Extending Boundaries Selected Works of Yujia Wang
Y.J.Wang@Hotmail.com MLA with Distinction '17 | Harvard Graduate School of Design B.Eng. in LA ‘15 | Chongqing University Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
[Biography] Yujia Wang is a landscape designer with a MLA with Distinction degree from Harvard GSD, and a B.Eng. in LA from Chongqing University School of Architecture. The education and practice had seen him exposed to architecture, landscape, and urban and regional planning, with which he developed a unique multi-scalar and multi-disciplinary scope. He has particular interests in rethinking the envelop of landscape architecture in response to emerging social, environmental, economic and institutional changes. He is also deeply attracted to the imaginative, poetic and joyful qualities in landscape place-making, and believes in the power of design to add qualitative changes for people. His recent works are mostly landscape researches on landscape typologies and meanings, and research-based designs that connect vision and planning with innovative ground level design and interventions.
Extending Boundaries Selected Works of Yujia Wang
Y.J.Wang@Hotmail.com MLA with Distinction '17 | Harvard Graduate School of Design B.Eng. in LA ‘15 | Chongqing University Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
YUJIA WANG MLA with Distinction, Harvard Graduate School of Design Y.J.WANG@HOTMAIL.COM
EDUCATION Harvard Graduate School of Design(GSD), USA
05/17
Master in Landscape Architecture with Distinction Worked on two Landscape Core Studios and two Landscape Option Studios Courses include landscape theory, enginnering, urban projects, sustainable development and real estate financing Cross-registered at MIT Sloan School of Management Active student with roles in ASLA GSD Chapter Board and in GSD’s Admissions Committee
Chongqing University School of Architecture and Urban Planning, CHN
06/15
Bachelor of Engineer in Landscape Architecture Worked on five Studios in Architecture, one in Urban Design, seven in Landscape Design and Planning Senior volunteer with over 400 hours of service. Served both in general purpose and as a designer. Assistant to the Foreign Affairs Office at CAUP
Cardiff University School of Planning and Geography, UK
09/13 - 02/14
Studied Urban and Regional Planning as an exchange student, funded by national scholarship
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Intern Urban Planner | Urban Planning and Design Institute of Shenzhen Participated in Planning and Urban Design of Hainan Medical City National New Zone, assisted the development of landscape system within the urban scheme, and developed urban design for select areas.
Project Director| Bridge to China Foundation Chongqing University Chapter Responsible for organizing, designing and building pedestrian bridges for remote villages in China, with primary focus on design and tectonics. Worked with a charitable foundation for approval and funding. Coordinated collaborations with multi-national teams. Conducted parallel researches in community planning and community-driven development
8 Month until 02/15
2 Years until 10/14
ACTIVITIES AND LEADERSHIPS Member | Admissions Committee for MLA 1 AP Program, Harvard GSD
01/17 - 03/17
One of the two student members serving on the Program’s Admissions Committee. Reviewed, commented and ranked on applications for 2017 Fall
Executive Member | Board of ASLA Harvard GSD Student Chapter
08/16 - 05/17
Coordinated the Lunch Talk Series at the GSD. Drafted list of talk topics and guests, made invitations and moderated events.
FAA Student Pilot | East Coast Aero Club
10/15 - Present
Founder | SAII Academic Talks, Chongqing University
12-13
Established a student organization that focused on organizing talks and lectures for the student community.
Student Core Team Member | “Deutschland und China” Community Project, Chongqing Project under the theme “Future Community and Urban Public Space”. Organized student volunteers body, moderated discussion sessions, and managed social media operations, etc.
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11/11 - 05/12
SKILLS AND LANGUAGES Landscape Design and Planning Urban Planning, Urban Design and Architecture Design Research and Research-based Design and Design Innovation Community Project Management Software: Adobe Creative Suite; AutoCAD; Rhinoceros 5 and Grasshopper for Design, Modeling and Data Visualization; Esri ArcGIS for Mapping; MasterCAM for CNC Milling; Realflow for Flow Simulation; Sketchup; Native in Chinese; Full Professional Proficiency in English; Professional Proficiency in Cantonese
HONORS AND AWARDS Independent Research Project Distinction
05/17
Landscape Option Studio Distinction
05/17
Project Featured in GSD Annual Publication Platform 9
12/16
Landscape Core IV Studio Distinction
06/16
Outstanding Graduating Student Cadre
06/15
Honor Award | ChsLA Student Competition 2014
08/14
Merit Concluding Report | National University Student Innovation Program
04/14
Distinction Project
04/14
China International Scholarship for Outstanding Undergraduates
04/13
Outstanding Individual for Volunteering Service
06/12
National Scholarship
12/11
Volunteer Service Gold Award
09/11
Silver Prize | Shanghai 5th Paper Architecture Design& Building Competition
05/11
Harvard University, United States Harvard University, United States Harvard University, United States Harvard University, United States Chongqing University, China
Chinese Association of Landscape Architecture, China Chongqing University, China
Cardiff University, United Kingdom China Scholarship Council, China Chongqing University, China Ministry of Education, China XXVI Summer Universiade Shenzhen 2011, China National Supervision Board for Architectural Education, China
CULTURAL EXPERIENCE Europe: Lived six month in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Travelled to over 30 cities in Norway, Denmark, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Russia etc. Asia: Lived in Chongqing, Shenzhen and Tokyo. Travelled to over 50 cities/locations of cultural, historic or natural interests North America: Live in Boston since 2015. Travelled to East and West Coast cities as well as National Parks.
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Projects Project Scale
1:200 - 1:100,000 1:15 - 1:50,000 1:5 - 1:1,000
/ Extending boundaries 2
The Possibilities of Islands
18 Redrawing of Ground and Power 36 Seeking the Lost Stars
/ Building resiliency 1:20,000 - 1:50
1:3,000
1:1
46
A Landscape Vision Against Climate Change for Boston 2060
58 Landscape Joints: Strategies for Framing Urban Development 72 A Bridge of Resiliency
/ Uncovering agencies 1:100 1:500 - 1:1,000
1:1,500
80 Stage of Ciqikou 86 Experiments in Landscape Operations 96 Rural Re-Imagine
Theme 1/ Extending Boundaries
Theme 2/ Building Resiliency
Theme 3/ Uncovering Agencies
The Possibilities of Islands
Independent/Academic/Design Instructor: Eelco Hoftman/Bridget Baines
(GSD) This is part of an optional studio in Fall 2016. The studio was research-based design studio with two general phases. In the first phase, the project explored an understanding of the world of temporal flows and mobility and how islands can be mobile infrastructures or land to respond to the risks and opportunities. The second phase followed a proposal of new metabolism on Tokyo Bay, tackling its ecological issues, and of islands of imagination and poetry between land and sea. The works represent my deep passion of place-making and a strong interest in extending small scale interventions for regional impact.
Part I Understand and Navigate A World of both Permanent Infrastructure and Temporal Movements
Above: Data visualization of Index of Human Impact, mapping a world composed of permanent structures and temporal movements and flows, overlaid on top of atlas of plastisphere. (Zoomed in) Below: Global circulation of plastics and other floating trash/objects, classically demonstrated by the Friendly Floatees (1992- ongoing)
[Relativity] The notion of island becomes intriguing as it highlights the importance of relativity, built up with physical proximity, relationships with flows and movements, visual references, etc. As it shifts, an islands' character specificity, directionality, community, infrastructure, and perhaps more profoundly, time - changes. As such, it becomes essential to establish an understanding of the extent of the human world defined by both permanent structures and temporal movements. It gives clues as to how islands can be inserted and function on a global scale. -3-
Above Left: Global Drifters, Collage Below Left: Functional typologies of drifters
[Floating Insertions] Working with the flows, it is proposed that drifters are to spread and circulate globally, as insertions of different functions, or combinations of functions, to respond to the need of working with mobile resources and materials, of mediating against fluctuating risks, and of extending territories and finding advantage spots for both human and other creatures -4-
Part II A Tale of Tokyo Bay: Flow, Metabolism and Poetic Imaginations
Above: Functional landscape and aspirational landscape, a dialect. Collage
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Tokyo Bay: Insufficient Sea Water Exchange Causing Water Quality Deterioration -6-
Above: Operationalizing Islands and Marine Traffic as Interventions, Collage
[Flow as Interventions] Several intervention typologies with islands are sought. First, the proposal identified and investigated ships as having the effects of moving and mixing water by its propeller and waves created along its movement. Second, freshwater input from several rivers are important for improving water quality and for circulation. Third, the islands themselves can function as infrastructures that accelerate and oxygenate water. And finally, the changes in water speed, wave conditions etc. on bay surface as reconfigured by islands can create new conditions for ecologies. -7-
Island as reconfiguration and addition of marine operations: Transportation of water, enhancement of circulation and aeration. Axonmetric -8-
Choreography of operations on Tokyo Bay. Map -9-
Choreography of Operations above and below the Surface of Tokyo Bay - 10 -
Above: Conceptual drawing: Between land and sea. Below: Preliminary superimpose of four types of landscape- mountain, forest, field, water- on the islands, showing adjustments of the carrying body to adapt to their need.
[The Poetic Islands: Between Land and Sea] The exploration of the social potential began by identifying four basic landscape typologies, Mountain, Forest, Field, and Water. The conceptual drawing shows the possibility of these elements in composing space and enclosures in between the land and the sea, as another world, one that intrigues imaginations. - 11 -
WATERFRONT AND WETLAND
Either individually or in groups of islands, the islands can create natural waterfront space and new wetland area, dependent on whether it is enclosed or open to the ocean, the wetland can by either freshwater or saltwater based.
Above: Moments of intersection of the four landscape types and the social ecological energy they produce.
On a more zoomed-in scale, how these typologies can come together to generate new social energies and ecological grounds, by enabling different lifestyles, sceneries, views, activities and unique spaces. - 12 -
Above: A new, self-sustaining world that is also deeply rooted in Japanese agricultural imagination Below: The beauty of night skies, with the galaxy, fireflies, and city lights in distance.
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Above: Imagination of mountains and caves Below: Exchanges from global drifters docking into the Bay every now and then, allowing unique interactions of people and ecologies, a globalism on a micro scale, and a synthetic energy of wonder.
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Towards a New Tokyo Bay Metabolism - 15 -
Towards a new metabolism, Tokyo Bay. Mobility, networ ks, operations and new social and ecological grounds. Axonmetric - 16 -
Theme 1/ Extending Boundaries
Theme 2/ Building Resiliency
Theme 3/ Uncovering Agencies
Redrawing of Ground and Power
Independent + Group/Academic/Design Instructor: Sergio Lopez-Pineiro /Pierre BĂŠlanger
(GSD) The project looks at the topic of de-monumentalization on a ground that is strongly hierarchic and dominated by power- Washington D.C. It questions permanency and the maintenance and control it imposes, and urge a re-imagination and re-drawing of a ground of resiliency and democracy. Through research and design, the project is an experiment in public spaces that tries to find spatial conditions, containments and separations to allow the accommodation of a multitude of freedom and sensibility. Such conditions are achieved through using identified artifacts. This individual project forms a larger narrative with other individual projects that operate on the ground of D.C. This is a series of work and exhibition done as part of the Landscape Core IV studio in Spring 2016 at the GSD.
Legend: Permeable Surfaces
[Where] North Gardens of Pentagon [What] Helipad Axis [Who] POTUS and other High Profile Officials
[Where] Parade Ground of Pentagon [What] Pentagon Arrival Ceremony [Who] High Profile Foreign Heads and other VIPs
[Where] Courtyard of Pentagon [What] No Hat No Salute Zone [Who] Active Duty Service Members
MATERIAL /ACCESS OF THE GROUND AS INSCRIPTIONS OF POWER The project identifies Pentagon which houses U.S. Department of Defense, as a highly powerful expressive figure and an operational ground through which forces are mobilized across the globe. Interestingly, there are moments in this highly militarized, precise and massive concrete fortress where something of completely opposite nature can be found - a courtyard, lawns, gardens, etc. By identifying these particular ground/material conditions and associate them with the question of access and purpose, a line can be drawn between material and tectonics and inscriptions of power. The lawn is identified as the ground condition and cultural object that holds profound meanings. - 19 -
Lawn areas, the Monuments of D.C., and Their Impact Circles. Map. - 20 -
Reading and questioning the Mall. Video screen shots + Text
The National Mall has always been part of the image of the United States, the “front yard�. It is significant historically and politically, in that it is home to numerous monuments and that it has been the most significant place to demonstrate to power. There is also a diverse use of the ground, from inauguration, to various festivals, to memorial gatherings, etc. Over the years, however, the Mall has become a monument in itself, where power is inscribed on the ground through the perfectly maintained lawn that included the exclusion of people and the relocation of public events, the strong geometrical shape that centered around individual monuments, and the blooming of tourism. In an effort to maintain this image, the ground is less and less democratic, and the core value of the Mall and this nation is undermined. It is questioned the act of the continuous reinforcement of a static image of the perfect lawn and its representation of the United States as a superpower, and it is proposed, through the manipulation of temporal infrastructures that changes vegetation, ground conditions and thus the concentration of people, a deconstruction of permanence, monumentality and reconstruction of an ecologically and socially vibrant, diverse, dynamic and accessible ground. - 21 -
Level of resillience
Level of resillience
4 inch
4 inch 3 inch
3 inch 2 inch
2 inch
2 inch
2 inch
Ground Level
Ground Level
- 1 feet - 1 feet
-2 feet -2 feet
-3 feet -3 feet
-4 feet
Above: The Co-relation between Length of Tall Fescues and the Length of Its Roots, subsequently Functionalities and Resiliency. Below: Maintenance Scheme, Color, and Length of Tall Fescues across a year
-4 feet Level of maintainence
Longer blades mean longer roots Level of maintainence Longer blades mean longer roots
Jan Jan
Feb Feb
Mar Mar
Apr Apr
The Color Revolution: Questioning The Image of Green for a Future of Resilient and Democratized Ground
May May
Jun Jun
Jul Jul
Aug Aug
Sep Sep
Oct Oct
Nov Nov
Dec Dec
Tall Fescues is a typical plant widely used for lawns, but in particular lawns at the National Mall and at the Pentagon, and it requires considerable resources and manpower for its maintenance to the perfect color and length. However, it is also used for control of soil erosion in the wild being a plant with high resilience. It is found that there is a positive co-relation between the length of the plant and its root, and the plant's resilience is suppressed when the it is mowed short, in which case its root cannot go very deep, and fertilizing and irrigation is needed. The general ideology and symbol of perfection, of an inviting society, of control and maintenance, and also of claiming land ownership - essentially power - have given rise to the lawn. The project questions this image of green, of perfection, arguing that in fact, it reduces resilience, takes more resources, and restrains access. It is moving past this image of green that the society will be able to stay true to a future that is sustainable and democratized. - 22 -
Visualizing the National Mall crowds, Extracted from Flicker 2000-2011, Data Point 1.04 million. Data and GIS Mapping. With thanks to Eric Fishcher - 23 -
Occupancy and Popularity: Social Agencies for Power and for Ecologies - 24 -
Mass Control and Public Space Strategies Edge Control: Soft and Hard Edges
(a) Hard Edge by Fences
Area Control: Temporal Surface Conditions
(b) Soft + Hard: Fences and Sprinklers
(a) Evenly Distributed
(b) Selective Control
Irrigation Efficiency: Social and Ecological Drivers Through Change of Soil Conditions 20m
5m
(a) Inefficient Irrigation Small Percentage Covered
Strategic Coverage Large Area of Land Free from Maintenance and Crowd Control
(b) Inefficient Irrigation Drought around Periphery
Changing Circumstances Transition to Periphery Conditions
(b) Efficient Irrigation
(b) Over-efficient Irrigation Micro-Flooding Conditions
Perfectly Maintained for Monuments
Dynamic Micro Flooding for Temporal Path and Surface Occupancy Control
I propose to include two types of temporal infrastructure - sprinklers and fences - as a way to dismantle power, reconfigure ground and redistribute people. The two strategies have different qualities in the kind of control and the timescale that they imposes. The sprinkler is “soft�. It functions as moisture control to a radius of ground, that when systematically placed and turned on, creates areas of over-efficiency, essentially micro flooding. The fence is hard, it acts to redefine edges to include, exclude, direct, choreograph, defend and demonstrate. Both of these also have implications on vegetation, as it changes moisture, surface pressure, and maintenance performance. - 25 -
Reconfigured Temporal Infrastructure and Operations Axonmetric - 26 -
[Re-draw the National Mall] This drawing features two of the three distinct moments of how these operations come together. They are: “A reinforced ground of demonstration”, “A new way of engagement and focus”, and “A shifting choreography of surface pressure”(not featured here). These are examples of how diversity, democracy and accessibility can be achieved through interventions on the ground of the Mall.
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Temporal Boundaries, Surface Conditions and Occupancy. Bird's-Eye View - 30 -
Grounded Impermanence: Re-imagine a Post Monument D.C.
- 31 -
A collage of interventions developed by each member of the team that aims to dismantle or reorganize the current organizational logic of the landscape to imagine a post monument, post military D.C. Wang, Yujia; Agnew, Lex; Liu, Ho-Ting; Maguire, Sophie; Wang, Yifan; Butera, Laura; Qin, Yuxi; Epley, Ellen; Hill, Aaron; Zhang, Ziwei. - 32 -
Drawn at 1:1000 scale, the D.C. Arlington diamond is almost identical in scale to the ground floor of Piper. We chose to represent all of our interventions in a collective drawing centered around the center of D.C., with the Washington monument being the exact center. Further, the lights represent one mile grid that divides the ground of D.C. All of the interventions in this connected drawing are drawn at 1:1000 scale and placed in correct relation to each other and where they would be located if Piper's floor plan was the D.C. Arlington diamond. The interventions work with a variety of different elements of the D.C. landscape, all of which dismantle or reorganize the current organizational logic of the landscape. They remove monuments and infrastructure, change management regimes, blur jurisdictional boundaries and manipulating public. Working together, memory, perception and monument are decoupled from the ground and a post monument, post military D.C. can be imagined. - 33 -
- 34 -
Project Curated GSD’s Piper Auditorium as 1:1000 Scaled Ground for the Washington D.C. Re-Drawn
Theme 1/ Extending Boundaries
Theme 2/ Building Resiliency
Theme 3/ Uncovering Agencies
Seeking the Lost Stars
Group(4)/Academic/Design Instructor: Jun Liu Collaborator: Jing Liang et al.
(CQU) Starry-night itself is a marvel, filling people with awe and admiration. It’s also a medium of a dialogue with nature, the universe, and our hearts. We find it unfortunate and problematic that the urban population, overwhelmed by the intense pressure and background noise, can hardly see it anymore. In a way, light and air pollution is a metaphor of us being the victims of our own success, and the physical reality is also a reflection of a mental state. Our proposal is to restore the deserted site that is part of the old Kai Tak Airport of Hong Kong to a vibrant ecosystem, while creating places of poetry, inspiration, and imagination. We write a tale of three scenes, each with its unique settings, in accordance with the three objects of dialogue: the self, nature, and the universe. This is the series of works of the Landscape Core VII studio in Spring 2014 at Chongqing University. Led concept development, site research, storyline and spatial sequence development, scene design and rendering development. This project was awarded Distinction and 2014 ChSLA Student Competition Honor Award.
Left: Stars Above, People Beneath. Collage Left Below: The Trapped Citizen. Five-Frame Cartoon.
Starry Nights: Lost Marvels Overwhelmed by the City
Hong Kong is a city with a thriving economy, but also has a range of urban issues. It is extremely dense, fastpaced, and expensive. In this way, ordinary people becomes the victims of Hong Kong's success. Here, places for meditation, reflection and mental connections are not luxury, but urgent necessity. And we look up towards the stars for an answer to that necessity.
Rebuilding the Dialogue: A Tale of Human, Nature, and the Universe
Starry nights are important. It's visually stunning, and it has long been the medium of a dialogue with the universe, with nature, and deep within human minds. These are the dialogue we propose to restore through this project. We propose a storyline and spatial sequence of three scenes, in which we hope to remind people of the value of things true and dear to our hearts, and provide places to reflect, mediate, and admire. It is achieved through a number of landscape interventions that bring back to life a deserted urban site, and choreograph vegetations, insects, animals and installations together to create new places of poetry and inspiration.
Cycle of Life: From A Dangerous Airport to A Healing Ground The site of our particular proposal is parcel of deserted land of 9ha, originally part of Kai Tak International Airport which ceased service in 1998, and remains abandoned ever since. The airport was known for its dangerous approach procedures, which included a sharp turn at a low altitude above the city, to avoid the mountain and align with the runway.
Above: Story of the site- a narrative of time and space. Serial Sections
This series of sections tells the story of the site, and is also a metaphor of cycle of life, something of deep Buddhist tradition. From its early years as a fishing village, to one of the busiest airports built with reclamation of land, to being deserted and used for car parking, towards providing ecological restoration and social amenities to urban residents. - 40 -
Sequence 1 The Reflection A Scene of the Human
Above Right: Diagram of Installation of Mirrors Below: The Reflection. Rendering.
[A Little Reflection We All Need] A space built along the woods and the water, it offers a sense of absurdity by creating fragmentation of space, to extract people from daily routine, reflect, and really see. It is created with a series of mirrors of different angles, heights and transparency. The mirrors are set to create a multitude of space, real yet virtual, fragmented. A lot of elements can be seen, at and varied by different perspective, including the wood, the water, the sky, the city, and people themselves. Through the scene, we intend to extract people out of busy daily routine, to reflect, and to find the self that’s long lost in urban jungle.
Above: The Enlightenment. Rendering Below: Sectional diagram showing design incorporating processes of fireflies' life-cycle
Sequence 2 The Enlightenment: A Scene of the Nature
[Glowing, Enlightening] During the night, it provides city dwellers rare and precious opportunity to be in natural darkness, silent, illuminated by faintest allowable lighting, along with fireflies, and a series of glowing bowls. It is a metaphor of life, dimming but guiding lights in darkness we all need as we seek through. It is also an opportunity, with the stressful and noisy background of city filtered, to reflect about important questions of life. To create the scene of nature, we designed the environment to support fireflies, among other animals and insects. Among what we’ve created is the “bowl”, a container made of fluorescent material and filled with water. It provides water needed for breeding of fireflies, and makes part of the scene by glowing dim itself, and without consuming energy.
Sequence 3 The Celebration A Scene of the Universe
Above: Diagram showing the concept of the light installation Below: The celebration. Rendering.
[A Celebration of the Long Lost] A system of sensors and lasers are placed in a wide grass field created for the last scene of our story. As people walk on particular areas of ground, concentrated light beams will illuminate briefly, marking the position of the stars that are now invisible. It’s an interactive celebration for, and a reminder of, the awe-inspiring starry night. At times of good viewing condition, such function will be deactivated, making the place pure and simple, for people to admire the beauty and awe of one of nature’s finest gift.
Theme 1/ Extending Boundaries
Theme 2/ Building Resiliency
Theme 3/ Uncovering Agencies
Resilient and Engaging: A Landscape Vision Against Climate Change
Indepedent/Academic/Design Instructor: Martha Schwartz /Markus Jatsch
(GSD) This is a research-based design project on Boston in 2060 against the risks of Global Climate Change. The process included identifying the causes and impacts of Climate Change and their relevance in urban context, projecting the 2060 scenario for Boston including Boston Seawall and Self-Driving Vehicles, and developing designs for typical areas identified. This proposal emphasizes on shared risks and interests that will bring communities closer together, as well as the incredible potential for new spaces for public life as well as for ecologies. It is our mission as landscape architects to offer solutions to urban issues that ultimately engage and intrigue the public. This was part of the Landscape Option Studio SEQUESTROPOLIS: The City as a Machine for Combating Global Warming, in Spring 2017 at the GSD. Project awarded Distinction.
Boston Business As Usual 2060
Fight Against Sea Level, Flooding, and Extreme Precipitation With the rising water and increased frequency of storm surges, Boston will face severe impacts to its important and highly populated areas like Downtown, South Boston, etc. Institutions like Harvard and MIT will need to relocate, as are many key infrastructures like Logan Airport. - 47 -
Boston Sea Wall 2060 Inserted Reef System Secondary Coastline Protection
Segment 1 2.5 km; Max. Depth 24m Ship lock equipped
Segment 2 1 km; Max. Depth 10m Segment 3 2.3 km; Max. Depth 20m
Sea Wall Strategies Actionable Plan for a Securer Future This three segment Boston Sea Wall, with a total length of 5.8km and a maximum depth of 24m, is the line of defense that will protect the city from becoming the Atlantis of New England. - 48 -
Inner Bay side
Seaside
Beach Area
Water Theatre
Seaside Access
Bayside Promenade
Seaside Promenade
Living Seawall
Shade Plaza
Boston Sea Wall: A New Coastline. Secure, Diverse, Vibrant, Exciting. This part of the proposal showcases the possibility to install a three-segment Sea Wall that joins existing geological features to protect the city from being flooded in 2060 and beyond. At the same time and perhaps more importantly is that the project propose to make this piece of infrastructure a new vibrant waterfront that offers a great variety of social and ecological opportunities, an intriguing shoreline that is positively associated with beautiful places and new public experience than a gray and negative mere engineering solution. - 49 -
Inner Bay side
Seaside Sand Dune Habitat
Seaside Promenade
Seaside Access
N
Water Activity Pier
Wood Bridge Walkway
Shade Plaza Sand Dune Habitat
Overlook Platform
YUJIA WANG
Charlestown and East Boston
SEQUESTROPOLIS: The City as a Machine for Combating Global Warming Harvard Graduate School of Design | Option Studio 1407 | 2016-2017
Wetland Area
Bayside Promenade - 50 -
Seaside Promenade
Living Seawall
n and EastAcademic Boston research efforts on Global Climate Change all point to the fact that changes are ongoing and will SEQUESTROPOLIS: The City as a Machine for Combating Global Warming
continue even if the world becomes carbon neutral immediately. This means the city needs to prepare itself for the consequences of such changes in 2060. While the risk from rising sea level can be addressed by Boston Seawall, other aspects such as extreme temperature and polarized precipitation will still inevitably produce their impacts. The proposal is to fight them on street and community level, making use of the upcoming transportation revolution of driver-less cars to reclaim urban spaces for public landscape and for new infrastructure. They will help remediate the new climate pattern while creating new places for people and for urban ecology.
Harvard Graduate School of Design | Option Studio 1407 | 2016-2017
Street Level Operations: Landscape Services Against Consequences of Climate Change - 51 -
N
YUJIA WANG
Charlestown and East Boston
Street Typology
SEQUESTROPOLIS: The City as a Machine for Combating Global Warming Harvard Graduate School of Design | Option Studio 1407 | 2016-2017
Top: Plan for Street Type 1, featuring reduced traffic lanes and0 central green line. 1.2 2.5 1 - Section 1 : 50 Mand recycle system. Bottom : Section showingStreet the Typology rainwater collection - 52 -
5
YUJIA WANG
Charlestown and East Boston
YUJIA WANG
Charlestown and East Boston
SEQUESTROPOLIS: The City as a Machine for Combating Global Warming Harvard Graduate School of Design | Option Studio 1407 | 2016-2017
SEQUESTROPOLIS: The City as a Machine for Combating Global Warming Harvard Graduate School of Design | Option Studio 1407 | 2016-2017
Street Typology 2 - Plan 1 : 100
0
2.5
5
10
M
Top: Plan for Street Type 2, featuring reduced traffic lanes and back garden urban agriculture Street Typology 2 - Section Bottom : Cross section showing the micro-topography and1 : 50water infrastructures 0
M
Shared Interest and Risk Micro-Topography, Semi-Public Space, and Strong Community
1.2
5
10
The proposal argues that on a community level, every member is exposed to the same level of risk and thus has a shared interest to act together. The design uses micro topography operations to transform the shared back garden as a detention basin during extreme circumstances to keep water away from houses. In normal periods, part of the back garden is used as a community space for each member to enjoy, and can carry functions such as urban agriculture. - 53 -
N
YUJIA WANG
Charlestown and East Boston
SEQUESTROPOLIS: The City as a Machine for Combating Global Warming Harvard Graduate School of Design | Option Studio 1407 | 2016-2017
One of the most important aspect of the design and perhaps the greatest oppor tunity out of Climate Change is the new way people engage with each other. It is possible to see a different way how the society and the community is organized, and it could be highly dependent upon the urban spatial settings. Landscape design in this case can provide for and encourage greater social engagement, and to create beautiful places that p e o p l e c a n e n j oy a n d b u i l d memories together. The design for street typology 3 include a river rock walk that links the detention ponds toget her to become a continuous space which adults and children alike can explore and enjoy along. Rocks, stones, furnitures, and equipments are placed t hroughout t he space to stimulate uses of the space, with a dense canopy to provide coverage against summer heat.
Street Typology 3 - Plan 1 : 100 M 0 2.5 5
Beautiful and Engaging Places for People
Right: Plan for Street Type 3, featuring a system of detention pond shared between four houses, and the connected linear river rock landscape - 54 10
WANG
arlestown and East Boston
A WANG
arlestown and East Boston
SEQUESTROPOLIS: The City as a Machine for Combating Global Warming Harvard Graduate School of Design | Option Studio 1407 | 2016-2017
SEQUESTROPOLIS: The City as a Machine for Combating Global Warming Harvard Graduate School of Design | Option Studio 1407 | 2016-2017
Street Typology 3 -Section 1 : 50
0 M
1.2
2.5
5
Top: Two cross section showing the micro-topography, water infrastructures, as well as different 0 1.2 2.5 5 senses of space. Street Typology 3 - Section 1 : 50 M
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Theme 1/ Extending Boundaries
Theme 2/ Building Resiliency
Theme 3/ Uncovering Agencies
Landscape Joints: Strategies for Framing Urban Development
Group Work (2)/Academic/Design Partner: Yun Shi GSD MLA 17' Instructor: David Mah /Chris Reed
(GSD) This project re-t hinks urban development in a complex environment, with multiple stakeholders and conflicts of interest, and increased risks from uncertainties of the economy, financial market and climate. It emphasizes the capacity of landscape in framing development structures to maintain certain values and amenities regardless of change. It aims to provide an operative, dynamic scheme instead of a fixed scheme, and argues that flexibility should be designed. This was the fourweek final project of the Landscape Core III studio in Fall 2015 at the GSD. Project awarded Distinction.
SITE ANALYSIS, ISSUE & POSSIBLE STRATEGIES
MassDOT MBTA
Harvard University
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Boston University Boston Transportation Department
Allston Residence
Riverside Residence
Boston Redevelopment Authority
Boston Parks and Recreation Department
education land owned by Harvard University single and multifamily housing
park
park
soccer field
residential belt
apartment and multifamily housing
playground
education & institution belt
POSSIBLE STRATEGY A: CONTINUE EXSITING LAND USE
cons: lower public access, relative mono-function
single and multifamily housing apartment and multifamily housing
POSSIBLE STRATEGY B: FOCUS ON CIRCULATION CONNECTION
TBD land owned by Harvard University
cons: less concern about multi-stakeholders' interests, fragmented land division
park
apartment and multifamily housing
Charles River
single and multifamily housing
single and multifamily housing
POSSIBLE STRATEGY C: FLEXIBLE URBAN CONTEXT ORGANIZED/INTEGRATED BY LANDSCAPE SYSTEM (SELECTED)
coorperate multi-stakeholders' interest; urban context as organism body, complicated system, and dynamic environment
education land owned by Boston University
Framework of Adaptive Urban Development for Optimum Ecological and Social Effects
Above: Site context analysis and urban strategies; Right: In-between spaces as figure, urban islands as ground. - 59 -
The project deals with a urban site in Allston, Boston, with diverse and often conflicting stakeholders on the site, including local communities, Harvard University, MassDOT, Boston University, and the Charles River, etc. Because of the sheer scale of the project, this project proposes an urban scheme that tackles the ever changing urban environment, client needs, risks and resilience, etc., to design flexibility in its development, and to deeply embed ecological and social agencies. It is achieved by proposing a geometric containment, the islands, that work with different scales, phase well, and accommodate changes or a halt in execution. The edge condition forms an in-between space, the landscape joints, that frames t he development and balance private-public interests. It provides ecological and social amenities, it extends the Charles River waterfront, and it connects to current green system of Boston.
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Above: Development principles for Urban Islands. Diagrams
To design for flexibility, a set of principles are developed that quantitatively relate the size, density and land use of the islands to planning of circulation, COV, stormwater management, porosity, public open space etc. This ensures certain spatial and environmental conditions and public amenities to be consistently available through different scale of development. A separate set of principles are set to plan and design the in-between spaces and the insertion of social functions within. - 61 -
Above: Development principles for Landscape Joints. Diagrams
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An urban scheme example showing the operation of the development principles. Isometric - 63 -
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Another urbanurban scheme example on a on more zoomed-in scalescale featuring different typestypes Another scheme example a more zoomed-in featuring different and scales of urban islands, the landscape joint,joint, and the River.River. and scales of urban islands, the landscape andCharles the Charles - 65 -
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[Diagram as Communication and Generative Tools] Acknowledging the time and resources needed for a large scale, multi-stakeholder urban development against a background of constantly shifting political, economical, ecological and social conditions of our times, the proposal was essentially about planning for change. But at the same time I did not want to give up the position and role as landscape architects to define operational and performative qualities of the project. However, it is also important - 67 -
A zoomed-in section of an instance of the urban scheme, showing a range of islands and the extended waterfront and its bathymetry. Also shows location of the axonmetric studies the following page. Section Perspective.
not to compromise the level of flexibility embedded in our project. With this in mind, I selected an area of the urban scheme where a lot of intersections are found- different scale and uses of urban islands, the landscape joint and the waterfront. Sectional drawings was then used as generative tools to push forward our the design and communicates our intentions with the urban and landscape features. It was also used like a map where an index of moments of intersections were identified and marked out. These moments were further developed in axonmetric drawings as typological studies, and the intention is to - 68 -
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Above: Typological studies and design to operationalize spatial qualities and interactions on the ground level. Axonmetric
design and communicate spatial qualities and interactions of different components in these typologies to further guide urban and landscape operations in a non-predetermined way. They became powerful demonstration of how our proposal, urban scale and more argumentative and schematic than not, would translate and perform on the ground level. It carries the important intentions behind this scheme that are at times difficult to express or translate under the urban scale but works wonderfully when seeing it in an experiential and interactive way. By carefully choosing the techniques and the color, I also attempted to make them readable and attractive to the general public. Local communities and the general public have always been an important part of the dialogue, and thus making it accessible to the non-elites is both a political statement and a practical use. - 69 -
Above: A public island featuring different social activities and extended waterfront. A high density urban island is in the background. Rendering.
But the value of this set is not just in its inquisitional or demonstrative qualities. In many respects it is also operational and projective. The typologies established through these drawings would go on to communicate important messages and to bridge different scales of operations- one that is entirely urban and structural, versus one that is experiential and place-oriented. This is particularly important under the context of this grand urban scheme that is so much about flexibility, or, to be translated, uncertainty. By imposing and describing the qualities that should be present in constructing the open space structure, one of the key of this proposal, it strives to ensures delivery of intensions. It is also an operative manual, which provides important references for future design works and operations. - 70 -
Theme 1/ Extending Boundaries
Theme 2/ Building Resiliency
Theme 3/ Uncovering Agencies
A Bridge of Resiliency
Group/Professional/Design&Build Collaborators: Jingtao Chen et al.
(Professional) This was a student-led project sponsored by Bridge To China Charitable Foundation focused on designing and building pedestrian bridges and carrying out community programs in remote areas of China, completed in August 2013. This bridge is designed by the CQU Design Team, tackling restraints including terrain, limitation by material, transportation and manufacture, etc. to come out with a volunteer- executable solution. It will provide means for school children and other villagers to cross the river during flood times. The design has a level of low-tech concept embedded, in that it uses as much local material as possible, and makes it as easy as possible for the villagers to maintain. In a way, it can be read as an honest registration of the landscape features as well as technical background of its time and location. Only in this way can the project be viable and resilient enough to operate in this restraining environment. My role was as project director, with focus in design and tectonics.
Above: Master Plan. Below Left: Children crossing the river during low season. Below Right: Teacher carrying children across river during flood season.
The site is a distant village called Qing Ling near Chongqing, China. A seasonal river divides the village, blocking half of the village of its only connection to the outside. This half of the village is also where the Qingling Primary School is, and the lack of infrastructure greatly impacted the safety of students and normal operation of the school. At the time there were no fundings nor institutions in place to address this issue, and this is why we eventually decided to intervene here. - 73 -
Hand Rail Design
Br idge Connection and Step Panels
Single side handrail system for villagers and children; Safe design with no rough edges towards users; Simple effective aesthetic expression that is cheap and durable
Optimum span while compatible with local transportation capacity; Unattached structure to enhance durability of Piers if overflown
Historic Peak 2.5m
Flood Season 1.5m
Low Tech Low Cost As Response to Operations in Under-Served Areas
The embedded low tech features of the bridge include the use of local material as well as simple construction techniques. Its construction involved no assistance by heavy machinery and no welding, and this also means the villagers will be able to re-install the bridge if it is overflown or make most repairs themselves. Another feature of the project is its unique handrail, which add color and liveliness to the design in a simple way, and can be easily produced and assembled. It has no rough edges or parts exposed to users, thus increasing safety. Single side handrail allows villagers carrying shoulder pole to pass, and minimizes drag if water overflows the bridge. - 74 -
Secondar y resource and preparation center
Village and road elevation
The Tent: logistic center on site.
Agriculture field during low season
Water melan for quick break over extreme summer heat Passing material from process field to construction
Coordinated Action: Volunteer Construction - 75 -
Above: Serial photos during construction process
[On Site Construction] The preparation phase of this project lasted almost a year. The final construction where everything comes together was less than one week. All of the works needed to be carefully planned out and executed, and all of the core design team member on site to address any problems. We had the help of some villagers including the chief to prepare the rocks needed and finally to help lift the main frame of the bridge, each weighting over 400 kg. - 76 -
Left: The Qingling Bridge upon completion in 2013 - 77 -
Above: The Qingling Bridge facing the flood season of 2013
Months after the bridge’s completion in July 2013, flood season came. During the three month period, Qingling saw several major floods, one of which exceeded historic peak in record back in 1985, and exceeded the flood design standard. The bridge sustained with only minor damages caused by floating trunks, and was repaired in July 2014 when the team came back to execute a second bridge at Qingling. - 78 -
Theme 1/ Extending Boundaries
Theme 2/ Building Resiliency
Theme 3/ Uncovering Agencies
Stage of Ciqikou
Independent/Academic/Design Instructor: Yehong Wu
(CQU) The studio “urban crack space� presents challenges to work with limited available building space as well as rich historical, cultural and community context. The proposal is to build a Studio + Gallery for artist-in- residence, which would sit at intersections of various issues revolving the site, and would intrigue imagination and bring in thrilling new possibilities. The proposal takes the position to rethink and redefine agency and evolution of architecture on this site, with a careful approach on culture, modernity and tradition, and community and individual. This was the Architecture Core II completed in Fall 2011 at Chongqing University.
The Jialing River
The Buddhist Temples
Ma
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Str ee
t
The site
Agency of Architecture in Street Rhythm, Community, and Critical Conservation
The site for this project is a plot of land of 135m2, located at the main street of Ciqikou Town. Ciqikou, directly translated as the town of china harbor. It is a key location for traditional southwest residential buildings. Resting against Gele Mount. and facing Jialing River, it reflects the iconic Chongqing topography and its complex and diverse space usage. The Main Street is a tourist-centric street. It is long and filled with different storefront, and often extremely busy. The continuity of the street and the amount of people forms a very pressing and fast-paced rhythm that excluded any possibility of exploration or community engagement. This project proposes a break in the continuity, offering a public courtyard that extends to the mountain as well as a art gallery. It also joins the discussions of conservation, in particular that of authenticity and of quality of living. - 81 -
En-suite bedroom Private balcony Tea& leisure I. Traditional typology
II. Remove a part of the volume to allow flow perpendicular of the main street.
The viewpoint Platform 2nd Studio
Platform 1st
Semi-private garden Kitchen& dining III. Relocate removed volume underground. New composition: gallery + platform+ living
Living room IV. Adjust to site topography
Cafe& gallery shop
Gallery entrance
V. Adjust volume to maximize view for studio& tribute original building on site.
VI. Refine based on site constrains to create engaging platform space, and to strengthen relation with the mountain behind.
Exhibition space
Above: Generative analysis. Diagrams. Right: Exploded axonmetric of the house.
[Art + Living: A New Typology] Having analyzed the issues of the site and opportunities of this project, I propose to create an extra layer of the platform on the original typology, which would act as a buffer, an intersection, a medium, a stage, and create many possibilities. Standing as a place of living and working for artistic creation, it invites complexity, uncertainty, and energy, to add to inspirations for the artist, and also feeds back to the local communities and tourists. - 82 -
Private Balcony
Living room Kitchen
Gallery
Study
Studio Platform 1
Bedroom
Platform 2
Buddhist temple complex
Traditional snacks Designer clothes
Restaurant Traditional shoes
Restaurant Traditional clothes
Traditional snack
Silverware
studio+gallery
Above: Plans Below: Facade renderings showing the House+Gallery and its context
The design proposal aims at breaking the continuity of the street and provide spaces for exploration without subject to any form of control or particular purpose, but creates freedom that accommodates all kinds of sensitivity. On the other hand, it is seeks coherency to the current building facade with material and scale considerations. - 83 -
A bove : S e c t i o n a l p e r s p e c t i ve s h ow i n g t h e possibilities of activities and exchanges on the platform area.
[A Platform of Possibilities] The House + Gallery as a medium, connecting places, artists, community and the general public. A unique piece of architecture, it can form a beacon in the community. It marks iconic Chongqing spatial typology in its adaption to the topography and layerings. It offers a unique perspective of the mountain and the ancient temple behind it. A wide range of activities can take place, for example community engagement, art workshops, exhibitions, stage for traditional Sichuan Operas. - 84 -
Theme 1/ Extending Boundaries
Theme 2/ Building Resiliency
Theme 3/ Uncovering Agencies
Experiments in Landscape Operations
Group Work (2)/Academic/Design Partner: Yun Shi GSD MLA 17' Instructor: David Mah /Chris Reed
(GSD) This is the first phase of the two in Landscape Core III studio in Fall 2015. It is a series of experiments with landforms and urban form. It investigates common topics of climate, vegetation, hydrology, surface and sectional conditions, solar radiation and urban forms. It fosters deep understandings of the social and ecological agencies and driving forces of urban development that land and the operations upon it posses. It is also a very provocative dialogue of trying to design and diagram with parametric logic and tools.
Above: Climate Visualization Below: Distribution of Plants - 87 -
Above: Generative analysis Below: Iterations of tests
Landscape Topography Hydrology - 88 -
Above: Iteration plan with diagram of vegetation community distribution - 89 -
Above: Iteration plan with diagram of hydrology, surface conditions, and social ecological functions - 90 -
Site Typography Analysis Type 1: Water+ Activities
Type 3: Public Domain
Condition 1: Winter: Ice-Skating
Condition 2: Summer. Plaza+ Water
Condition 3: Aqua Theatre
Condition 6: Badminton
Condition 7: Table Tennis
Condition 8: Basketball
Condition 4: Market and Fair/ Small Tents
Condition 5: Market and Fair/ Large Tents
Condition 9: Charity Dinner/ Public Event
Condition 10: Public Exhibition
Type 2: Sports
Type 3: Free Spaces
Condition 11: Baseball
Condition 12: Volleyball
Condition 13: 5-Player Football
Above: Typologies of social activities, spatial configurations and patterns of occupancy. Plan Below: Surface conditions, soil layers, and activities. Section perspective
Landscape, Surface Conditions, Social Agency
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Condition 14: Sun Bathing Day
Condition 15: Free Space
The t hird experiment investigates solar exposure in its shaping of urban form. It also looks at how factors like location, topography, directionality of the grid, among others, change urban form, public space and organizational structure directly or indirectly through effects of shadow.
Left: Iteration on topography, sunshade, v i s u a l re l a t i o n s a n d u r b a n f o r m . Isometric
Landscape Urban Grid Building Typologies - 92 -
Left: Iteration on topography, hydrology, urban form and spatial organization. Isometric - 93 -
1. Landscape Hydrology Iteration 3 Model - Zoomed in 2. Landscape Hydrology Iteration 3 Model - Overview 3. Landscape Social Iteration 2 Model Overview 4. Landscape Social Iteration 2 “Slice“ Model 2 Zoomed in 5. Landscape Urbanism Iteration 3 Model - Zoomed in.
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Theme 1/ Extending Boundaries
Theme 2/ Building Resiliency
Theme 3/ Uncovering Agencies
Rural Re-Imagine
Group(3)/Academic/Design Instructor: Jie Zhu Collaborator: Meng Zhao/Zhuoxin Dan
(CQU) Sanquan is a small town sitting at the gateway to Mount Jinfo, a National Park and a top class Tourist Attraction. This project in composed of a strategic analysis phase to understand its assets and determine its position and potential on a regional basis; a planning phase to set a vision for the town’s development and to lay out a master plan of road networks, zoning, and density; a detailed design phase to produce form, space and function. This proposal also features a social justice component. This proposal was work for Landscape Core - Tourist Area Planning studio in Fall 2014 at Chongqing University. Led site research, concept development, general planning, in addition to independent work on detail planning of the village area.
Traditional architecture
Real estate
Featured accommodation
Habitat Rural imagination
Magnet effect
Rapeseed
Organic restaurant
Rice Seed
Farmer
Tourists
Terraced Farming
Featured shopping
Wind mills Chinese herb
Eco-friendly Hot spring
Existing research facilities
Above: Regional and tourist market analysis Middle Left: Vision of Sanquan as a tourism town. Collage Middle Right: Assets of Sanquan Below: Diagram of the social justice component
[Spatial Strategy and Vision of Equality] The proposal started by looking at trends and preference in the domestic tourism market, as well as different experiences and attractions available on a regional scale. This informs the decision of an overarching development strategy for this town to maximize its tourism potentials. The team also focused on forming a unified, equal and sustainable vision both ecologically and economically, one which current residents of the town can participate and benefit from. - 97 -
Above: GIS analysis and development strategies developed for Sanquan
Building upon its natural resources and assets like Chinese medicine garden and hot springs, and environmental conditions like topography and hydrology, a series of generative drawings were made to construct the framework, structure, function and features of the new Sanquan Town. - 98 -
Sanquan Town Master Plan - 99 -
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Selected Works of Yujia Wang
Harvard GSD Master in Landscape Architecture '17