RECONNECT
PORTFOLIO OF YALING ZHENG
Selected works of 2021-2024
RECONNECT
In my view, the core of landscape design lies in Reconnect. Guided by this design philosophy, I have explored in different works how landscape design can reconnect people with nature, cities with nature, history with the present, and societies with people, and I am also committed to facilitating deep dialog and integration between cultures.”
FROM CONCRETE TO GREEN, FROM FLOODED TO FLOURISH
RECONNECT THE NATURAL HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE WITH URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
RECONNECTING HISTORICAL MEMORIES OF THE PAST AND PRESENT WITH MODERN NEEDS
RECONNECTING HISTORY WITH THE PRESENT
RECONNECTING THE NATURE WITH HUMAN NEEDS
Urban Stormwater Management Park
Industrial Brownfield Sites and Township Boundaries
Memorial Landscape Between Karnak Temple and the Nile River
Jialing River shoreline restoration
Construction Experience, Mini-curriculum Design and Hobbies
FROM CONCRETE TO GREEN, FROM FLOODED TO FLOURISH RECONNECT THE NATURAL HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE WITH URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
Studio Project at China Academy of Art course:【Landscape Architecture and Site Engineering】
Instructor: Xing Xu
Instructor Enail:xingxu@caa.edu.cn
Type: Individual work
Location: Shanghai, China
Date: 2023.9-2023.12
Shanghai is an advanced city in China's modernization process, but in recent years, with climate change and the rainy climate of the local coast, the contradiction between the city's hard paving and the rainwater flood regulation system has gradually become prominent.
By chance, I saw the news about the flooded tunnels in Shanghai, which became the reason why I did the transformation of this barren land.
Hand Model
AN ABANDENED URBAN WASTELAND | New Possibilities for Urban Stormwater mitigation
Facing Chanllenges in Site
RAINFALL FLOOD ISSUE
TheHuangpuRiver
The Xizangnanlu Tunnel
The Xizangnanlu Tunnel
STRATEGY | Facing the Current Challenges
Rainfall Flood Issue
Disjointed Traffic Segregation
Connecting Loop
Ecology Restoration
A --bridge entrance
B --underground tuunel
C --add activities
A --water purification + recreation
B --plantation community + play
C --dynamic wetland and micro-habitats
A --variety of ponds to receive water
Fragile Ecology ISSUE 3-- Rainfall Flood Issue ISSUE 2--Fragile Ecology ISSUE 1--Disjointed Traffic Segregation A --Bridge Entrance
Detation Pond
B --underground water storage tank
C --floodable event space
CURRENT SITUATION DESIGN STRATEGY PLANNING
B --Underground Tuunel
C --Add Activities
A --Water Purification + Recreation
B --Plantation Community + Education
C --Dynamic Wetland and Micro-habitats
Connecting Loop
Ecology Restoration
Detation Pond
A --Variety of Ponds to Receive Water
B --Underground Water Storage Tank
C --Floodable Event Space
MASTER PLAN MORPHILOGICAL DERIVATION
Soil Removal
System
ECOLOGICAL WETLANDS WITH RICH MORPHOLOGY
The Xizangnanlu Tunnel
Trail in the Woods
Main Viewing Routes
Floodable Event Space
The Landform Model
CNC PRINTING, 415MM*400MM, 1:1000
02 FROM TOXIC TO SUSTAINABLE, FROM OBLIVION TO REBIRTH
RECONNECTING HISTORICAL MEMORIES OF THE PAST AND PRESENT WITH MODERN NEEDS
Studio Project at China Academy of Art
course:【International Workshop:Urban Open Space Transformation】
Instructor: Tilman Latz, Ying Zeng, Xing Xu
Type: Individual work
Location: Fanshan, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
Date:2024.9-2024.12
Fanshan town, known as the world's alum capital, has been living off the resources of the alum mine for thousands of years.
As the main industry of the countryside gradually transformed from chemical industry to tourism, targeted renewal of infrastructure based on existing conditions and cultural heritageis an important issue for the development of cultural tourism in the countryside.
The purpose of this design is to address the problems of the existing post-industrial village and to propose solutions for soil contamination, renovation and upgrading, to achieve sustainable development and maximize the economic benefits of the core rural settlement as well as the post-industrial cultural tourism area.
LEGACY INDUSTRIAL BROWNFIELD SITE BOUNDARIES
Facing Problems in Site
LANDFORM PROCESS | An Ecological Construction Intersect With The Industry Process
Methodology: Slope
[solving problems]
[A] [landslide]
gentle(5°-15°)
[B] [soil contamination]
medium(15°-45°)
[C] [disjointed flow]
steep(>45°)
of retaining walls
MASTER PLAN
TEXTURE TRANSFORMATION
B. Stone Pathway
B. Stone Pathway
F. Crystalline Pool Woods
F. Crystalline Pool Woods
A. Entrance Plaza
E. Alum Cinder Plaza
E. Alum Cinder Plaza
C. Alum Slag Sinking Trail
C. Alum Slag Sinking Trail
G. Alum Slag Treatment Memorial Square
G. Alum Slag Treatment Memorial Square
D. Trace of Railway Track
D. Trace of Railway Track
H. Back To the Forest
H. Back To the Forest
STRATEGY | Facing the Current Challenges
B. Stone Pathway
B. Stone Pathway
F. Crystalline Pool Woods
C. Alum Slag Sinking Trail
G. Alum Slag Treatment Memorial Square
G. Alum Slag Treatment Memorial Square
D.Trace of Railway Track
H. Back To the Forest
H. Back To the Forest
H. Back To the Forest
A. Entrance Plaza
A. Entrance Plaza
FROM TEMPLE TO RIVER, FROM PAST TO PRESENT
RECONNECTING HISTORY WITH THE PRESENT
Studio Project at China Academy of Art course:【Open Space Gardening 】
Instructor: Fang kai
Instructor Enail:kaifang@caa.edu.cn
Type: Individual work
Location: Eygpt
The venue is located in Luxor, Egypt, a waterfront plaza between the Temple of Karnak and the Nile River.
After studying the possible construction process of the Luxor temple and the temple structure, I was deeply impressed by the wisdom of the long and great ancient Egyptian civilization.
Therefore, I extracted the cultural axes on the site to develop the design in order to reconnect the history with the present.
The Karnak Temple, photo by me in 2021 summer
THE TEMPLE BACKGROUND AND SITE CONTEXT | Two Axis Extraction
Aswan Stone Pit
FROM THE TEMPLE STRUCTURE TO SPACE
Temple Structure
FROM ASWAN STONE PIT TO OBLISK
Construction Process Extract Prototype Extract Prototype Form Space Form Space
A-Complete Stone
A-Pylon I
C-Pylon II
C-Grind Stone
B-First Forecourt
B-Excavate and Intact Stone
D-Hypostyle Hall
D-Transport Stone
F-Oblisk of Thutmose I
E-Stockpile of Soil
H-Horizontal Corridor
F-Dig Up the Soil
J-Central Court
G-Straighten the Stone
E-Pylon III
G-Pylon IV
I-Pylon V
MASTER PLAN
The design mainly extracts two axes on the site related to the construction process (the axis of the quarrying process) and the spatial layout of the Luxor Temple (the central axis). Using earthfill, a number of rich spatial place experiences have been constructed to provide an immersive experience of the mysterious and great construction methods of ancient Egypt.
I-A Pylon I
II-A Complete Stone
I-B First Forecourt
II-B Excavate and intact Stone
I-C Pylon ll
II-C Grind Stone
I-D Hypostyle Hall
II-D Transport Stone
I-E Pylon lll
II-E Stockpile of Soll
I-F Oblisk of Thutmose
II-F Dig Up the Soll
I-G Pylon IV
II-G Straighten the Stone
I-H Horizontal Corridor
I-I Pylon V
I-J Central Court
FROM THE TEMPLE STRUCTURE TO SPACE
axis I
J-Central Court
D-Hypostyle Hall
A-Pylon I
B-First Forecourt
The space of Axis I is translated from the Great Temple of Amun. The flow of water, the plaza of columns and the undulating topography are the main elements that make up the space. The water system that runs through the axis directs one's gaze towards the Valley of the Kings on the other side of the Nile. It connects the temple, where the pharaoh lived during his life, with the Valley of the Kings, where he lived after his death.
A-Pylon I & B-First Forecourt
D-Hypostyle Hall
J-Central Court
FROM ASWAN STONE PIT TO OBLISK
Axis II, which points to the path of the quarry, translates from the storyline of the obelisk's journey from quarrying the stone to its final erection. The key construction steps in between also intersect with Axis One.
G-Straighten the Stone
F-Dig Up the Soil
A-Complete Stone
B-Excavate and Intact Stone
C-Grind Stone
A-Complete Stone & B-Excavate and Intact Stone & C-Grind Stone
F-Dig Up the Soil
G-Straighten the Stone
The Landform Model CNC PRINTING, 450MM*395MM, 1:1000
04
RECONNECTING THE NATURE WITH HUMAN NEEDS FROM STATIC TO INTERACTIVE, FROM EROSION TO ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE
Studio Project at China Academy of Art course:【Scenic Area Planning】
Instructor: Shixian Shen, Yari Jin
Instructor Enail:0108018@caa.edu.cn
Type: Individual work
Location: Chongqing
Date: 2024.4-2024.7
The site is a riverside island that I especially loved to go to when I was a kid. During the dry season when the island was out in the open, my mom would take me and my classmates there to play in the sand, but the site is now basically large pebbles, which is ecologically destructive.
Therefore, I tried to use plants and topography to build some sand-blocking infrastructure on the site, so that the sand and soil will enclose the river water and turn it into a pool with rich differences in elevation, so that different pools can be formed when the water level changes, so that different humidity-tolerant plants can grow, and so that people can have different places to do activities when the water level is different.
Jialing River bank, photo by me in 2024 spring
REGIONAL HYDROLOGY | Huge Annual Water Level Change in the Yangtze River
The site is located in the lower reaches of the Jialing River, which is subject to the water level regulation of the Three Gorges Reservoir area and the summer monsoon precipitation, and the ecological capacity of the ablation zone is severely damaged by the cyclical rise and fall of the water level and flood inundation.
Annual Water Level Changes of the Jia Ling River
Ecosystems
Low Physical Utilization
SITE ANALYSIS| Multi-level River Bank Structure
A number of riparian types exist on the site and quarterly changes in water levels affect the surrounding sites. In particular, when flooding occurs, it can cause significant economic damage and loss of life in the surrounding urban areas. The fluctuating water levels also make the neighbouring ecosystems progressively
SUMMARY OF CURRENT ISSUES
OVERALL STRATEGY
Urban road areas revetment differentiating resistance
Sedimentation Making river dynamics evident
Modular one-piece design
Deteriorated Ecosystems
Original Topography
Terrain Construction
Low Physical Utilization
a.natural wetland
b.underwater section fish
c.viewing
d.running circuit
e.staircase plaza
f.fishing
g.educational planting embankment
A- c. Viewing
For my site, a long section of the lower reaches of the Jialing River, I designed a multi-layered fish-eye pond system along the river with reference to the replicability and modularity of the use of the base pond system, which can be used to expose different areas of land for human activities with the rise and fall of the water level, as well as configuring slope stabilisation and restoration plants based on the characteristics of the different water levels of inundation, and according to the tolerance of the water level and the seasonal habit of growth.
B-
ECOLOGY ANALYSIS | Planting Strategy and Ecology Value For Animal
Flood Season 175m
Dry Season 160m
During periods of high water, better adapted plants are needed to face drastic water level changes. Abundant sediment also accumulates in areas of topographic retaining walls with the onslaught of water, bringing a wealth of nutrients to plants and animals
Planting Strategy
In response to the inter-annual 20-meter elevation fluctuations and seasonal variations in water levels, different adaptive plants are required for different water elevations, which need to take into account the plant's growth cycle and degree of water tolerance.
Urban
Riparian Plants
During the dry season, a lot of land is exposed and plants grow, and it's also great for people to come and walk along the river and fish!
Flood-Tolerant
Plants
Flood-Tolerant
Plants (Grassland)
Salix babylonica
distichum
Pittosporum tobira
Pterocarya stenoptera
bicolor
Gaura Lindheimeri
Pyracantha crenulata
Hemarthria sibirica
Sapium sebiferum
Tamarix chinensis
Pogonatherum paniceum
Rosa mufriflora
Pennisetum alopecuroides
Cynodon dactylon
Liatris spicata
Lythrum salicaria Polygonum hydropiper
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL WETLAND PARK
& RAINWATER
The Landform Model CNC PRINTING, 400MM*100MM, 1:3000
05
OTHER WORKS
PLEASANT EXERCISES
· Construction Project
· Other School Projects
During my undergraduate art school studies, I came to realize that landscape architecture is a discipline that emphasizes practical application and is inherently interdisciplinary.
The physical builds, urban wanderings and my own small practice that I have experienced have played an important role in my development and improvement.
It has played an important role in my growth and progression and has laid the foundation for my major design projects. At the same time, they reflect my own interests, hobbies and professional pursuits.
Dongji Island, photo by me in 2023 winter
05 CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Eavescape-framing landscapes I the large, the small and the journey of things
Instructor: ENRIOUETA LLABRES-VALLS, Wenzhao, Yuxuan LlU
Site: Dali, Yunnan, China
Members : Wenyi Cai, Ruocheng Ding, Kunyu Zhou, Er Bi, Chaohong Li, Jiayou Lei, Meixuan Liang, Miao Mao, Zongming Liu, Hong Wei, Yuyao Xiong, Ningyuan Xiong, Yaling Zheng(me), Huanran Zhou, Yichen Guan
Contributions:
Participated in conceptual and detail design
Participated in the site foundation pouring and construction material processing
Date: 2023.7-2023.8
05 OTHER WORKS
Course: Into the field -- Foundation studio of Landscape Architecture
Instructor: Ying Zeng
Type: Individual work
Date: 2023.4-2024.7
Course: Tea Garden Design
Instructor: Wenxi Li
Type: Individual work
Date: 2022.4-2024.7
05 OTHER WORKS | Third Prize, YD DESIGN AWARD
Studio Project at China Academy of Art
Instructor: Shixian Shen, Yari Jin
Type: Group Work Group Member: Ruize xia, Yixin Ding, Yaling Zheng
Location: Chongqing Date: 2024.4-2024.7
05 OTHER WORKS
Course: A Garden Which is Also a Mansion Instructor: Jian Shao, Bowen Wang
Course: Planting Design Instructor: Qingqing Yu
Thank you for reading so far, and I sincerely appreciate everyone who has helped me during this period.
"I am deeply grateful to my family, teachers, teammates, friends, and colleagues for their unwavering support and encouragement. Your belief in me has been a constant source of inspiration, and I couldn’t have come this far without each of you by my side."
"As I reflect on these designs, I am filled with hope for the future of landscapes. While my journey is just beginning, I eagerly look forward to learning, growing, and contributing to the creation of spaces that truly connect and inspire people for years to come."
YALING