Yingxi Dong_Portfolio 2024 by Yingxi_D

YINGXI DONG

2020-2024 SELECTED WORKS

Columbia University GSAPP | M.Arch

University of Washington | B.A. in Architectural Design

TABLE OF CONTENT

THE COLLECTIVE

Fostering Community through Collective Housing

Advisor | Mimi Hoang Collaborator | Wei Xiao Program | Social Housing

Site | Mott Haven, New York

The project introduces collective housing in response to the challenges of nearby transportation infrastructure, high single-family household density, and a dearth of shared neighborhood amenities. By integrating an interconnected courtyard system that hosts shared programs, it fosters a sense of layered collectiveness among residents.

Site Context

Mott Haven has higher rates of single-family households, particularly single female families and those aged 0-24, compared to the New York average. The surrounding public amenities primarily serve their immediate neighborhoods and have limited accessibility, highlighting the need for shared amenities in the new housing complex. Additionally, the nearby extensive transportation infrastructure raises environmental concerns.

Public Park

Acts as a buffer between traffic and residences while providing green space for locals.

Courtyards

Multiple communal outdoor areas that bring in sunlight and encourage resident interaction.

Massing Diagram

Waterfront Access

Opens up community access to the riverfront.

Public Amenities

Ground floor dedicated to public facilities that enhance community engagement and benefit.

Breaking Down Mass

Converting large structures to a residential scale for better community integration.

Social Core

Each courtyard features a vertical social core that strengthens community bonds among residents

Building Community

At ground level, programs are designed for mutual benefits, including a daycare center and gallery for children’s artwork, a library and senior care center for intergenerational interactions, and a community kitchen/food yard for food exchanges and street vendor businesses.

Water is integrated into the site through strategically placed floodable landscapes. Near the largest floodable area, a nature lab collaborates with the daycare and library to promote sustainability concepts.

Day Care Center

Children’s Museum

Senior Care Center

Science (Nature) Lab

Community Kitchen (Food Yard)

1. Laundry room 2. Botanic Garden 3. Co-Working Space

Gym

Playground 6. Aquatic Courtyard 7. Rooftop Lounge

8. Pet Courtyard 9. Community Kitchen (Food Yard)

Shared Space

There are three main types of units: studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom. Each unit shares a component with its neighbor, such as a balcony, kitchen, or living room. Operable windows and doors allow residents to control their level of sharing.

Kitchen Perspective | Two-Bedroom Unit

Corridor Perspective

Building Structure

To address flooding risks, the courtyards are elevated on a concrete ground level. The residential building above features a steel and CLT structure with extended green corridors that filter air and provide shading for residents.

1. Day Care Center

Botanic Garden

Playground

Science (Nature) Lab

Roof Garden

Living Unit

REWILDING

Sustainable 'Coldhouse' for climate resilience

Instructors | Philippe Rahm &

Mariami Maghlakelidze

Program | Cooling Center

Site | Columbia University, New York

This project proposes a “Coldhouse” to address New York’s escalating heatwaves and challenges to soil and food systems. It explores sustainable alternative food systems like insect farming and mushroom cultivation with minimal environmental impact. Designed as a climatic retreat, the “Coldhouse” offers a subtly cooled, semi-outdoor space for both humans and wildlife.

Traditional Meat Insect Farming

Caterpillar

Silkworm

Site Analysis

When we examine the soil conditions on our site in comparison to the nearby Riverside Park a significant disparity becomes evident. Unlike the thriving ecosystem in Riverside Park, the Columbia campus relies heavily on laborintensive maintenance, along with the use of pesticides and fertilizers, to maintain a nice clean lawn.

Existing Site Plan

Riverside Park Section

Columbia Campus Section

Site Plan

Dodge Hall

Lewisohn Hall Proposed

1. Cooling Garden

2. Mushroom Cultivation Lab 3. Research Center

1. Cooling Garden

2. Dinning Area

3. Kitchen

4. Restroom

5. Greywater

6. Processing Room

Design for Coexistence

The project reimagines the campus by integrating existing structures and the tree canopy, fostering a symbiotic relationship with nature. Elevated above ground, the building preserves underground ecosystems and provides shade for small animals. Features

like step-down massing, rainwater collection, wildflowers, and nesting boxes enhance biodiversity. Evaporative cooling from the tree canopy creates a naturally cooled semioutdoor space, with wind channels directing moisture to a mushroom cultivation room.

A A Key Plan

A Sustainable and Economically Resilient Winery

Advisor | Feifei Zhou & Galen

Pardee

Collaborator | Wei Xiao

Program | Winery

Site | Orange County, New York

Our project recognizes the growing concern of invasive species spread by global industrialization, which threatens wineries due to their monoculture practices. By using biodiversity as a design tool, we not only diversify production patterns but also enhance sustainable agriculture.

Modern Citiculture & Spotted Lanternfly

Modern viticulture relies on monoculture, pesticides, and fertilizers, posing environmental challenges. The invasion of spotted lanternflies from East Asia worsens the situation, causing up to 50% crop loss in affected vineyards by depleting vine nutrients. Without natural predators in the U.S., their rapid spread threatens viticulture, including in the Hudson Valley.

Dislocation in the Supply Chain

U.S. transportation infrastructure has facilitated the regional and global movement of raw materials, including grapes and wine products. This has globalized Hudson Valley wines, which use grapes from regions like the Finger Lakes, Long Island, and California, and sell products worldwide. This extensive network results in a significant carbon footprint due to the distances traveled.

History of Viticulture

Viticulture in New York began in the 1600s with Dutch and French colonists, who displaced Native Americans and established vineyards. European grapes had the required sugar but couldn’t handle the climate, while native grapes lacked sugar. Successful winemaking resulted from breeding European varietals with local grapes to create hybrids that combined unique tastes and climate adaptability.

Hudson Valley’s Wineries Industry

The Hudson Valley, America’s oldest winemaking region, has around 80 wineries, mainly in Ulster and Orange counties. Proximity to major metropolitan areas has made these wineries popular recreational destinations, portraying them as idyllic countryside retreats and romanticizing the winemaking lifestyle.

Design for Biodiversity

Currently, grapevine rows are densely planted, promoting the spread of spotted lanternflies. The proposal doubles row spacing and introduces milkweed and tansy to repel lanternflies and attract beneficial insects. Chickens are used as natural predators and their droppings enrich the soil. In winter and spring, barley is cultivated as a cover crop to diversify production and act as natural fertilizer. This strategy enhances biodiversity and disrupts the monocultural system.

Physical Model

Milkweed

Chicken

Honey Bee

Monarch Butterfly Tansy

Barley

Weed

Spotted Lanternfly Egg

Grape

Barley

Milkweed & Tansy

Barley

1. Research & Education Center

Plant Nursry

Worker Resting Station

Research & Education Center

Chicken Coop

Grape Field

Crop Field

Food Processing Area

Garage

Visitor

Restaurant & Winery & Brewery

3. Worker Resting Station

2. Plant Nursry

Restaurant & Winery & Brewery

Plant Nursry

SEASONAL VEGETABLES

Beer Wine

BARLEY CHICKEN MEAT

CHICKEN EGG

GRAPE MONARCH BUTTERFLY HONEY BEE

SCHOOL WITHIN SCHOOL

Enhancing School Connectivity Through Design

Advisor | Travis Allen & Michael Esposito

Aaron Davis & Ayumi Sugiyama

Collaborator | Yichun Liu & Han Qin

Jinghan Wang & Wei Xiao

Program | K-12 School

Site | East Village, New York

Guided by the concept of solid versus void, the project strategically arranges educational programs into sequential rhythms. The design fragments the building mass, linking spaces with open corridors and stairs to foster engagement. Individual buildings are organized within a larger interconnected framework, with a facade system that mirrors the interior rhythms. The double facade, hanging from the roof, provides shading for the educational spaces while allowing light into the atrium.

Solid vs. Void

Guided by the concept of solid versus void, the project rhythmically divides educational programs, aligning public and private areas. Individual buildings within a unified framework are connected by corridors and stairways converging in central atriums, ensuring fluid movement and connectivity.

Typical Floor Plan

South Elevation Without Screen

South Elevation

West Elevation

West Elevation Without Screen

Design Options

Perforated Aluminum Panel

anodized aluminum, sheet

Painted Aluminum Panel

aluminum, sheet with fluoropolymer coating

Perforated Copper Panel

copper, sheet with zinc-tin coating

Copper Panel

copper, sheet with zinc-tin coating

Design Option 1

Polycarbonate Sheet

polycarbonate, cellular, sheet good

Terracotta Panel

terracotta with aluminum support & stainless steel fasteners

Design Option 2

Wood Louvers

exterior grade plywood, US with acrylic latex paint

Wood Panel

exterior grade plywood, US with acrylic latex paint

Design Option 3

Performance Comparison

Design Option 4

Steel Reinforcing Structural Support

Vertical Support For Exterior Aluminum Panel

Exterior Perforated Aluminum Panel

Blocking Metal Counter Flashing Vapor Barrier

Concrete Curb

Edge of Slab Fire Safing Roof Insulation

Wood Fiber Insulation

Protected Membrane Roof Assembly

Roof Membrane

3’’x3’’x1/4’’ Kicker

Horizontal Mullion

Wood Fiber Insulation

Interior Finishing

SS. Grille Catwalk Horizontal Steel Support

W 21x27 Steel Girder

Facade Wind Load Anchor

Suspended Ceiling

Facade Dead Load Anchor

Interior Floor Finishing

Concrete with Metal Decking

Painted Aluminum Panel

PPC Coated Insulation Panel

Slot Drainage Gravel

Glass Wool Insulation

Cast in Place Concrete Wall

Vision Glass 1-1/4’’ Thick IGU

Double Facade Diagram

Hanging Facade

The double-skin facade system was developed based on the concept of hanging, driven by practical considerations of dead load and wind load transition from building envelope to interior structure as an integral system. It integrates perforated aluminum panels on steel framing, supported by horizontal steel plates tied to vertical curtain wall mullions, with reinforcement through anchors and kickers connecting to the primary structure.

DEATH FARM

Future Provision for Afterlife Architecture

WARMING 2021 Competition

Collaborator | Shining Hong & Wei Xiao

Program | Afterlife Architecture

Award | Director's Choice

This architectural proposal aims to resolve land scarcity and the environmental impact of traditional burials by creatively integrating life and death within urban settings. It features high-rise structures that minimize urban sprawl, providing spaces for remembrance and sustainable end-of-life processes. These designs honor the deceased while supporting the living community through sustainable food production and efficient waste management.

Disrupted Lifecycle

We humans have long sought ways to extend our existence on Earth after death, continuously constructing after-life spaces within the built environment. In contrast, for other creatures, death means returning to the earth - ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust.’ This natural process allows microorganisms to break down the body, turning it into nutrients that support future generations of life.

Tracing the Evolution of Burial Practices

Power Plant

Cattle Farm

Vertical Farming

Food Processing Center

Food Market

Living Units

Water Tank

Memorial Hall

Deceased Memorial Tree

Fertilizer Plant

Recompose Pods

Biodegradation Plants

Design For Future

Conventional burial and cremation strain urban spaces and resources. This conflict between end-of-life practices and nature calls for rethinking our relationship with death and the environment. This afterlife architecture proposal combines spaces for

remembrance with sustainable processes, viewing death as a new beginning. Integrating afterlife infrastructure into daily life raises awareness of the close link between life and death, challenging the idea that death is solely negative.

Section Perspective

Recompose Pods

Living Units

Memorial Hall

Vertical Farming

Food Processing Center

Fertilizer Plant Biodegradation Plants

Memorial Forest

Living Units

Vegetable Garden

LIVING WITH DATA

Assessing Data Centers' Impact on Housing

Instructors | Michael Bell

Program | Data Center & Housing

This project examines the impact of the rapidly expanding data center industry, which is expected to consume about 6% of the nation’s electricity by 2026, on residential energy provision and municipal infrastructure. It explores the integration of data center infrastructure with housing developments to address the increased demand on power and water resources caused by fast-developing data centers.

Data Center Expansion

Dallas, Chicago, Northern VA, Phoenix, and the Bay Area are the top regions for data centers. These locations depend on land, power costs, and connectivity but face challenges like power shortages, infrastructure strains, and community opposition. In 2022, data centers consumed over 4% of the nation’s electricity, projected to rise to 6% by 2026, with artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies further increasing demand.

Fragmented Power Grid Transition Challenges

The U.S. power grid is fragmented into three main grids (West, East, Texas) with various operators, complicating the shift to clean energy. Achieving 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 requires extensive wind and solar infrastructure to reduce coal and gas reliance. However, building longdistance transmission lines faces regulatory and financial challenges due to the grid’s divided management.

Bay Area, CA

Phonenix, AZ

Dallas, TX

Northern VA

Chicago, IL

Data Centers Across the United States

United States' Power Grid and Future Sources

New Building Typology

Data centers convert human activity into heat, making heating and cooling highly energy-intensive. By harnessing waste heat from data centers, we can create a new building typology that integrates industrial, residential, commercial, and green spaces.

These spaces use evaporative cooling to draw cool air from below. As the air passes through servers, it heats up and rises. External fans then distribute the heated air through ducts to areas needing heating.

INTERIOR RENOVATIONS AT KINGWAY BREWERY

Balancing Heritage with Modern Innovation

Professional Work | Studio 10

Involved Stage | Construction Administration Program | Museums & Exhibit, Adaptive Reuse Site | Shenzhen, China

Led by Urbanus, the adaptive reuse of Kingway Beer’s brewery in Shenzhen transformed the industrial site into a cultural landmark, preserving urban memory. The renovation blends historical preservation with modern contrasts, evoking the past and inspiring future aspirations. The project upgraded the fermentation tank workshop and added new lecture and exhibition halls.

Exploded Plan

2. Lecture Hall (445m2)

3. Permanent Exhibition

Interior View

Focus Area Plan

Focus Area Section

©ZC Studio

1. Exhibition Hall (445m2)

(380m2)

Modification on Suspended Bridge

The original design was obstructed by an existing fermentation pipe. Since the core design concept was to ‘restore the old as it was,’ we opted to shorten the bridge and change the construction method from suspension to support, adding a new beam. This adjustment allows visitors to still enjoy a view between the fermentation pipe without the need to remove it.

Design

Elevation

Original

View from Ground Floor

View from Bridge

Addition of Fire-Resisting Shutter

During construction, our consultant informed us that a fire-resisting shutter was required for the second-floor bridge, a fire escape route. To comply without compromising the bridge’s aesthetics, we designed a curved faux beam to conceal the shutter. This ensures the shutter is hidden during operational hours, preserving the bridge’s visual integrity.

Addition Area

Faux Beam Detail

POPUP STORE FOR ATELIER NEW YORK

Versatile Foldable Box for

Multiple Uses

Professional Work | Studio 10

Involved Stage | Concept Development

Program | Retail Installation

Site | East Village, New York

Display Wall

Translucent Material

Framed by Stainless Steel Orange Acrylic Shelf & Rod To Showcase Product

The client desires a popup store in their backyard to display products and host VIP clients. The design features a foldable box that transforms into a display wall, table, and screen, offering versatile space use. Inspired by the store’s interior, the material palette maintains cohesion with the prominent use of the brand’s signature orange through orange acrylic.