Chanel Chin_Portfolio 2020-2023

CHANEL CHIN

Selected Works 2020-2023 University of Toronto John H. Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design

CHANEL CHIN Toronto, ON chanel.chin@mail.utoronto.ca (604) 781-7908 University of Toronto (2020 - 2024) John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design Specialist in Architectural Studies (B.A.)

Drafting: Rhinoceros AutoCAD Grasshopper SketchUp

Rendering: Photoshop Illustrator V-Ray

Research Assistant Summer 2023 Assisted with the graphical production for Professor Georges Farhat’s research on Du Cerceau’s perspectives drawings of the British Museum.

Exhibition: InSomnolence Summer 2023

Fabrication: Laser Cutting Woodshop 3D Printing CNC Milling

Design and Fabrication Assistant Summer 2022 Assisted with the design and fabrication of Housing Multitudes Exhibition.

Produced over 200 physical models and digital drawings.

Research Studio: What is a Good City?

Summer 2022

Design-Build: New Circadia Summer 2022

PROJECTS

1

2

secondary suites in post-war suburbs

17: formal transformation in the elements

3

4

grasshopper: twisting tower

(research studio) on the ground

5

6

(design-build) new circadia

additional works

increase density in post-war suburb neighbourhoods through secondary suites

In this studio, we were asked to observe an existing typological condition and examine how it relates to the single-family houses in that neighborhood. My assigned site is located in the Windfields neighborhood in York Mills. York Mills is considered one of the most expensive neighborhood in the GTA. The experience of living here is formulated by its isolation from commercial complex, the large property size, and the surrounding nature environment. In this project, I intended to examine is how the canopy coverage in the neighborhood contributes to the experience of living in this neighborhood.

ARC200: Drawing and Representation II Professor: Michael Piper Instructor: Sam Ghantous TA: Ross Wood

SITE

ISSUE

Windfields, Toronto

PROPOSAL

Density and Sustainability in Post-War Suburbs

Secondary Suites (ADU)

4 TYPOLOGIES OF ADUs EXISTING CONDITIONS: different uses of the property lot 1. Open Side Lot

2. Open Backyard

ADU TYPES: corresponding design proposals

a. Attached Side

b. Detached Backyard

To accommodate the varying landscape and existing conditions, this project proposed four secondary suites typologies. Simplicity and familiarity is prioritized in the design process. This project envisions these secondary suites to be blended in with the single-family houses as if they were there to begin with.

Through the repetition of these generic house shapes, this project hopes to establish secondary suites as a new residential typology.

4. Fully Occupied

3. Open Frontyard

c. Attached Front

d. Garage Tranformation

DESIGN EXECUTION c. Attached Front Proposed Masterplan

Site Strategy

ADU Plan

Render of Exterior SUSTAINABLE DESIGN STRATEGY Covering more than 50% of Toronto’s landmass, transofrming singlefamily houses into more sustainable and inclusive housing options would drastically change Toronto’s housing market. The proposed secondary suites are designed to facilitate rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, and biodiversity strengthening. The tilted roofs are meant to maximize rainwater harvesting and to connect with the existing architectural language of the neighborhood.

Rain collection mechanism diagram

Render of Exterior for Type d.

17 : a student commons

In response to the shortage of study spaces on the University of Toronto campus, this project aims to install a new building on campus that satisfies the diverse needs of UofT students.

By exploring the basic elements of architecture, this project reimagines the spatial experience of the building, creating contrasting spaces that are still and active, open and closed.

The form of the building is attained through a series of formal movements on the grid, as studied in the precedent of Peter Eisenman’s House III. The resulting design aims to enhance student’s experience on campus by responding to the existing typologies on the site. Furthermore, this project examines the relationship between elements and body in architecture.

By doing so, the project establishes an internal system that balances the external and internal, movement and stillness, architecture and users, the site and the campus.

ARC201: How to Design Almost Nothing?

Professor: Fiona Tung Lim Instructor: Shane Williamson TA: Haiqa Nisar

PRECEDENT PETER EISENMAN - HOUSE III (1971) The form of House III is solely a result of the formal transformation Eisenman performed on the grid of the house. Upon entering the house, the owner is isolated from the environment of the form. The design proposal 17 takes a similar approach as House III where the form of the design is decided upon a series of formal transformation.

“By working to come to terms with the system, design is not decoration but rather a process of inquiry into our own latent capacity to understand any man-made space.”

FORMAL DEVELOPMENT DIAGRAM OF HOUSE III

SITE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, ST. GEORGE CAMPUS The street blocks in downtown Toronto are oriented approximately 17 degrees west to the standard cartesian plane; this will become the logic that generates the formal transformations. Since the site originally served as a vacant parking lot and thus an informal pathway for passengers, the proposed design responded to this quality by introducing a new pathway for users to pass through the building.

Sun Path Analysis

Site Access

DESIGN PROPOSAL FORMAL DEVELOPMENT DIAGRAM ACT 1 DIVIDE

ACT 2 ROTATE

ACT 3 HIERARCHY

GR Floor

2ND Floor

The given base for this project is a 16 x 16 x 4m with sixteen 12m tall columns, creating a nine square grid.

As a response to the given base, I divided the volumn into twenty-seven 3 x 3m cubes. This serves as the standard basis of the model.

In response to the street pattern of the University of Toronto campus, I rotated the volume by 17 degrees to establish the new basis. The two systems will collide and decide the form of the design.

This design includes three above-ground floors and a basement. The basement serve as a versatile space that’s not included in the steps of transformation. The floor plates of the actual model are modified according to the program: the first floor serve as a public gathering space with little study spaces; the second floor serve as a semi-private or group study space; and the third floor serve as a private study area with most study spaces.

Isometric View

parametric design using grasshopper: the twising tower

Throughout the course of the semester, we are introduced to digital modeling and fabrication techniques in parametric design. These techniques are used to generate designs of tall towers, with detailed structural and facade systems. With the help of Grasshopper, the tower can be transformed into different variations.

ARC280: Modeling and Fabrication in Design Professor: Nicholas Hoban TA: Dabin Choi

GRASSHOPPER SCRIPT

VARIATION DIAGRAMS

VARIATION #1

VARIATION #2

VARIATION #3

(research-studio) on the ground: possibilities of ground level hyper-local interventions The concept of a “good city” is oftentimes weakly defined by elite researchers using arbitrary terms with no historical and cultural contexts. This project attempts to answer the question of “what is a good city?” by conducting a thorough research on the Mount Dennis neighborhood, with the end goal of developing a spatial proposition that improves the community on an urban scale.

Part one of this project aims to conduct a thorough research on the site’s development history, demographic information, and existing typologies. The research conducted aims to connect the dots and answer the question of “who lives here, and why?”

In the second part of the project, a series of ground-level interventions are being proposed to improve the living condition of the neighborhood. The design intervention takes on a “bottom-up” approach and prioritizes the needs of the current residents of Mount Dennis.

ARC399: What is a Good City?

Professor: Jeannie Kim Instructor: Farida Abu-Bakare

PART 1 Research and Site Context r

r

SITE

be

ve Ri

m

Hu

Egl

nA ve W

r

rrido

Co Rail

Mount Dennis is a neighborhood located in the York district of Toronto. Given its approximity to the Humber River, the site is rich in natural green space. The abundant natural resource of the neighborhood stemmed periods of human settlemtn in the area. Today, the legacy of these different periods of settlements still lingers St in athe urban and cultural fabric of the ne J neighborhood.

into

Mount Dennis Neighborhood

HISTORICAL CONTEXT 1600-1700s

1600 - 1700s IIndigenous Settlement

ton

s We

Carrying Place Trail served as a major portage route for the indigenous people in the 1700s, linking Lake Ontario and the northern Great Lakes.

1800s

Emergence of the Weston Road (known as the Main Street back then) and the Grand Trunk Railway, now used for the UP Express railway

1900-2000s

1900 - 2000s IIndustrial Settlement

CHALLENGES

1800s EEuropean Settlement

downfall in local business

Establishmen Establishment of major emplo industrial employers supported men tial g the development of Weston

Road and the residential grid we see today

demographic diversity

2021 2021 Mount Dennis Secondary Plan A new Secondary Plan was developed for the Mount Dennis area.

The neighborhood is anticipating a significant growth after the completion of the Eglinton crosstown light rail transit (LRT) line.

CHANCES

M

future development

Rd

gentrification

1:10000 site plan

CONCERNS FOR CITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN

criminal activities/ overpolicing

low-income, low education rates

community engagement

fear of gentrification

heritage preservation

rich heritage and history

HOW SHOULD PEOPLE REMEMBER MOUNT DENNIS? Past Manufacturing hub and an Anglo working class community

Present

Future

?

New transit hub with anticipated doubling population in 30+ years

abundant green space Disinvested immigrant reception area

PART 2 Design Proposal DESIGN STRATEGY Public Features

Private Feautres

spot points of intervention

define the needs of intervention

Weston Road intersects with street blocks at different angles

Most main roads dont have bike lanes and are not pedestrian friendly or accessible

Most storefronts consist of a large banner, a window wall on first floor, and a staircase that leads to the second floor

The single-family houses facing Weston Road feature a elevated ground floor, alleyway, and a borderless front yard

N

design moments of intervention

INTERVENTIONS EXECUTION RE

entrace renovation PROBLEM The front yard areas are being wasted. No planning has been done on transforming them into neighbour-friendly spaces.

SOLUTION The existing conditions of the house typologies along Weston Rd. can be used to create more engaging places.

many of the houses on Weston Road have a staircase that leads to the main entrance

unorganized garbage disposal

no front yard no connection between the main road and the household

Serving as the main street of the Mount Dennis neighborhood, Weston Road cuts through the conventional street grid diagonally, creating scenarios of street-blocks with acute and obtuse angles. These urban scenarios shaped the daily life of the Mount Dennis resident.

This project takes on a “bottom-up” approach and prioritizes the needs of the local residents currently living in Mount Dennis. The design proposal focuses on existing conditions and consists of a series of hyper-local interventions.

RA Y

AV E

JANE

ST

Intervention Plan

WE

STO

NR

OA

D

Legend Pathway Interventions Intersection Interventions Building Interventions

RE

storefront renovation PROBLEM Current streetscape of Weston Road can described as dull and lifeless. One of the contributing factors is the monotone storefront and lack of decoration.

SOLUTION Storefront can be renovated to promote local businesses and artists and improve streetscape.

+ LANDSCAPING, STREET FURNITURES, AND MURALS

Ave Ray

right intersection

PROBLEM The right angle intersection outlined on the map Westo n Ro ad is not being utilized to its full extent as many buildigns are vacant. The uniformity of a right angle intersection allows it to be transformed into a variety of uses.

RAY AVE

obtuse intersection

Wes to

n Ro

PROBLEM

ad

The current obtuse intersections have no contribution in building the community atmosphere of the neighborhood. Obtuse angle intersections have the characteristic of being welcoming and open.

t Jane Stree

JANE ST acute intersection

ve

ford A

er Ruth We st

on

PROBLEM

Roa d

Weston Road intersects with a section of the east-side street grid in an acute angle, causing corners of sharp turns in the neighborhood.

W

N O T S E

D A RO

SOLUTION Transform right angle intersecitons into designated spots (e.g. parking lot).

SOLUTION Transform obtuse angle intersections into places of community gathering.

SOLUTION Transform sharp turns at acute angle intersections into smooth turns

design-build studio: camp new circadia

In an increasingly fast-paced world, time is not divided into day and night, but work and off-work. Modern architecture contributes to shaping this culture of overworking: the exploitation of nature in exchange for skyscrapers and high rises. This gave birth to cities that never sleep. The neon lights overshadow the stars in the night sky. The excessive LED rays force us to stay up even when our body needs sleep. Camp New Circadia attempts to counter the over-mechanization of modern society by creating a space for people to rest and to embrace the human circadian rhythm. Perhaps, it’s time to put architecture to sleep.

ARC395: Design Build Studio Instructor: Richard Sommer Collaborators: Natalie Fizer, Sutton Murray Dream Parliament led by: Matthew Spellberg TA: Shamim Khedri

PHASE 1 Design and Fabrication The keyword for the design of Camp New Circadia is modularity and flexibility. We began by designing individual units that will be aggregated together to create different adaptations of the camp.

Uprights The uprights are the verticle component of the module. They offer coverage and protection for the tents by overlaying a piece of tarp on top of the base. The shape of the uprights is designed to accomodate the triangular raviolis. The uprights can be attached to any of the raviolis, adding the flexibility of the design.

The structure of the uprights is given by the rods inside the sewn pockets.

Top Cover: Tarp

Raviolis The base of the module is called “ravioli,” which consists of a piece of foam (the filling) sewn in between two tarp triangles (the cover). The triangle shape gives the base the freedom to aggregate into different formations.

Filling: Foam 5’ 7” Bottom Cover: Tarp

Fabrication Process Cut Materials

Sew Uprights and Raviolis

1

2

43D Print Connectors

5 Testing

3

Grommet Raviolis

To-do list and packing list for the Haliburton trip

Composition of the module

To set up the modules, a connector will be hammered into the ground. The connector is designed to fit the rods inside the uprights. The rods will go through the grommet and be fixed in place inside the connectors.

rod from uprights rod sewn inside the pockets

upright gets connected to the ravioli through the grommet

Grommet

nails

conector

Connector

PHASE 2 Dream Pariliament in the Forest After we design and fabricated the modules in Toronto, we took a trip to Haliburton, ON to stage the Dream Parliament, a dreamsharing event lead by writer and scholar Matthew Spellberg. The pre-fabricated modules were set up in the forest and formed the camp site of the event.

Site: Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve

Uprisings

Projector

Main Stage Drawing Station

Entry Points

The modularity and flexibility of the modules allowed us to set up the campsite in various ways, accommodating to different program, weather, and time.

During the day, the uprights serve as a shade for the users.

During the night, light sources reflect against the tarp and create an ambient mood to the camp.

additional work EX. 1 HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

EX. 2 VERTICAL MOVEMENT ARC201: How to Design Almost Nothing?

Professor: Fiona Tung Lim Instructor: Shane Williamson TA: Haiqa Nisar

Given Model

Column Support

Circulation

Floor Plates

Functions

Thank you for reading.

Chanel Chin October 2023