Chris Qiu - Selected Works

Over the past five years of my undergraduate studies, I’ve gathered many experiences that shape what kind of architect I want to become. The issue of affordable and healthy living within Toronto has been the biggest motivation for me to pursue a masters degree, as I know I can gain the relevant knowledge to make a positive impact. Canadians in major cities are facing rising housing costs due to uncontrolled speculation and a public lack of awareness of how to solve this issue. This is due to decades of stigmatization around social housing and affordable housing policy, where these projects have been neglected and consequently abandoned. I want to bring an awareness to architectural aesthetic and individual autonomy to produce quality living spaces within cities by introducing methods of communal living.

From my experience working at architecture firms and observing on site construction, I’ve observed how difficult it is for the architecture industry to evolve and embrace new building methods. It was shocking to learn how much development there was in building technology and sustainable approaches, but manufacturers and contractors at large are slow to integrate them. By having a strong foundation of technical and cultural knowledge, I can become an architect who can effectively communicate with various parties on a project, and introduce new methods and technologies to push the envelope further.

My interest in housing and communal methods of design came from two projects from my undergraduate work: “Dwelling Together” and “Island School”. The first was my 3A studio where we focused on housing issues in Toronto, where I learned about communal housing methods that compliment social housing structures and alternatives to the condo housing model that the majority of developments use. “Island School” was my undergraduate thesis project, where we designed a high school with the community of the nearby town in mind, looking at how we can integrate them into the design and construction process. We learned about sustainable construction methods to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the building’s proposed 100 year life span.

I am excited to join a diverse cohort of young professionals with different experiences and backgrounds, and hope to learn from them on my journey at the University of Toronto.

Curriculum Vitae

About General Information

Hello, my name is Chris and I am an architecture graduate student at the University of Toronto Daniels Faculty. I am an ambitious and detail oriented worker who’s always looking to learn from new experiences. I approach challenges with a positive attitude as I believe working through these difficulties is the most effective way to improve as a designer and an individual.

The following is a collection of architecture and design, created through dedication and hard work, that demonstrate my achievements as an architecture student.

Education

09.2017 - 08.2022

Bachelor of Architectural Studies

- University of Waterloo School of Architecture

- Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

- Excellent academic standing throughout all terms

Achievements and Leadership

3B Final featured in year end review

University of Waterloo School of Architecture

Honorable Mention

"Opera by the Sea" competition organized by uni.xyz

First place

"Brewed" competition organized by uni.xyz

Waterloo Architecture Student Association member

University of Waterloo School of Architecture

Thermally Speaking exhibition team member

Nuit Blanche, Toronto, Canada

1B Final featured in year end review

University of Waterloo School of Architecture

1B Group Project featured in year end review

University of Waterloo School of Architecture

Porta Party exhibition team member

Nuit Blanche, Toronto, Canada

Skills

Experience

Hao Ran (Chris) Qiu chrisqiu3@gmail.com (+1) 416-991-4560

Johnson Chou | Toronto, Canada

Interior Design Intern

- Drafted building permit packages while working closely with principals

- Created draft renders with quick turnarounds to help visualize the design

- Kept up with project development, making corrections to drawing packages while communicating with the architect and engineers

Project Involvement

- Sylvan Residential House

- Waterworks Condo

- Siteline Offices

Teeple Architects | Toronto, Canada

Design Development | 2 months

Design Development 1 months

Schematic Design | 1 month

Architectural Intern

- Assisted principals in conceptual and schematic design for many projects

- Used 3D modeling and rendering to translate sketches and ideas into a tangible way of understanding the design, accurate to the site

- Provided fast turnaround on requests and worked with little supervision to accommodate for supervisors' schedules

- Created renders, diagrams, and orthogonal drawings for regular client meetings

Project Involvement

- Boulevard Club Masterplan -

UVic National Center for Indigenous Law

- AGO Expansion

- Mount Allison Renovation

- Morgan State University - Carlaw Development Study

- Queen - Bathurst Design

- AnX Dupont

KPMB | Toronto, Canada

Schematic Design | 2 months

Physical Modeling | 1 month

Schematic Design | 2 months

Schematic Design | 1 month

Schematic Design | 3 weeks

Schematic Design 2 weeks

Schematic Design | 1 week

Schematic Design | 1 week

Architectural Intern

- Helped with schematic and design development for mixed-use residential projects

- Presented design iterations to internal teams through renderings and diagrams

Project Involvement

- Plaza of Nations

- 411 King

Frank Salama | Paris, France

Schematic Design | 2 months

Design Development | 2 months

Architectural Intern

- Contributed to multiple private housing projects at various stages of development

- Drew interior perspectives by hand that served as working and presentation drawings for clients

- Made physical models that went with hand drafts to aid in design

- Assembled CAD drawing packages of houses and shop drawings

- Introduced Rhino to the firm and created in-house renders that were used for client presentations

Project Involvement

- Maison de Blaise

- Maison Gimetto

- Maison Amiens

- Apartment Project

Design Development | 2 months

Schematic Design 1 months

Schematic Design 2 weeks

Physical modeling 2 weeks

Island School

Charlottetown, PEI, Canada

The Island School is a school and community program that will evolve with the community it is built in for the next 100 years. The school is designed to grow with the town of Stratford, which is experiencing immigration and population growth. The town and the larger island is also experiencing significant land erosion as sea levels are rising. Community and educational programs are spread out around the site so that each can be expanded without large disruptions to the land. All buildings are designed using simple wood framing to encourage community participation in the development of the island school.

A community pool and ampitheatre splits off from the main building to be closer to the town of Stratford, offering easier access for its residents. This complimented my overall strategy of building lightly on the land, so there isn't a large concentration of construction in one place, and each piece of the complex doesn't impact its surrounding environment as much. From the town, you can see the school in the distance, connected by a boardwalk that spans both sides of the salt marsh. This boardwalk also connects these two public programs with a private artist’s residence. This allows visitors to experience multiple edges across the site, activating its full potential. Each intervention offers a different way to identify and recognize our relationship with the environment and its changes for the next 100 years.

Costing and environmental imapct of the building is a huge consideration, as it needs to achieve carbon neutrality. a comprehensive analysis of dynamic systems and building strategies was undertaken to understand what we are designing and architecture's role in the production of climate change and carbon.

December 2021

4A Academic semester thesis project

Coordinated by Mohammad Araji Email: mohamad.araji@uwaterloo.ca Individual

The school orients itself along a central corridor that takes advantage of natural forces on the site, minimizing energy use throughout its operational lifetime. Using a timber pile foundation makes the building resilient to shoreline erosion. 5 classrooms are distributed along the length of the spine next to various school programs such as a community garden, gym, and workshop.

i. concept design strategy

ii. concept model

iii. site map

iv. sun rose

v. wind rose

vi. shoreline resiliency

vii. view from boardwalk

viii. school entrance

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Numerous passive strategies are implemented in order for the building to reach carbon neutrality. Wood as a building material sequesters carbon absorbed during its lifetime. Skylights and window openings are located to allow maximum sunlight in the winter and minimal sunlight during summer. PV and low energy ventilation systems reduce the amount of mechanical carbon the building uses as well. The building is heated and cooled using a radiant flooring system to reduce HVAC size and energy cost.

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The pool acts as a year round communal program for the town. The exterior contains a tide pool that uses the tidal cycles of the ocean to replenish and circulate the water. The pool is split into three areas, a shallow wading pool, a pool for lane swimming, and a general area for playing. The pool building houses a sauna and change rooms, remaining functional year round. Alongside the pool is an outdoor ampitheatre, and together these two provide the town communal spaces that it currently lacks.

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Typical Exterior to Interior Arch Roof Assembly

Cedar shingle roofing

Wood furring strips

20mm air space

Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) protective membrane

Fully adhered water barrier

7.5 mm OSB protection board 100 mm R15 EPS bent rigid insulation

Fully adhered air barrier

12.5mm bent plywood

38x235mm SPF joists at 400mm o.c.

235mm R36 spray foam cellulose insulation

12.5mm bent veneered plywood

28x84mm deep roof purlins at 400mm o.c.

Detail A

Note: The arch roof is considered a cathedral ceiling, so only R50 is required for thermal efficiency, as this is unoccupied space year-round, and thermal energy in the air will have already passed through an ERV before entering this space.

Detail B

265 x 315 Glulam member shown beyond section

Lapped aluminum parapet flashing

Self sealing screw to attach skylight

38x140mm SPF skylight header

Operable skylight controlled by mechanical motor to facilitate summer stack effect ventilation

Curved central spine shown beyond

Cut plywood piece to bridge beam to arch

Single glazed interior operable window for cross ventilation

265 x 295 Glulam member shown beyond section

265 x 315 Glulam member shown beyond section

Typical Interior to Exterior Floor assembly

10mm wood floor cladding

40mm Warmboard

radiant floor heating system

50mm EPS rigid insulation

20mm plywood

sheathing

235mm wood I-joists at 400mm o.c.

235mm R35 spray foam

cellulose insulation

20mm plywood

sheathing

Fully adhered water air

barrier

85mm EPS R10 rigid insulation

20mm air space

Wood furring strips

Exterior wood cladding

Typical Exterior to Interior

Roof Assembly w/ Green Roof

300mm soil

Filter fabric

20mm drainage layer

Fully adhered water barrier

7.5 mm OSB protection board EPS sloped rigid insulation at 2% grade starting at 225mm

Fully adhered air barrier

12.5mm plywood

38x286mm SPF joists at 400mm o.c.

235mm R36 spray foam cellulose insulation

12.5mm veneered plywood

28x84mm deep roof purlins at 400mm o.c.

Typical interior Non Load Bearing Wall

12.5mm gypsum board wall

36x84mm wood studs at 400mm o.c.

84mm acoustic insulation

12.5mm gypsum board wall

Note: Spray foam cellulose insulation acts as a vapor barrier.

Note: While 235mm is a nominal stud dimension, the building’s mechanical systems need to cut across, so replacing nominal studs with I-joists allows for mechanical systems to cut across the same layer while retaining structural strength.

Exposed knife plate connection joining beam, column, and arch

Exposed Knife plate connection joining column and beam

Typical Interior to Exterior Pile Foundation to Beam Connection (beyond section)

265 x 315 Glulam member

4 - 38x235mm SPF joists screwed to steel brackets

Welded steel stub

300mm diameter SPF pile attached to angled steel plate using lag screws

Exposed pile to floor beam connection

i. corridor section A

ii. corridor section B

iii. corridor section C

iv. corridor section legend

v. timber connection details

A. B.

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Detail

The building provides direct solar gain for the high daily occupancy programs in the building. For classrooms that aren’t on the south side of the building, thermally massive walls receive direct solar gain from the skylight in the central corridor, allowing for passive heat gain during winter months. At winter solstice, the sun is also low enough to penetrate through the corridor directly into the classroom.

The narrow floor plate and operable windows on both sides promote user-controlled passive ventilation during warmer months. Operable interior windows allow air to exit through the central skylight to create a stack effect ventilation. The predominant winds during summer months enter through the gym and provide ventilation through the building.

The primary heating strategy for the building is to utilize its proximity to the ocean to support an open loop geothermal system, that when paried with an electric water heater, provides heating and cooling to the building through a radiant floor system. During winter months, the radiant flooring provides efficient and effective heating, as can serve as a thermal mass as it absorbs direct sunlight.

Gravity loads are evenly distributed through layers of one way spans. Purlins spread the load in the longitudinal direction, which bear onto glulam beams that span in the transverse direction.

These beams are strong enough to span up to 6000mm, where the loads are transferred onto glulam columns that bear directly onto the foundation piles. The consistent grid as well as the loads going easily into the ground eliminates extra buildup in the roofs or floors.

The building’s transverse lateral loads are braced by the natural form of the bent glulam arches which are repeated at 5000mm o.c. The longitudinal loads are braced by shear walls running between each Glulam arch, as well as the stiffness afforded by the length of the building in the longitudinal direction.

i. passive thermal mass heating ii. passive ventilation cooling iii. radiant floor system iv. roof gravity load v. foundation gravity load vi. lateral load distribution

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Dwelling Together

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dwelling together proposes a framework for how a housing co-op can maximize flexibility and peoples’ sense of ownership. The building is supported by a consistent grid structure, and fixtures are pre-built along the interior wall. This leaves a generous open plan that can be organized depending on the residents’ needs and interests. When residents decide to inhabit a space, they take charge of their unit’s layout. Examples of floor layouts are considered using with the enfilade, where rooms directly lead to one another, reducing circulation area and increasing usable area. Double loaded units flank a 4 meter wide common corridor, which can be used by inhabitants for daily activities and engage in communal living. Openings in the common space allow visibility to the sky from lower floors. Parents can lounge and read a book or have a generous space for physical activities, children have more possibilities of play within this generous area, and grandparents have a semi-private area for conversation during the day.

The ground floor program offers benefits to residents and the surrounding community. The building footprint is minimized to allow a larger open courtyard. Car traffic is reduced as parking and loading is placed below grade. The sunken courtyard creates intimate programmed moments within the large space so that it can be used for small gatherings or communal events. The program changes year round, as a skating rink can be opened during the winter, or movie screenings can be organized during the summer.

April 2020

3A Academic semester

Coordinated by Adrian Blackwell

Email: adrian.blackwell@uwaterloo.ca Individual

Material Acquisition

Raw Material Harvesting

Milling Drying Finger Jointing Processing OSB

Construction Use End of Life

Particle Board Gluing Assembly Finishing

Repurposing

Transport Installation

Maintenance Replacement/ Refurbishment

Deconstruction Disposal Recycle

Biofuel

i. material diagram

ii. parti diagram

iii. view of rooftop greenhouse

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1. Solar oriented massing

4. Standardized grid structure

5. Customizable individual units 6. Identifiable intergenerational housing

2. Adjusted to fit neighborhood context 3. Open up ground plane

During the planning phase, potential owners are able to plan out their own room layouts, inserting fixtures and interior walls according to their needs. The model provides an opportunity for users to take control of thier living space and add an additional layer of connection to where they live.

Sherbourne Street

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The projection of the balconies ensure that there is maximum direct solar gain during the winter months and minimal gain in the summer months. A radiant floor system with a conductive topping runs through every unit. Each unit has their own identifiable screen or wall color, making sure that where they live can be identified from outside to their friends and families.

Dwelling Together isn’t just a living framework, but encourages residents to share in their daily lives. Over time, as one family grows, they can negotiate with neighbors in case the need more space. Another family that is thinking about moving out could be willing to trade or share their space. An elderly couple could require daily help, so they employ a young couple who just moved in, who may have part time jobs.

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Embankment Museum

Rome, Italy

While Rome is now famous for its rich history and well preserved ruins, many aspects of the city's founding almost 3000 years ago have been lost in people's collective memory. The beginnings of the city is closely tied to the Tiber river. While it's been a rich source of water, numerous floodings have devastated the city over time. Rigid embankments and drastic changes in lifestyles have progressively marginalized riverside activities. The embankment museum proposes to revitalize a forgotten interstitial space situated on the riverside - a historic arsenale - and transform it into a civic program that aims to reconnect Rome back to the river.

The museum reuses the existing preserved buildings on site and builds a new museum into the embankment. These four buildings circle an upper park space that can be used for weekly activities or daily use. A direct pathway is cut through the buildings to access an outdoor ampitheatre, where a winding ramp leads down to the riverside. Permanent exhibitions are housed within the existing buildings, and the new museum is designed for temporary and interactive exhibits. As the new museum is built under the embankment, openings are cut into the hill to let pockets of light into the building.

July 2022

4B Academic semester

Coordinated by Beatrice Bruscoli

Email: b.bruscoli@archiworld.it

In collaboration with Danielle Grabke

embankment museum

As part of the design of the museum, multiple interventions are proposed to the surrounding urban context to increase pedestrian traffic and improve access to the site. The street currently crosses the Aurelian wall, where vehicular traffic has become incredibly confusing. Changing the street into one way traffic and adding additional traffic lights will ease pedestrian visibility. We are also proposing to relocate existing shops along the street to open another pedestrian pathway to increase access from major avenues.

1. Existing site

2. Open direct path to river

3. Embed museum building into embankment

• No proper sidewalks nor bike paths

• No Barrier protecting pedestrians from vehicles

• Parking spots block pedestrian paths

• Convoluted vehicular traffic

• Inefficient traffic lights

• Lack of pedestrian crosswalks

• Preserved wall blocks pedestrian visibility of oncoming traffic

• Storefronts along Via Portuense block access from Via Michele Carani

• Site and Via Portuense are isolated from major avenue

• Relocate parking spaces to create proper sidewalks

• Widen existing sidewalks

• Shorten transit island

• Create proper pedestrian crosswalks

• Add traffic light to improve circulation

• Make Via Portuense one-way traffic

• Relocate existing shops

• Create pedestrian walkway for direct access to site from Viale Trastevere

4. Integrate building with surrounding environment

5. Create accessible circulation to riverbank

6. Punch openings into the earth to enhance interior Permanent Collection Temporary Exhibits Interactive Workshops Ampitheatre

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Comfort Spotlight Vertical panoramic Direct

Skylight

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i. axo of adaptive reuse in existing buildings (Chris) ii. view of museum entrance (Collaborative)

iii. roof plan (Danielle)

iv. first floor plan (Danielle)

v. ground plan (Danielle)

vi. -1 floor plan (Danielle) vii. diagram of embankment cuts (Chris)

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i. riverside elevation (Chris)

ii. courtyard section (Chris)

iii. cross section through entrance (Chris)

iv. cross section through arsenale (Chris)

v. view from bridge (Collaborative)

vi. view inside courtyard (Collaborative)

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i. cross section through archives (Chris) ii. cross section through interactive labs (Chris) iii. 1:50 stair detail (Chris) iv. 1:50 arsenale detail (Chris) v. view inside arsenale (Collaborative) vi. view through embankment museum (Collaborative)

embankment museum chris qiu

Village Coffee

August 2020

Personal entry for "Brewed" competition

Organized by uni.xyz

In collaboration with Danielle Grabke Vienna, Austria

The cafe provides different atmospheric “houses” that allow everyone to feel a sense of agency in their surroundings. Each house is designed for specific gathering types, allowing the customer to have a sense of familiarity and control within each condition. The front seating area provides a space for the quiet regular. The pottery shop offers a chance to appreciate local artistry. The stacked seating house has opposite lighting conditions catered for the seclusive or the social. The rear lounge offers engagement for conversational strangers, and the patio provides direct engagement with nature.

Before stepping into these spaces, the individual passes under a glass canopy flanking the edges of each house. The continuous skylight offers a direct connection between human and nature while providing shelter from the elements. The houses, in turn, act as resting spaces for the visitor as they meander through the coffee house.

The material palette stays light and natural while using minimal structural components to direct sight lines. Throughout the building, the customer is always engaged with wood, whether it’s the floor in the circulation space, the walls of the seating areas, or the shelving in the pottery shop. The staircase is held up by tensile metal rods that draw the eye around the corner and up to the roof. The clear glass skylight introduces the material palette of the real world, even those that are intangible like rain and snow. The frosted glass on the second floor provides diffused lighting to compliment the pottery.

The stacked seating and lounge have direct views to the stage allowing for a proper audience at night

Stage

The lounge offers a space to engage conversational strangers

Lounge

Connected to the interior and sidewalk to interact with different customers

Kitchen

The dim lighting invites strangers to open up to conversation

Bar seating

Outdoor patio

Outdoor group seating for people to engage directly with nature

Double-deck group

The stacked seating house has polar lighting conditions catered for the seclusive or the social

Pottery shop

The shop supports artists by selling their pottery, allowing visitors to discover local talent

Modern seating

The front seating area offers itself as a space for the quiet individual, someone who frequents the cafe but keeps to themselves

i. site map (Danielle)

ii. parti diagram (Chris)

iii. concept sketch (Chris) iv. program axo (Chris)

1. Kitchen location

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3. Staggered elevations

2. Circulation cut

5. Pitched roofs

4. Visual continuity

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6. Window openings

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i. second floor view (Chris)

ii. ground plan (Danielle)

iii. second floor plan (Danielle)

iv. section A - A (Danielle)

v. section B - B (Danielle)

vi. longitudinal section (Danielle) vii. exterior elevation (Danielle)

chris

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i. entrance interior view (Chris)

ii. entrance material palette (Collaborative)

iii. pottery shop view (Chris)

iv. pottery shop material palette (Collaborative)

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chris

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i. rear lounge view (Chris)

ii. rear lounge material palette (Collaborative)

iii. rear porch view (Chris)

iv. rear porch material palette (Collaborative)

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The Tower

October 2020

Personal entry for "Opera byt he Sea" competition

Organized by uni.xyz

In collaboration with Lyric Barnik

Estonia sits as a historically significant intersection of different cultures, nationalities, and identities, as the country had historically been contested by different neighboring states. The building embodies that newfound individuality as a form that houses different contexts and conflicting programs. The opera house typology itself has also been a powerful symbol of status and wealth, Tallinn is the perfect city to challenge this perception as a sheltered and private facility and redefine it as a public art form. Public spaces like libraries, museums and ice rinks are incorporated into the building to create a flexible community space in an opera house. Inspired by the imagery and iconography of a lighthouse, the opera house intends to be a beacon of public culture of Tallinn.

The building is wrapped in an expressive structural facade. The transparency of the building becomes a performance itself, as its internal functions are revealed to those outside. Massive protrusions intersect and cantilever from the glass building, indicating the type of programs that occur inside. An undulating green topography is introduced to add viewing platforms for the surroundings while creating a beautiful park area for visitors. The programs are arranged in a vertical gradient that goes from public to private, allowing visitors access to multiple events from the ground floor. A large sunlit atrium dominates the building, ripe with activity. A structural facade reduces the need for columns and allows for more mobility and flexibility, almost like a warehouse of programs that can, in the future, be moved around and rearranged. In addition to the main theater, a secondary theater hall is included for smaller gatherings as a transformative space for alternative activities.

Tallinn, Estonia

program

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from city

pedestrian access from residential neighborhoods from historic district from city

vehicle access

harbour access

from Helsinki

atrium

manipulations facade i. roof plan (Chris) ii. site context (Chris) iii. parti diagram (Chris)

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visitor administrative

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i. circulation axo Chris Qiu ii. exposed structure axo Chris Qiu

iii. exploded axo Chris Qiu

iv. museum view by Lyric Barnik

v. secondary hall view by Lyric Barnik

vi. museum entrance view by Lyric Barnik vii. atrium view by Lyric Barnik

Urban Sketches

These sketches are a recording of my travels across Rome and Italy during my 4B semester, where my class studied in Rome for 3 months. These sketches documented everyday objects, notable landscapes, and inspiring landmarks. After almost 4 years of fast paced coursework and deadlines, these sketches gave our entire class an opportunity to slow down and learn from our environment, understanding the urban and historical contexts we live under.