Yimeng Ding Master of Architecture in Urban Design Candidate Graduate School of Design Harvard University
Urban Design + Planning
Portfolio
Yimeng Ding +1(607) 379 5368 yimengding@gsd.harvard.edu https://issuu.com/yimenglucyding
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES
EDUCATION Harvard University, Graduate School of Design Master of Architecture in Urban Design
2022 - 2024 Cambridge, MA
Urban Design, Planning and Real Estate Student Initiated Program(SIP)
2023 - Present Cambridge, MA
2017 - 2022 Ithaca, NY
National Organization of Minority Architecture Student, Cornell Chapter
2019 - 2022 Ithaca, NY
June - August 2023 New York, NY
Treasurer / Host of 2018 Cornell Info Session in Pearl River Delta
Cornell Chinese Student and Scholar Association
2017 - 2019 Ithaca, NY
Areas of focus: Urban Design and Planning, Real Estate Finance and Development, Sustainable and Resilient Design, Entrepreneurship in Built Environment
Cornell University
Bachelor of Architecture Minor in Inequality Studies
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES SOM
Urban Design Intern New York Climate Exchange at Governors Island and higher education campus planning. Duties include: - Designed and visualized climate-resilient public space for 9-acre campus - Researched on and proposed sustainable spatial planning strategies for higher education campus - Conducted computational site modeling and urban analysis for urban design projects - Coordinated submission materials with architecture, structure, and consultant teams
URBANUS Architecture and Design
Architecture and Urban Design Intern City/Village Urban Design & Exhibition, Qianmen East Hu-tong Preservation, Jingui Village Regeneration, and Chunshan High School. Duties include: - Proposed adaptive reuse strategy of urban villages for the Shenzhen government - Researched on and visualized the regeneration design of historic Hu-tong neighborhood - Participated in the planning and schematic design for 7-acre high school
Aedas
Architecture Intern Worked on Vanke Complex at Guangzhou South Train Station; Duties include: - Schematic design for 80,000 sqm commercial project in Guangzhou, China - Computational design for facade shading to optimize interior lighting condition
Teaching Assistant - Provided course planning and teaching assistance to various classes, including STU 1501: Detroit Reconnected, VIS 2127: Representation for Planners, and Urban Design pre-term workshop - Curated class publications
Finalist, MIT DesignX, 2023 Venture accelerator program by MIT for entrepreneurship in the built environment Entry title: ReFEEL - All-in-one conversion assistance for vacant office spaces May - Aug 2021 May - Aug 2020 Shenzhen, China
July - August 2019 Hong Kong
Seoul Biennale, “Global Studio” section, 2021 Group project Naïve Intention 13: Inside Out, led by Pezo von Ellrichshausen and Andrea Simitch 2nd place, NOMA Student Design Competition, 2019 Entry title: Our Backyard
SKILLS Aug 2023 - Present Cambridge, MA
Sept 2022 - Aug 2023 Cambridge, MA
Cornell Architecture Department, Intro to Architecture Program
Jun - Aug 2022 Ithaca, NY
Teaching Associate - Worked closely with studio coordinators to structure program and tutorials - Instructed students on design assignments, visualization and model-making
1st place, Hack-a-House(“Environmental Challenges & Construction Technology” category), 2022 Co-hosted by Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and Ivory Innovation Entry title: Heatwith - Sharing Energy International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam, 2022 Group project Material Biographies in Prishtina, led by Peter van Assche and Curt Gambetta
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Fabrication Lab CNC TA - Oversaw operations of CNC fabrication
Co-President - Led the design team for NOMA 2019, 2020, and 2021 student competition - Organized academic, social and professional events for minority architecture students at Cornell
AWARDS AND EXHIBITIONS
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES Harvard Graduate School of Design
Committee - Planned student-initiated social and academic events for the Department of UPDRE
Skill Architecture and Urban Design Urban Design and Planning Strategy Urban and Data Analysis Real Estate Financial Analysis Language English, Mandarin
with Rhino, Grasshopper, Autocad, Adobe Suite and others with ArcGIS and others with Microsoft Suite
Table of Content Academic Work Urban Design Intertidal
04
Urban Design Proposal for South Boston Waterfront
Green Weave
10
Urban Design for High-speed Train Station District near La Guardia Airport in New York
Urban Planning Redefining Smart Street
15
Street design and planning for Detroit’s Michigan Avenue
Real Estate Finance and Development Vision 50
20
Office-to-Residential Conversion Project in Boston
Professional Work A Village with Thousands of Possibilities Urban village regeneration plan in Shenzhen, China
23
Academic Work
Intertidal How do we inhibit the zone between land and water? In collaboration with Michele Chen Instructor: Dana Mckinney & Peter Rowe Harvard Graduate School of Design | Fall 2022
By definition, the word intertidal indicates a shore zone where the oceans meet the land between the edges of high and low tide. It is an ecosystem found on marine shoreline, where most shellfish habitats live. We see the word intertidal metaphorically to create a thickened space between human and shellfish habitat. The land and the sea. The thickened in-between belt serves as a patchwork that connects the previously separate industrial edge of seaport and residential edge of south Boston. At the site, it becomes the actor that shifts the existing axis of the urban grid, threads the existing park with new ones, and generates a sequence of public space narratives that bring both visitors and residents into and through the site. Our intertidal scheme anticipates and embraces the rising water and proposes a revitalized blue-economy neighborhood by celebrating the reciprocity between intertidal organisms and humans.
Reconstructing the Edge South Boston today lies at the intersection of both potential and challenge: On the one hand, the site sits at the crossroad of two important public space system - the Emerald Necklace and Boston Harbour Walk. On the other hand, the rising sea level is threatening the coastal accessibility, which has been a historically crucial characteristic for South Boston.
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Under the surge of sea level rise, this new waterfront to our definition has the potential to, instead of distancing the lives of residential and ecological communities in South Boston, create new models of waterfront residence and public space.
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Intertidal: An Ecological System As a overall site strategy, the proposal imagines a living scenario that supports the co-habitat and reciprocal living between aquatic species and human. Programmatically, a “foster-harvest-recycle” cycle is developed to support living, working and leisure on the waterfront. It revitalizes the site by providing more ecology related mixed-use public programs and job opportunities. Typologically, the building and landscape respond to the rising sea level with a gradient from dry condition to wet conditions.
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Intertidal: A Model for Public Space The centrality of the site is set up with a mixed-use corridor as the extension of the Boston Harbour Walk. The pedestrian boulevard is defined by five main public nodes: Aquaculture farms, cultural facility, central park, sea market, and recycling industries. The thickened belt serves as a pedestrian porous edge that defines a more cohesive residential neighborhood on the south side and a more scattered residential neighborhood on the north side to give more space to species habitats. New parks along the boulevard also enhance the public access to the waterfront.
View of the retail section of the central boulevard
Ground Conditions The section shows the level and program atmosphere change across the site from south to north. The zoom ins show a gradient of responses to topographies. They adapt to dry, intermediate, and wet landscapes. The Intertidal scheme anticipates and embraces the rising water and propose a revitalized blue-economy neighborhood by celebrating the reciprocity between intertidal organisms and humans.
Dry
Sea wall incorporated into the central boulevard
Intertidal
Wet
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Intertidal: A Way of Living Several typologies housing are proposed in response to the distance to water and the gradient of wetness. To the north of the Harbour Walk, single family houses and studio apartments sit on stilts to reserve the ground floor for wetland and water; South of the Harbour Walk, the courtyard housing extends from the existing residential area and provides more unit options that respond to the diverse demographics in South Boston.
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The elevated path and the landscape underneath together creates the acessible waterfront with residential and public space.
Green Weave How to define centrality in the new era of multi-modal transit? In collaboration with Somin Lee Instructor: Joan Busquets Harvard Graduate School of Design | Spring 2023
Given the pressing need for carbon emission reduction, we need to rethink the role of transportation, which currently constitutes almost 30% of the carbon footprint, for a more reasonable mobility that will produce more livable cities. The studio is thus based on the culture of the judicious choice of the appropriate means of transport, proposing the development of high-speed train infrastructure as a powerful complement to air or car travel. The right combination of long-distance transportation modes (HST and plane) can ensure the high-level accessibility required by an innovative economy and may reduce the negative impact of the wrong choice of modes of travel. The project aims to create a new urban center that capitalizes on the development potential of the airport and high-speed train station. By developing a connected, sustainable, and vibrant urban district around these transportation nodes, the project aims to establish a new standard for airport design that prioritizes the needs of people and the environment. The project will explore how this form of intermodality can be implemented in the airport district of La Guardia with a focus on economic and environmental opportunities that determine the urban form of the airport + high-speed train station district.
Observations on Centrality The proposal aims to create a new urban center that capitalizes on the development potential of the airport and high-speed train station. By developing a connected, sustainable, and vibrant urban district around these transportation nodes, the proposal aims to establish a new standard for airport design that prioritizes the needs of people and the environment.
Trend 1: Evolving Airport District
Knowledge-based economy generates new demands for destinations, urban functions, and employment, which lead to new urban development around the airports. Airports have transformed from singular infrastructure nodes to centers for development and service infrastructure.
Traditional CBD
New Nodes of Interaction
New Airport District Transportation Node Service Infrastructure Knowledge Enriching Environment
Trend 2: Green as Infrastructure
Landscape is not a residual but take agency in connecting different urban functions separated by infrastructure. As the site sits at the important landscape legacy of the Flushing Meadows, the project utilizes a robust landscape strategy to guide circulation and create dynamic pedestrian experience.
Multi-modal Transit Development The vision for the new Flushing Meadow Corona Park is a connected hub with multimodal transportation and green infrastructure. The transit hub joins previously spaced subway lines while introducing new connections with the high-speed train and airtrain. The proposal aims to refine the scale of the airport district to make it more accessible and attractive to people. The site within itself is connected and directed by landscape spines that create a new urban experience that is close to nature.
To achieve the vision, the proposal suggests the following steps: 1.Create a new itinerary that connects different parts of the airport district and introduces new nodes of attraction. 2. Develop green infrastructure that connects different parts of the district and creates new urban experiences. 3.Introduce innovative clusters with cultural venues, offices, and residential spaces close to nature to create a diversity of program.
Green as Infrastructure Landscape design in the project is not a “filler” but an integral part of infrastructure.The design centers around a green axis along the transportation corridor to guide circulation and create dynamic pedestrian experience. Diverse landscape types serve as a guide of navigation throughout the hub and into the surrounding development. Near the waterfront, a green deck bridges over the level difference generated by the highway infrastructure, facilitating the pedestrian experience walking out of the hub and into the parks.
Creating Dynamic Neighborhood A variety of development types is proposed to cater to the diverse urban functions we aim to attract, ensuring a balance between diversity and the central appeal generated by larger blocks. By building up the initial traction around the transit hub, this strategic approach seeks to maintain a dynamic urban environment that accommodates a range of activities and functions while preserving the centrality established by the larger blocks.
Project Phasing
Project Programming
Redefining Smart Street Street design and planning for Detroit’s Michigan Avenue In collaboration with Palak Gupta & Steven Li Instructor: Toni Griffin Harvard Graduate School of Design | Fall 2023
Detroit, home to the nation’s inaugural urban (depressed) highway, grapples with the legacy of past decisions that divided neighborhoods through the construction of I-375, I-75, and the Lodge Freeway. These thoroughfares, along with altered historic boulevards, have become divisive lines, segregating communities by race, class, land use, and economic investment. Amidst an era of restorative justice, the studio aims to rectify the impacts of urban renewal by reimagining these highways as walkable streets and parkways, reconnecting disjointed communities. Civic leaders aspire to leverage Detroit’s mobility innovation legacy to create inclusive, climate-responsive mobility infrastructures that address historical uprooting and displacement, particularly of African American businesses. The studio views Detroit’s street and highway network as an experimental laboratory for designing new mobility infrastructures. It proposes three street and two highway reconfiguration typologies, exploring various mobilities and addressing key design questions related to Detroiters’ mobility, the evolving public realm, adjacent development patterns, and the potential for restorative justice. The studio aims to tackle the complex intersection of issues, including climate, technology, economic flux, population dynamics, the future of work, public health, safety, and cultural identity. Through this comprehensive exploration, Detroit seeks to pave the way for equitable outcomes in mobility design and community restoration.
New Mobilities in the Motor City Through site visit, stakeholder engagement, and spatial data analysis, a COAT(Challenge, Opportunity, Asset, and Trend) artifact is produced which aligns the goals of Michigan Ave’s smart street development.
Communicating design intentions with physical model for more interactive feedback. Photo credit: Anita Kan
Physical model highlight spatial challenges and opportunities
Redefining Smart Street - Michigan Avenue Michigan has strategically positioned itself as a smart city through initiatives like the US-12 Detroit Mobility & Innovation Corridor by MDoT. This involves transforming the center two lanes into connected and automated vehicle (CAV) lanes. Additionally, Ford’s new mobility hub at Michigan Central contributes to this vision, aiming to create a 30-acre walkable innovation hub in Corktown. However, beyond these plans to reshape smart mobility, technologies on Michigan Ave also raises concern in surveillance and inequality given the lack of engagement with the city’s dominantly African American population.
Mobility Strategies
From Car-centric Mobility to...
Transportation Mobility Provide more people-oriented, multi-modal transportation. Use the excess lanes for street activities and street-calming measures.
Cultural Mobility
Existing street section of Michigan Avenue
Rebuild the cultural infrastructure of Corktown
How can smart street design move beyond traffic control and surveillance...
Social Mobility Provide community and Education programs for residents to understand how smart technology can help them and how they can be part of it
Environmental Mobility Improve environmental wellbeing of the neighborhood with new green spaces to improve pedestrian comfort and reduce flood risk
Upward Mobility Technology-oriented street design of Michigan Avenue, based on MDoT and Ford’s current plan
Introduce mixed-use development and affordable housing development in Corktown. Provide sufficient neighborhood amenities in anticipating new developments.
... and become a welcoming public environment that prioritize people and our well-being?
Economic Mobility Increase resident income with job opportunities brought by the tech & innovation district
Existing Street Condition of Michigan Avenue
© 2023 Google
People-oriented street uses of Michigan Avenue, based on existing street uses
© 2023 Google
3 Proposals I. Electric Boulevard Concept
Policy Suggestion
Core Value and User
Building off MDoT’s premise, Electric Boulevard embraces transportation infrastructure innovation while making it green and pedestrian friendly - By proposing the new infrastructural median Transportation sporta sp or Economic conom onom Social not only for autonomous vehicles and charging,Mobility but also a greenway Mobility Mobility that accommodates multi-modal transportation and public activities. “Electric” here combines the technology involved in EV charging - which are the batteries embedded underneath the street - and robust pedestrian activity programming with public plazas, bike lanes, charging stations and greenways.
Transportation Transportation C Cultural Cultura sporta sp sporta sp or l or Mobility Mobility Mobility
Environmental Economic conom Economic onom ronme conom on onom nm nm Mobility Mobility Mobility
Upward Social Social Mobility Mobility Mobility
Innovation
Safety
Comfort
Multifunctional
Infrastructure
Pedestrian
Autonomous Vehicle
Motor Vehicle
Cultura C Cultural Cultural Cl l Cultura Mobility Mobility
Environmental Environmental ronme on ronme non nm m nm nm Mobility Mobility
Programming
Travel
MDoT
MDoT
•
Private Partner
Upward Upward For every lane of smart Mobility Mobility
street development, there must be equivalent development in pedestrian, green, and multi-modal lane
s in the Motor City | Fall 2023 s in the Motor City | Fall 2023
20ft 20ft
SIDEWALK SIDEWALK
22ft 22ft
MOTOR VEHICLE VEHICLE MOTOR
14ft 14ft
GREEN SPACE SPACE GREEN
6ft 6ft
BIKE BIKE
3ft 3ft
7ft 7ft
INFRASTRUCTURE INFRASTRUCTURE
SIDEWALK SIDEWALK
14ft 14ft
22ft 22ft
15ft 15ft
GREEN SPACE SPACE GREEN
MOTOR VEHICLE VEHICLE MOTOR
SIDEWALK SIDEWALK
USES USES
SMART SMARTSTREET STREET
RIC BOULEVARD
PUBLIC PUBLIC + + PRIVATE PRIVATE
1:75 1:75 Yimeng Ding Yimeng Ding
•
Private Partner
There must be a minimum of 15ft landscape on both sides of the infrastructural development
New Development
Construction
Property Owner
Private Partner
•
New road and parcel • development along Michigan Avenue need to install solar panels on their • buildings’ rooftop or facade in order to help alleviate grid stress due to EV • charging road •
New street technology must adhere to reasonable dimensions, whereby: Drone poles must be at least 30ft tall and 500ft apart EV batteries must be 3ft below street surface Charging stations must be at most 1 mile apart
II. Set Forward
III. Michigan Longhouse
Set forward, contrary to setback which is a planning regulation that usually sets development off 20-feet from the street in Detroit, allows two lanes next to the existing sidewalk to be occupied for commercial and social activities. The concept prompts street as a public space to foster pedestrian Transportation Transportation sporta sp sporta sp oror Mobility activities, and put social and community events visible and accessible. Residents can sign upMobility for dance parties, basketball games, or farmer’s markets in the new public plazas with platform SET FORWARD technologies combined with smart street props.
Economic Economic conom conom onom onom Mobility Mobility
Social Social Mobility Mobility
By shrinking the motor vehicle lane to two, the north side of the avenue is put into community land trust to develop a long pavilion structure that houses neighborhood infrastructure such daycare, or market, to support the growing housing development and population CCultura Cultural Cultura Cl l Cultural Environmental Environmental ronme on ronme on nnm nm n mm as clinics,Upward Upward Transportation sporta sp or Economic conom onom Social Transportation sporta sp Cultural C or Cultura l Mobility Mobility Mobility Mobility Mobility Mobility density. The new development should be environmentally conscious with Mobility roof angle for Mobility solar Mobility Mobility Mobility MICHIGAN LONGHOUSE energy generation, shaded path, and tree-lined sidewalk.
Health
Joy
Multifunctional
Comfort
Pedestrian
Motor Vehicle
Vendor
Community Organization
Pedestrian
20ft
6ft
24ft
24ft
3ft
6ft
32ft
15ft
SIDEWALK
BIKE
PARKING
MOTOR VEHICLE
BUFFER
BIKE
OPEN SPACE
SIDEWALK
USES
PUBLIC + PRIVATE
PUBLIC
OWNERSHIP
Social Upward Mobility Mobility
Cultural C l Cultura Mobility
Enviro ro o Mo
Stewardship Belonging Togetherness
Cyclist
Vendor
Community Organization
SMART STREET
Togetherness
Environmental Economic conom onom ronme on nm nm Mobility Mobility
SES
PUBLIC
WNERSHIP
DIMENSION
USES
MENSION
8ft
24ft
12ft
30ft
23ft
20ft
SIDEWALK
MOTOR VEHICLE
BIKE
DEVELOPMENT
SIDEWALK
BUFFER
COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
PUBLIC
PRIVATE
PUBLIC
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it Reconnected: Reparative Mobilities in the Motor City | Fall 2023 ard Gradudate School of Design
Programming Property Owner
•
1:
Yimeng Ding
Detroit Reconnected: Reparative Mobilities in the Motor City | Fall 2023 Harvard Gradudate School of Design
Travel
New Development
Construction
DDoT
MDoT
MDoT
Property owners can claim • the 22 feet beyond their property line for temporary uses if property owners also maintain the space
Install a buffer of minimum • 3 feet and a bike lane of minimum 5 feet next to the new open space
Property Owner
New residential • development along Michigan Ave is required to have balconies on the side facing the street
Property Owner
Smart street props will be installed on the new open space, including street lamp with projector, interactive information screen, solar panels, and wifi.
Stud
Programming
Travel
New Development
Construction
Community Land Trust
Business Owner
Private Partner
Community Land Trust
•
The new developable • land will be put into a community land trust for community-oriented program(educational, social, and cultural).
• Businesses in the pavilion are encouraged to utilize the space under the pavilion. However, there • must be a public path accessible at all time under the canopy of the pavilion.
There must be a minimum • of 15ft tree pit between new development and the pavilion • New development must • have a minimum of 20-feet • setback from the parcel line • facing the street
The design and construction of the pavilion should follow: Max height: 25 ft Max enclosed width: 20 ft Usable duration: 20 year Encouraged material: Wood or brick construction
Vision 50 Office-to-Residential Conversion Project in Boston In collaboration with Andrew Lee Instructor: Richard Pieser, David Hamilton & Charlie Wu Harvard Graduate School of Design | Fall 2023
A vision for a more affordable living in Boston Downtown; a new model for the revitalization of historic urban cores; and an office-toresidential development paradigm for the new economy. With the surge in hybrid working, Boston’s commercial space hit an all-time high vacancy rate of 19.1%, totaling 31.8 million sqft. And vacancy lead to issues – First, we are seeing a 35% projected loss in property value in offices, which leads to further reduction in income, tax, and economic rigor. Second, making use of office space is difficult. The floor plan, location of the window, and projected return… making only 1.4% of vacant space in the US currently planned for conversion. This is the time for office conversions: The city of Boston has carried out a series of economic leverages to encourage alternative uses for these vacant offices including a rigorous 75% tax reduction in office conversions. Moreover, given the current economic and environmental climate, we cannot afford demolition - given its high environmental cost. The project is an adaptive reuse development of a vacant commercial property in downtown Boston. The goal of the project is to understand the feasibility of office conversion into mixed-use development forefronting affordable housing in terms of its financial return, social and environmental benefits.
1. Project Background
2. Conversion Design
On July 10, 2023, BPDA announced the launch of a Downtown Residential Conversion Incentive Pilot Program for downtown office buildings. The goal of this program is to support owners and developers of older commercial office building space in converting to residential units.
50 Federal Street is an existing 70,000 square foot, 10-story building overlooks the Post Office Square Park and surrounded by various public amenities.
The Financial District is the largest office submarket in Boston with 253 buildings and 43.7M SF. Conversely, the Financial District also has the smallest residential sub-market – 875 units. The contrast in supply suggests that Financial District could really use the conversion program opportunity to improve programming diversity that drives downtown vibrancy
The conversion preserve existing the ground floor retail and three levels of office space. Level 5-10 are converted into residential apartments with two new levels of penthouses, totaling 52 units in the property.
Pilot program highlights: - Up-to 75% reduced property tax rates for up to 29 years - 17% of units available at 60% AMI and 3% of units available at Fair Market Rents accessible for voucher holders - 2% payment to the city on any gross sales of the
Market Analysis: Multi-family Downtown Boston is the central Business Improvement District (BID) of Boston. Downtown Boston population grew by 48% and occupied housing units grew by 39% from 2000-2015, and with an estimated total population of 13,827 today. The owner-occupancy rate in Downtown has increased from 24% in 2000 to 28% in 2015. According to Colliers’ analysis of Downtown Boston’s 2022 multifamily housing market, it currently has 8,512 multifamily inventories, with 4.3% vacancy. The average asking rent per unit is $3,961/month or $4.64/sq.ft. As of 2022, there are currently 126 units under construction which is equivalent to 1.5% of inventory under construction. As of 2023, Downtown Boston has a median home value of $981,619, with a median rent of $2,678. Downtown Boston real estate is primarily made up of small (studio to two bedroom) to medium sized (three or four bedroom) apartment complexes/high-rise apartments and townhomes. Residential space appears to be in demand Downtown, where vacancy rates have fallen below pre-pandemic levels and rent increased. Currently, only ~28% of Downtown’s development pipeline is residential.
BUILDING PROGRAM Num of floors New const floors Total floors
10 2 12
Floor Area (SF) Existing Building Area (SF) New Construction (SF) Total Area (SF)
6936 69360 13872 83232
Total Amenity Area(SF) 12% Total Residential Area(SF) 55% Total Retail Area(SF) 8% Total Office Area(SF) 25% Total Area (SF) 100%
10320 45690 6936 20808 83232
RESIDENTIAL UNIT BREAKDOWN Units Sq Ft Total Unit Total SF Annual Rent Income Studio 1 445 6 2670 $173,550 Studio 2 550 6 3300 $214,500 Studio 3 490 6 2940 $191,100 1B 1 750 6 4500 $292,500 1B 2 550 6 3300 $214,500 1B 3 580 6 3480 $226,200 2B 1 1060 6 6360 $ 413,400 2B 2 1170 6 7020 $456,300 P1 2940 2 5880 $401,310 P2 Total
3120
2 52
6240 45690
$425,880 $3,009,240
Monthly Rent/Unit $ 2,410 $2,979 $2,654 $4,063 $2,979 $3,142 $5,742 $6,338 $16,721 $17,745 $64,773
Average (Excluding Penthouses)
700
$3788
3. Financial Analysis In pursuing feasibility of the office-to-residential conversion, the proposal begins with the analysis of 50 Federal Square’s existing office use. Afterwards, the proposal looks at the process via Downtown Conversion Tax Abatement Program where 75% tax cut is provided with affordable requirements. The proposal finally address the benefits and pain points of the conversion program, providing potential implementation suggestions for future office conversions.
Post-conversion
Existing Condition
Comparison Scenario
Post-Conversion Scenario
Professional Work
A Village with Thousands of Possibilities How do we reimagine Mazu North Village? URBANUS Architecture and Design New Village/City Act-hibition | Summer 2021 Shenzhen, China The project is part of the New Village/City Act-hibition, a new exploration on urban village regeneration through the format of exhibition and construction. Initiated by the government, the exhibition draws local village corporates, architects, and developers to collectively reimagine what is needed for urban villages’ next twenty years. The act-hibition focuses on six urban villages in Longgang, Shenzhen, to investigate their multiplicity of potentials in ecology, commercial, housing, tourism, and technology. Mazu North Village is the most massive and diverse village out of all six. Born out of the industrial past of Shenzhen, Mazu North is a village fostered by the numerous light manufacturing factories, which led to the village’s real estate development in the early century. Mazu North soon became an energetic melting pot of factories, housing, and temples, locals and new-comers, Mazu and pop culture. Yet, what used to be the boom now becomes the bane: as Shenzhen underwent industrial update, the factories gradually went out of business and are now empty shells. The dense apartments built for factory workers are also no longer adequate and need remodeling to envision an alternative future of the village. The goal of the project is to re-purpose the manufacturing facilities and housing to stimulate sustainable, long-term development for the village. Located in between Longgang’s regional center, high-tech village, and high-speed rail station, Mazu North is on the margin of all these new possibilities. Realizing the diversity in historical programmatic context and existing regional resources, our strategy for Mazu North’ regeneration is to build on the hybrid functions of the village and improve its regional accessibility, to create possibilities stemming from its existing diversity.
Current programmatic nodes in the village
From “A Village with Thousands of Faces”... What we found striking of Mazu North village during our visit is its highly pixelated land uses because of the highly divided property ownership. The land use also presents different stages of development in the past four decades, from the farmland in the agricultural economy to the manufacturing factories in the industrial economy. As many residents are descendants of Mazu culture, the village also preserves many cultural buildings and events valuable to the region’s identity. The overall regeneration strategy recognizes the richness in land use, and further connects and updates the various nodes in the village.
Proposed strategy to connect and activate the nodes
... To “A Village with Thousands of Possibilities” The possibilities of Mazu North go beyond the village itself. As a synergy of technology, ecology, tourism, and housing, Mazu North challenges the monotonous zoning where work, life and leisure are segregated in major Chinese cities. One will not have to travel two hours on the subway to work, but will have the option to work, pray, shop, study, hike, and farm within 10 minutes walk from the apartment. The thousands of possibilities offered at Mazu North villages range across work, life, culture, and leisure, as a new hybrid model of a “city”, within the city.
Skywalk chapel
Public transit hub
Main village entrance
Execution axon showing all regeneration strategies
Central park
Housing Update The “plank” apartments are a row of buildings guarding the west end of Mazu North. The apartments mainly house worker families where the parents work in the remaining factories nearby. Two decades into development, the apartments have the highest unit density due to many floor additions, and lack important facilities like elevators and space for community service like child care. The proposed solution is a floating structure that provides both reinforcement to the existing buildings and increase in future development space. Elevators and public functions are attached to the structure and create a skywalk spectacle.
Proposed housing update to improve public function and increase development area
Rules for FAR Increase 1. For historical buildings, additions can be made for operation purposes 2. For residential buildings, proprietors may trade in ground floor space for public use, and are allowed to build 1-2 floors more from the rooftop 3. Proprietors may update the building as public housing/commercial development, and are allowed to build 1-2 floors more from the rooftop 1
2
3
The mixed edge of the village