Chuhan (Franklin) Xu Portfolio

MY JOURNEY OF

IMMERSIVE DESIGN Chuhan (Franklin) Xu Selected Works from 2020 - 2023

AR & Fabrication 03

Hexa-Atrium AR-assisted digital fabrication

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Hydro-Archaeologist image tracking AR puzzle game

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and some practices...

Game Design 16

The Answer educational RPG game level design in Metaverse

Hi! This is Franklin. I am currently a graduate student specializing in architectural computational design with a passion for immersive technology. My interests range from AR, concept art to game design and environmental design. I love immersive media and technology, and I enjoy using art and computation as methods to create immersive experience.

Phone: (412)-889-3075 Email: chuhanx@andrew.cmu.edu

Architecture 20

Snails Above land snail observatory

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Aero-lantis Xiang'an airport ground transportation center

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Otherworks

01 HEXA-ATRIUM AR-ASSISTED DIGITAL FABRICATION SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, HUAQIAO UNIVERSITY, FUJIAN, CHINA

GROUP WORK Members: Chuhan Xu, Jianen Yao, Chen Li, Ximeng Fu Contribution: Leading Designer, Algorithm Designer & Team Leader Advisor: Yi Hong, Chengyang Lin

The traditional courtyard spaces in Southern Fujian symbolize community unity and mutual assistance, and the hexagonal roofs of Southern Fujian courtyards are a tangible symbol.

After researching the roof structure, we deconstructed the hexagonal roof and decided to recreate it using light-weight tension membrane structure.

Immersive technology had played a significant role during the process. With the help of generative modeling, we were able to precisely control the detailed design with digital tools.

And guided by AR projection, we proceeded precise on-site construction with zero form error.

I would like to express my gratitude to the Digital Lab of HQU as well as senior graduate students for their kind support.

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Symbolic Roof Remaking

Generative Modeling

The hexagonal roof symbolizes community unity. Its structure can be broken down into tiles, joint tiles, and load-bearing beams. We recreated the roof form using new materials, including colored tension membranes and stage curtain rings from the Fashion Design School, as well as tension ropes and rods from the Civil Engineering School.

We selected the courtyard steps within the bustling architecture college as the location for our project, with a primary focus on two critical factors: Projection area and Height. This choice was made to ensure seamless interaction without causing any obstructions. The utilization of lightweight materials brought a fresh perspective to traditional architectural styles. From the outset, we considered the performance of these lightweight materials as a crucial element in our design process. To emulate the material characteristics of the tension membrane, we employed Rhino Grasshopper for structural modeling and opted for a form that evenly distributed forces.

Symbol of Community

Space Enclosure

II. Forming and Screening

More Cover

Less Cover

More Interact

Reshape of Material

High Cover, High Interact

Moderate Cover, High Interact

Mild Cover, High Interact

Low Cover, High Interact

High Cover, Moderate Interact

Moderate Cover, Moderate Interact

Mild Cover, Moderate Interact

Low Cover, Moderate Interact

High Cover, Mild Interact

Moderate Cover, Mild Interact

Mild Cover, Mild Interact

Low Cover, Mild Interact

High Cover, Low Interact

Moderate Cover, Low Interact

Mild Cover, Low Interact

Low Cover, Low Interact

Joints

Tension Wire Edge

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Less Interact

Membrane

AR-based Spatial Testing

BIM and Manufacturing

By utilizing digital twinning and AR technology, we can proactively make modifications to tiles that may be structurally uneven or pose a risk of bumping into pedestrians.

Every element is interconnected through parameters. Any change made in Rhino immediately updates the dimensions of all components. By assigning labels to the membranes, nodes, and angles within the digital modeling software, we greatly minimize assembly errors during construction.

Automatic Cutting

Membrane The membrane is evenly subdivided into triangles with similar areas. Each corner is marked with its connected joint numbers.

Membrane Assembling

Joints The joints are identical, minimizing errors by marking membrane centers for various directions.

Tension Wire Fabricating

Tension Wire The tension wire consists of two layers: steel cable for tension and a plastic rod for connecting with the membrane.

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Component Shipping

1. Edge Control

2. Membrane Control

3. Form Control

The initial step in the construction process involves linking all the edges together. We use AR projection to compare the length and curvature of these load-bearing beams, allowing us to decide whether to extend or shorten the tension wire inside those beams accordingly.

In the second phase of the construction process, we connect the membrane to the beams. We make subtle adjustments to the angles of connection between the membranes by comparing them to the membrane angles of AR model, ensuring that there is no deformation.

Following the successful elevation of the structure, we fine-tuned the direction and tension of the six connection points with the existing structure to ensure a seamless alignment with the AR projection. (In the image, the projection has been offset for clearer comparison.)

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02 HYDRO-ARCHAEOLOGIST IMAGE-TRACKING AR PUZZLE GAME SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY, PA, USA RESEARCH ON GUIYU, GUANGDONG, CHINA

INDIVIDUAL WORK Advisor: Daragh Byrne special thanks to The Frank-Ratchye Studio for Creative Inquiry

My project began with researching Guiyu, a Chinese town known as the "Town of eWaste." Guiyu gained notoriety due to its E-waste industry and Urban Mining practices. I explored various organizational modes of Urban Mining, both formal and informal, as detailed in O'Neill's "Waste" article. Informal organizations, despite fewer regulations, provided autonomy and higher wages.

However, my focus shifted to Guiyu's darker side, as revealed in the "Anthropological Investigation Report on the Electronic Waste Dismantling Industry in Guiyu, Shantou." This report unveiled the distressing pollution and complex social dynamics within Guiyu's electronic waste industry, showcasing the worst impacts of Urban Mining.

With the help of immersive technology like AR, I aimed to convey the destructive nature of the Urban Mining industry chain. The project is to enable people to trace back to historical scenes, emphasizing the need for unveiling these artificial alterations through AR scenarios, drawing inspiration from various innovative projects.

[Video Link] 8

Town of eWaste and the Abandoned River

Industrial Chain and Landscape Devastation

In the past century, Guiyu was primarily engaged in waterway trade, rice farming, and fishery, closely tied to the river. However, it shifted its focus to the e-waste dismantling industry, causing significant harm to the environment. Following remediation efforts, present-day Guiyu is on the path to recovery.

Guiyu's informal eWaste industry, though unregulated, operates with a structured processing hierarchy. E-waste is methodically dismantled and sorted into four materials across various regions like towns and villages. The Lianjiang River connects these areas, aiding in rice cultivation and water-based transportation. However, this extensive processing has reshaped Guiyu's urban landscape and caused severe pollution in the Lianjiang River. If things continue as they are, a bold assumption could be made for Guiyu in 2075: the thriving river is gone, and everything would be replaced by eWaste.

1940 Rice Farming Metal Workshop Copper

Dutou

Aluminum

1960

Iron

Waterway Trading

Other Components

Longgang

Nanyang

PCB Workshop Functional Components

2003 eWaste Disassembling: The most notorious period of time

Solder Rare Metal Copper

Guiyu's E-waste Industry

Huamei

[Family Workshop]

Lianjiang River

Plastic Workshop Plastic Sorting Pigment & Pellet Making

Beilin

What's next in the future?

Decoration & Toy Making

2015 Industrial Park of Waste Disposal

2075

Cable Workshop Thick Cable Wires Thin Cable Wires

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Biyu

"What if the river become dead, and everything transform into dumps of waste electronics?"

'Unmaking' of electronics

'Unveiling' the history

To create "Guiyu in 2075," I collected, dismantled, and categorized a range of eWaste following Guiyu's Urban Mining process.

Imagine yourself as a hydro-archaeologist in the Town of eWaste in 2075, a place now transformed by artificial creations. This image-tracking game, accessed via QR code scanning, transports you to Guiyu's 2005 landscape.

Some QR codes mislead, requiring manual digging for the right clues.

Broken electronics are collected from...

CMU Wean Hall

Pgh Evolution Recycling

Raw materials are collected from...

CANON PIXUS MG5530 printer

3 Delta 12v DC 0.30a 70x20mm 3-Wire Fans

Philips V60 Ventilator Power Supply

4400 iRobot vacuum cleaner

CD Driver from Evolution Recycling

M821J Dell 525 Watt Power Supply For Precision T3500

Buckets of PCBs

Buckets of Power Supplies

Materials are categorized into...

PCB

Juxtaposition of Reality & Virtuality Plastic

Metal

The project comprises landscape artworks and Unity-based AR software. The artworks represent Urban Mining in Guiyu, featuring plastics, metals, PCBs, and cables symbolizing varied processing locations. AR software reconstructs historical scenes from interviews, images, and 2003 research papers, offering an immersive historical experience.

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3D Mapping Artefact: Town of eWaste in 2075

AR Environment Art: History Scenes in 2005/1960

PCB Zone: Destroying Activities

Metal Zone: Shipping Activities

Metal Zone: Shipping Activities

Plastic Zone: Disassembling Activities

transport trucks; bundled waste; barriers; temporary storage; processing factory; sorting center; secret transferring activities

tourist boat; fishing; open riverbank

abandoned fish ponds; abandoned farmland; acid barrels and basins; open-air burning; flames and smoke; waste piles

water-plantation; Farmland; Fish Farm; Clean Water;

residential warehouse; home workshops; cluttered streets with waste; cluttered courtyards with waste; abandoned public spaces; processing factories

family gathering; courtyard; unpolluted waterfront

Cable: Dead River

Follow hints to Discover

Scan to Unveil

PCB Zone: Destroying Activities

Plastic Zone: Disassembling Activities

and many more scenes...

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and many more scenes...

Level Design

Game Play

By continuously exploring, players will traverse the entire production chain, spanning plastic, metal, and PCB areas.

This game highlights the irreparable environmental harm from Urban Mining in Guiyu. The transport-disassemble-landfill/incinerate process has reshaped conventional urban spaces, replacing ecosystems with electronic waste. As a hydro-archaeologist, your mission is to unveil Guiyu's hidden history and the lasting effects of Urban Mining on the environment.

UI/UX The interactive logic written in Unity C# will inform the player about the era, function, and provide detailed information regarding the current scene.

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Before this project...

Zine Design and Discursive Design

Hand-Made Dish as Hand-Disassembling

Marinated Dish as Acid-Soaking

Before the work of AR game, focusing on Urban Miner's working condition, I made another project explores Urban Mining and the wellbeing of Guiyu workers. This project has drawn parallels between Guiyu and Chaoshan cuisine, metaphorically linking the intricate processes of individual urban mining to delicate cooking. It took the form of a cookbook to reveal the relationship between eWaste's crude processing and human toxin absorption. ‘What if people become accustomed to this way of life?’ Both of these projects have employed immersive approaches, aiming to transport the audience into a potential future.

Stew Dish as High Pressure Heating

Stir-Fry Dish as Open-air Burning

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some self practices

Kitchen Invaders [VIDEO LINK]

Protect the Earth

Meteors will deal damage to both the Earth and the player, and split when destroyed

Destroy meteors & UFOs

UFO will pop out shooting laser beams. Destroy those UFOs to get yourself healed

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03 THE ANSWER EDUCATIONAL RPG GAME LEVEL DESIGN IN METAVERSE

INDIVIDUAL WORK This project is based on my childhood experiences. I have undergone Adlerian psychology's positive psychology mindfulness therapy, and the ACT method has been an essential part of it.

"Embracing family trauma and living in the present doesn't entail confronting the trauma, seeking its origins, or evading it by denial. Rather, it involves acknowledging the trauma and cohabiting with it. The source of pain isn't the experience itself but the fear that has become ingrained, the fear of altering one's life after having used the experience as a justification. It's my approach to handling trauma that has shaped my current circumstances."

The above passage is from my psychotherapist, who has patiently guided me many times. In one of our conversations, we talked about the source of creativity, and she said, "Why not express this experience in the way you're best at and let more people experience it?" So, I chose to create it as a 15-minute metaverse game in Sandbox with a focus on level and spatial design, hoping to inspire more people who have had similar experiences to mine.

[Video Link] 16

ACT for Psychosis and Trauma

Storytelling and Game Puzzles

A C T ( A cc e p t a n c e a n d C o m m i t m e n t Therapy) is a therapy that helps people cope with distressing thoughts and feelings, find meaning in life, and improve their mental health. It's commonly used for conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

The main character is in therapy and recalls a troubled childhood. Their father was an abusive alcoholic gambler who lost the family's wealth in a bet. Discovering a disturbing truth in their mother's diary, the protagonist fled home, but their escape led to a cycle of difficulties.

A = Accept your thoughts and feelings, and be present.

C = Choose a valued direction T = Take action Through game puzzles, I aim to utilize spatial design effectively, aligning with ACT's principles of acceptance over resistance to reflect my attitude towards trauma.

Casino

Start

Casino Bedroom 1 Diary

Bedroom 1

Subconsciousness Mystery Voice

Father disappears when hit trigger 1

Mr. White

Monitor

Subconsciousness

Trigger 1

Trigger 2

Night Club Directly Confronting

Strategically Conquering

Father

Gambling Table

Darkness

By releasing the game on a metaverse platform, I aim to provide an immersive gaming experience that can potentially help more people who have gone through experiences similar to mine.

Gambling Table Mother

Monitor

Night Club

Mr. Black

An Educational Game in Metaverse

Gambling Table

Trigger 3

Mystery Voice

SelfReconciliating

Totem

Enemy disappears when hit trigger 2

Enemy disappears when hit trigger 3

End 2 End 1

Scene 1: Home Courtyard

Scene 2: Emotional Abyss

Scene 3: Home in Ruins

Scene 4: Source of Pain

Scene 5: Good Memory

Under hypnosis, the protagonist revisits their childhood home, helps their father borrow money from Mr. White and Mr. Black, and watches as their father loses everything in another gambling session.

The protagonist falls into darkness, guided by a mysterious voice, and finds a diary revealing that his father had gambled away everything, including the protagonist and his mother – a painful memory he wanted to forget.

After recalling memories, the protagonist returns to a dilapidated home, confronts their troubled f a t h e r, a n d e s c a p e s with guidance from a mysterious voice, but falls into another cycle of psychological trauma.

Th e p r o tag o n is t f in d s hidden NPCs representing his subconscious and learns to let go by coexisting with pain. He decides to shatter totems symbolizing repression and free himiself from self-punishment."

After shattering the totems, the protagonist enters a pure white subconscious space, where he finally meets the mysterious voice - his own mother. The game ends.

Mission: Locate Mr. White and Mr. Black, collect the funds, and return to father.

Mi s s i o n : F o l l o w i n g t he mysterious voice, and searching for the diary.

Mission: "Attract enemies elsewhere, escape the house following the original path, leading to Ending 1."

Mission: Ignore enemy attacks and destroy eight totems.

Mission: Follow the mysterious voice, find the mother. This leads to Ending 2.

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Level Design Reverse of Space I plan to maximize spatial design by reusing the main level space.

Scene 1 involves the protagonist searching for memories, exploring from outside to inside. Scene 3 represents the protagonist escaping pain, moving from inside to outside. These scenes share the same space but differ in appearance, with the former being prosperous and the latter in ruins, and the flow is reversed.This is to symbolize a person's varying psychological journeys in dealing with trauma.

Puzzle Area NPCs

Trigger 2 Mr.Black

Dance Floor Mr.White

Trigger 3

Start

Floor 2: Night Club

Father disappears when hit trigger 1 Floor 1: Casino

Floor 1: Gambling Table

Totem

Father

Triggers & Collections Hidden Collections Left: Scene 1 --- Home Courtyard Right: Scene 3 --- Home in Ruins

Trigger 1

Start

Monitor

Floor 1: Crowded Street

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Enemy disappears when hit trigger 3

Monitor

Enemy disappears when hit trigger 2

Environmental Art Combining the spatial rendering effects of Sandbox 8.0, I drew inspiration from the scene art of 'Little Nightmares' and 'Hollow Knight' to create a scene that is opulent and decadent, yet conceals underlying pain, making it a space of mystery.

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04 SNAIL ABOVE LAND SNAIL OBSERVATORY PANTHER HOLLOW LAKE, SCHENLEY PARK, PA, USA

INDIVIDUAL WORK Advisor: Sinan Goral, Matthew Huber

Taking inspiration from research concerning the correlation between the ratios of native and non-native terrestrial snail species and the overall biodiversity health within urban parks, a concept for a snail observatory has been developed.

This observatory is intended to be situated near the lake in Panther Hollow, Schenley Park. Its purpose is threefold: first, to serve as a natural habitat for the existing snail species; second, to facilitate ongoing scientific investigations during annual events like BioBlitz, conducted year-round; and third, to offer an alternative means for researchers and local residents to observe snails in a setting where the snails thrive above and beyond their human visitors.

Through the use of Rhino Grasshopper C# and the Unreal Engine for design and demonstration, this project explores how local materials and non-human creatures can influence the design and utilization of architectural spaces.

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Snails as Indicatiors

BioBlitz in Schenley Park

Site Selection

Dr. Tim Pearce used snails as indicator species to assess park health. In his research, he ranked seven parks based on data collected from BioBlitz.

He considered three aspects of mollusk results as potential indicators: diversity (total species count), proportion of native species, and abundance (individuals per liter of leaf litter). Snails in more pristine parks had greater species richness and a higher proportion of native snails.

A BioBlitz is a 24-hour survey of species by scientists, volunteers, and the public in specific areas like parks, promoting biodiversity awareness and education. Collaborations with local museums enhance participation and education for students. In June 2022, Phipps Conservatory organized the annual BioBlitz event in Schenley Park, near the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Dr. Tim Pearce and volunteer Katie Zawrotniak led a team that discovered 13 land snail species in the park, with just one being non-native.

The flatland where enough shade & plenty amount of leaf litter were made possible.

Conservatory

Site

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Habitat of Snail

‘Snail Above’

In this space, researchers use a direct method to observe land snails. They count and record remaining shells in soil specimens to collect species data and assess the area.

Picture iron-wired cages filled with rocks and leaves, creating versatile snail habitats that can be adjusted for research needs.

Shells are good references in identifying diverse species: 1. Persist for months or years after they die, easy to sample diversity and abundance in a suitable range.

2. Sensible to changes in moisture, temperature, and physical characteristics of the substrate. Individuals integrate local conditions over their lifetimes.

3. Lack of migration or metamorphosis allowing detection throughout the year.

The lower sections are for snail habitat samples, and the higher parts offer shelter. This project could serve as a prototype for snail observatories throughout the park.

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Logarithmic Spiral

Morphogenesis Based on the design boundary space, intercept the intersection curves segments from the spiral to form spatial prototypes/ reference lines.

[Selected]

[Selected]

r(θ) = A * e Bθ (B = cot(α)) The shell keep always the same shape as it grows. A is the radius associated to θ=O. giving the distance of a curve point to origin O in terms of θ.

[Selected]

Fractal Modulize At a particular parameter, the intersection of the helix with the x-axis produces an array of a particular scale, allowing for cubic fractalization.

[Selected]

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[Selected]

Native Material The observatory is designed for the specific needs of land snails, with materials chosen to mimic the urban f o r e s t f l o o r. G a b i o n s , m a d e f r o m galvanized steel wire mesh filled with rock, are used for their porous and sometimes vegetated structure. Humans are considered temporary visitors in this natural construction.

Materialization

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Floor 1: Observation

Floor 2: Research

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05 AERO-LANTIS XIANG'AN AIRPORT GROUND TRANSPORTAION CENTER XIANG'AN AIRPORT, XIAMEN, FUJIAN, CHINA

GROUP WORK Group Members: Chuhan Xu, Yichen Yang, Linglong Liang Contribution: Team Leader, Leading Designer & Rendering Advisor: Minfeng Yao, Junjie Zhaizhi

Airport City, a concept initially proposed by the Koninklijke Schiphol Group in the 1990s, envisions the gradual expansion of international airports' functions beyond passenger transport to include logistics, leisure, business, residential, and office facilities. This transformation aims to attract more passengers, boost economic activity within and around the airport, and create distinctive economic zones.

The Xiamen Xiang'an New Airport, a vital transport hub linking Xiamen, JinMen, and Quanzhou, draws inspiration from the successful Jewel Changi concept.

It not only serves the transportation needs of Xiang'an Airport T2 & T3 but also explores the business potential of the airport economic zone and the surrounding ecology of Aero-City. This project acts as an external showcase, highlighting the marine coastal theme and the city's unique characteristics. It establishes Xiamen's "city facade" through a futuristic rainforest immersive scene infused with metaverse technology.

[Video Link] 26

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28

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Animation Starfire of Shapowei

[Video Link]

Scripting & Camera Setting based on UD project.

Storyboards Presentation Intro: On the Train Chen is a Malaysian Chinese. He recalled the life story of his father, who used to live in Shapowei.

End: Residential Community

Chapter 1: First Step Home When Chen set foot in his old hometown, he recalled his father's wish.

07 Otherworks

Chapter 2: An Encounter Chen met Tang, the descendant of his father's friend, who is now a local boatman.

Chapter 3: Coastal Scene

End: Religious Boat

Chapter 2: Inner Bay

Chapter 4: Cultural Scene End: Sea Shore

Chapter 3: Prosperity Tang introduced the development of the harbour while taking him on a boat trip on the water.

End: Harbor

Chapter 1: Market Street

Chapter 4: Homesickness As dusk fell, Chen completed his root-seeking journey at the Water Lantern Festival.

End:MTR Station

Intro: On the Train

Aerolantis: Metaverse Version [Video Link]

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Folding Manual for Bookroom Design [Video Link]

Python Game

AIGC

LSP Bee Game: CMU 15-112 Final Project [Video Link]

Asset Making in Unity3D with AI This is an indie game currently in development using Unity3D where I use AI to generate scenes, control the atmosphere, and rapidly create corresponding assets.

Basic Function The core gameplay involves players assuming the role of a small bee, collecting pollen of various colors, and pollinating flowers of the same color to complete the objectives.

player

if slow, bounces & pushes

Sprite Generation [generated with Adobe Firefly]

Randomized Weather System Expanding on the base game, I've given it a hand-drawn look and introduced roguelike features. I've also incorporated a random weather system, including wind, rain, and volcanic eruptions, each with distinct effects.

Prompt: {pixelated spatious laboratory room 16bitscene top-down view 2d game art level low resolution}

Final Layout

Python & CMU Graphics

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if fast, destroys all

On-site Construction

Other-otherwork

Foldable Bookroom in Xianyang Middle School, Sichuan, China

Hand-made Model

Backyard

Street

Corrugated Paper Construction

Courtyard

Concept Art Quarantine Cells for Cross-Border People in Sham Shui Po, Hongkong, China

Closed Mode

Paintings

Open Mode

Closed Facade

Open Street

Living Core & Adjustable Social Space

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Copyright © 2020-2023 Chuhan (Franklin) Xu. All Rights Reserved.