UCL MLA Portfolio_Pan Kexin

RATIONALITY

SENSIBILITY

PORTFOLIO

KEXIN PAN Student Number:24090926 FOR UCL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MLA SELECTED WORKS FROM 2022-2023

Department of Landscape Architecture,Southeast University E-mail:Pankexin24@outlook.com Tel:+86 13706596166

CONTENTS

01

MEMORY OF THE STONE CITY

02

HEALING THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

03

01

ABSTRACT TRANSLATION OF HISTORY

08

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

THE BALANCE OF CULTURAL TOURISM AND NATURE

PLASTIC KINDOM

01 MEMORY OF THE STONE CITY

14

RESILIENT PLASTIC RECYCLE COMMUNITY FOR THE SLUMS

Type: Academic Work Advisor: Xiaojun Wang Area: 19ha Location: Nanjing, China Individual Work 11/2022-01/2023,Year 4

04

05

URBAN BONDING

21

POST INFRUSTRUCTURE FOR THE CITY

OTHER WORKS COMPETITION, CONSTRUCTION, HANDICRAFT AND INTERNSHIP

27

Nanjing Stone City has a history of several thousand years, from ancient times to the present day, it has survived a series of wars and undergone many man-made restorations, thus leaving behind the spectacle of the city wall bricks intertwined with the original red sandstone of the mountain.

Nowadays, the land at the foot of the stone city has become part of Nanjing's riverside green space system, and the stone city has gradually been reduced to a silent backdrop. The aim of this project is to redevelop the site, by abstracting the history and texture of the stone city into a series of spatial and paving forms by means of a narrative design, I present the history in front of people's eyes in an intuitive way, so that they can feel the history subconsciously during their recreation in the site.

1

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE STONE CITY

200M

The site has a rich history that spans thousands of years, but now it's just an ordinary waterfront park.

FROM HISTORY TO SPACE The City Wall system of Nanjing

01 Discover the site

TE

SI China

Jiangsu

History of The Stone City

BC 333|Warring States Period

The stone city was built on a mountain by the king of Chu.

05 Ruins after war

06 Restoration of the wall

Look forward to

Admiring

Intense

Pity

Introspection

Memorial wall

Sightseeing Bridge

Climbing Playground

Abstract Section → Form Space

211|Three Kindoms Period

Wars began, lasted for hundreds of years.

625|Tang Dynasty

The stone city wall was severely damaged after a series of wars.

Waterfront Trestle

2

04 During the war

Nanjing

History of the Stone City

Red sandstone from the ancient moat mixed with the park's ground.

03 Completion of the wall

Extract Feeling

Curious

Red sandstone from the mountain mixed with the bricks.

02 Start to build

1369|Ming Dynasty

1988|Contemporary

The moat was diverted and the foot A Large-scale restoration work of the wall became a village. began.

Resting Bench

Amphi-theater&Memorial Pool

2022|Now

The stone city has been transformed into a park.

3

FROM TEXTURE TO PAVEMENT Texture of the Stone City Wall

Different Intersection Modes

Different Pavement Forms

CONSTRUCTION PROCESS Step 1: Remove Sandstone From the Site

MASTER PLAN Continious Sections

Intact

Step 2: Pile Up Sands to Reshape the Terrain

F

Stripe

E

Staggered

Step 3: Use the Removed Sandstone as Retaining Wall

Blocky

Step 4: Add Pavement and Restore the Plantation Intersperse 4

D

Legend A

Roaming on the Riverbed

B

First glance from Distance

C

Walking through the Gate

D

Playing among the rocks

E

Travelling between the Ruins

F

Recalling by the pool Red Sandstone

C

B

A

Grass Water 5

WINDING THROUGH THE SITE

FEELING THE HISTORY

A Roaming on the Riverbed

B First Glance from Distance

C Walking through the Gate

D Playing among the Rocks

E Travelling between the Ruins

F Recalling by the Pool

D

3D PRINTED MODEL

F

B

A C 6

E 7

THE PLIGHT OF THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

Niushou Mountain located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and it's originally a forest park rich in natural resources and species. However, in the early 21st century, due to the excavation of the Buddha's top bone relics, a Buddhist Palace was built on top of the mountain to house this sacred object, turnning the forest park into a holy mountain, which inevitably led to conflicts between unreasonable construction for Buddhist cultural tourism, human activities and the mountain's original natural environment.

Development timeline of Niushou Mountain

1995

Opened to visitors as a forest park

2012

2015

02 HEALING THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

Longquan Temple

How to balance cultural tourism and natural environment?

Buddha's Palace Inscriptions on precipices LEGEND

Buddhist tower

Green Spaces Guanyin Temple

Niushou Mountain is one of the three sacred Buddhist sites in Nanjing city, but it is also a forest park with abundant natural resources. As a result, there is an inevitable conflict between the large number of tourists, pilgrims and the local ecosystem.

This project seeks to find a way to build a balance between the booming Buddhist cultural tourism and the natural environment of Niushou Mountain by landscape planning and eco-strategies based on GIS analysis.

8

SITE

Buddha's Palace

Individual Work 03/2023-06/2023,Year 4

At the same time, the project build a sacred path for the visitors, which not only shows the rich natural resources of Niushou Mountain, but also allows pilgrims to experience the different realms of Buddhist culture and their way to the Buddha's palace.

Prospects for Ecological Cultural Tourism

Xitian Temple Cemetery

"Everything has a spirit, the grass has a heart"

Type: Academic Work Advisor: Yuning Chen Area: 500ha Location: Nanjing, China

Now-2050

Ecological environment was damaged

Began the construction of Buddha's Palace

Unreasonable constructions

Buddhist Sights Main Buddhist temple Hongjue Temple

Habitat damage

Lack of pilgrim's guidance and facilities

Degradation of the vegetation

9

GIS BASED ECO-STRATEGY:FROM FACTORS TO PLANNING LEGEND

The project uses GIS analysis tools as a basis for the landscape planning to minimize the damage of construction and balance the cultural tourism and ecology. Seven basic factors are selected to analyse the ecological sensibility and the suitability of construction.

Extremely sensitive Sensitive Weak

Ecological Sensitivity Assessment

LAND-TYPE CLASSIFICATION AND THEIR MAIN ISSUES

MASTER PLAN

Lawn

Wetland

Construction

A WIND CAMP

Tree Cutting

Trampling

Littering

Over-construction

B VALLEY OF WISDOM This area provides visitors

with cultural museums and resting stations.

Slope Gradient 9.95% Slope Direction 25.53% Basin Buffer 2.24%

C NATURE'S DELIGHT

This area mainly serves as natural reserves and has several viewpoints.

D THE SACRED PATH

This area provides pilgrims with a monumental path to the Buddhist palace.

Waterbody Buffer 6.72% Current Landuse 5.60%

NATURE PROTECTION

LEGEND

Suitable for Construction Able to Construction Unsuitable for Construction

Construction Suitability Assessment

Forest Degradation

Habitat Damage

Water Pollution

Soil Erosion

CONSTUCTION STRATEGIES FOR DIFFERENT LAND-TYPES

Viewing bridge

CULTURAL TOURISM

Large-scale constructions such as the Visitor Centre are built in areas suitable for construction, which has also adopted certain ecological strategies.

This area provides visitors with gathering spaces and torism services.

Forest

Vegetation Cover 44.78% Elevation 5.18%

• Remove extremely sensitive areas • Remove the high pressure corridor

Typical Section Section 1

Grass swale

A

Lawn ecological area

Section 2

Construction ecological area

In ecological sensitive areas, elevated trails are used primarily to separate visitors from wildlife habitats.

Birdwatching Tower Planting design for water purification&soil retaining

Campsite

Grass swale for water purification&soil retaining

Elevation 4.28% Slope Gradient 7.95% Slope Direction 30.31% Basin Buffer 8.35%

Trestle bridge

Viewing Platform

Rain garden

Retention pond

Tree Box

Visitor center

Drainage

Retaining wall

C

B

Current Landuse 40.02%

• Pick out construction sites • Pick out entrances and exits

LEGEND

Primary Roads Secondary Roads Tertiary Roads

Viewing Bridge

Campsite

Rain garden

Section 3

The wetland minimise human intervention in nature mainly through facility construction such as building the viewing platforms.

ECO-CULTURAL TOURISM PLANNING D

Tourism Route Selection Cost Grade 50%

Seven Basic Factors Vegetation Cover <20% 20%-60% >60%

10

Elevation

<50m 50-100m >100m

Site Selection 50% Slope Gradient <5% 5%-15% >15%

Slope Direction

Basin Buffer

Waterbody Buffer

Current Landuse

0° -120° 120° -240° 240° -360°

>150m 50m-150m <50m

<10m 10m-50m >50m

Buildup Undeveloped Protected

2020-2030 Nature restoration

2030-2040 Buiding main roads

2040-2050 Adding tourism facilities

Forest ecological area

Viewing Platform

Retention Pond

Wetland ecological area

11

REGIONAL DESIGN:THE SACRED PATH

The Sacred Path provides guidance and facilities for pilgrims on their journey to the Buddha's Palace.

A plaza in front of the Buddha's Palace

ECO-CULTURAL BUDDHIST TOURISM

Buddhism emphasises that "everything has a spirit" and that nature is an integral part of Buddhist culture. On this "Sacred Path", visitors pass through a series of spaces, which let them feel the joy, tranquillity, solemnity and consummation conveyed by Buddhist culture.Through landscape design, this process allows visitors to maintain a certain distance from nature, yet all the time in the experience of the natural world of life.

Weather-resistant steel scrolls symbolising Buddhist scriptures run throughout the plaza, the mounds of stones are walls of mani with religious symbols omitted

01 Consummation before the Palace Tranquility of Meditation Joy of Nature

Solemnity of Viewing 02 Viewpoint to the Buddha's Palace

Retaining walls made of rusty red steel plates guide the visitor's eye and respond to the ever-changing terrain

A Place for Rest and Meditation

Grass tiles not only shape the lawn but also allow rainwater to infiltrate

03

04

FOREST RECOVER AND SPECIES INCREASE Albizzia julibrissin

Liriodendron Chinense

Taxodium distichum

Native Plants LEGEND 01 Buddhist Plaza

04 Elevated Walkway 12

Tiger trapdoor butterfly Ginkgo

Chipmunk

Potential Habitats

02 Viewing Tower 03 Meditation Pool

Metasequoia

Cedar

Experience within Preserved Forest

The timber for the elevated path is sourced from native species

Azure-winged magpie Liquidambar

Black bird

Fire fly Sapium sebiferum

Hare

Taraxacum mongolicum Linden

Crucian carp

Egret Cinnamomum camphora

13

PASIG RIVER FACING PLASTIC CRISIS

03 PLASTIC KINDOM

"My gaze reaches out to the edge of the vast ocean, and embraces the dangerous realms of the solid earth."

Type: Academic Work Advisor: Jieping Chen Area: 50ha Location: Manila, Mexico Individual Work 04/2022-06/2022,Year 3 Plastic pollution is a global issue, every year there is a huge amount of plastic waste being discharged from the land into the ocean, and the Philippines have been worst hit by it. The 27 km long Pasig river cutting through the Philippine capital Manila was once a vital trade route,but severe plastic pollution and poor sewage planning have left the river all but dead.

By studying the plastic recycling process, the project hopes to envision a "mechanical landscape" that will harness the tides to capture plastics in the Pasig River estuary, while at the same time involving the local slum community, provide them with plastic recycle facilities, ecological improvement and better living space.

14

Philippine Islands

Plastic Handling

Slums

Capital Manila

Based on measured data, the rivermouth has the highest instantaneous plastic flux, and is a mandatory route for Pasig River plastics being emitted to the sea.

Pasig River

The average daily transport of plastics in the Pasig River is nearly 200 tonnes, making it the largest source of marine plastic waste in the world. This is partly because only 1% of Manila's plastic wastes are being recycled.

SITE

Pasig River

There are over 100 slum communities along the Pasig river, these informal settlements have become a main victim of the plastic pollution, and are not equipped with any sewage system, exposing their residents to health threats.

Instantaneous plastic flux at eight measuring points on the Pasig River

Manila Bay

N 1km

Slums Measuring Point

15

SITE CONTEXT

FRAMEWORK AND THREE SPACIAL STRATEGY

THREE PROBLEMS

Manila International Container Terminal

I.Plastic Pollution

Water purification process

Floating plastic are stranded in the river mouth under the influence of tides and continue to accumulate, seriously affecting the river's water quality and coastal ecosystems.

Slum Ebb tide

Plastic recycling process

Slum Community

II.Poor Living Condition

Flood tide

Slum

Port Area

500m

Earn money for food,clothes,vehicles on their own.

The slums along the bank have high population and poor living condition, with many shacks sprawling out into the water and even children swimming in the plastic-laden river.

III.Eco-damage

Plastic accumulation

Th e r e cl a m a ti o n p r o j e cts l e ft engineered hard barge behind,it has high elevation difference, poor accessibility to the water, and destroys the original mangrove habitats and wetlands.

Slum community Hard shoreline

WHAT IF SLUM COMMUNITY ENGAGE IN PLASTIC RECYCLING? BEFORE:

"I used to be a fisherman, but the fish are dying. I need a new job."

AFTER: "I have nowhere to play……"

"Now I have a decent job for a living."

"The mangroves are back!"

"Finally got enough space to play!"

Plastic recycle units

Hard barge and high housing density not only prevent community members from recycling plastics, but also leave no space for activity and recreation.

16

Offer a new riverbed morphology to trap the plastics in the shallows, making it easier for the community to collect them, and also provides ecological function and wider space for human activity.

Ecological units Living units 17

PLASTIC RECYCLE FACILITY FOR THE SLUM COMMUNITY

THE GIANT "PLASTIC CATCHER" LANDFORM FORMATION

Orig

inal

Ebb tide Tide

Res ha with pe the Sed Rive r ime nt. bed

NATURE RESTORATIION

Mod

ified

Tide

Flood tide

Scene 1

Residents of the slum community are collecting stranded plastics on the beach.

Dire

ction

Scene 2

Plastics are being cleaned in the ponds of mangrove nursery and dried in the open spaces around them.

The cleaned and dried plastics are being transported to the workshops where they are manual processed and sold to people.

4 7

Res to Nati re ve E co

8

3

1

6

syst

em

2

5

Scene 3

N

DETAIL CONSTRUCTION 18

Scene 3

Roa

d Co

nstr

uctio

n

Add In Hum frastruc an A ture ctivi for ty

0

50

150

1.Sandbars 2.Mangrove Nursery 3.Purification Ponds 4.Retention Ponds 5.Stepped Wetlands 6.Workshop Neighbourhood 7.Public Plaza 8.Rainwater Filter

Scene 2

350m

Scene 1

19

WATER LEVEL FLUCTUATION

High

Leve

l_14

M

At high tide, the water level in the estuary rises and the current carries plastic waste into the site.

Med

ium

Low

Leve

l_ 13

M

When the water level starts to drop, the larger particles of plastic waste are the first to become stranded in the shallows.

MODEL MAKING AND CIRCULATION EXPRESSION The model use the foam board to print out the slum community and shape of the landform, indicate the flow of the site by pulling the fine lines.

Leve

l:_12

M

At low tide, the water level in the estuary is at its lowest, which is the best time for the community members to start collecting plastics.

04 URBAN BONDING

"The city is like a net, at the two ends of which are highrise metropolises; but in the middle, there are thousands of neglected coners" Type: Academic Work Advisor: Conghui Zhou Area:6ha Location: Shanghai, China Individual Work 09/2022-10/2022,Year 4 With the rapid development of cities, the transport options available to people are becoming more and more diverse, but at the same time, due to irrational transport planning, many spaces in the city are fragmented, with a variety of transport facilities cutting up the neighbourhoods and complicating the otherwise simple commute.

Shanghai is a highly urbanised metropolis, but there are many neglected places in it. This project focuses on a transport hub in Hongkou District, Shanghai, which is chaotic and fragmented due to complex commuting and heavy pedestrian flow. The design discusses the possibility of reconnecting isolated nodes within the site and seeks the optimal paths through woolly algorithms, while creating a place for public activity with diverse possibilities.

20

21

project is located between Hongkou Football Stadium and Commercial SITE CONTEXT The complex, where Line 3 and Line 8 intersect, gathering people flow.

SPACE STRATEGY: RE-BOND THE SEPARATED NODES

SITE ISSUES

Generate planar morphology

PATH OPTIMIZATION WITH WOOL ALGORITHM Wool Bonding Phenomenon

RESIDENTIAL AREA

UP AND DOWN & DETOUR Sometimes people have to climb up and down or make detours to get where they want to go.

Select the important nodes based on site analysis.

Connect nodes to nodes to form paths.

Apply the algorithm to draw the lines together.

Obtain the final most logical path result within the site.

Remove the paths that are trivial or difficult to build

Identify the basic pattern

Converge streamlines

Adjust joints to the ground and the station

Simulation

Y

W LO IENC FIC

EF

COMMERCIAL COMPLEX

The aerial metro station and the road barriers isolate various important nodes, especially on the east and west sides of the crossroads.

N

FOOTBALL STADIUM

DISTRICT ISOLATION

CO PO NN OR EC TIO

METRO LINE 8

Wool Algorithm Application Process When loosely interfaced wool (left) was dipped into water and slowly lifted out, it obtains wet wool (right) which was held together by the tension between them, creating a variety of morphological changes that transformed into a single overlap.

OFFICE AREA GREEN SPACE

RESIDENTIAL AREA

POOR EXPERIENCE

N

CROWDED AND CHAOTIC

RESIDENTIAL AREA

METRO LINE 3

01

Node Selection

02

Selection

Low space utilization and lack of living facilities make the site unable to undertake the large number of people from the neighbourhood.

METRO ENTRANCES

03

Reinventing the vertical commute

SEPERATED NODES AND CONFUSING WALKING ROUTINE 04

Calculate the Minimum Path Line3 Station

06

Selected Result

SPACE INSERT

Can we Connect these places Directly and Smoothly?

Shopping Mall

05

Simulation Results

?

Football Stadium

Commuting Space

Activity Space

Public Plaza

Dining Area

Line8 Entrance

22

Pass

Intersection

Spiral

Air Garden

Skatepark

Stair Theatre

Branch

Shelter

Platform

Sport Stand

Grass Slope

Stripe Bench

Space above and below

Sports Field

23

MASTER PLAN

CONNECTION SYSTEM Bridge - Metro Station Bridge - Shopping Mall & Football Stadium Bridge - Ground

SCENERIOS Metro Line

Plantation Layer

6

METRO LINE3

FOOTBALL STADIUM

Flowing Commuting Space

The commuting space is a flowing surface consists of mild slopes and air gardens, allowing people to cross site elevation differences without hindrance.

5

SHOPPING MALL

4

Concrete Bridge 3

SPORTS FIELD

1

N

Legend

1.Sport stand 2.Grass Slope 3.Stair theatre 0M

24

20M

40M

2

4.Stripe Bench 5.Skatepark 6.Air garden 100M

Three-dimensional Connection System

The bridge design can be divided into three parts: the flowing surface linking subway station with city in three high levels, the combination of plants and paving on the surface, and activity spaces that are well connected to the existing facilities on the site.

By constructing such a three-dimensial bridge between the Hongkou Football Stadium and the Shopping Mall, I hope to not only meet the basic commuting needs of citizens but also creating a space full of possibilities and well-ordered.

Underbridge Actvity Space

The space under the bridge is a place of infinite possibilities, where a variety of gatherings and social behaviours take place.

25

05 OTHER WORKS

REBUILT SECTION: ORGANICALLY CONNECT THE SEPERATED NODES Football Stadium

Line3 Station

Shopping Mall

Ⅰ COMPETITION PROJECT

Ⅱ CONSTRUCTION

2022 THE 6TH CUC CUP International University Student Architecture Design Competition

Meian Wooden Structure Construction

Responsible for 25% of conceptual design, drawing, layout design, and modeling

Responsible for cutting and building wood components and waxing doors and windows

LIFE OF BLOSSOM - Future Community Hospice Center

Dining Area

Sports Field

Ⅲ HANDICRAFT

Physical Model of Courtyard House Design

Individual Work

Individual Work

Spatial Thinking Workshop -Plaster Casts

Model: Bird View

The design and the city map base are seperated in the 3D printed model, and the shape is smooth and unstrained.

26

Model: Axon View

The connection of separated sites is well illustrated by 3D Model. From the flowing surface winding down to skatepark.

27

Ⅳ PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Internship In Landscape Design Department of Hongzheng Engineering Design Group Responsible for 50% of analytical and construction drawings

'I leave to various future times, my garden of forking paths.'

—— Jorge Luis Borges

Master Plan Dimensioned Drawing

This quote is an excerpt from a short story by one of my favourite authors, and it also articulates my perception of landscape architecture：The multidimensional role it plays in addressing real-world issues while still encompassing the artistic dimension that enhances the human experience within these spaces.

Waterfront Wooden Trestle Size Plane

Waterfront Wooden Trestle Structure Drawing

KEXIN PAN Student Number:24090926 Location Analysis and Master Plan 28

Waterfront Wooden Trestle Cross Section

Waterfront Wooden Trestle Timber Bench

E-mail:Pankexin24@outlook.com Tel:+86 13706596166