Application for UCL MArch Architectural Design|Xuechen Guo

Architecture Portfolio

Xuechen Guo

Application Number: 23181390

Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Applying for MArch Architectural Design

University Collage London

Selected Works: 2019-2022

Xuechen Guo

NATIONALITY: CHINA GENDER: FEMALE DATE OF BIRTH: 08/01/2001

Email: Tel: City:

Xuechen.Guo19@student.xjtlu.edu.cn

+86 13663872570

2019~Present

Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool university

Design school

Programme: BEng Architecture

Main course: Small and Medium Scale Buildings, Architectural Technology, Environmental Design and Sustainability，Design and Building Typology，Small Urban Buildings，Urban Studies，Small Scale Architectural Design，Humanities and Architecture

2021~2022.

Sept.~Sept.

Student Representative of Architecture Department

Jun. Intern: Sinopec Guangzhou (Luoyang) Engineering Co., Ltd.

2022

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Feb.~May.

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Liquefied Petroleum Gas Train Unit Project in MAA Refinery, Kuwait

Assisted in translating“Architecture Specification of The Substation”from Chinese to English.

Conducted series of technique drawings including plan, section and elevation of the substation.

Design studio: Houtouwan Herb Research Center（Individual)

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Explored the limitations and potential of Shengshan island.

Conducted the study on typology of research center.

Conducted the study of altitude, convexity, rainflow and other topography research of a mountainous island.

Designed a research center that blend into complex and fragmented site.

Jan. Workshop: Morphological Adaptation

2022

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2021

Sept.~Dec.

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Learned the evolutionary algorithms and tried it in design a tower by an underdevelopment plugin of grasshopper named "Snowflake". ●

Assisted test and reported the advantages, drawbacks and stability of Snowflake.

Investigated the characteristic of the site and dimension of existing neighborhood around the site.

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Analyzed the group of elderlys and their needs respectively.

Designed several living blocks according to different groups' need.

Designed an artificial topography and its tectonic details.

Made appropriate openings according to sustainable consideration and chose sustainable material for construction.

Created the landscape according to the artificial topography.

Analyzed the site condition and students' 24H narrative in university.

Considered the hight difference on site and look up similar case studys.

Portfolio Preface

I see architecture not only as solidified art but also as a solution to many problems. When a person is in a space, his or her emotions are influenced by the spirit of that space. Therefore, good architecture brings new life to each user, to the site, and even to the city. The spirit of my work is that architecture should not just be an aesthetic urban ornament or a patterned functional body, it can be rebellious, alarming, integrated or even virtual, and its presence must bring a positive impact on the user and thus solve certain issues.

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Drew the technical drawings by hand.

Made the physical model by hand.

EDUCATION Other Chinese

EXPERIENCE Design Photography Travelling Ballet Cooking

Premiere Pro Illustrator Photoshop Unreal Engine Lumion V-ray Enscape

Indesign English Spanish

Rhinoceros 3D Grasshopper SketchUp AutoCAD

My ideal architecture is diverse and eclectic, and I love to experiment with all new forms and design techniques to bring out the value of architecture, to solve problems and to bring out the best in the users.

01 Growing Cell

Individual Work

Elderly Neighborhood

Location: Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.

02 Melting Earth Countdown Monument

Groupwork

Synthetical Skycraper

Participate in brainstorming,3D modeling,rendering,graphical representation (Leader)

Cooperator: Yi Fu, Danni Yan.

Location: New York, USA.

03 Into the Green

Individual Work

Chinese Herb Research Center

Location: Shengshan Island, Zhejiang Province, China.

04 A.E.E.B : Autonomous Eel Ecological Base

Groupwork

Interactive Workshop

Participate in brainstorming,3D modeling,UI system construction,graphical representation

Cooperator: Xinyu Chen, Peng Qi, Shangci Sun, Yue Zhao.

Location: Satsuma Sendai, Japan.

05 Grille Kinetic Facade

Groupwork

Kinetic Facade

Participate in brainstorming,physical model making,rendering,graphical representation

Cooperator: Xinyi Gong, Shucen Liu, Danni Yan, Zhaoyilin Zhang

06 Other Work

Individual Work

Other Projects, Morphological Adaptation reporst, Sketches

01 Growing Cell

Introduction:

With the increasing ageing of China today and many elderly people not receiving the adequate care, it has become an important topic to make the elderly feel that they have not been abandoned by society. This project is located on the south bank of the Outer City River, at the junction of the old and new cities of Suzhou. The project is based on a voronoi cell design with dozens of living units, each cell is unique, so it is possible to create a living space tailored to the individual needs of each elderly person, from their health condition, to their quiet or active personality, to their daily eating and bathing habits. It also provides a great deal of outdoor space through the addition of a gently sloping artificial topography, making it fun for the elderly to exercise on a daily basis.

When it is raining or hot, those who love to be outdoors can still do so on the ground floor under the topography's shelter.The growing cell represents not only the organic and diverse shape of the voronoi, but also the vibrant life of the elderly, who are not forgotten by society and who do not have to spend the rest of their lives in a formulaic, one-size-fits-all nursing home, but in a community where they can still follow their own habits and live a colourful life.

Project type: Individual work

Coverd Area: 19000 ㎡

Floor area: 2000㎡

Tutor: John Latto (John.Latto@xjtlu.edu.cn)

Year3/2021.09-2021.12

Mapping

User group analysis

Form generating diagrams

Master plan

Unit plan examples

Cluster plan

D: family guest room&single&double room

A: single&double room

B: family guest room& living support room

E: single&double room

C: residential care room

C: (GF) community activity center

artificial topography

ground floor landscape and plastic walkway

ground floor central gathering plaza

Melting Earth Countdown Monument

Introduction：

With the development of human society, more and more crises are beginning to emerge. Solar storms, intelligent crises, nuclear war, environmental pollution, humanity is constantly confronted with impending risks. The closest of these is the continued soaring of the Earth's temperature, the melting of the ice and the rise of sea levels. The sight of cities being submerged is likely to become a reality as soon as this century. Yet in the face of all this, people do not realise the magnitude of the problem.

Our design aims to use striking tall buildings combined with icebergs to give a more visual representation of the phenomenon of rising temperatures in order to provoke thought and attention. As the temperature rises, the iceberg at the top of the building will gradually melt to reveal warning signs, while meltwater will be stored around the building. People will still be able to access the interior from the internal observation lifts, but the flooded parts will be unusable. As the water accumulates, more and more of the

building's functions will no longer be usable, from the most basic commercial consumption to education and healthcare, and even administrative institutions and laboratories. The highest floor is the cathedral, which holds the last civilisation and hope of mankindand is where people's last hope lies. This process can also be clearly seen from the outside through the glass curtain, and people may no longer be indifferent as furniture gradually floats, buildings are submerged and normal life is disrupted.

The project is currently located in the densely populated and economically developed area of Manhattan, New York, USA, to draw more attention to the project, with more related buildings being considered for further locations.

Project type:Group work

Tutor:Yufei Zheng

(z_yufeii@163.com)

Year4/2022.09-2022.12

Extraterrestrial civilizations

As the universe is explored, the dangers gradually increase

Force majeure

Threats to human civilisation from unpredictable and unstoppable external factors

Current Situation

Planetary impact

The threat of space junk and small meteorites

Industrial development

The enormous negative impact of industrial development on human society cannot be ignored

Waste pollution

Large amounts of waste of all kinds accumulate and are difficult to deal with

Excessive emissions

Excessive emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide cause a series of chain reactions to occur

Natural disasters

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, etc. occur frequently

Excessive deforestation

Rapid decline in forest cover, severe soil erosion and increased desertification

Nuclear War

The danger of nuclear war due to technological progress and instability

Diseases

The threat of global pandemics remains

With the development of the human world, the influence of exploitation to the natural environment is becoming greater. Under this circumstance, plenty of problems occured, while the global warming is the most serious and urgent one among them. Due to the unusual climate change, the sea level rises and icebergs all over the world start to melt. Therefore, not only some islands are flooding, but also the habitats of specific animals are destroyed.

Sea level rise

Global warming is causing icebergs to melt and global sea levels to rise

Indiscriminate emissions

Serious impact on the sea and some waters

Waste of resources

Food, energy and other resources are wasted and in short supply

Ocean pollution

Artificial products are extremely polluting to the sea, especially marine life

People's awareness

Most people are not yet aware of the seriousness of the problem, are not vigilant and the situation is still deteriorating.

Extreme weather

The increase in extreme weather and abnormal weather has a huge impact on food production etc.

Consequences

Some of the problems are already beginning to show irreversible consequences.

Manhattan

The most prosperous area of Manhattan has been chosen as the first place to attract the attention of human beings from all over the world

Holographic projection

Worldwide

Natural disasters are occurring all over the world and it is expected that the landmark will be placed all over the world.

Population density around New York

The high level of importance of New York can also be seen in the distribution of population density.

Using holographic projection technology to create a meltable iceberg on top of a building with a warning message.

Top tier

Carrying the last hope and survival of mankind

Laboratory and office areas

There are large office areas for staff. There are also environment-related laboratories and foundations etc.

Public buildings

Some social functions such as education and health care are also represented, located above the commercial and taking on some public functions.

Residential areas

Background Analysis Concept collage Development

This area takes on the function of a hotel and provides daily living space

Commercial functions

At the bottom are the most basic consumer needs, where the regular commercial areas are located.

Regional significance：

The Manhattan area has the highest traffic in the United States. The United States is the most developed country and the third most populous country in the world. New York is the most populous city in the United States with 8,175,133 people. The Manhattan area is the financial center of New York City and has the most foot traffic. Our project is located in the most crowded place, aiming to attract more attention, so as to achieve the outcome of alerting the public.

Original

Before the iceberg had melted and the environment had deteriorated, the building as a whole was integrated into the bustling New York City.

Semi-molten state

After a period of environmental degradation, the temperature rises, the iceberg partially melts and the base of the building is flooded with meltwater.

Iceberg melting

All the melt water is stored in the building so that one can visually realise the crisis is coming.

The Upper Floor People can still access the building from the inside via the observation lift and use the upper floors

Complete structure

The commercial attributes are more than reflected, with an eye-catching enough appearance and practical and complete functionality.

Destroyed

The furniture is floating in the water and most of the space is submerged and unusable.

Lower level space has been largely submerged by meltwater, to raise awareness of the crisis.

Not waterlogged

The whole building is predominantly utilitarian, with good views and use.

Environmental degradation

During this period the urban environment had also been devastated and many buildings had been damaged and rendered unusable.

Partial special spaces

There are unique spatial nodes in the building that become interesting with the activities of people

Emergency Shelter

Located on high ground and used for shelter in case of emergency.

Visualising the iceberg

A holographic projection showing an iceberg, gradually melting. The larger roof space forms a public space for people to move around.

Glass Curtain

The glass façade to ensure visibility and enable better observation of the water accumulation. The overall volume is lighter and more translucent.

Foundation

Located on the upper floors, space for charities

Breathing Space

Each section of the large functional variation is interspersed with equipment levels and breathing spaces, open areas that allow even very tall buildings to be unobstructed and light.

Office meeting area

Space for staff to manage the whole building and related matters

Multi-purpose classroom

Music room, art studio, counselling room, etc.

Traffic flow 12 lifts through the centre and the necessary fire stairs. In addition, stairs and short lifts are scattered more frequently in the larger upper areas to ease circulation pressure.

Public space functions

As a supertall building, many public spaces have been considered in the design, including the ground floor mall and plaza, and the breathing space is also a major venue for public activities.

Medical Space

Basic ward, treatment space for health needs

Commercial space

Various hospitality and entertainment spaces

Commercial value

The ground floor is predominantly commercial in function, allowing the ground floor space to be used by consumers to give it more commercial value.

Function order

An abstraction of Maslow's theory of needs, from material needs to a cascade of spiritual needs. A gradual progression from consumption, to commerce, to beliefs, to pursuits.

Earth's Countdown

As one looks at this Building,the fruit of countless human ingenuity and human civilisation shines on the tallest skyscraper in Manhattan, yet it is a reminder of a cruel truth - the countdown to the destruction of the planet is on. We want to use this almost brutal method to raise awareness before everything comes to an end. Only if more people do something can the countdown clock stop ticking.

Into the green

Introduction:

This project is a research centre for Chinese herbal medicine located in Hou Tou Wan, an abandoned uninhabited village on Shengshan Island, China. Due to the fragmented and complex topography of the site, the design strategy was to modularise the site and then select suitable modules to reassemble it, designing the arrangement of the modular units in the main building according to the mountainous topography, and remodelling the existing building to serve as a researcher's residence. In terms of plant selection, the project makes extensive use of the original ivy vegetation on the site, retaining the original landscape and view of the site to the greatest extent possible, integrating the new building with the original landscape and topography of the site, and blurring the research institute into the green

Project type: Individual work Floor area: 2600

Tutor: Sofía Quiroga Fernández (Sofia.Quiroga@xjtlu.edu.cn)

Year3/2022.03-2022.06

Climate and Local Resources

Issues and Solutions

u-shape bay

overfishing

inconvenient traffic

decline of fishery resources

lack of other industry

few tourist

decline of fishery income frequent marine storm

fishery hardship

adequate raining suitable for herbal growth

new talents introduction

Users and Needs

loss of larbor

tranquil atmosphere suitable for scientific research

herbal industry potential

purse other industry

Site Condition and Possibilities

WHO ARE THEY?

WHAT DO THEY NEED?

students

SPACE TYPE visitors

researchers

manager

orchard laboratory

tourists photographers gardener

research CHINESE HERB cultivate and research NEW herb TEACH and be taught

scientist

restoration meeting room

SOCIALIZE and CHAT REST

changing room office

other staff

water bar accommodation

Site Roof Plan

select the feasible site

define the main function

modularize the site in plan

generate and combine the modulars into volume

add modular canopy to facilitate the roof

complete landscape and facade

Design Strategy Diagram

Exploded Axonometric

Main Body GF Plan

Main Body 2F Plan

Main Body 3F Plan

Main Body 1F Plan

Section A-A'

Three outdoor orchards, enclosed by buildings, are responsible for the cultivation of research plants for the herb research centre and are maintained, picked and regularly checked by researchers for most of the year. In the winter, the herbal cultivation is moved indoors. Researchers are free to wander on the roofs of each level, where the solar radiation can be intense in summer, but also where the canopy is densely populated with vines, which provide excellent shade for those sitting below. When shade is needed, researchers can also place removable outdoor umbrellas on the roofs without canopy, and at night when the umbrellas are no longer needed, the open roofs can be turned into mini water bars where people can party.

Spring--ocean view on 3rd floor Summer--view towards middle orchard

Autumn--view towards mountain

staff's dormitory entrence plaza office

orchard

A.E.E.B : Autonomous Eel Ecological Base

Introduction:

Can autonomous system potentially govern and supervise the eel industry to improve this condition? And what would such an architecture and infrastructure be required to do that? Our autonomous system, AEEB, is aim to achieve three goals: maintain ecological and economy policy, generate ,move or execute eel habitats when necessary, and finally fine or reward to particular shipping people. And it contains three main part: monitoring, producing, and implementing.

Project type: Group work

Tutor: Hadin Charbel (h.charbel@ucl.ac.uk)

Co-tutor: Qianxin Deng

Technical Tutor: Zehao Qin

Year3/2022.07-2022.08

signalReceivethefishboxdiverlessandsenda car needstotransportit.Whetheritimmediately.tobefrozen

Thecartransportboxesto thewarehouse.

identificationFishingproductandweightingfor packaging

Producinghabitat

Application

Storage

Inspection

Voxelgoesfromthe workshoptothequalitycontrolplant viaaconveyorbelt

receivedDependingonthesignal bythedatacenter,differenttheworkshopproduces typesofvoxels

driverlessReceivesignalanddistribute cartotransport boxes

Thereisasliderailunderthecraneto move,soitisconvenienttotakethefishbelow.Thenitcan puttheboxontheconveybeltandwaitforthedriverlesscar.

Habitatcultivation

Detectandsend signal

Packagingboxes

Earlyfishprocessing

05 Grille Kinetic Facade

Introduction:

The grille kinetic facade is an envelop that responds to environmental changes. Inspired by kinetic sculpture, this facade regulates the amount of solar radiation ingress by varying the degree of overlap of the polycarbonate panels to make the building interior more comfortable. The core mechanical system of the facade is the gears, and the entire The facade is made up of three different kinds of units that can be operated by the user as required.

Project type: Group work

Tutor: Abdullah Ibrahim

（Abdullah.Ibrahim@xjtlu.edu.cn）

Year 4/2022.09-2022.10

Detail & Material

Due to the different shading requirements and the inter-motion of the gear sets, we have designed the components in three scales, L, M and S, which overlap each other and rotate at different times in order to vary the amount of light fed.

S-Scale

1m

1m

2m

2m

M-Scale

Components Of The Central Display Status

When this section is rotated 180 degrees, the shade assembly is rotated 360 degrees to complete the three modes.

Components Of The Central Display Status

3m

L-Scale

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate sheets have good light transmission, impact resistance, UV radiation resistance and dimensional stability of their products and good moulding and processing properties.

Polycarbonate

Translucent Polycarbonate

Steel

Higher Layer

Translucent Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate

Transparent Acrylic

Steel

Lower Layer

Translucent Polycarbonate

Transparent Acrylic

Gear movement units

Higher Layer

Steel

Polycarbonate

Translucent Polycarbonate

Transparent Acrylic

Steel

Lower Layer

Translucent Polycarbonate

Transparent Acrylic

Gear movement units

Steel

Motors

Steel

Translucent Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate

Transparent Acrylic

Steel

Transparent Acrylic

Translucent Polycarbonate

Gear movement units

Steel

Steel

Motors

Motors

8. Screw

7. Steel cantiliver

1. Drilled anchor

2. Screw

3. Concrete slab 4. Concrete anchor 5. Steel joint 6. Steel Grill Panel

Other Work

Cocoon: Suzhou Silk Making Research Center

Film roll: Pedestrian Bridge

Joint: Students' Activity Center

Go

Workshop Report

subjective aim is to create the twistingTower with at least one vertical edge twisted.

Human - Algorithm Interaction in Evolutionary Design Process

aim is to find the combination between twisting Tower with a long middle curve and straight slim Tower with short middle curve.

Evolutionary Design Process

Evolutionary Design Process

Morpholigical Adaptation Workshop

The chosen tower is the result of experiment conducted by quantitative, characteristic similarity and gene similarity patterns. The total generation number is 35 with 100 population each generation. Although this process is aim to get unpredictable results, the chosen one is the one I like most because of its slim and hyperbolic shape. the fitness value is 0.499782. axonometric view fitness value: 0.499782

top view

Watercolor Painting