. The 2D graphics mainly focuses on using curvilinear motions to represent the possible circulation system and using the circular patterns to represent volumetric arrangement. The result expects to research the coordination of divers e ge omet r ic l angu ages.

Figure Ground Analysis on graphical typography.

This analysis accords with the flow from Venice Island to the site, which is one of the normal route for tourists to wander around and explore Manayunk. The route generizes the overall spatial experience from wide, open, natural-oriented place to relatively narrow, densed streets and social contacts. The site for the Market should play the role of transition.

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01_Landscape Garden 02_Library 03_Conference Room 04_Public Corridor 05_Research Office 06_Research Office 07_Machine Storage 08_Machine Storage 09_Outside Planetarium 10_Public Conference Room 11_Research Office 12_Machine Storage

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Axon Chunk Render of Outside Planetarium

05 | Professional at NBBJ NYC Hangzhou Future Sci-Tech City MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT Corporation: Location: Progress: Area: Type: Project Team:

NBBJ New York City Office Lvting Road, Hangzhou, China Project Authorized in Jun.2021, Estimated SD in Dec.2021 240,000 m2; Commercial Mixed-Use, Office Tower, Riverside Landscape Yanko Apostolov (Design Principal) Nancy Yin (Project Manager); Marc-Andre Plasse (Project Architect) Ling Zhang (Tech Speciaty Architect) Yitian Zheng, Sophia Zhang (Junior Architect) Xin Zhong

NBBJ Team Work For Xin Zhong Interview Project Introduction Only

06 | Professional at gmp.

HENGQIN SCIENCE CITY MASTER PLAN Corporation: Location: Progress: Area:

gmp Architekten Hengqin Island, Zhuhai Design Development Sep 2019 Land for project 83-hectare; Total planning capital area 3-million-m2 Type: Office; Headquarter; Tower; Landscape; Transporation planning Project Managers: Lingling Jiang, Xiao Liu, Nancy Zhao

Completed the green analysis of the North Plot buildings for the schematic diagram set; finalized to draw the North Plot master plan for publication; Renewed Plot L Floor Plan F1-F3 drawing sets in column grids, circulation access, functional rooms, landscape, and shafts design; Completed the full AutoCAD drawings sets of the building elevations and the annex podiums for Plot L, J, M; Modeled the 3D draft of the curtain wall systems, including re-sizing mullions and fire-proofed glassed and re-assigning materials for louvers for Tower C, B series; Drew structural details of canopies and façade call-outs for Tower NB2, NB3, NC3.

NA-2 West Elevation with part of the public outdoor terrace and metarial annotation Critic: Bolun Hua, Junwen Wang

NC-4&5 Curtain Wall Facade the outdoor terrace wall callout the Building C series mullion callout Critic: Xiao Liu

NC-1&7 Glazed System glass and mullion dimension callout Critic: Xiao Liu

North Plot North-Eastern Partial Site Plan F3 Outdoor Terrace with Shuo Wang, Xiajun Song, Xiao Liu

NB1(Residential) NA1 (Dormitory) West Section with partial parking garage in between worked with Yuehao Liu critic: Bolun Hua, Xiao Liu

NB1(Residential) NA1 (Dormitory) West Section with partial parking garage in between worked with Yuehao Liu critic: Bolun Hua, Xiao Liu

07 | Professional at CallisonRTKL OCT YIBIN MALL Corporation: Location: Progress: Area:

CallisonRTKL Sanjiangkou New District, Yibin, Sichuan Concept Design and Schemic Design Oct 2020 109,248 m2 in total; Include: Tower 40,968m2 + Shopping Mall 68,280 m2 Type: Loft; Service Apartment/Hotel; Shopping Mall; Landscape Project Team: Chun Xia (VP); Kris Wang (competition stage scheme2; diagram; bidding book) Xin Zhong (competition stage scheme3; diagram; commercial and residential floor plan; section; ) Sophia Song (commercial and residential floor plan; technical call-outs) Tony Zeng (competition stage scheme1; tower design)

Independtly in charge of the whole set of Conceptual Design of Scheme-3, including two apartment towers, one 56,000 m2 8-storey shopping center and the surrounding landscape design; In charge of supervising Scheme-3 rendeing production, drawing diagram analysis and helping producing the bidding book; Designed the floor plan layouts, retail shop arrangements, circulation streamlines, for the won-scheme shopping center, including the basement parking and the rooftop garden; Completed the drawing series of floor plan, section, master site plan, diagrams.

Diagram Shopping Mall & Residential Tower form generation

Residential Floor Plan core deisng, unit layout design and floor ratio & area calculation of the East Tower and the West Tower

Shopping Mall Floor Plan L1-main entrances, anchor stores, sunken square, hotel stopping area, the West Tower lobby

08 | WOVEN GROVE Corporation: Location: Progress: Area: Type: Project Team:

Antistatics Architecture Sanlitun, Beijing, China Completed in Sep 2019 2m diameter * 7m height Installation; Digital fabrication Martin Miller; Yoyo Li; Xin Zhong

Woven Grove is a novel structure exploring ideas of material behavior, sustainable and renewable resources, artificial intelligence and biomimetic principles. Rejecting the outdated trope of “Man vs Nature” in lieu of a belief in “Humanity within Nature,” the work creates a design following the natural f lows of least resistance.

Both foreign and familiar, the geometric principles of the materials behavior are leveraged to find a formal strategy in sync with inherent physical properties. This work proposes a new approach to how structural elements are created, beginning with rigorous study of the natural bamboo as the primary driver for formal determination as opposed to conventional processes which define a design space then seek to force materials to match that form. Across the scales of the work biomimetic principles define the design approach through a bottom up generative propagation.

Utilizing customized artificial intelligence algorithms as a means of generating form, simulating behavior and creating fabrication logics the work suggests a new model for contemporary design. Antoni Gaudi declared that nature does not create straight lines, the formal behavior of this work is inspired from nature but not taken, co-opting the principles and ideas into an architectural language. To achieve these forms complex yet simple rule sets are created and fed through artificially intelligent algorithms. Lastly, the final fabrication is completed through a process in which the assembly logics are embedded within the material itself rather than requiring additional referential assembly and construction drawings.

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