ABOUT + RESUME / Contact Yuan Zhuang yz878@cornell.edu
(740) 641-9740 114 Heights Court, Ithaca, NY, 14850
About Born in Xi’an, China Yuan is currently completing her MLA degree at Cornell University and has most recently worked at the OLIN Studio and The Cultural Landscape Foundation as a summer intern. She received her bachelor’s degree from Denison University with a double major in Communication and Economics, while her current research focuses on urban headwater improvement in relation to public space production in Brazil. With Yuan’s interdisciplinary background, she is interested not only in design of landscapes but also in writing of landscape architecture.
Education 2015/Present
Master of Landscape Architecture Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2010/2014
Bachelor of Arts Denison University, Granville, OH Majors | Communication, Economics
Studies Abroad 2017/Fall
Wageningen University & Resesarch, The Netherlands Focus | Landscape Architecture
2014/Summer
Advanced Studies in England, England Focus | Architecture History, Post-WWII BBC
2012/Fall
Center for Ecological Living and Learning, Iceland Focus | Philosophy, Environmental Studies
Internship 2017/Summer
The OLIN Studio Philadelphia, PA Proposed schematic design for Thomas K. Finletter School in Philadelphia. Participated and assisted design competition for the Wade Park in Cleveland. Assisted with modeling and drawings of multiple projects such as University of Washington master plan and Grande Cheese factory site research.
2016/Summer
The Cultural Landscape Foundation Washington D.C. Assisted content development for What’s out there and Pinoeers databases. Wrote annotated bibliography for Pioneers of American Landscape Design III.
2015/Summer
Kewei Culture Communication Co., Ltd Xi’an, China Planned and curated an art exhibition for Kyouei Gama’s ceramic collection. Photographed, edited and marketed events through social media platforms.
Experiences 2016/2018
Research Associate | Borderlands Research Group + LABVERDE Produced a design guideline to improve the efficiency of piscineos in São Paulo, Brazil with an international team. Collected and visualized hydrologic data of São Paulo metropolitan area. Built and analyzed the site model for design intervention. Instructor: Brian Davis + Paulo Pellegrino | Ithaca, NY + São Paulo, Brazil
2016/Fall
Teaching Assistant | Cornell University 1st-year MLA Studio: Strong and Weak Site Instructor: Jamie Vanucchi | Ithaca, NY
2016/Fall
Interview | 9th International Biennial of Landscape Architecture Researched finalists’ projects and interviewed Kongjian Yu, David Walker and Tawachai Kobkaikit. Transcribed, translated and edited the interviews. Instructor: Maria Goula | Barcelona, Spain
2014/Fall
Workshop | ECOSA Institute for Ecological Design Practiced ecological design by engaging with hands-on projects in fields of planning, landscape architecture and permaculture. Worked with a design team and developed master plan for the Dog Star Ranch in Concho, Arizona. Instructor: Antony Brown | Prescott, AZ
2013/2014
Research Fellow | Denison University Wrote annotated bibliographies and assisted professors with researches. Advised Communication major and minor students with courses and research development. Granville, OH
Research + Honor 2018
2018 2014
Research Paper | IFLA World Congress Singapore 2018 “Intelligent Landscapes: Information modeling for a new generation of flood control strategies in São Paulo City, Brazil”, collaborated with Newton Moura, Paulo Pellegrino, Brian Davis, Rodolfo Scarati, Amelia Jensen, Bruno Raviolo and Eugênio Moreira.
Technical Skills Data 3D 2D Adobe Rendering Modeling
Language Chinese English Japanese
Mother tongue Proficient Conversational
Reference Contacts Charles Birnbaum
CEO The Cultural Landscape Foundation charles@tclf.org
Timothy Baird
Chair + Professor Cornell University ctb97@cornell.edu
The Michael Rapuano Award | Cornell University Magna Cum Laude | Denison University
ArcGIS + ArcScene, Agisoft PhotoScan Rhinoceros + Grasshopper, Sketchup AutoCAD, Processing (Java-based) Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere V-Ray, Luminon Laser Cutter, 3D Printer
Sonic Analysis
Design Thesis: Living with water in SĂŁo Paulo Jardim Boa Vista, SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil Base on the digital terrain model of the 1.6 km2 site area, a flow simulation was conducted in the Rhino environment to capture urban fluid morphology of the neighborhood
Contents Curriculum Vitae / about
03
Chapter 1 Living With Water in SĂŁo Paulo / [Teamed with Wenjun Xu, Yuting Liu, Amelia Jensen] Research / Modeling + Analysis / 2017 Fluvio-urban Morphology
04
Chapter 2 Wester Park / [Independent] Academic / Landscape Studio, Amersfoort, The Netherlands / 2017 Landfill + Linear Park Chapter 3 The 1000 Island Bi-national Park / [Independent] Academic / Landscape Studio, St. Lawrence County, NY / 2017 Borderland + Conservation Towards Next Century
Chapter 4 Wade Park: The Pulse / [Core teamed with Susan Weiler, Eric Tamulonis, Greg Burrell, Chris Landau, Rebecca Klein and Andrew Sargeant] Professional / The Olin Studio, Cleveland, OH / 2017 Urban Park Design Competition
Chapter 5 Other Works / [Independent] Drawings + Models + Ikebana + Other Projects
08
12
16
20
LIVING WITH WATER IN SÃO PAULO RIVER RESTORATION / COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DESIGN RESEARCH / BORDERLANDS RESEARCH GROUP + LABVERDE SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL / 2018 CORE TEAM: YUAN ZHUANG, WENJUN XU, YUTING LIU, AMELIA JENSEN INSTRUCTORS: BRIAN DAVIS + PAULO PELLEGRINO MY CONTRIBUTION : I have been working on this research project for two years. Over the course of time I mainly collaborated with Wenjun Xu to collect and process all the base data and build site models (point cloud). To develop the specific portion presented here, I helped Brian Davis to manage this phase of the project by creating the storyboard, developing, quality-controling and editing all the drawings with the rest team members. Page 12, 13, 15 were my drawings with peer reviewed.
CONTEX T OF SÃO PAULO São Paulo is located in southern Brazil. The city sits in the headwaters of the Rio Tietê, one of the main tributaries of the Rio Paraná. It is unique in this way, one of the only Megacities in the Americas to be situated in the highlands. This means that floods come quickly and frequently during the rainy season, moreso now that over 1/3 of the entire watershed has been subjected to urbanization processes over the last 130 years.
URBANIZATION OF THE WATERSHED
1881 1.6km2 0.03%
1905 25km2 0.42%
1929 100km2 1.67%
1949 270km2 4.51%
2015 2,140km2 35.76%
1974 1,300km2 21.72%
Municipality of São Paulo
These processes of accelerating flooding and urbanization have since the 1990s spurred a new approach to urban flooding infrastructure. The widespread construction of super large detention basins known as piscinoes is currently reshaping marginal and peripheral neighborhoods and landscapes across the city of 21 million people.
Rio Tietê Rio Tamanduateí
Parque Varzea
São Paulo metropolitan region
State of São Paulo
Area (acres)
10-17
300
5-10 1-5
100
Brazil
15
Nitrogen
17-25 800
Map Key Piscinões
BOD
25-35
Phosphorous
1,500
Pollution Indicators Fecal coliform
Holding Capacity (1000 m3) Exaggerated 50x from Buenos
Rivers Roads Parks Watershed
Most of Sao Paulo’s growth occured during the 20th century when channelization and rectification of water bodies was a dominant paradigm. The rivers of the city have been subjected to immense pressures resulting in a near complete loss of floodplain and geometric complexity.
Sinuosity Coefficient (R) = Curvilinear Length [CL] /Euclidean Distance [ED]
Channelization and rectification of the Tietê river over 113 years
Tietê river Floodplain Highway Favela
PISCINÃO SAO CAETANO
PISCINÃO ROCHDALLE
PISCINÃO ARICANDUVA II
PISCINÃO NOVA REPUBLICA
PISCINÃO SHARP + ELISEUDE
URBAN MORPHOLOGY Piscinões are distributed throughout the MASP, mainly on the urban fringes. These marginal landscapes tend to be occupied by other marginal uses, such as industry and informal settlement. Based on their material qualities and relationship to a water source, piscinõescan be divided into roughly five categories. The prevalence and scale of the river channels and piscinoes demonstrate their impact on the everyday life of the city. Here, walking transects, aerial photos, and drone mapping are combined to acutely understand the relations between urban form and river infrastructure in the city.
NON-URBANIZED
PISCINÃO RINCÃO
Córrego Rincão
Piscinão Rincão
URBANIZED
URBANIZED WITH PISCINÃO
Piscinões (detention ponds) were used to accommodate excess floodwater during rain seasons from December to February. The city of São Paulo has more than 50 piscinoes, occupying large space along rivers and streets. These huge, concrete structures serve as buffers to slow down flows of rainwater.
304,000 m3 capacity 26.81 acres Offline, mostly unpaved
L ANDSCAPE PHENOT YPE phenotype // the set of observable characteristics of an organism resulting from the interaction of a genotype and its environment over time.
Typology as a mode and conceptual frame for analyzing space and generating proposals has a long history in architecture, urbanism, and landscape architecture. The biological concept of phenotype is particularly apt for our research, as it grants primary agency to the landscape itself and its dynamics, emphasizes transferability and empirical characteristics, and allows for an understanding of form. This frame leads us to a working definition of landscape form which is not only shape (the literal geometry) but also pattern (distribution of geometry across spatial scales) and process (distribution through time). Rather than reasoning by analogy such as the building of scaled digital and physical models- our research focuses on reasoning by analysis. This method has proven to offer innovative breakthroughs in recent decades through the work of Chris Paola and the researchers of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory in Minneapolis, MN. In this study we generated phenotypes that we expected might produce desirable effects in relation to waterflow if they were used in the river channels, in the detention basins, or in floodable zones immediately adjacent. We were able to generate these studies within a modeling environment that also accounted for more conventional urban design and landscape architectural elements. This workflow allowed us to quickly ask multiple questions of the forms in relation to both river design and urban landscape design. Moreover, the studies are relatively fast, allowing for a wide range of options to be studied before final designs are chosen for more expansive and precise scenario modeling using hydrodynamic software. This research uses computational fluid dynamics and spatial modeling to ask research questions. For us, this is the definition of design research related to urban riWvers- it is an exploration of the possible from a set of givens.
CFD Parameters Unit: Meter Property: Water at 20 Celsius Initial Speed = 0.2m/s Turbulence Intensity = 1% Iteration = 500 Relaxation Rate = 0.6 (FALSDT) Power Law
Low
0.000
0.075
Medium
0.150
0.225
High
0.300
0.375
Cresant fo
Very High
0.450
0.525
0.600
Flow Speed: m/s
Phenotype flow dynamics generated by Rhino CFD
Teetht for
orm installed in creek
rm installed in creek
Phenotyle variation flow dynamics
Two forms are chosen for further study for three main reasons: 1) with only simple variations to its baseform it allows for a wide range of performative effects, 2) the shape is clearly intentional and easily produces a pattern that would be recognizable to users or maintenance workers, and 3) it can function out away from the bank as a low-flow obstruction. We combine these forms with outputs from a 3-dimensional point cloud, which gives us a very precise understanding of the form and materials of the river, and do quick collage-sketches to further imagine how the phenotypes might enable human occupation, enjoyment, or work.
WESTER PARK BIKING + LINEAR PARK LANDSCAPE STUDIO / SUBURBAN PARK / WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY AMERSFOORT, THE NETHERLANDS / 2017 INDEPENDENT INSTRUCTORS: ADRIAAN GEUZE + DENIAL JAUSLIN
NE THERL ANDS SUBURB - AMERSFOORT Nieuwland
Kattenbroek
De Hoef
Hoogland West
Map of the Netherlands
Amersfoort and its existing suburbs
Amersfoort and its expanding suburbs
The initial sketch was developed with a mind of creating interweaving paths and flow of water, dividing but also leaving room for interactive spaces. The site was read as a large playground.
SKETCH | ANALOG
SKETCH | MODEL
Towards the south, the site is immediately adjacent to several suburbs. The site is indeed within the boundary of the Vathorst that is still under further development.
Zielhorst
Biking Tun Entrance
Vathorst
Laak-Zuid
suburban acativiteis and tissues
Urbanization density and its relationship to surrounding farms
Revising the former sketch, the idea of corresponding landforms were tested while the path form was further consolidated.
Views of the model sketch
Model testing for a
nnel
Forest Lowland
Grassy Upland
A Dry Waterfall
Waterfront
Playgrounds
A Mound Lookover
The site is linear and located in-between the landfill and future development of housing. The sketch is to create a relationship between the two frontiers using intrusions but wrapping them with a smoothie flows (human or water).
Wetland
Open Meadow
Suburban Frontier
The initial design concept was inspired by the romantic idea of an excerpt of the following poem “As you set out for Ithaca, hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery. Laistrygonians, Cyclops, angry Poseidon - don’t be afraid of them, you’ll never find things like that on your way” - ITHACA, by C.P. Cavafy
a path to cut a mound
BUILDING L ANDFORM This project aims to re-think the topographic form of the landscape surrounding a landfill in the Netherlands suburban context. While clay, trash, and soil pyramids upwards, natural flows of wind, water, light and other elements response to the interruption. The design intends to create an experience with a curvy path leading people through narrow valley, dense forests to open meadows and waterfront. It is a romantic projection of experiences of hiking in Ithaca gorges in upstate New York, where I resonate with the rising topography and its landscape.
Revising size and form of the mounds
00 | Base form
01 | Reducing slope
02 | Extending landform for water cut
03 | Corresponding landform for valley experience
With the dynamic form of the path, the design pushes the change of urban edges. Part of the park and the path were integrated into the surrounding open spaces frame by future apartment buildings.
A
A’
D
D’
B
B’
N
C
C’
PL ANTING SELEC TION: A PINE-BIRCH FOREST Pinus sylvestris Pinus ponderosa Pinus mugo
Pinus strobus Pinus wallichiana
Pinus jeffreyi
With roads cutting through, the site is divided into three parts. The design connects different parts of the park with a winding biking path. Different programs are emphasized in different zones of the park considering the immediate context. From east to the west, bikers will move through forests/meadows, wetlands, and to waterfronts. By manipulating soil and recycling materials of the existing landfill, the design highlights three “actors” to create unique experience of the park - a mound, a path and a dry waterfall. The additional mounds was designed for 1) a new high point for visitors to experience the landfill mound from a different perspective; 2) a enormous slide of recycling concrete that presented as an artificial “dry waterfall“ that was inspired by Japanese “dry garden“
Quercus rubra Prunus avium Populus alba Fagus sylvatica Betula pubescens Betula pendula
A
A’
B
B’
E F
C
C’
D
D’
F’
E’
Salix alba
Pinus nigra
A MOUND , A PATH, A DRY WATERFALL
E
E’
F
F’
Falling crushed concrete forming the dry waterfall
“ THE DRY WATERFALL” One of the main features with the mounds and the path is to create the sublime moment for visitors. Soil and water, mountain and river, they are eternal pairs with forces influencing and shaping each other. The design intended to create a water feature without using real water. Borrowing the idea from “dry river“ in traditional Japanese garden, the movement of water will be represented by a cut-in slope of recycling concrete reflecting the reality of the mound as a landfill but speaking to the idea of water and flow.
View platform and path to the mound
Recycling concrete as input materials to create industrial landscape highlights
THE 1000 ISLANDS BINATIONAL PARK BORDERLAND + CONSERVATION TOWARDS NEXT CENTURY LANDSCAPE STUDIO / BI-NATIONAL PARK ST LAWRENCE COUNTY, NY / 2017 INDEPENDENT INSTRUCTORS: BRIAN DAVIS + ANNE WEBER
PARK GALOP MASTER PL AN Park Galop is one of the unique pieces within the 1000 Islands region. Historically it was a series of islands and rapids that impeded shipping possibility. In 1953, The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project permanently changed the site by refilling the dredging materials f in-between islands, making Galop an artificial Island with distinctive ecology. The master plan intends to celebrate the industrial history of the place while improving environmental and recreational services of the site.
ZONE ZONE
ZONE
N
03
01
02
Lotus View Tower
ZONE
INTERVENTION ZONES
01
Eagle Habitat
The design considers unique industrial history of Galop island in relation to the construction of Seaway. Lookouts are installed along the west edge for people to visually access the enormous ships on water. Then by moder ately changing landform and using terraces on the east side of the island , the design intends to create shallow bays for sediment to accumulate to en courage wetlands that are benign for vegetation and animal hab itats. Last, the design rebuilds an area for aquaponic hatchery. This will be a research and educational center on Galop island. Fish is primary food resource for bald eagle. Therefore, increasing amount of key fish species will not only attract more eagles but also benefit commercial fishing.
Lookout Cardinal Trail
Aquaponic Greenhouse
Park Galop Visitor Center
Yellow Perch Fries
Open Water Cages
Campground
01. Land Reconstruction
Lalone Point
ZONE
Lookout Benedick
Yellow Perch Farm
Lookout Galop
02/1. Fish Hatchery Grassland
Lookout Adam
Conifer Forest
Bald Eagle View Tower Grassland Restoration Conifer Vegetation
Open Water
Wetland
ZONE
Roosting Site
02
Seaway Lookouts
Lookout Redmill
Existing Canopy Research/Education Center
02/2. Habitat Creation St. Lawrence Seaway
Freighter
Riparp Cut Yellow Perch Hatchery Waterbreak Terrace
02/3. Seaway Highlight
Lookout Butternut
Riparp Fill
03
03. Recreation + Education
Pine Forest
Eagle Roosting Site
Mowed Grassland
Mammal Habitat Visiting Trails
Freighter
Common Tern Food
Wetland
Grass Rat
Waterfowl Habitat
Shallow Bay Fish Habitat
Riprap Materials
Top Soil Boulder Sediment Subsoil Bedrock
Gravel Shore
EDGE STUDY | SEDIMENT TR AP TEST Slope Analysis
0
20%
40%
60%
80%
Riprap Structure
100%
/01
/02
/03
Coarse-grained Sand Beach
Wetland + Riprap Structure
Terrace Waterbreak
Wetland + Gravel Shore
/04
/05
/06
Wetland + Mixed Snad
Wetland + Mixed Snad
Fine Sand Coarse Sand
Manipulation | Blow 3D Scan + Grasshopper Analysis
/07
/08
/09
Sand
Existing Shoreline Types
Boulder
Construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway transfomed Galop into a semi-artificial island with straight riprap edge on the west side. This study wa to explore potential forms that the straightened shoreline can take to create different edge conditions between water and land. The simulation used coarse material (boulder) to mimic riprap shoreline condition and used sand as fine material to indicate sediment and nutrients. Vector (water or wind) is produced with a hair dryer that can only move sand.
GALOP’S EDGE This cross-section shows the different profile conditions of west and east sides of the Galop Island. Because of historical construction for Seaway, the west edge of the island is a steep hard shoreline while the east edge has more shallow bays and meanders for sediment to accumulate. Although artificially altered, the island forms a unique ecology that attracts bold eagle - a State and National endangered specie. The impoundment of water also attracts waterfowl and fishes such as Walleye and perches, which are primary food source for eagle.
AQUAPONIC HATCHET Y ASSEMBLY
Hatchery Account
Nitrification Tank
I. Nitrification Nitrosomonas
Solid Waste Separation Fish Cage
Nitrobacter
II. Waste Collection III. Water Recyclation
Access Decking
Yel
Floating Vegetation Pad
Water Recycling
Key Units In Greenhouse
Boat Do
Solar-powered Pump
Open Water Cages
Fish Release
llow Perch
ocking
WASTE COLLEC TION Outdoor cage farming is designed as a semi-closed system for both fish farming and educational tours. Waste collection structure and cage frames will be permanently installed while actual cages are removable. The idea is to create a rotate farming strategy between fishes and vegetation to not only producing food for fish but also absorbing excess nutrients in the bay due to fish farming. Fish wastes are collected and treated for compost that could be used for pine replantation on the upper island. Waste water are recycled in the system.
Educational Tour
WADE PARK: THE PULSE URBAN PARK / DESIGN COMPETITION PROFESSIONAL, THE OLIN STUDIO CLEVELAND, OH / 2017 CORE TEAM: GREG BURRELL, CHRIS LANDAU, REBECCA KLEIN, ANDREW SARGEANT, YUAN ZHUANG SUPERVISORS: SUSAN WEILER, ERIC TAMULONIS, MY CONTRIBUTION: I assisted with drawing base maps, building site context models and worked on all the perspective renderings. I was honored to present my design concept and sketches, with some ideas further disc ssed and developed by the team member to reach the final design decision
PULSE University Circle drives the economy and livability of eastern Cleveland. But at its heart, next to the symbolic space for which the district is known, is an underutilized triangle of land that is all but invisible to the community. PULSE is six actions that will transform Wade Triangle from void to vital, and by doing so, set in motion a district-wide cascade of actions that will reinforce University Circle and its neighborhoods as Cleveland’s premier hub of learning, arts and wellness. These six actions address the objectives set out in the competition brief.
Raised planted berm forming health corridor 40m
WADE
UNIVERSITY CIRCLE ENTRANCE
Perserved historical liberty oak grove 100m
CASE WESTERN ENTRANCE
PULSE will re-connect the Doan and Euclid
Trellis 4m
corridors, connect to the Wade Lagoon, activating the free flow of pedestrians, cyclists for recreation, work and transit. It will first reclaim the civic triangle and then the very Circle that gave the place its identity, presenting it as the proper civic icon it deserves to be. PULSE will also clean water, highlight and integrate the invaluable civic importance of Project Clean Lake in the design of all related open space and transportation improvements associated with the gateway and corridor actions. It will bring people together in the triangle and corridors, providing a beautiful, safe and lively place for people to pass through and to gather, relax and recharge.
Site Contex
The central plaza 50m View deck with seats 30m Green infrastructure planter with open view 80m
Corridor Link
The site Rockefell immediat across Eu a chain o connectin Cleveland the PULS Rockefell re-planni team pro design o adjacent
Civic Gateway
Green Heart
Water Doctor
WADE LAGOON ENTRANCE
Social Hub
Economic Engine
Site Contex
E PARK
is located within the linear corridor of ler Park in Cleveland, Ohio. Rockefeller Park is tely adjacent Wade Park to the southeast, and uclid Ave on its northwest border. It is a link in of parkland, gardens, and cultural institutions, ng the heights region of the eastern suburbs of d to the city’s lakefront. The design considered SE as the trigger to continue the vision of the ler Park, creating an impact to drive the further ing along the Doan corridor. In this case, the oposed potential future phases including ref the University Circle and the green space to Case Western campus.
xt : Rockfeller Park
xt : Institutions
Phase one
Future phase
PLANTED BERM
PRESERVED + STRENGTHENED LIBERTY OAKS
TERRACED SEATING
TRELLIS
CENTRAL PLAZA
CAFE + COMF + STOR
FORT STATION RAGE
THE TRELLIS A customized trellis is designed in combination with a cafe under the structure. The trellis is the main shading structure at the central plaza with terraced seating built underneath. The trellis and the terraced seating face towards the west of the open plaza where series of fountains are installed. Space near the trellis also harnesses view of the wade lagoon in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Linear lightings are embedded in the roof planks of the trellis. The structure is the core to organize the central space of the plaza to facilitate use of the space in terms of events, programing and all types of social interactions.
VIEW TO CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
SHAFT - MLK 2 DECK + LOOKOUT
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLANTER
SHAFT is the underground tunnel and water storage complex along the Doan creek to clean the water flowing into the Lake Erie. The infrastructure is managed by Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.
WADE LAGOON
The corridor link
Process sketches The economic engine As an intern, I was honored to work through the entire process of the design competition. To settle with the final design, the team went through three design charrettes at three different scales to discuss the best option for the client. The team selected the “rotating triangle“ idea in my sketch and further developed the idea into a detailed plaza with metaphor of a heart. From this process I learnt that best design work comes out of team with a collection of ideas and everyone building, reviewing and refining each other’s ideas. Another major lesson for me is that designers move fast. To keep up with the workflow and deadline, if one idea does not work out in design after quick test, one should move forward by changing the scale or perspective when working. Professional work has fed me with experience and knowledge of how to work with a team.
The process
The social hub
OTHER WORKS ART // MODELS // PROJECTS SEMINARS: ARCHITECTURE + LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE DIGITAL + ANALOG/ 2016 - 2017 INDEPENDENT INSTRUCTORS: KATIE JENKINS + SASA ZOVKOVIC
POST - FIGURE What constitute a figure and what a figure constitutes? Although figure is object-like and self-referential, it has a “before“ as well as an “after“. Essentially, processes operate on figure in a less conspicuous way. Taking this idea further, the drawing above studies Peter Eisenman’s House VI by tracing the design process of the house (the figure) and re-present the figure without erasing its “history”. The aggregation of figures reveals spatial vectors that develop over time, expressing a usually unvoiced dimension of figure.
Traces - After House VI
Series Drawings of House VI Design Process, Peter Eisenman
SLOW MOTION To explore the dialectic of figure and field by means of drawing, this set of drawings studies the issue of time. How to represent or capture traces of time on paper is the key question to this project. A classic visualization of time is to align “time slices” or “time lapse” of one’s study object, of which the multiplying process is essentially a characteristic of field. However, by manipulating speed and motion of continuous variations, new figure could be generated as an image of compressed movements that is also a product as well as a representation of time. In this case, I developed a mini thesis below.
Representing sequence of actions on a plane is potentially figure generative. Specifically, the physical boundary of two dimensional plane preconditions the emergence of new figure by breaking the continuity of four-dimension time-based motions into connected parts that could be re-arranged to produce the new holistic whole.
MODEL INSTALLATIONS This project is collaborated with students from the Six-Mile Creek studio that I assisted teaching. To explore representation of the river as landscape instead of a line, the project integrated data from field investigation and terrain model generated in GIS to produce a series of continuous section profiles of different studied stations. I gave tutorials on Rhino and laser cutter, developed the terrain model in GIS and installed the physical model at the scale of 200’=18� (to accommodate the size of laser cutter).
SIX MILE CREEK LONGITUD
DINAL SEC TION MODEL | 24’X8’ I nstallation
LAND REFORMATION | R e -imagine S eneca M eadows Landfill
TOPOFOLDS | Test topographic for ms with light and shadow
BRIDGE STRUC TURE | Car r ied 50lb weight over 100g basswood
The selected models here are created for different purposes. The are test and expression of design ideas as well as materials and techiniques. Ground form is one of the main themes for landscape architect to study. I used laser-cut plexiglass to create negative caves in one excierse study, and played folding meshes to rethink surface of ground. The last bridge model was designed to experiement with structural strength with light materials.
Digital model | Br idge Struc ture
IKEBANA SERIES (生け花)
N
CAD DETAILING The planting plan to the left exhibits plant selections to create a woodland pre-setting. The arrangement was intended to connect different landscapes between a cultivated garden at Cornell campus and a natural-grown untouched hillside. Partial selection of plants used species that have already existed in the natural surrounding such as Rhus copallina and Lindera benzoin. Others were selected for their casual looks such as Heptacodium miconioides and Cornus racemosa. The pavement detailing to the right was a series of study drawing to understand the technical structure of some common pavers.
OTHER PROJECTS 2015-2016