Iris Li MLA Application Portfolio

Iris Quping Li Selected Works 2022

CONTENTS

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02

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Page 01

Page 08

Page 12

Page 17

Page 23

Page 27

Reintegrating Chronicles

Lateral Habitat

Three-fold

F(L)ood

No Man’s Land

Growing Between Leftover

A Gradual Reopening Plan to Reactivate the Post-Mining Brownfield

An Architectural Reflection on Post-Pandemic Public Space

Place-Making in Mitigating Conflicts Between Graffitists and Residents

A Flood-Resilient Terrace as a Response to Climate Change

An Annual Field Study of the Ecosystem on Urban Fallow Lots

Reusing Leftover Construction Materials in Landscape Design

01

REINTEGRATING CHRONICLES A Gradual Reopening Plan to Reactivate the Post-mining Brownfield Graduation Thesis at University of Toronto Date Completed: April 2022 Location: Fuxin, China Area: 7.9km² Type: Individual

Fuxin city growing next to the Haizhou coal pit

When the coal ran out, the land lost its “productiveness”; for people of Fuxin, the eight-square-kilometer coal pit became a troublesome scar next to their city. Although the Fuxin government has proposed to develop livestock and ecological agriculture as its redevelopment plan, heavy pollution from the untreated coal pit obstructs the implemen tation of any new proposal for the surrounding communities.

Based on relevant regional studies, this thesis constructs a contaminant distribution mod el and an expected vegetation restoration model of the Haizhou coal pit, in which a major portion of the restored plant species consist of nectar plants or plants with forage poten tial. Thus, this thesis proposes honey-forage production as the ultimate program after remediating the contamination. The site will gradually reopen to the public as the trans formation becomes visible and allow people to reconnect to the land. In 35 years, the site will be restored to natural productiveness and reintegrate into the surrounding context, supporting the livestock redevelopment attempts of the local community.

1

MAJOR MINING AREAS IN FUXIN

CURRENT REDEVELOPMENT ATTEMPTS After the mines were closed, the Fuxin government proposed to develop livestock and ecological agriculture as a future plan. Under this policy, the former miners’ villages (Points A, B, and C on the left map) around the Haizhou coal pit began to breed cows and poultry. However, the heavy pollution from the untreated coal pit became an obstruction to their new industry.

Xinqiu Coal Pit

• Closed: on March 30, 2001

A: Minxin Village Construction Material & Livestock

Haizhou Coal Pit • Closed: on May 31, 2005

B: Gaodeyingzi Village Livestock -- Poultry

C: Xishan Village Livestock -- Cow & Meat Packing

A B C

MINING RESIDUE CAUSES 4 CONTAMINATIONS

Sunjiawan Coal Pit • Closed: on May 31, 2005

Mining residue - coal gangue - remains on site. Its combustion has caused 4 interrelated environmental issues: landslides, soil and water contamination, and, since the edge of the city is only 600m from the pit, toxic smoke that severely affects people’s health and life.

m Toxic S

• Closed: on March 30, 2001

oke

Gangue Accumulation Area 2

Dongliang Coal Pit

Gangue Accumulation Area 1

Exac

erba

Combustion

te La

ndsl

ides

Aiyou Coal Pit

• Closed: on September 28, 2015

Major Coal Mines

Highway

Fuxin’s City Core

Regional Road

Railway

Contour: 20m

Soil and Water Contamination

2

surface temperature (July 23, 2021)

28~35℃ 35~39℃ 39~42℃ 42~46℃ 46~50℃

Cu contamination

coal gangue distribution landslide risk level 3.0 2.5 2.0

C

1.5

D

1.0

Cd contamination

A

landslide risk

A D B

G Zn contamination

A

run-off simulation

F

E

RESEARCH MODEL I: Contamination Zoning Model The Contamination Zoning Model gathers data from several separate field studies and derives 6 risk layers, such as metal contamination measurement, landslide contours and coal gangue distribution. Overlapping these layers forms a unified risk zoning map of the Haizhou coal pit. Generally, different metal contaminated areas are located on the slope of the pit, with the north side having a higher landslide risk, and zone A being relatively less contaminated. This zoning becomes the basis of the remediation process.

LEGENDS

1: 8000

exposed gangue piles

A

landslide risk area

B

key risk: coal gangue combustion

D

key risk: landslide + gangue combustion

E

key risk: Cd contamination

less contaminated area

C

key risk: landslide + Zn contamination

G

key risk: landslide + Cd, Zn contamination

F

key risk: Ni, Zn contamination 3

RESEARCH MODEL II: Vegetation Restoration Model In 25 years, more and more nectar plants will grow on the post-mining contaminated soil The studied discharge site was used to dump the soil and gangue from the Haizhou coal pit, and stopped operation 25 years before the coal pit was abandoned. Since the two sites have the same soil and gangue composition, the study of restored vegetation on the dis charge site becomes a model to predict the vegetation restoration of the Haizhou coal pit.

Major Nectar Plants

Site Study Location Haizhou Coal pit

New Vegetation of +21~35 years

Studied Discharge Site

Coal Gangue

Supplementary Nectar Plants

New Vegetation of +11~20 years

New Vegetation of +0~10 years

Shrubs become the dominated plants Dominated by annual plants Lack of top soil, plants hardly survive

Arbors appear Dominated by perennial plants, more nectar plants appear

Pioneer plants appear, including some nectar plants

Cd²⁺

Zn²⁺

Operation Stops Cd²⁺

Ni²⁺

Cr6⁺

Cu²⁺

+<8 years

+8~15 years

+15~25 years

+25~35 years

Topsoil Thickness: 2-6 cm Soil Organic Matter: 2.146%

Topsoil Thickness: 2-10 cm Soil Organic Matter: 3.120%

Topsoil Thickness: 5-15 cm Soil Organic Matter: 5.491%

Topsoil Thickness: 15-28 cm Soil Organic Matter: 8.710%

Topsoil Thickness Increased as Time Went by

4

GRADUAL REOPENING: Start from the least contaminated area

PROPOSED MASTERPLAN

Site-wise remediation, circulation and drainage system completed in 3 phases

Phase 3: 21~35 years Goals: site-wise circulation / drainage systems; planting in contaminated areas; honey and forage production

Phase 2: 11~20 years Goals: major remediation planting; address the landslide risk and runoff issues; reuse gangue bricks in construction

Phase 1: 0~10 years Goals: remediate most urgent risks; make the transformation visible to the public

0

150m

300m

600m

1200m

SCALE 1:10000

Purification Lake

Proposed Circulation

Proposed Drainage

Gathering Space

Risk Zoning Boundary

Miners’ Memorial

The proposed construction is completed in 3 phases, starting from the least contaminated area, followed by the drainage construction and planting of remediation vegetation. The site will then be gradually opened to the public.

The drawing shows the completed masterplan by the end of phase 3, where the circulation forms a vertical path and horizontal loop network, and interceptors collect all the run-off and direct it into the lake for purification.

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Phase 1

tour train on existing interceptor coal train sightseeing nectar plants ditch tracks boardwalk

The Green Buffer

Phase 2

original terrace eliminated slope

Landform 1: slope sub-division

Phase 3

gangue brick retaining wall

Landform 2: slope reinforcement

retaining wall

plant fiber planting reinforce tank mat

interceptor ditch

Reinforcement Details

interceptor remediation insulation ditch plants layer

artificial lake with remediation plants

Interceptor and Runoff Purification

REMEDIATION PLANTING PROPOSAL

Phyto-enhancement: preference is given to plants with nectar/forage quality

Forage Nectar Plants

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35 YEARS LATER, HAIZHOU COAL PIT

HONEY AND FORAGE PRODUCTION

Ecological Base & Honey-Forage Production Spring 1

3

5

7

Nectar Plants Flowering Season

R. pseudoacacia

Tilia tuan Szyszyl.

Ziziphus jujuba

Fall

Summer

Melilotous albus

Vitex chinensis var. heterophylla

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11

12

Forage Harvest Season

Lespedeza davurica

Astragalus sinicus L

Melilotous albus

Amorph fruticosa L.

Snow Season, Limited Access

Forage Harvest

1: 1000 Landform Model

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02

LATERAL HABITAT An Architectural Reflection on Post-Pandemic Public Space Course Work at University of Toronto Date completed: April 2021 Location: Toronto, Canada Area: 14000m² Type: Individual

Flipping Public Programs’ Arrangement

This project was designed during the worst months of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the indoor public spaces that constitute the city were perceived as ‘’life-threatening.’’

As a response to this situation, Lateral Habitat re-examines the private-public arrange ment in residential towers. It aims to bring city public spaces to residents more safely and playfully. By flipping the traditional vertical arrangement of the public podium and private units, this project provides two distinct vertical circulation paths from the ground floor to avoid unnecessarily passing through high-risk public space to get home. Instead, on each floor, there is an entrance to the public side, so people can go to the public pro grams directly from their units.

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TYPICAL FLOOR PLANS AND 3 TYPES OF UNITS

In the main volume, the public and private sides are separated by a screen; residents can go to the public side directly from their units through the screen.

Residence Type C Bunk bed for two people

Residence Type A For family - up to four people

Residence Type B Accessible unit - for two people

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Dormitory Facing Residential Area

View of Library from Public Corridor

A SEPARATE CIRCULATION FOR PUBLIC SPACES In the main volume, the public and private sides are separated by a screen; both sides are equipped with vertical circulation systems. Residents can enter the public programs from the ground level by elevator and stairs or go to the public side directly from their units through the screen.

View of Study Rooms 10

LATERAL HABITAT AND ITS CONTEXT

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03

THREE-FOLD: can I entice you to graffiti?

Place-Making in Mitigating Conflicts Between Graffitists and Residents Assignment at Harvard GSD Design Discovery Virtual Date Completed: July 2021 Location: Toronto, Canada Area: 5600 m² Type: Individual

Selection of Graffiti Complaints from this junction’s 311 calls (sample: 181,189 calls from 2021)

In Toronto West, there is a junction that has the severest battle between graffiti and neigh borhood “tidiness.” The data is astonishing -- more than 30% of 311 calls from here are graffiti complaints, 50 times higher than the city’s average 0.62% report rate. Graffiti occu pies infrastructure, residential walls, and almost all the on-site amenities. However, simply banning and removing graffiti could never solve the problem, nor does covering all public surfaces with grass, which is what the city has been attempting to do.

This proposal aims to legalize graffitists’ participation in urban landscapes and encourage the interaction between residents and the seemingly annoying graffiti culture. It proposes instead a three-fold public surface to substitute for flat lawns. While retaining the green area and maximizing their visibility from residents’ windows, designated vertical graffiti surfaces are erected in the park. Gravity pedals are installed in front of graffiti walls and connect to a pump-irrigation system. So every step of people observing or doing graffiti becomes vege tation-beneficial and community-beautifying.

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GRAFFITI, GRAFFITI, GRAFFITI The junction with the most graffiti compliants in Toronto

LEGENDS:

STRATEGY: FLAT LAWN

THREE-FOLD GRAFFITI PARK

keep green space and legalize graffiti art Fold I

Fold III

Graffiti Wall Addition

Interactive Irrigation System Connecting Two Programs

1: 1500

Fold II

entrance Current Use: Flat Lawn

Keep Lawn Area

Graffiti on Railway Sound Barrier

A

graffiti area Fold I

Fold II

Fold III

A

contours open space

Graffiti on Buildings

Step on Pedals Pressure

Graffiti on Urban Infrastructures

buildings

Irrigation Tank

Rainwater Sedimentation Tank

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1

2

3

20 People Soak Level- 1 Person

Original Level

07/19/2021 - 15:33:03:04

07/19/2021 - 15:33:02:01 4

07/19/2021 - 15:33:04:03 6

5

20 People Soak Level- 1 Person Original Level

07/19/2021 - 15:33:05:05 7

07/19/2021 - 15:33:06:04

07/19/2021 - 15:33:07:02 9

8

20 People

Soak Level: 1 Person Original Level

07/19/2021 - 15:33:08:03

07/19/2021 - 15:33:09:06

PUMP SYSTEM SIMULATION Frames from a video These nine images are captured from the pump system simulation video. In this video, a concept hydraulic model is operated to show the irrigation-soak process when one person steps on the gravity pedals.

07/19/2021 - 15:33:10:02 14

graffitists circulation

Stable View: Gr een Space

LEGENDS:

Form Iteration A: Graffiti Wall& Path Connection

Traveller View: Graffiti Area

passenger circulation

PROPOSED PLAN The proposal retains the original green space while incorporating appropriate vertical surfaces for graffiti through the cutting and folding of terrain.

moving view

Form Iteration B: Retaining Wall

still view

n Space

Stable View: Gree

SEEING STILL GREEN FROM STILL VIEWS, SEEING DYNAMIC ON THE GO: Graffiti walls are most visible to circulating viewers The multi-view oblique unfolds along the park and shows still views to the condos on both sides of the road and moving views when people pass by the park in vehicles or on foot. Green areas are maximized for condo residents looking from their windows, creating a calm environment, while the graffiti walls are more visible to those who pass by, intriguing them to have a closer look.

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VIEW FOR THOSE WHO WALK BY THE PARK As people walk through the park, they will see the fluctuating graffiti walls. If they choose to walk closer and observe the graphics, they will discover the secrets of the pedal-irrigation.

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04 F(L)OOD

A Flood-resilient Terrace as a Response to Climate Change Course Work at University of Toronto Date completed: December 2020 Location: St. Cloud, France Area: 0.284km² Type: Individual

St. Cloud

Areas where flooding will become more extreme, 2050

St. Cloud Park is located in the western suburb of Paris, overlooking the Seine. Since the 15th century, the park’s boundary has expanded from a backyard fountain, an nexing surrounding farmland, eventually becoming a 460-hectare royal garden.

500 years history of being a royal garden has left a unique path design and heritage wa ter features in the park. After the mid-19th century, the royal garden was opened to the public and became the current St. Cloud park. A tramline and a highway were constructed between the park and the river Seine to improve regional transit.

Flooding was a historical issue at the park. Since climate change is increasing the fre quency and magnitude of ten-year and fifty-year floods, by 2050, the expected flood plain will devour the highway, tramline, and the edge of the heritage part of the park.

This proposal transforms the current under-utilized construction site into a riverbank - a flood-resilient terrace with an homage to the site’s farming history. The tram line and highway are elevated to prevent them from flood impact while reconnecting the park to the riverbank. The historical gravity-driven fountain hydraulic networks are leveraged to irrigate the vegetation during the non-flood season. With the flood-resilient terrace, a fifty-year flood will be stopped before hitting the heritage areas of the park.

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SEINE RIVER FLOODPLAIN Flooding has been a major problem in the Seine River basin. Since a 1294 flood was first recorded, the river Seine has flooded many times throughout history, with larger flooding events occurring on average every 10 years.

St. Cloud Park

CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES FLOOD MAGNITUDES According to the IPCC, by 2050, the global average temperature will rise by 2 degrees Celsius. Climato logists point out that such warming could aggravate snow melt and intense rain, which increase flood magnitudes (over a 10-year and 50-year return period) significantly. In past centuries, while the park was being renovated, the floodplain was also gradually expanding from the riverbank and approach ing the park. In 2050, the expected floodplain will eat up the edges of St. Cloud Park’s heritage areas.

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ST. CLOUD CULTURAL HERITAGE: Gravity-driven hydraulic networks

MEDIATORY FRAMEWORK TO CO-EXIST WITH FLOOD IN 2050 Factors to Mediate

Context

Mediation

Privileged Expansion and Annexation of Farmland

History

Urban Farm for Everyone

Gravity-driven Hydraulic Network

Cultural Heritage

Drip Irrigation

Tram & Highway Separate the Park and Riverbank

Transit

Flood Inundation Causes Traffic Disruptions

Elevate

Increase in Magnitude and Frequency of Flooding

Climate Change

Flood-resilient Terrace

Water From Fountains

To Seine River

St. Cloud Park sits on sloped terrain. With a 76m height difference over 1.1km, the fountains at the park are all powered by gravity. This hidden cultural heritage - an interconnected hydraulic network, guides the water down to the fountains, and eventually pours into the Seine.

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PROPOSED FLOOD-RESILIENT TERRACE 20

FLOOD IMPACT COMPARISON

Existing Condition

WHY TERRACE: Flood Impact Analysis 50-Year Flood Level in 2050

slope

Proposed Flood-Resilient Terrace Drier Level

Moist Level

Wet Level

slope + dike

Wet Land

50-Year Flood Level in 2050

Terraced √ When floods hit, the terraced riverbank’s shape reduces the impact force of flood waves and protects the internal features of the park.

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ST. CLOUD TERRACE IN FLOOD, 2050

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05

NO MAN’S LAND An Annual Field Study of the Ecosystem on Urban Fallow Lots First Survey Completed: September 2022 Location: Toronto, Canada Area: 262m² Type: Individual

Grid Division Details

This is a story taking place on an urban fallow lot. As an attitude in the fight against gentrification, the owners left their asphalt plaza, decent lawn, and gravel parking lot unattended for three years until it became an artificially-made “no man’s land.”

Their decision to continue has made the lot a valuable site for studying ur ban ecology and pioneer plants and comparing species changes annually.

The study method of this project is inspired by archaeological sampling. After dividing the lot into 1m*1m grids, I took a picture of each grid and stitched them together to generate the image. Three samples were taken for comparison – one on asphalt, one on soil, and one on gravel. Horizontally, the study compares pioneer species’ amount and abundance on three different ground conditions; vertically, the study documents the grid under human control and the same grid after three years of natural resilience; and the grids’ condition will be documented and compared in following years.

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A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

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34

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32

31

30

29

28

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1

286 GRIDS After taking pictures of individual grids within a week, 286 pictures were stitched together to document the plant recovery condition in the summer of 2022.

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I32, Gravel, 2019

I32, Gravel, 2022

H12, Soil, 2019

H12, Soil, 2022

H5, Asphalt, 2022

PLANT RECOVERY COMPARISON ON DIFFERENT SURFACE CONDITIONS After three years of recovery, the first survey took H5, H12, and I32 to compare plants’ species and abundance in different ground conditions.

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Asphalt

Soil

Gravel

SECTIONAL PROFILE OF SAMPLE GRIDS The survey takes three diagonal sections on the three grids and documents their species, numbers of plants, plant height, and root length. For each ground condi tion, five of the most common species were collected and preserved for compari son in future years.

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06

GROWING BETWEEN LEFTOVER Reusing Leftover Construction Materials in Landscape Design Professional Work at JA Architecture Studio Construction in Progress Location: Toronto, Canada Area: 46m² Role: Design Assistant, Drawing Production, Site Management

3 months after finishing the front yard, Oct. 8, 2022

This project was initiated to make a home for 1, 368 leftover concrete bricks. They came from the concrete facades of several projects in the same neighborhood by an architecture office. Each project had some excess materials that were too little to re turn but too valuable to waste.

Since the house’s design used plenty of curves, the bricks’ layout summarized the prop erty’s geometrical language with circles. As the circular rows expand from the center, the gaps in between also widen, leaving more space for rainwater to penetrate while re maining walkable. Apart from the designated planting areas at each circle’s center, the gaps were intentionally left blank to welcome wild seeds. Here, the leftover materials and the unattended wild grasses co-habitate, as important as the house itself.

Photograph Credit: Felix Michaud

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REAR YARD PLAN AND STEPS’ SECTION

CONSTRUCTED FRONT YARD

Photograph Credit: Felix Michaud

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Iris Quping Li MLA I Application Portfolio for Harvard Graduate School of Design

MY SINCERE THANKS TO MY FAMILY, MY TEACHERS AND COLLEAGUES, MY FRIENDS, AND MY DOG. Especially, My four referees: Behnaz Assadi, Simon Rabyniuk, Fadi Masoud, Derek Liddington; When I initially decided to apply, I didn’t expect could get such recommendations.

And people who saved my sss during the past year: My friend and work partner, mischievous annoying fluffy sea otter -- Tianyu Zhang (Louis) Ultimate Ph.D. material and star airbnb host-- Ameen Ahmed Off-white house owners and cat feeders -- JA Architecture studio Snowproof Korean soldier -- Daniel Hyunsu Kim Cooper human laser cutter -- Tianyang Sun Strongest Amazon coder -- Shashwat Pratap My student ID landlords -- Jierui Chen, Teresa Ziyi Chen, Kiana Xingtian Gong, and Larissa Lok-tin Ho My last-minute thesis saver -- Ariadne Kaperonis-Bountris My model picture picker -- Maria Xuhan Wang