Chenxiao Yu Architecture DFPI Portfolio

PORTFOLIO ]

CHENXIAO YU selected works 2020-2022

Prologue

Architecture is a discipline that links human history, spiritual culture, and the physical environment. My love for architecture runs through my past. Through my undergraduate studies, I think the architecture that once struck me is no longer disconnected images but a stereoscopic, ordered life.

In this portfolio, I explore and experiment with a modern translation of historical buildings, fantasy architecture, narrative spaces with visual and interactive installations, installation design that reflects social reality, and the renovation of old buildings considering the fact of surroundings. I explore the language and form of architecture from multiple perspectives, attempting to broaden its boundaries and integrate interdisciplinary knowledge.

2021.08-2022.01

2022.01-2022.05

2022.05-2022.09

2022.06-2022.09 2021.03-2021.09 2019.09-2022.09

01 Storm in a teacup

Key Word: Fantasy,Transport system

Type: Individual work

"A storm in a teacup" alludes to a little occurrence that grows in severity as it spreads. In 2021, I was inspired by a social media event in China: the death of a middle school student in Chengdu. It was a cyber storm, with many forces fighting one other, both online and offline. This was a family tragedy, but it resulted from the network's continuous fermentation into social turmoil.

When confronted with a fragmented "truth," people make remarks, suspicions, and accusations in the name of justice. This design aims to recreate a network storm as an exhibition. Visitors can remove themselves from the event's participants and evaluate whether the justice we believe is natural or our pursuit of the truth will bring secondary harm. Digging out the truth takes time, the truth must race against the ferment of public opinion. I hope that behind the sensibility, there can be rational justification.

A middle school student died in his classroom on May 9, 2021. The student's mother took to social media the next day to complain about the authorities' negligence and injustice. Netizens responded to the case in droves, imagining a slew of grim "truths" because the event's core could not be revealed. People lament society's darkness. Netizens became enraged and demanded evidence and information about the surveillance. Even the school gate drew impassioned crowds, and some used the chance to destabilise the "bad" forces' order. The police announced the case again on the 13th, released a full investigation and surveillance recordings, and answered the concerns floating on the Internet one by one in response to public outcry. A child's suicide resulted from this societal upheaval, forcing it to be made public. What we consider a just pursuit of truth might have unintended consequences. (Note: The police stated on May 9 that they did not provide the specifics of the suicide in the public notification to protect the victim.)

Timeline of Public Opinion

Investgation

Character psychoanalysis

Subjective

She refuses to accept that the youngster committed suicide and demands that someone be held responsible.

Through public opinion, she seeks to gain additional judicial resources and social support.

Arouse the sympathy

Impulsive

They want justice, yet their sensitivity causes them to trust in society's gloom and believe easily in whispers of wickedness. They do not want to overthrow the established "truth" when the real truth differs from what they envisioned.

Netizens can be classified into three groups, the majority are impulsive and readily influenced by emotions or words.

Uninformed Objective

Investigations take time and rely on storing evidence, so the truth always triumphs over false information.

Previously, the public had conjured up a plethora of options based on scraps of facts and rumors.

Impulsive

Sober

They have grounds to back up their sensitivity. They keep a tight eye on the event's progress without saying anything. As an onlooker, they are unaware of the intricacies of the occurrence, hence it is best not to believe one side's claims.

Spiteful

They make irrational statements or even purposefully invent rumors out of rage, to convey their sense of justice or dissatisfaction with society, or simply to get attention. They will have a severe impact on societal stability, maybe causing panic, and jeopardize government trust.

The fact has been distorted

This group is numerous and has contributed the most to the events. Their actions are motivated by the pursuit of justice, but they often lack sense and are confused by the rhetoric of many parties, even to the point of being counterproductive to the resolution of the matter.

They tend to believe in society's darkness and easily believe the rumors of evil. However, when the absolute truth differs from what they imagined, they do not want to overturn the preset "truth."

The quest for justice Psychological

How to express impulsive netizen

Gravity Gravity

Centrifugal force Centrifugal force

Centrifugal force Supporting force

Ball

The mother Netizen Authority

Irrevocable Physical forces Visualisation Physical

Brainstorm

Brainstorm

Comparison Of Options

Nitizens can be mobilized at any time,lose their ability to think independently

As more and more people get involved, things start to get out of control.

Ball

Using balls to simulate each individual, that is possible to represent the scattering and gathering of individuals under public opinion through various devices. Under the control of gravity, centrifugal force, tension, and other forces, the 'individual' loses the ability to control themselves and join the 'war' of public opinion.

Water

The constant inflow of water symbolises the constant flow of internet users joining in the discussion, and the overflow of water symbolises the situation escaping of hand. The flowers symbolise the children on campus; as the water accumulates, the flowers will float to the surface while the children trapped by the psychological problems are slowly drowned.

Balls are more controllable and can have a variety of workable solutions, as the ball has a specific volume compared to water and requires less precision in the installation. The balls also collide to produce sound, adding to the sensory experience of acoustics.

Process Analysis

Model Material

Linden and PVC Board Air Pump

UNO Board

Electrical Machinery

Steel Ball Plastic Flowers Electromagnet Steering Engine

#include <Servo.h>// referencing rudder libraries for use Servo myservo; // create servo object to control a servo Servo myservo1; // twelve servo objects can be created on most boards int pos = 0; // variable to store the servo position

void setup() { myservo.attach(9); // attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo object }

void loop() { for (pos = 0; pos <= 180; pos += 1) { // goes from 0 degrees to 180 degrees // in steps of 1 degree myservo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos' myservo1.write(pos); delay(1); }

for (pos = 180; pos >= 0; pos -= 1) { // goes from 180 degrees to 0 degrees myservo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos' myservo1.write(pos); delay(1); // waits 15 ms for the servo to reach the position } }

// Relay pin is controlled with D8. The active wire is connected to Normally Closed and common int relay = 8; volatile byte relayState = LOW;

// PIR Motion Sensor is connected to D2. int PIRInterrupt = 2;

// Timer Variables long lastDebounceTime = 0; long debounceDelay = 10000;

void setup() {

// Pin for relay module set as output pinMode(relay, OUTPUT); digitalWrite(relay, HIGH); // PIR motion sensor set as an input pinMode(PIRInterrupt, INPUT);

// Triggers detectMotion function on rising mode to turn the relay on, if the condition is met attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(PIRInterrupt), detectMotion, RISING); // Serial communication for debugging purposes Serial.begin(9600); } void loop() { // If 10 seconds have passed, the relay is turned off if((millis() - lastDebounceTime) > debounceDelay && relayState == HIGH){ digitalWrite(relay, HIGH); relayState = LOW; Serial.println("OFF"); } delay(50); } void detectMotion() { Serial.println("Motion"); if(relayState == LOW){ digitalWrite(relay, LOW); } relayState = HIGH; Serial.println("ON"); lastDebounceTime = millis(); }

Prototyping

The iris device makes the ball fall, and the relay controls the solenoid to make the spikes fall and pierce the balloon, triggering the switch and the servo to drive the flower to rotate and face the center. I hope there can be rational support behind the sensibility in the network world.

Location: Paris, France

Key Word: Pop-up, Pet friendly Type: Individual work

The film Marona's Fantastic Tale served as inspiration for the idea. Finally, its demise moved me and caused me to reflect. Humans may easily control the lives of dogs by adopting them on the spur of the moment and then leaving them.

The rising number of stray dogs has become a more critical concern worldwide in the post-epidemic age. As a result, I created a pop-up store with the theme "from the perspective of the dog," complete with a story and various interactive experience methods that allow people to experience love and sorrow through the eyes of dogs to strengthen the emotional bond between people and dogs. The architectural area is created with curves and spirals to match the film's unique style. The pop-up shop makes money by selling movie-themed accessories and pet supplies to convey the concept of "love for a moment, love forever."

Marona's Fantastic Tale

The film is told in the first-person perspective of a dog, with an untamed and unusual style. Marona, a mixed-breed dog, was born by chance and later abandoned. The three masters on the street approached Marona. Unfortunately, Marona was eventually separated from them. Marona finishes her life by blocking the vehicle accident for the small girl at the end of the story. An automobile collision is seen at the start of the film. All of these scenarios are, in theory, repeats of her death.

Data Analysis

The location is in a park in the neighbourhood. The intended customer demographic is young and middle-aged people who wander in the evening within a 1.5-kilometre radius.

The design creates emotion between people and dogs, as emotional requirements are the most compelling reason to keep a dog.

Due to the epidemic, many people kept pets to accompany themselves. After the peak of the epidemic, the number of stray pets had risen.

How

Death

Representation

Because humans and dogs can recognize different color gamuts, use blue and yellow as the primary colors, with varying lightness and saturation to differentiate between human and dog eyes.

Walking into the tunnel hung the "garbage," I felt abandoned and lonely.

The voice to speak and weep reverberated him leave me, but I couldn't stop his dream. So forest, surrounded by lovely butterflies

I was drawn in by the girl's vibrant laughter. I visited It is joyful and lovely.

The picture abruptly opened, and the air was filled with a slight vanilla scent as if I were traveling through a fantastic universe following the yellow track left by him—my master. It is cheerful and warm.

reverberated in my ears. I couldn't make So I walked away and into the as if his voice encircled me.

visited a flower-filled location. My second master was her.

I noticed a yellow near the cave's entrance through the black passage. Was he the first master I had? I followed him as he sped through the winding lanes.

Boom! Then I heard him scream as a car appeared around the bend. I was depressed because of the darkness. I believe I am going to die right now.

The voice of the young lady matures. She has quarreled with her parents and refuses to accompany me. I walk directly towards a dark little entryway as if I am not a member of this household because of the twisted furniture.

Representation

At the end of the corridor, I saw a beating light spot.

Visual Installation Analysis

Looking out the left window, which shows the scene I just passed through. However, dogs' world has changed all colors to yellow, blue, and gray. So, similar to a death, I examined the "life" I had just lived in reverse order.

The exhibition space along the spiral staircase was filled with the emotion of dogs becoming a light source. Images of smiles previously collected on the Internet are exhibited here to excite people's inner emotions. It also depicts the dog's inner world. There was a nice thing after "death."

Interactive photo unit of dogs

Interactive Device Analysis

The smiles on the faces of these dogs and their owners touched me!

I'm touched ， I have a lot to say to my dog.

A-A Section Plan

The scenery of the park is really good ！

Flowers bloom when there are people Express your love for dogs

A Christmas Eve Dream

Location: Herbert, Greenland, Denmark

Key Word: Fantasy,Transport system

Type: Individual work

The project entered the competition ‘SANTA PVT LTD’ organzed by ARCH8 and won 1st runner up.

The lights in Santa's factory turn on every December. This project aims to build a warm and inviting factory for Santa and his elves. They will work there daily, the gifts will be created and wrapped in the factory, and then they will go worldwide, under decorated trees with names and wishes. Santa can see all the positive and terrible things that children do. He will thoughtfully create a gift for the excellent child and write a letter to the misbehaving child to teach them about their behaviour.

To reduce elf labour, the factory has also reached a high level of automation. Gift-making is divided into three assembly lines, improving equipment use and efficiency.

Background Information

The site is on a small island, Herbert, on the west coast of Greenland. On the other side of the island is a small human colony, indicating that this place is accessible to humans. The Christmas Factory is nestled in a valley on the island's south side, hidden from view.

The island is an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding population of some 2.5 million pairs of little auks. Every April, numerous birds breed here.

When Christmas comes to town

Hoping Santa's on his way

When Santa's sleigh bells ring

Putting up the Christmas tree

Santa invites a few fortunate youngsters to visit the Santa Factory on Christmas Eve when they arrive on a magical train. A giant Christmas tree with colored lights stood in the centre of the factory on a piece of ice, where elves and children held a giant Christmas ball. The night is like a beautiful dream, and Santa Claus will silently escort them home before morning.

Santa's office

Toy production

On both sides of the valley, there are living quarters and factory sites. The station is at the site's southernmost point, where the magical train is turned into a cable car and the adventure begins. Along the tour line is a gift-making area, packing area, and storage space.

Traffic System

On both sides of the valley, there are living quarters and factory sites. The station locates at the site's southernmost point, where the magical train turns into a cable car, and the adventure begins. Along the tour, the line is a gift-making area, packing area, and storage space.

Santa Elf

Protrude

Buckle

Vehicle station

Bird-watching

Wow! what a spectacular view!

Looking forward to playing with elves!

That's how my gift be made!

I can't wait for the dance party!

Elves could change shifts without disturbing each other in one of two sorts of dwellings.

Santa's Villa

Elf Activity Center Santa's Office

Santa lives in a mountain villa with lots of storage space for his books, where he can relax, read, exercise, and even prepare a cup of hot cocoa.

Elves can engage in several activities. A swimming pool, a hot spring, a kitchen, a dining area, and a vast library with many exciting picture books and fairy tales are all available.

Hot spring can really relieve my fatigue.

I feel so good to live with my friend!

I can find any book I want to read here!

Santa can see the entire building from his office, which sits at the top of the complex. A giant, rotating globe may be seen by Santa and the elves on its roof. It depicts the state of children around the world as well as the evolution of gift-giving. Letter storage spaces are located beneath the office and can be viewed by visiting youngsters through glass windows.

Elf Village

Wrapping Factory Warehouse Dispatching Point

The finished product is piped, boxed, sealed, and packed here, along with Santa's response. The address and name of the child will write on the package.

After wrapping, the gifts are separated and organized on shelves, ready to be loaded according to the earth's geographical location.

The dispatching point lies on the complex's south side, above the reindeer farm and sled garage, making reindeer management and sled maintenance easier.

Let's take a look at how the factory works !

Bird-watching Tower

The rare Little Auk can also be found in Herbert. Santa used magic to hide the factory after the chilly Christmas season, but he built a bird-watching tower close to the station for visitors visiting for scientific research.

Look at those amazing little creatures!

Location: ShangHai, China

Key Word: Spa, Chinese Garden

Type: Individual work

The art of gardening in China has a history of over 3,000 years and has the artistic principle of "though made by man, it is just like a heavenly creation," with an extremely high level of art and a unique style. Gardens are art where people create landscapes to visit and entertain. Gardens are often in cities, surrounded by walls, like a paradise, where people enter and forget the hustle and bustle of the city.

In Shanghai, the crowded and hectic nature of the city takes over people's lives. People desperately need of relaxation, and a spa is a great option to eliminate fatigue. The spa is designed as a garden in the city, a place of meditation, tranquillity, and relaxation. I have studied and translated the forms and techniques of Chinese gardens so that the building keeps the spirit of the garden and presents it in a modern architectural way.

Downtown Xanadu

Shanghai is the economic center of China, where busy work fills people's lives and where the rapidly growing entertainment industry indicates the urgent need for leisure activities to relax

XinTianDi is a commercial area close to the city center, attracting many young people. I want to design a spa as a garden in the city, a place of meditation, tranquillity, and relaxation. It is as if a different world is sprouting in this building, not unrelated to the 'outside world, but in which one wishes to find peace.

Concept Design

Yu Garden is the most famous garden in Shanghai.

XinTianDi

Yu Garden

Busy work fills people's lives

The Old Temple Scenic Area

Step into the Xanadu of the city, follow in the footsteps of the ancients and find inner peace

In most cases, gardens in the city are dominated by an inward layout to avoid external distractions. They are often centred on pools and take irregular plan shapes, thus giving the enclosed space a sense of intimacy, tranquillity, and variety.

Morphological Research

Using of the veranda allows the buildings to combine a variety of changes. The courtyards are linked in different ways to create diverse spatial effects. There is only a single route on the veranda, so there are three types between the porch and the sight.

The combination of neatness and naturalness, closure and openness, twists and turns, large and small, can be used to highlight their respective characteristics by contrasting with each other.

'Yaba' courtyard means a small courtyard formed by the turns of the veranda. It is functionally useless, but it helps to enhance the sense of the depth of the space. There are two common forms: a small courtyard formed by separating the veranda from the wall at the corner and created by the turn of the porch attached to a straight wall.

Onsen Entertainment

Leisure

Sleeping Restaurant

Design Generation

1. Pedestrian and logistic entrances according to pedestrian flow.

2.Inward facing layout of the gardens, leaving a central recreational space.

3.Blocks are adapted to the function and staggered to create corner spaces.

4. Rotation of the blocks by the roads for a smooth flow.

5.A grid is placed to simulate the spatial organisation of a garden, divided into houses,verandas and gardens according to the different functional attributes.

6.Adjustment of roof form. 7.Add the brick wall to ensure privacy without obstructing views.

Onsen Area Analysis

People only sit at the edge of the pool and the space in the centre goes to waste.

The eye's field of vision generally forms a visual cone of around 120°, which with the veranda twists and turns, the columns and the shading, blocking, and penetration of the landscape create a variety of visual spaces. Third Floor Forth Floor

Changes In Sight and Viewpoint

The change of route determines the change of view.

As there is only a single route on the veranda, there are three types between the veranda and the sight, thus forming the controlling relationship between the view and the veranda.

Consistency Crossover Misalignment

Comparison of Spaces

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

Lobby Shoes Locker Towel Counter Dressing Area Shower Area Grooming Area Sauna Room Cryogenic Spa Massage Pool

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Realxing Area Laundry Room Office Kitchen Refrigerators Ambient Storage Staff Storage Café

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Realxing Area Garden Rest Area Fruit Stall Fruit Storage Supermarket Board Game Shop Games Room Bar Onsen Area

28 29 30 31 32 33

Outdoor Terrace Private Spa Area Dessert Area Steam Room Reading Area Restaurant

Seeing and being seen

Visually the spaces are in a relationship of seeing and being seen. Garden architecture is not guided by axes and does not seek balance, symmetry or alignment. It appears to be random, as if growing naturally, but in fact it is carefully arranged and governed by visual relationships.

The introduction of the concept of "folding" within a more traditional form allows, guidance of the movement lines, with internal and external overlap; on the other layers, linking them together and creating a continuous strolling movement line.

on the one hand, for the full extension and practical other hand, the folding spatially weakens the concept of

Infiltration and Hierarchy

The interpenetration of indoor and outdoor spaces, bringing the outdoors in, is an essential technique in the garden. People look from the dark to the light, seeing through grilles and galleries.

05

Borderless Childhood

Location: Beijing, China

Key Word: Quadrangle renovation

Type: Individual work

Beijing is currently experiencing the 'one-city-fits-all' conundrum. The city center's siheyuan (quadrangle courtyard) layout has been seriously damaged. Siheyuan's proportion in the ancient city has dropped dramatically from 3/4 to less than 1/3 in the seventy years since the formation of New China. Beijing, where most of the population has grown up, could be mistaken for any other city.

The primary structure that makes up Beijing's old city, the siheyuans, and the hutongs (lanes) surrounding them are the essential physical carriers of history, culture, and customs. Children growing up in this neighbourhood will probably have more positive feelings about the city. As a result, I created a kindergarten to preserve children's unique experiences of this lovely city while also help restore community relationships.

Background

Site Location

As an outmoded part of the city, Hutongs stagnate in development, with the people being evacuated and diminished. Most residents' public activities occur on the street. This location lacks placebased characters because of its complex road network and dense structure. There are no public social places in the original siheyuan layout. The packed neighbourhood has entirely lost the land that belongs to children now that rows of personal vehicles park on the small side of hutongs.

As an outmoded part of the city, an area of the neighborhood has not been redeveloped in Qianmen. The dilapidated and narrow hutongs are inhabited by all kinds of people, including children of all ages.

Site Analysis Design Concept

Circulation Usage

Vegetation

The 'no boundaries' learning concept is a fundamental education philosophy of the kindergarten, and the implementation of which starts from "removing" those walls. Here, children can make choices to explore specific areas following their interests.

This old-fashioned house's space divides into several units, and each unit and the exterior spaces are rebuilt. Buildings in the courtyard, returning inner areas to the courtyard, vertically separating higher rooms, or inverting the alignment of spaces with the landscape are all possibilities. An attempt is made to push the frontiers of possible spatial change.

Site Area：2461 ㎡

Building Foot Print：1821 ㎡

Total Area：1775.5 ㎡

Green Ratio：15.4%

Existing Building Functional Division

logistics Children's activities restaurant office

Original Wall Maximise Green Space

In today’s world, there are more ‘orphaned’ households. Children require a positive example of cohabitation and the possibility of travelling to diverse locations. Children would grow up in the company of various people, and residents in the neighbourhood would benefit from additional opportunities to interact.

The kindergarten helps people in the neighbourhood form relationships. The kindergarten serves as a childcare center for children throughout the neighbourhood.

Classroom

Dining room a-a Section Plan b-b Section Plan

Classroom

Activity Zone

Classroom

Activity Zone

The Sense of Distance Is Important

The kindergarten's activities extend into the community through a community café. I hope that everyone who comes here is in a good attitude. People have varied demands for distance, and not everyone who comes to kindergarten expects to form a tight bond. The restaurant features sitting away from the kindergarten, semi-outdoor seating, and seating facing the kindergarten to accommodate various moods guests' experience. Considering the kindergarten's openness to care and education, a high fence gives a sense of separation with tight sight lines. However, it is equally critical not to overexpose personal space. As a result, the restaurant and the kindergarten are separated by a courtyard. The wall obstructs the view while creating an exciting light and shadow effect.

Laundry

FenZhou HuTong

FenZhou HuTong SanJing HuTong

SanJing HuTong

Base Areas To Strengthen Block Links

The kitchen can give additional food services to the neighbourhood restaurant because the kindergarten has a capacity of only 30 youngsters. The kindergarten's snacks and lunches are nutritionally balanced and delicious. Parents cannot prepare dinner for their children, elderly persons living alone, and others may benefit from the service.

Openwork Brick Wall

The 'Blind Box' Plan

Beijing sky-bridge Area Renewal

While sufficient places in Beijing have lost their uniqueness, the performing arts area of Sky bridge remains in its original, uncommercialised state, connected to a residential area, which can describe as 'stagnant' and 'chaotic.' We are trying to break the stagnation of the site and restore a lively performing arts atmosphere, organising and linking architectural styles, spaces and facades.

The 'blind box' is popular with young people and has various variations, catering to people’s desire for the unknown. Our concept was therefore placed in the park is a fascinating collision with its historical atmosphere. The random placement of the ‘blind box’ restores the long-standing ‘disorder’ of the area, and the unknowns and surprises it brings are what we expect from it.

Design Generation

What a beautiful view! Interesting!

a. These 'blind boxes are at the nodes of the bridge and provide resting and viewing spaces, as well as exhibit cultural exhibitions and performances.

b. These 'blind boxes' are combined with or embedded in and extended from the original building, creating new functions and enriching the façade.

c. These 'blind boxes' are small and playful, on the roof of the original building, and incorporate a variety of interactive devices that together tell the story of Beijing.

We have lightened the immersive theatre and condensed it into six blind boxes. Replacing the live performance with a digital interactive installation to create an immersive experience, from sight, smell, sound, body, and dialogue interaction, to create the best possible touring experience.

Fanshion Design

Photographs

Beijing Sanlitun Area Renewal

Inspired By Architecture

Model Making