Hsi Yun (Claire) Su- College Application Portfolio

Embraced by Mountains

On the Yangming mountain in Taiwan, there are mostly villas that are surrounded by the hills and trees. The design is based on the existing Yangming mountain living environment today.

For my family, we are biased on living in sparsely populated areas and around the mountain. Therefore, the starting point of this housing design is the connection between my own family and the natural environment.

A major feature of the exterior of this residential area is the open areas, including the balcony and the roof with many windows. These make the natural light and the natural view to circulate throughout the home Moreover, there is also a staircase by the gate which leads to the balcony at the back These designs allow people to engage with the natural environment in various ways rather than closed indoor spaces.

bedroom, bathroom, study room

The entrance was designed by placing the chair and shoe cabinet to create the entryway to make it seem separated from other spaces on the first floor. Into the house, the open plan island design in the kitchen allows people in the dining room and living room to interact so that the family could have space for reunion.

Get onto the second floor, there are bedrooms and bathrooms designed so that people can also have their own space to rest. Also, a study room on the second floor is designed for those who need a quiet place to work. Additionally, there are also two entrances on the second floor for people to reach the front and back balcony and get close to nature.

Residential A-A’ Section

The first floor is the public area and the second floor is the private space for rest. On the left side of the house there is a terrace connected to the hillside behind, while the right side faces the road.

Residential Unit Introduction

handy items like alarm clocks or lamps. Also, the table on the far side functions as a dressing table or a simple desk.

Back Terrace

Go out from the entrance on the second floor, it can place tables and chairs and become an outdoor seating area.

Roof

The irregular open roof allows natural light to enter the house.

2F Bedroom + Bathroom

The master bedroom consists of a standard double bed room with ensuite bathroom.

1F / living room, kitchen

Front Balcony

An open area where plants can be placed, with a view from the front of the house.

Side Staircase

The outdoor stairs on the left side of the house lead straight to the balcony at the rear of the house.

Entryway

1F Dinning room + Living room

The large space of the combination of dining room and living room on the first floor is a place for family members to gather to chat, rest and eat.

A place for people to drag and drop shoes, hats, coats, etc. It is also the first place to reach when step into the house.

2F / bedrooms, bathrooms, balcony

Fallen Blossoms

Design

In Taiwan, there are not many cherry blossoms. By designing a paper

of the cheery blossoms it could become something that is everlasting. More specially, I designed it as white cherry blossoms which is not the pink one that we mostly see. The white petals fall like fine snow which is also what we rarely see in Taiwan. This module design could make us see those beauty in our place every day no matter what the season or weather is.

M3

Module 1 is created by five big petals. Module 2 is three small petals. Module 3 is the combination of big and small petals. Last, module 4 is designed by overlapping the small one on the big petal then connecting each one. By combining different modules could create various visual effects. It could have long linear shape, linear wave shape, and also spiral. When multiple groups of modules are combined together, it can achieve the effect of a large scale public art. Those large scale installation art can not only be made with one module, but also can be incorporated with different modules to produce different looks.

What is Taiwan looks like? For me, even being a local people, it is an difficult question. In my opinion, the streets of Taiwan are like a small world. It is a mix of architectural styles which influenced by different countries culture, full of diversity. However, is that beauty? There is no set style an color of the streets of Taiwan. In disorder, is what I would describe it. Nevertheless, there are still something you can only see in Taiwan’s daily street views. For instance, large amount of roadside fruit stand, jagged buildings, messy signboard. Maybe this is what beauty for Taiwan’s street.

In this collage design, I combined many common sights seen on the streets of Taiwan. The red temple with special engraving on the top of the middle showcasing the Chinese architecture style and culture you would see in Taiwan. On the left side, there are commonly seen red and green color constructions. In the very middle are the street vendors. Lastly, on the right are the wallscapes and the advertisements that often appear on the outside of the building in Taiwan. These features perfectly show the cluttered streets unique to Taiwan.

Collision

Old Versus New Collage

Software / Photoshop

Excessive concentration of development in specific areas is one of the problems in Taiwan today, in my perspective. In Taiwan, due to economic and demographic factors, some areas have grown particularly rapidly. High rise buildings, new architectural designs, etc, these could nearly only be seen in population concentration areas in big cities. Nevertheless, the buildings in some rural areas are dilapidated, some even collapsed but not yet rebuilt This creates a clear urban rural disparity For me, this issue should be solved Those who lived in rural areas should also have new and safe buildings to live in. It can also bring the relationship between the city and the suburbs closer.

The Future Sight

Vertical Hybrid City Collage

Software / Photoshop

Nowadays, the population is increasing exponentially. As the population grows, so does the need for spaces in either houses and other buildings. Usually when thinking of a “city”, we imagine an area with different architectures joined by roads and natural environments. However, what if a city is constructed upward rather than flat expansion. Having a vertical city can not only reduce the problem of overcrowding but also protect natural resources by having less destruction of habitats and trees. This vertical hybrid city has more than one function There is living space, library, office, hotel, and even a gym Also, the architecture is built on the top of water which reflects today's climate problem: global warming Furthermore, the cable car can connect different vertical hybrid buildings or other areas other than roads. In the future, a vertical hybrid city like this might be where we live.

The artwork on the right side is the pencil sketch and the draft of the wave and its surrounding scene. The left side is the colored version of the artwork which was completed by using acrylic paint on a circle canvas. For me, the artwork looks mysterious. The waves are not bright and not in an orange sunset. The dark waves seem to have no end, pulling you in his direction without knowing the destination. The same as the background, the sky is not blue or has white clouds which generally bring people a bright feeling. More of a feeling of being enveloped and surrounded by a mysterious atmosphere. In addition, the only lighting moon symbolizes as hope that awaits people to approach.

05 At Short Notice Architecture Sketch

Tools / Technical Pen

The small sketches of architectures in a short amount of time. Using only technical pens without any other colors to create random artworks and display the sense of spaces with simple lines.

Heydar Aliyev Center, Zaha Hadid, 2012

Fallingwater, Frank Lyoyd Wright, 1934