About Me Studio Project Design Studio I Writer’s Cabin for Henry Thoreau Design Studio II John Boone Exploratorium Museum Design Studio III Franklin Point House Design Studio IV Grindstone Recreation Center
Product Design Art | Drawing Photography
About Me
I am a hardworking and confident person who is always passionate about design and has many interests in fields of music, photography, and art. Receiving integrated education of Chinese, Canadian and American well develops my ability to learn and extends the perspective toward the world. I always give 100% of myself to any task I set or are given. Challenges are everywhere, but I love it; I am eager to learn new skills and latest stuff around me. Easy going and kind personalities attributes me as being a great contribution to any group. My ultimate life goal is to become an architect, creating works truly beneficial for our society.
Yifei Lou Studio I 3 Weeks Academic Final Project Instructor: Asha Kutty
Writer’s Cabin of Henry Thoreau rural columbia, mo
Henry Thoreau’s writer’s studio in the woods, designed to inspire writer through the presence of the natural environment. Fundamental design practices have done in this project: basic site analysis, hand drafting, interior space planning, and hand modeling.
The fundamental configuration is designed and modeled by the basic kit of parts, in which contains 1”x1” cubes, 1/4”x3” rods, 3”x9” panels and 3”x3” panels. Any other dimensions of parts are transformed by students.
+ Concept | Section
Original rectangle configuration
Section Plan
Switch orientation to get sufficient daylight for all spaces
Divide into three components, to separate spaces; create zigzag layout to fit landscape
Open floor plan creates free interior circulation; vestibule connects two wings
Fill exterior voids by adding pathway connecting main entrance and the vestibule
External path is responding to interior circulation
Final Model
Yifei Lou Studio II 4 Weeks Academic Final Project Instructor: Tilanka Chandrasekera
John Boone Exploratorium Museum columbia, mo
The artist exploratorium museum is designed in memory of a local Missouri artist, John William (Blind) Boone, who overcame poverty, disability, and racism to become nationally composer and musician. The site is the center of the City of Columbia, where has the busiest traffic during day time. John Boone’s old house is located tight crossed the streets. The major goal is to design a contemporary architecture, which serves as a landmark of the city and creates virtual connection to John’s old house. The museum is designed to tell the life story of Blind Boone. It contains the permanent exhibition for display personal items if Blind Boone; the multimedia facilities to create virtual exploration of his unique music. The goal of this project is to understand how interior space influences exterior configuration of architecture, and also to practice 3d MAX modeling and rendering.
Conceptual sketches to create an illustration for interior space and exterior configuration. The design concept of is inspired by the unique musical element of Ragtime, syncopated rhythm. In addition the interior space is designed to emphasize the fluidity of the Ragtime music. The exterior hierarchy configuration brings a visual impacts toward visitors, and emphasize the architectural rhythm of the building.
Configuration sketch
Site relationship to the surroundings
+ Site Analysis John Boone’s Historical House The building creates a visual connection toward John’s old house that sits right cross the 4th Street.
Major Vehicle Traffic
The building locates at the intersection of Providence Road and Broadway, where has the busiest traffic in the City of Columbia. Providence Rd. delivers traffic through North to South, whereas Broadway transits traffic through East to West.
Pedestrian Access
Major pedestrian access on the current site is on Broadway through East to West, and on 4th Street through South to North. The building compromise the existing accesses in the design, which creates an inviting feeling toward pedestrian walking on Broadway through East to West.
On Site View
Three major views are currently on the site: downtown and campus view toward Southeast; John’s old house view toward Northeast; downtown view toward Southwest.
Existing Landscape/Plantation The site is currently occupied by the public parking lot with few vegetation. More vegetation is surrounded with John’s old house. The building is composed with pedestrian plaza, in which will has more plantation in future to create a pedestrian friendly environment.
+ Section | Elevation The interior space is inspired by the fluidity character of Ragtime Music that best articulate the unique performance style of John Boone. The facilities inside of the building are under sequential arrangements. The various ceiling heights evoke a hierarchical spatial feeling, in order for visitors experiencing the highlights and downs though John Boone’s legendary life.
Permanent exhibition
Cafe and visitor terrace
Lobby area and gift shop
Temporary exhibition
East Elevation (downtown and campus view)
South Elevation (S. Providence road view and downtown view)
+ Plans The lower level carries major public circulation toward outside. It contains temporary exhibition areas, allowing convenient transportation for exhibiting items. An auditorium is located between two major entrances of the building, creating easy access for first-time visitors. In addition, a gift shop and public rest areas are also provided in the lower level plan.
Lower Floor Plan
The upper level plan is inspired by the fluidity characteristic of Ragtime Music. The circulation of permanent exhibition area is designed to follow the chronological order of John’s life, which allows visitors understand and experience John’s life stories through his youth to adult. The tunnel connecting exhibition area and the view patio produces a dimmed interior lighting environment, denoting the obstacles and hard time of being a black and disability person. The view patio has a wide open view toward downtown and John’s old house, where signifies the highlighted moment of his life after years’ of hard time.
Upper Floor Plan
Yifei Lou Studio IV 8 Weeks Academic Final Project Instructor: Benyamin Schwarz
Franklin Point House
columbia, mo
A residential house designed for Franklin family. The house took a site on rural area of Columbia, MO where the old house of Franklin located. A house around three thousand square foot incorporates with local mined limestone and cedar panel finish to better blend into the surrounds. Exposed wood structure ceiling emphasizes the concept as being natural and creates notable aesthetic feature. An open interior space attributes free circulation inside of the house. An open courtyard directly points to and projects the view of a pond on the site, which emphasizes the concept of “bring outside in� Other design goals involve in this project include: providing accessibility for the residence as they aged in the house, providing enhanced public and private spaces into an open floor plan. The house incorporates the concept of gratification delay where visitors drive up the hills, park and walk along the pathway to enter the house where they are greeted with a grant view of green courtyard and the pond.
Early configuration sketches to determine basic layout of the design and the separation between public and private spaces
+ Design Concept
Original rectangle configuration
Split into half to separate public and private spaces Open floor plan creates free circulation while separated wings of the house enhancing the privacy for residence. In addition, open floor plan solve the aging issue in the house.
Adding a transitional space to connect two spaces
Transitional Private Arraying additional space on top
Public
Bubble diagram of spatial relationship between each room and their connection.
+ Site Analysis | Plan
+ Plan | Section
North Elevation
Living Room
Dining Room and Kitchen
Yifei Lou Studio IV Semester Academic Project Instructor: Hugo Sheward
Grindstone Recreation Center columbia, mo
The recreational center is located at Grindstone Nature Area in Columbia, MO. The design purpose is to create a recreational and social space for growing neighbors of the surroundings. The design concept aims sustainability, natural views of the park, and also merging existing trails on the site. The building sits on north prairie and is adjacent to two distinguished views, Hinks vvvvon Creek and Central Woodland. The building contains a full scale of recreational facilities, gymnasium, running track, swimming pool, wet/dry sauna, and etc.
Preliminary conceptual ideograms are to define the basic layouts of the buildings based on the landscapes, paths, and views.
Preliminary conceptual design sketches
+ Site Analysis
Creek
North Prairie
Central Woodland
Creek Zone Section
North Prairie Sketch
Central Woodland Sketch
Grindstone Nature Area is composed of two main landmarks, which create different landscape compositions throughout the park. The first landmark includes the two distinct water features of the park, which are Hinkson Creek and Grindstone Creek. These creeks define the outermost edges of the entire park. Hinkson Creek, the creek to the north, is filled with water and has in turn shaped the landscape by erosion. On the southern edge, the park is bound by Grindstone Creek. These two creek beds help define the exterior of the park. The interior of the park features a central woodland. This woodland is visible from the majority of the park, allowing it to play a vital role in way finding and space legibility. The central woodland also creates a variety of landscapes throughout the park. These landscapes are defined by the relationship of the surrounding prairie grass has with the central woodland. The park is divided into ten zones based on the spatial relationships created by the central woodland and neighboring prairie grasses. The ten zones we have defined include the south pockets, creek, south prairie, southwest prairie, south east prairie, entrance, central woodlands, north east prairie, north woodlands, north prairie, and North West prairie.
+ Preliminary Design
Original square
Push and lift
Divided into three
Connect and transform
Protrude and extend
Extend and push
Cross-over
Push and pull
Conceptual design illustration based on 3d diagrams and mass model
+ Plans
Lower Level Plan 1-6 locker room/ restroom 7-8 multi-use room 9 yoga room 10-11 storages 12 wet sauna 13 dry sauna 14 grotto 15 utility room 16 racquetball room 17 equipment room 18 basketball court 19 swimming pool
North Elevation
Main Level Lobby
+ Plans | Section
Upper Level Plan 1 2 3 4 5 6 - 7
jogging track rest area computer area terrace gym/pumping room locker room/restroom
Section A-A
Upper Level Gym and Pumping Room
+ Construction Details
Wall Section Detail
Exploded Axonometric
+ Cardboard Chair Design
The recycled chair designed and made collaboration with fellow students Jade Li and Curtis Li. My responsibility involves design, material collecting, model making, and final photographing. The design won the most aesthetic design prize among the class. The design pass the weight and pressure test done by class instructor and fellow classmates. Materials are discards acquired from Walmart, Office Depot, and Lowe’s.
The wine store box design is inspired by traditional Chinese treasure box which contains jewelries and valuable person stuff. The box is made by walnut and white maple boards to create an unique aesthetic finish.
Wine Store Box
Art | Design As being an architecture student, art has always been part of my life and keeps inspiring me on designing.
Zen-tangle architectural illustration based on Lyon Airport Railway Station by Santiago Calatrava. Zen-tangle patterns are denoting the outline curve of the building; black and white part emphasize the shadow cast on the building; color scheme follows the exterior accent lighting during night.
Graphite Charcoal Drawing
Graphite Drawing
Photography Photography is one of the most important components that well define me as a person. I alway enjoy traveling and capturing things around me. All photos in this portfolio are taken and post edited by myself. Photos are taken by DSLR and iphone, edited by Lightroom, Photoshop, VSCOcam.
11/2013, Columbia, MO
11/2014, Austin, TX
11/2014, Houston, TX
11/2014, Austin, TX
Yifei Lou +1 (314)-593-0420 aaronlou0927@gmail.com http://issuu.com/yifeilou