SELECTED WORKS 2020-2024
PORTFOLIO YITAO GU
FUNGUS AMONG US (pt.2)
Group Work: Yitao Gu, Kinamee Rhodes April - June 2023
Instructor: Simon Kim Los Angeles, CA
Architecture of the future will be built with mycelium - the root structure of fungi. Mycelium is a renewable building material, currently in an experimental stage in the form of lightweight bricks, insulation, and flooring. This facility is dedicated to expanding the possibilitie of this material, envisioning a post-anthropocenic world of mycological architecture. A forest of bent steel creates a pliant stack-floor building with post-into-beams that allow for bounce and deflection. A bio-tunnel for cultivation and circulation interests with the big-box typology. The spaces inscribed but never enclosed in the building references Archizoom, Ishigami, and Toyo Ito with their extensibility and density. But ultimately, the orchestration of sloping slabs, inside/outside structural clusters is a reimagination of the principles of a myco-Raumplan.
Form Study Diagram
Form Study Diagram
Structure Study Model
Structure Study - Columns
Partial Section
2nd
Axonometric Drawing
Long Section
MYCELIUM RESEARCH CENTRE (pt.1)
Group Work: Yitao Gu, Kinamee Rhodes
February - March 2023
Instructor: Simon Kim Los Angeles, CA
What was once a frontier spirit, finding its place within a “received tradition“, Los Angeles is now poised at the forefront of climate disaster, risk and resilience. The design team was also asked to re-frame LA architecture’s powerful and iconoclast response to modernity.
The team work project is experimenting with mycelium as biomass and construction material. The project starts with a form finding exercise on levitating mass with wild column prototypes, aligned with a rigid and rigorous matrix system. These column-modules are named as “Jokbak” or pig feet (which does not actually mean anything, but just a motif). These column-modules are changing its shape as level changes, rotating and growing, supporting and penetrating through the mass being levitated.
Axonometric
Unrolled Section
City of No Tomorrow
Individual Work
September - April 2023 (Research)
April - June 2024 (Design)
Instructor: Neil Denari
Los Angeles, CA
This research studio examines how a city like Los Angeles can respond to a rapid shift in climate. Scientific research indicates that rising sea levels, increased wildfires, and desertification could lead to an unlivable scenario. To address these challenges, our research studio proposes two schemes with different urban morphology approaches.
The first scheme involves constructing a sea wall along the existing 405 freeway. This approach results in a denser urban plan, similar to Manhattan. The second scheme focuses on building elevated structures on highlands using piles and columns to keep buildings above water even with a 30-meter rise in sea levels. This approach aligns more closely with the current urban design of Los Angeles.
LA FLUX
Group Work: Yitao Gu, John Junzhe Wang
September -November 2023
Instructor: Simon Kim Los Angeles, CA
LA FLUX is an architecture of transformation. As a critique on art facilities, the building produces a physical and chemical change. Its operations are on objects of art: the LACMA produces a tonnage or waste words:
“Over the last two decades, LACMA has sought to find new ways to embrace all the communities of Los Angeles County and honor all the world’s artistic traditions. Our goal is to make the experience of our collection richer and more accessible than ever before, while ensuring that the museum can be a place of reflection, expression, and empathy for everyone.”
We take raw materials and, through interjections, produce objects of art for everyone.
CONTEMPORARY ART: THE DRIVE TO WASTE
ETFE FACADE
Group Work: Yitao Gu, Zephyr Zeqiang Zhu
February - March 2023
Instructor: Kevin Daly, Ryan Conroy Los Angeles, CA
This project has tended to construct an facade covering the multi-family apartment, providing an extra semi-transparent envelope that shows a hierarchy of privacy and program.
This project has adopted ETFE as the major material to construct the envelope layer. Each ETFE cushion has two penetrated layers placed inside to provide different levels of shading and privacy.
The overall ETFE cushion facade changes its shape as the mass timber structure inside the envelope changes its form.
KNOWLEDGE OF DENCENTRALISATION
Individual Work March - June 2020
Instructor: Edwina Brisbane Melbourne, Australia
Library has been functioning as storage of information and knowledge for hundreds of years. However, the role of library needs to be regenerated as the modern way of communicating has become far more fragmented and decentralised. The traditional mass media has been criticised for its propaganda with its subjective value and etc.
The design was inspired by short-video sharing social media and its algorithm. Campbell and Paul Levinson’s discussion on knowledge epistemology also plays an important part in this design.
The project will be zoned based on three chapters of knowledge epistemology. Generation, inspection and publication to allow anyone can participate in the production of knowledge or information. Hence, the library is no long carrying the responsibility of storing information only, but producing fresh new knowledge.
The process of producing knowledge and information was centralised as the people or users did not have the right to take the role of generator and lots of valuable information could be omitted. The conventional library was similar to traditional media as they all have their own bias or preference on what information should be given out to the readers or the audience who can actually swap their role to generator.
GENERATION OF
INFORMATION
“Generation” is the first chapter of the library, a large amount of bookshelves with built in vertical conveyor belt allow the users to store and upload the information or knowledge generated by the users themselves.
This chapter maintains the basic library function with traditional bookshelves.
The mega bookshelves function as storage of anything generated by the users. Generally speaking, the users can upload anything, personal or controversial. All those information uploaded will be sent to the pillar of inspection if the users wish their generation to be published.
VIEWABLE ALGORITHM
Beyond the normal bookshelves carrying the will be the massive consensus tower/ information centre. The user has the right to glimpse physical or digital information storaged in the core
UNMANNED SERVICE
Robot arms will be used to work with the conveyor belt. Both of the equipments are used to delivery the items generated and stored to the next chapter and other space of the library
The interface will show when and where the inspection is going to happen. And it will tell the users the status of their generated items. Key Section - Pillar of Generation
INSPECTION OF INFORMATION
“Inspection” is the second chapter of the library. The information or knowledge uploaded in the first chapter “Generation” requires certain amount of inspections, evaluations or reviews. The items needs to be inspected will be delivered to the users directly from the information centre placed at the top while the whole delivery and selection process is fully open to the users in the library because the information centre is exposed to the viewers.
The stored and uploaded items and information will be delivered by the robot arms and the vertical conveyor belt, the shelvees will function as the interface.
COMPLETION RATIO
Lectures and presentations are used to test if this information or item is articulating and accessible.
SHARES AND LIKES
Recommendation of someone else’s work literally means this work or information should be published and introduced to more audience.
COMMENTS
Debate is the most important way to inspect one item. The item will be highly valued and published in the final chapter as the debate can prove that this certain item has the potential to have even more heated discussion.
Key Section - Pillar of Inspection
THE ALGORITHM
PUBLICATION
OF INFORMATION
“Publication” is the third chapter of the library. As the generated item or information has been inspected and approved to be legible to be published in the final stage, the item or information will be delivered to this gallery-like open space.
This segment of “Publication“ is the ideal place to glimpse or supervise the information centre. Ideally, the exposed chip-like bookshelves can be part of the publication or exhibition as it delivers the essence of the this library.
MULTI-FUNCTIONALL SPACE
The “Publication“ can provide multi-functional space for different items or information need to be published and exhibited.
The outdoor terrace can be seen as the generated items or information being spread to a wider field.
The bookshelves carrying generated information can be part of the publication THE BOOKSHELVES
Key Section - Pillar of Publication
VIEWABLE ALGORITHM
Conventional Library System
The project maintains the normal or conventional library function. The giant shelves work as normal storage of books and etc. like regular library.
Generation, Inspection and Publication Information Centre - Algorithm System
The main function of the project has shifted towards a new form of public media platform which allow the users to upload their knowledge as they wish their works to be published and exhibited.
Even though the inspection part has users’ engagement and the project suggests to give the right of selection back to the users, but algorithm still works as a highly objective administrator to keep the whole library run correctly.
VERTICAL SUBURB
Individual Work
August - November 2020
Instructor: Sarah Huiseung Song Melbourne, Australia
The term of collaborative housing is often mentioned with a narrative of sustainability while the majority of the projects adopting this concept stay the field explored already, introducing common area and shared facilities for resource-saving. However, I believe there can be more to do within this concept of collaborative housing.
Based on my research and common sense, land resource will become highly valuable resource due to the population growth while driving private motor vehicles will stay its solid dominant position. The facts existing or can be predicted are on the table, which means a project combine the driveway (infrastructure) and vertical stacking arrangement of dwellings can become essential components of a city. Hence, as we stacking up the dwellings, a large amount of land can be released to become urban restoration which can help balancing the carbon emissions, etc.
Instead of saving resource inside the micro-community, I choose to spare land and offer it back to the greater community or even the city.
The dwelling typology is supposed to provide great width in order to offer view, light and air to the residents. Also it is supposed to be a form mimicking the threshold and layering of typical suburb housing.
The design suggests a interlocking dwelling configuration to meet the requirement mentioned.
Each garage will have two separated entries for two dwellings. One goes upwards, the other one goes downwards. Hence, the whole structure can be more slender and more green space can be spared to benefit the community.
Dwelling Configuration
Driveway Structure
The essence of the project, also help to bond the whole building including all the vertical load-bearing components
Major structural component carrying the load
2nd
1st
Constructing building envelope
Shear Wall and Truss
SOME COURTYARD(S)
Individual Work April - June 2022
Instructor: Claus Benjamin Freyinger Los Angeles, CA
There is the term of courtyard, a typical prototype of collective living housing typology. An open area exposed to the sunlight and fresh air with living units surrounded. This open space is shared inside the community, potentially a public sphere.
The project is seeking for an innovated courtyard-inspired co-living housing typology as it is moving away from a courtyard-centralised attempt to one can be described as more decentralised with accesses to multiple spaces and hierarchy of privacy
Each courtyard is a semi-private space with solid threshold and two spiral staircases described as vertical hallways which have replaced the conventional hallway/ corridor. The vertical hallway connects the courtyard and the most private space, the bedroom and bathroom directly. Two most private spaces are bounded with a shared living room and kitchen, together, they become one living unit.
The two Valdradas live for each other, their eyes interlocked; but there is no love between them. Oh, there actually is love between them, as they share in some courtyard(s).
STEPPED HEATING
Group Work: Yitao Gu, Zephyr Zeqiang Zhu
September -November 2022
Instructor: Yara Feghali
Los Angeles, CA
The project has proposed a demonstrated landscape featuring power, on the LADWP site in Westwood, Los Angeles. Our demonstrated landscape has adopted materials including sand and gravel to work toward bringing LADWP’s remote operations at Owens Lake closer to the city and citizenry it serves.
The project has utilised architectural elements including walls and roofs with different covering ratio to generate phases emphasising the relationship between shading, solar power, heating and lighting. The project intends to construct phases or steps which the users can experience different temperature and lighting condition as roofing coverage changes.
Multiple paths and accesses are designed in this demonstrated landscape, the users can access different roofing phases in their own order. The folies also provide alternative circulation to observating the demonstrated landscape, experiencing the stepped heating and lighting.
