Portfolio of Jiang Jiaxin

Portfolio of Jiang Jiaxin Selected Works from 2021-2023

National University of Singapore, Master of Landscape Architecture Southwest University of Science and Technology, B.Engineering, Urban and Rural Planning

CONTENTS 01 WEAVING WATERWAYS -Multifunctional resilient water infrastructure & disaster recovery planning in Basey

02 CLEANSING SPONGE -Stormwater management and sediment control in Kluang

03 HOMEWARD JOURNEY -Cultural navigation system planning for the homogenized urban area in Singapore

04 REBIRTH OF THE ABANDONED RAILWAY -Stitching of the urban fabric in Singapore

05 AGING PARK, REJUVENATING SOUL -Age-appropriate renovation of the urban park in Chengdu

06 OTHER WORKS -Digital construction/urban design competition/ cooling the intertidal zone

04 12 20 24 30 36

01 WEAVING WATERWAYS

Keywords: multi-hazards adaption/ resilient water infrastructure/ weaving industry/ rural area LA 5701 MLA Studio: Country_Land, Sea, and Disturbance (AY 2023-24, Semester 1) 30%Group Work + 70%Individual Work Project Location: Basey, Samar Island, Philippine Site Area: 4760ha Studio Tutor: Kenya Endo Tutor Email: akike@nus.edu.sg

The project is located in Basey, on the island of Samar in the Philippines, a rural area predominantly engaged in agriculture and Banig weaving industry. Basey was one of the hardest hit areas during Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. The research reveals that despite the rich natural resources in the area, poverty persists.

Therefore, the project focuses on unlocking local resources. Reasons for the low utilization of resources include a lack of agricultural water management technology and facilities, as well as risks brought by various disasters such as floods, storm surges, and landslides.Hence, this project aims to plan an efficient, resilient, and multifunctional water infrastructure to address the issues of insufficient water during dry season and flooding in the rainy season, thereby improving resource utilization. Simultaneously, the project considers edges of rice paddies as an opportunity for Tikog cultivation, reducing the dependence of the Banig industry on external sources.

In terms of design methodology, the project draws inspiration from the formation mechanism of the local agricultural landscape, namely, maximizing the acquisition of water resources through vertical rivers or foothills. On a planar level, the project utilizes GIS to analyze results from the USGS DEM (30m precision) as the basis for planning. This includes determining the design boundaries through basin delineation, planning watersheds and new water routes through flow accumulation, and specifying agricultural activity types and spatial distribution through drainage density, including coconut, rice, integrated farming (rice+fish/shrimp/crab), and wetland farming. Vertically, the project designs spatial hierarchies and patterns to cope with floods and seasonal variations in water levels for different industrial activities. Additionally, the project integrates industrial activities with the local community through transportation (water and land routes), ultimately achieving the integration of space and people.

In summary, the proposed system can bring people more diversified and resilient types of industries, more coherent evacuation routes, more abundant social spaces, more substantial economic income, and ultimately realize “Build, Back, Better” in Basey.

02 CLEANSING SPONGE

Keywords: flooding/ river sediment control/ ABC Water design/ peri urban LA 4702 MLA Studio: City_Liveable Kluang (AY 2022-23, Semester 2) Individual Work Project Location: Kluang, Johor, Malaysia Site Area: 8ha Studio Tutor: Agnes Soh (Grant Associates) Tutor Email: agnessoh@gmail.com

In the context of climate change, rainfall patterns are becoming more and more unpredictable. As a result, unprecedented flooding caused by persistent heavy rainfall occurred in many parts of Johor, with Kluang being one of the worst affected areas. The flooding mainly unfolded along the two main rivers in Kluang City, flooding palm plantations downstream. The main area of analysis for this project is the Mengkibol River on the east side of the city; as the flooding along this river is more widspread, the number of people affected is more significant, and the establishment is more diverse, and during the site investigation, it was found that there is a significant accumulation of sediment in the downstream channel.

The design site is located in the upper reaches of the Mengkibol River, farmland that the government will transform into subsidized housing for low-income groups by 2030. However, this site is flooded, so I question this planning initiative. The site’s location in the river’s upper reaches is a good opportunity to treat sediment and reduce the sediment burden downstream. So, I used the cleansing sponge design strategy here to transform it into a blue-green infrastructure combining flood mitigation, sediment treatment, and recreation for residents.

The design adopts sponge strategies to cope with flooding: (1) improve water storage capacity, such as setting water tanks in the lowest area, creating meanders, and widening the river. (2) apply swale (2) apply swale system (vegetated swales, rain garden, biorentention swales) to delay the river reaching peak volume. Sediment management starts with bank stabilization to reduce the source, while sediment in the river is captured, purified, and removed. Sediment management begins with bank stabilization to reduce sources and the capture, purification, and removal of sediments present in the river. In the preliminary stage, the types of pollutants generated were clarified through surface runoff flow analysis and sediment source tracking, which provided a basis for selecting wetland plants to purify the river water. At the same time, ArcGIS was used for sediment transport index analysis to clarify the location of severe sediment accumulation, which provided a basis for locating sediment basins along the site boundary. Eventually, viewing decks, trails, amphitheater, etc., will be added to increase the interaction and accessibility of the site with the neighboring communities. In addition, the project will also contribute to the habitat of local flora and fauna. According to the site survey, the number of species living around the river is much lower than ten years ago. The rain garden can be an ideal habitat for pollinators, and the clean river will accommodate various freshwater fish, shrimps, crabs, and mussels.

03 HOMEWARD JOURNEY

Keywords: orang laut (indigenous people)/ urbanization/ cultural navigation system LA 4701 MLA Studio: Quarter_Maritory Biocracy (AY 2022-23, Semester 1) Individual Work Project Location: Punggol, Singapore Site Area: 900ha Studio Tutor: Alban Mannisi Tutor Email: albanmannisi@scapethical.org

Punggol is one of the oldest settlements in Singapore. Punggol used to be the sea nomads, Orang Laut, and their clans Orang Pulau’s settlement; most are Malay fishermen. Punggol witnessed the transformation from a marine to a territory lifestyle. Punggol used to have a clear tree-like spatial structure: the Punggol Road is the main economic corridor connecting a series of commercial facilities. The branches connect several kampung living circles centered on agricultural and aquaculture areas, which integrate industry and residence.

However, under the background of rapid urbanization in Singapore, indigenous people became the sacrifice of gentrification. They are forced to relocate, and also take Punggol’s cultural identity away. The loss includes 3 aspects: (1) the spatial organization is from recognizable to unrecognizable; (2) from self-efficient town to sleep town; (3) form marine-centered lifestyle to territory-centered lifestyle. So, I decided to regain Punggol’s cultural identity through reconstructing the recognizable navigation system, reembedding agriculture and aquaculture, and reintroducing the lifestyle of living with water.

For the lower-density north, extend pedestrians to the shoreline and introduce new waterways to improve the accessibility of waterfront space and the interaction between people and water. Then, input marine programs into riverside and coastal areas, such as aquaculture, water mobility, and recreational beaches.

Punggol Road, the history track, will be the main pedestrian corridor connecting isolated open spaces to waterfront space for the higher-density south. Add maritory programs into those empty spaces, such as urban plazas that can hold seafood festivals, Punggol agriculture history science park, etc. Meanwhile, previous materials, for example, coconut trees, woods, thatch, etc., will be used by pedestrians to gain an immersive cultural walking experience.

This design can bring some employment opportunities and a familiar lifestyle for the indigenous people and help them relieve nostalgia. It also can bring current Punggol residents more diverse social spaces, which can help enhance community bonds. The most important thing is to make Punggol become a living territory museum instead of making the precious historical heritage stay in the minds of certain people.

04 REBIRTH OF THE ABANDONED RAILWAY

Keywords: brownfield redevelopment/ split/ reunion Academic Work Group Work：Jiang Jiaxin Bai Fazhong Project Location: Rail Corridor, Singapore Site Length: 24KM Date: November-December, 2021 Advisor: Shi Manjiang

Rail Corridor, a 24-kilometer “green corridor” passes through almost the entire length of Singapore. It is a witness to the history of transportation between Singapore and Malaysia. However, today’s Rail Corridor is an abandoned brownfield that strongly splits the space of Singapore. Sadly, the split of urban space will inevitably bring hidden trouble to the split of society and culture, which means it will not be conducive to the long-term development of the society. Therefore, in this project, we designed the Rail Corridor as a vibrant urban corridor that connects and penetrates the surrounding communities and finally realizes the reunion of regional space, culture, and society.

Detailed Plan of Major Nodes Node of DISCOVERY: Kranji Wetland 0

25

50

Node of COMMUNITY: Choa Chu Kang Community

100M

7 5

6

1 2

4

3

1

Bridge

2

Eco-trail

3

Track

4

Cycling path

5

Pavilion

6

Wetland park

7

Adventure isle

8

Entrance square

0

50 100

200M

3

1

5

2 4

8

Node of ECOLOGY : Old Bukit Timah Railway Station

0

10

20

35M

9

6

10

3

10

1

8

5

2

4

5

7

10

10

11

6 7

Node of SCIENCE: Buona Vista

9

8

7

1

Floating plank

1

Reserved railway

2

Waterfront square

2

Square

3

Viaduct

3

Pavilion

4

Futsal stadium

4

Pool

5

Bench

5

Bench

6

Basketball court

7

Rock-climing wall

8

Event lawn

9

Reserved railway

0

25 50

100M

7

11

3 3 6

5

1

10

8 9

2

4

5

5

6

Event lawn

7

Viewing steps

8

Outdoor furniture

9

Recreation center

10

Cafeteria

11

Science exhibition hall

Node of ART: Tanjong Pagar

12

1

Flower border

1

Platform

2

Track

2

Steel frame

3

Pavilion

3

Exhibition board

4

Walking path

4

Wood frame

5

Bench

5

Viewing steps

6

Pergola

6

Reserved railway

7

Cycling path

7

Garden

8

Cafe

8

Railway museum

9

New Bukit Timah railway station

9

New railway station

10

Botanical garden

10

Square

11

Square

12

Railway bridge

0

50

100

200M 7

8

4

2 1

6

9

10

3 5

05 AGING PARK, REJUVENATING SOUL

Keywords: aging society/ environmental justice/ age-appropriate renovation Academic Work Individual Work Project Location: People's Park, Chengdu, China Site Area: 14.5ha Date: June-August 2021 Advisor: Zeng Mingying

Chengdu, a highly-anticipated park city demonstration area in China, and it joins the list of economically-booming cities struggling in response to an ever-increasing and aging population. Sadly, most of the public spaces in cities like Chengdu have not adequately adapted to this ever-growing challenge, which makes elderly people, especially those of whom have limited mobility, lose the right to use the environment. In this project, I tried to seek to explore this widespread issue, and find a solution based on careful field investigation.

Children's playground

Vegetable garden

Sports pocket

Rehabilitation park

Matchmaking square

Event lawn

Dance plaza

Teahouse

Calligraphy Cultural activity square center

Artificial lake

Bonsai garden

Pond

Healing garden

Meditation pocket

06 OTHER WORKS

-Digital Construction -Urban Design Competition: From Industry to Community Taizhou is a famous medical city in China. The medical industry has brought tremendous economic benefits to Taizhou. However, the pollution caused by the industry makes Taizhou's environmental governance face severe challenges. At the same time, the existing industrial parks in Taizhou are a gathering place for factories with a single function, causing these areas to lack strong links with Taizhou city and the waste of urban land. In this project, I tried to use four spatial design strategies to construct a sustainable industrial park development model which balances industry, ecology, and community. This will help Taizhou realize its vision of "Green Medical City."

-Cooling the Intertidal Zone Kitsilano beach, one of the most popular beaches in Vancouver. Thanks to its beautiful natural scenery and excellent ecological environment, this beach attracts a large number of tourists every year. However, in the summer of 2021, the devastating heatwave that ravaged British Columbia is being blamed for a massive die-off of mussels, clams, and other marine animals that live on Kitsilano Beach. In this project, I tried to utilize several cooling measures to deal with the ecological damage and economic loss of the intertidal zone caused by the extreme heat in Vancouver.

Digital Construction

Urban Design C Testing

Group Work (Jiaxin Jiang: Team Leader) Project Location: Chengdu, China Size: 4m*4m*1.2m Date: August, 2020 Material: Particle board

Digital Logic STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

Center box

Point charge

Iso surface

Polyline tile

Tile T field

Growing range

Magetic field

Minimal surface

Basic element

Final morphology

Cooling the Intertidal Zone Terrain Deduction

Cooling Scheme

1. Context

STEP1 Design a cooling terrain

2p.m.

Sea

Shaded Aspect

Earth

STEP2 Add vegetation to provide shade for shellfish 2p.m.

Shade 5m

2. Bend the shoreline to increase the shaded aspect

STEP3 Lay low thermal conductivity material as an attachment surface for shellfish to grow 2p.m.

Hydroxyapatite

3. Create current channels at each vertex to reduce impact and increase water activity STEP4 Set up floating islands to increase connectivity

4. Offest the line to form the cooling landform

STEP5 Add multi-functional seawater cooling devices to enhance landscape interactivity

Competition: From Industry to Community

Thanks ！ Jiang Jiaxin