YanJiu Bai_Selected Architectural Works_Public (Compressed).

YANJIU BAI

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE / COLLAGE OF DESIGN IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

YANJIU BAI

EDUCATION

Iowa State University | Sep 2022- present College of Design | Ames, IA, US Master Science in Architecture

Iowa State University | Feb 2018 - May 2022 College of Design | Ames, IA, US Bachelor of Architecture (NAAB-accredited)

Green River Collage | Mar 2016 - Dec 2017 Auburn, WA, US Associate in Applied Science (Attended) (CAD-Design & Engineering Technology)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Graduate Assistant Sep 2022- present

+1-(206)-351-9629

Iowa State University Computation + Construction Lab | Ames, IA, US

-3D Affordable Innovative Technologies

Researched printability with the Sikacrete and Quikrete concrete on quarter scale contour model. Created the 3D Potterbot workflow by applying Sikacrete and Quikrete. Performed structural testing with bio-aggregates and recycled materials on concrete samples.

Research Assistant | Aug 2021- May 2022

Iowa State University Computation + Construction Lab Ames, IA, US Provided technical and research support.to students. Fostered awareness and exploration of the computer as a design and manufacturing tool. Emphasized on developing digital fabrication workflows.

Teaching Assistant Sep 2019 - May 2021

Iowa State University College of Design Ames, IA, US

Focused on disseminating information, assisting the course instructor in preparing class activities and other duties as assigned, inspired ideas and explanations for freshmen and sophomores, and reached a quality stage of the semester in the Core design studio and Digital media courses.

SKILL SETS

Software

-Animation+Rendering: V-ray, Lumion 3D, Escape, Adobe Premiere

-Graphics: Adobe (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Figma

-Computer-aided Design: Autodesk Revit (BIM 360)

+AutoCAD, Rhino 3D + Grasshopper

AWARD

First Place, Shade Design Competition

The Lab Saigon, Fall 2022

First Place, Niagara Falls Pavilion

Rethinking Competition, Summer 2019

ENGAGEMENTS

ACAW 2022 (Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop)

DATUM Student Journal of Architecture

NOMAS at Iowa State University

Fabrication

-Additive Manufacturing: FDM 3D printing, 3D PotterBot (clay/Sikacrete/Qukrete), Formlab resin printing

-Subtractive Manufacturing：CNC routing, Laser Cutting

-Traditional Manufacturing: Wood crafting, Clay sculpting, Mold castin (plaster / concrete Resin)

Language

-Bilingual Proficiency: Mandarin (Chinese)

-Professional Proficiency: English

SHARE &SHIFT

- Transformation for EngagingIowa State University Spring 2020

Professor: Bosuk Hur

02

COLLABORATION LAB

- Collabarating with RobotsIowa State University Fall 2020

Professor: Shelby Doyle

03

VISONARY WANDERING

- Stimulation for SurvivanceIowa State University Fall 2021

Professor: Mitchell Squire 04

4X4 INSIDE OUT

- Resilience for Social NormIowa State University Fall 2021

Professor: Sharon Wohl

05

DITIALFABRICATION

- Fabrication with AdditiveIowa State University 2022-2023

Professor: Shelby Doyle

SPRING 2020: ARCH 302

Professor: Bosuk Hur

Iowa State University

Site: Manhattan, New York City

Team of Two: Louis Liu, YanJiu Bai

New York City is always gathering tourists from around the world. They always visit attractions and commercial regions. Is New York experienced by tourists the same as the New York seen by New Yorkers? Most of the time, tourists experience the commercial region or the space that can be accessible. Perhaps, parks are the place that can show glimpser of peaceful daily life.

Rem Koolhaas explained the phenomena in his article, The culture of congestion or Life in the Metropolis. Moreover, the drawing, City of the Captive Globe, visualizes how Skycripes, like islands, fit in the urban grid. It shows the boundaries between buildings and the city.

Our design attempts to open the boundary between the building and the city based on the policy POPS (Privately Owned Public Space) and the High Line as inspiration. The design brings public space into the building to become part of urban circumstances so tourists can access the building easily. Moreover, the design also uses the affinity of nature to encourage tourists to explore around. The top part of the building is Airbnb housing using Art Magazine as the topic. The Lower part is a public library with exhibition places. These two programs are trying to bring tourists and residents into the same place so that tourists can see the daily life in Manhattan.

residents. The middle part has two sections. The green backyard facing the High Line is the sharing area for the tourists living in the Airbnb and the residents. The outdoor auditorium facing the Hudson River is a part of the public space, which also is the shifting of the High Line.

SECTION DRAWING

The section shows how shifting and sharing space blur the boundary between spaces. From bottom to top, it gradually shares space between public and private. From outside to inside, it shifts the urban space into the building inside.

The project consists of the public library program at the underground level to the above High-Line Level and residential area on floors beyond the above High-Line level up to the rooftop with intersecting pathways, a green backyard, and a public living room weaving through them.

Airbnb-Type C Unit Public Space

The Airbnb housings are also around by the atmosphere of art magazines. It brings the local community’s art culture and shapes local Life’s immersive feeling.

Different types of public spaces have different atmospheres to encourage people’s interaction. The public living room creates a silent and sharing culture in the space. The outdoor auditorium gives to a place the public enjoys daily life.

COLLABORATION LAB

FAll 2020: ARCH 401

Professor: Shelby Doyle

Iowa State University

Site: Des Moines, Iowa

Team of Two: Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai

Through the view from the book, staying with the trouble, we are shifting from Anthropocene to Chthulucene and facing the Cyborg future. We are falling into connection with digital products and gradually changing our daily lives. When 3D printers and other digital fabrication become more affordable for families, how do we gradually learn the interaction and live with robotics in the future?

We propose constructing a digital fabrication lab facing the public in Des Moines, Iowa. As a starting point, the lab provides the platform for the public to learn and participate in digital fabrication. The process can cultivate the abilities of Human-Computer Interaction and coexist with robotics in the future. At the same time, cultivating the digital fabrication culture is re-meaning and reusing the abundant industrial context, so it becomes the nudge of the Industrial transformation, which brings development and more possibilities for Des Moines.

CHTUHULUCENE: COEXIST WITH ROBOTICS

ACITIVITIES AND SPACE: ROBOTICS, INTERACTION, HUMAN

Social Change: Anthropocene to Chthulucene IA Condition: Industry To Digital Fabricature KUKA Arm And Spot Study: Interaction Activities Shape Spatial Form

Our life is shifting from Anthropocene to Chthulucene. People and robotics will coexist in the future. Nowadays, our life is full of digital products, and we use them every day. 3D printers are gradually becoming popular, and digital fabrication will become the next phase, which means each house’s garage will contain digital fabrication robotics. In the future, digital fabrication will not be a choice. Instead, it will become a part of daily habits.

The geographic location causes technological culture and companies to be more popular in the east and west coast, rather than middle west. The middle west and emphasis on agriculture and industries. It is routine to see the giant agricultural or mining machine as a part of the landscape. However, when mining is gone, many industries’ space is abandoned and wasted. Thus, when digital fabrications are brought to Iowa, it creates a chance that encourages the public to adapt to technology change, reborn the industry, and lead the future.

Spot and robotics arm is a multifunction and mature technology. Spot mimics the dog’s form and acting way. It not only helps us to transport and works but arouse people’s interaction and empathy, which helps us learn to cooperate with robotics. The robotic arm is an extension and improvement version of people’s arms on distance, force, and precision. It also can interact with people by different sensors.

The Collaboration Lab offers resilience spaces that emphasize Making-with to educate technological communication and interaction for the public. Studying various activities of robotics and human is the exploration for understanding spatial needs. By tracing different dimensions and paths of activities, the space cast the spatial dimension, volume, and corner condition.

Robotic Arm Construct Brick Wall Robotic Arm Construct Briges With Human Human Construct Activities

Robotic Arm Make Clay Pot Robotic Arm Craft Clay With Human Human Craft Clay Port

Robotic Arm Drawing Pose

Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge

Simon Estes Amphitheater

Rotary Riverwalk Park

Cowles Commons

Iowa Hall of Pride

Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens

Soldiers & Sailors Monument

TRANSFORMING SPACE BETWEEN ROBOTIC AND HUMAN

EXTRUDE

Create solid massing follows the rigid site boundary

SUBTRACT

Create the void spaces based on contest and urban fabric

Layout and connection from human to robotic

DIVIDE

Divide massing based on the layout of programs

Location in Des Moines

Circumstance and Context of East Union Depot

SPLIT

Split boundary between programs based on circulation

East Union Depot

Historical events related to the depot

The depot was a train station and started in 1909. It was a witness to see the brilliant pass. Passengers used to take the train from here to Chicago. It also saw a lot of trains working for industry, mining, and agriculture. After finishing the job of a train station, it was used as a depot and abandoned for a while.

FILET

Create round corners based on the radius of robotics turning

PROJECT

Create opening follow the needs of programs

Document of original design Layout after reparing Design Scheme

Now, it is repaired and transformed the space for supporting the lab. The abandoned depot will be reborn as the witness recording from history towards the digital fabrication future.

The building massing follows the urban fabric and context; the interior spatial form is affected by the activities and circulations. For the interior layout, the organization follows the needs of people, interaction, and robotics. The public interaction space connects people space and robotic space. For instance, the first floor’s amenity relates to people’s daily activities. The middle atrium is a

Ground Floor: drawing, craft, and consteruction for the public Second Floor: reseach lab

Combine and transform

large open place, giving a resilient scale space for people and robotic use. Meanwhile, it is the place for interaction between people and robotics during leisure time, such as amusing with robotic Spot. So, the paving of ground encourages communication with robotics and gives the chance to redivide the space using boundaries created by digital fabrication to achieve different needs.

The East Union Depot will be reused as a historical gallery. It introduces the industry change in Iowa and shows the development of digital fabrication. The gallery is a threshold for going to the lab and preparing the basic knowledge and background of digital fabrication. So, the public knows the layering and meaning of the context.

Then, the public experience different programs of fabrications in the main building. Labs are aline one by one, and programs start from elementary to advance. So, people learning the skill gradually adept various ways to interact with robotics and understand different ways to fabricate. Meanwhile, visitors could see the development of interaction skills.

The front yard and backyard are the extension of showing digital fabrication. The front yard shows some working processes by robotics, such as masonry construction. The backyard shows some constructed works produced by digital fabrication. People can experience various temporary works and spaces.

Crafting with Robotics Drawing with Robotics

This lab emphasis people are drawing with robotic arms. Robotic arms react through people’s strokes and programs. People also based on the mark-making of robotics to communicate with robotics. It not only focuses on the drawing result, but the drawing becomes the communication and interaction to cultivate the feeling of living with robotics and build up empath with robotics.

In this part of lab, the program relates to clay or concrete printing. The printer can produce from different columns to the organic installation based on different needs. The organic installation can shape different spatial forms that casually provide various interactions. This digital fabrication process shows more possibilities of making-with together and leans more complex interaction with robotics.

Constracting with Robotics

The program focuses on people and robotics working complementary in the construction lab. People gradually collaborate working with robotics in the complex tasks through the process. The robotics arm focuses on stable, repeat, and heavy load work. People help to work on flexible and varied processes. In this example, robotics and people create a roof for a plywood pavilion. The plywoods are cut into different pieces by CNC machines and brought by people and Spots. Then, people and robotics arms construct the structure together.

VISONARY WANDERING

FAll 2021: ARCH 403

Professor: Mitchell Squire

Iowa State University

Site: Los Angeles, California

Team of Four: Cuiling Chen, ZiXiong Lin, Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai

“Sur: above and beyond, rhyming in intent with hyper, meta, super. Vivace: the French take on the Latin root for vitality, vigor, and vivaciousness. Survivance: hyper vitality, super vigor. Surviving as thriving. Thriving as surviving.”

The studio was built to instrumentalize architectural techniques, procedures, and representational modalities to become vehicles for speculation on important issues shaping the world and its people. In whatever rickety way possible, the studio tries to arrive at or at least suggest what might be non-existing places, progressive imaginaries within and beyond the discipline, on the theme SURVIVANCE.

The project is an experiment to challenge the architectural developing process. Instead of rational analysis, simplify and linear development, the design tactic use artistic process with interpretation, compilation, and collective. Our project redefines architecture as a mechanism for stimulation. Using the mechanism nudge people to jump out of the daily mundane for awareness of problems hidden in society.

PHASE ONE: DESIGN TACTIC

1.0 Concept Models: Behind Los Angeles

The concept models are a collaboration of four members’ works. Each person reflects the Los Angeles map graphically and considers the problems hidden behind the cities, which are cast by architecture in a physical environment. Instead of routine site analysis, the practices use artistic ways to represent. Conceptual models emphasize expressing feelings and consideration through nonverbal language.

The Hybrid Memories develop from the idea of a time capsule. It has two parties: the past and the future. The past reflects the uncovered histories underground contained by the personal items. People may know the fragments of history and interpret the feeling of personal items by the empathy and imagination of personal experience. The future is the imagination that people can only read unknown information from the future by people’s feelings and empathy. The model emphasizes the minority histories uncovered behind Los Angeles’s underground. The emotional empathy of items can bring people together instead of building up estrangement and separation in the place.

The Game of Information explores the idea of social engineering behind Los Angeles. The information and media become the game of different groups. The interaction influence different level of information falling and focusing by the public.

Framing “Reality” (by Stevie Flores)

The Framing “Reality” expresses that the different framing views of communities show different pictures. The poverty place may be framed as a beautiful place containing tough life behind. It is better to understand the places from different frames or beyond frames.

The Loop reflects the cycle relationship between nature and human society. They are interdependent and rely on each other.

Instead of giving a clear sentence to synthesize four ideas, our group tried to find the keywords for our concepts. The relationship of words would shop by the developing process through making, experimenting, and reflecting.

Keywords: Illusion-mental stimulation, Views, Interpretation

Hybrid Memories

Hybrid Memories (by YanJiu Bai)

Game of Information (by Cuiling Chen)

Loop (by ZiXiong Lin)

Synthesis

Game of Information

Framing “Reality” Loop (Credit: zixiong Lin)

1.1 Enlighten and Insight: Wandering In the Reclamation Land

Instead of visiting Los Angeles, each team was signed up different local site. Through the exploration and documentation to get inspiration. Our group went to a reclamation land that used to be a mine, which tried to recover the land’s ecosystem. The place is wildland with barely artificial impact to recover the land. Traveling the land with a mirror in the place without clear paths, the experience, and the feeling of wandering refresh the impression of the stereotype and preconception of the place and appreciate the sublime of the land. In the process, he mirror reflected the real environment with unreal feeling. The different and unexpected fitting with context caught view and attention. The special feeling rise consideration and imagination.

1.2

Conceptual Machine: Manufacture Future Feeling

The machine is born from the abstraction of the impression, feeling, and experience in the trip of the reclamation land. The machine creates the illusion of the environment through the reflection and refraction created by the rotation of various mirrors and acrylic. The illusion reconnects and organizes the elements of context by overlaying and projecting, which creates the feeling of the future. The future feeling is potential for the future, but it borns from the contemporary.

The interpretation drawing is drawing from the impression and feeling of the interaction of the machine. It layers the rotation and experience of the projection and overlay. The drawings help reorganize the experience and present the feeling which hard to describe.

Future Feeling Machinte: Reflection and Projection

Interpretation Drawing: Impression and Feeling

1.3 Assemblage: Phenomenon of Visual Stimulation

The Assemblage is a reinterpretation and combination of the developing process. It synthesis the design tactic and explore our definition of survivance. The Assemblage reflects the mechanism of visual stimulation that can affect people’s reflection and encourage them to be aware of the divergent from original. It affects how people view and think about their memories differently. For our group, the survivance is the mechanism for stimulation.

2.0 Manifesto: Mundane Illusion

Perhaps monotony kills. There can be something to be said about the cyclical nature of a city’s everyday life. Mundane, repetitive, or. Routine...Sounds familiar? A city’s everyday life refers to its individuals and the complex city morphology that consumes it. It can be manifested by its built environment, paradigms, economics, history, politics, and cultures and is Influenced by these manifestations. The mindset of individuals, architectural standardization, Desire for efficiency, and mass production can all propel us towards a greater future, but all the while is inevitably creating an ever-growing monotonous and mundane life. However, the routine and standard are losing spontaneity, freshness, and the charm of the unexpected, and the insight of realities and possibilities.

Perhaps stimulation is the way to keep aware of the different perspectives. Going beyond standards and the mundane is more than just surviving. To get past this yielding point of “Just surviving,” we need to fully participate in the activities that are not typical of our everyday actions. That is to our stimulation. Stimulation is the tool and trigger to go beyond what we see every day. It is the very concept that helps us past the point of just surviving. It is the tool to thrive… It is the means of Survivance.

“[survivance] invokes, but suggests something more than mere survival or subsistence. Deconstructed, sur-vivance divulges a bursting forth of life. Sur: above and beyond”

(Coordinate with Cuiling Chen, ZiXiong Lin, Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai)

(Coordinate with Cuiling Chen, ZiXiong Lin, Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai)

2.1 Proposal: Visionary Wandering

Oil wells hide in every place of Los Angeles. They produce pollution and are harmful to the public. The Visionary Wandering comes from urban space’s in-between space and gradually goes above the oil refineries. The occupation of the sky becomes a part of the cityscape. It becomes a symbol to challenge the original solidified social system. Flying above the oil refineries to demonstrate that the oil wells are hiding in the circumstance.

Moreover, the beautiful illusion overlaying on the problems of the reality is not to cover the problem. It drags the attention, which brings a strange feeling compared with reality. It encourages people to reflect and recognize the harmful oil hidden in daily life.

(Coordinate with Cuiling Chen, ZiXiong Lin, Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai) (Coordinate with Cuiling Chen, ZiXiong Lin, Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai) (Coordinate with Cuiling Chen, ZiXiong Lin, Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai) (Coordinate with Cuiling Chen, ZiXiong Lin, Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai) (Coordinate with Cuiling Chen, ZiXiong Lin, Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai)

2.3 Conceptual Massing Model

The conceptual massing model explores the layering transformation from the oil refineries site. It creates the visual illusion of feeling through the lighting.

(Coordinate with Cuiling Chen, ZiXiong Lin, Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai)

COVID-19 affect people’s life dramatically. It changes the social norm and habits of every day. It makes the normal dimension of space around become unusual. The circumstance becomes unstable and uncomfortable based on new needs.

It is a chance to reflect on how architecture could be more resilient and flexible. The 4X4 Inside Out is developing based on the pandemic context. It reflects how kinetic and nonfix design shapes the space based on needs. Moreover, if a new pandemic or other social change comes, the design could adapt to the change in environment since the logic is bottom-up instead of a master plan.

COVID-19 has become a global issue and affect our daily life. It is clear to see how the social environment changed after the pandemic. The requirements of preventing the infection ask for several special requirements. The requirements change the feeling of distance and affect the use of space.

Because of the requirements, the social norm is changed. Instead of gathering together, people are spreading out in space. The diffusion of people affects the dimension of using space and how people estimate the distance. Using the same area with the same program, because density reduces, the area becomes insufficient for use.

During the pandemic, the life of the College of Design’s atrium changed. Because the noma and density of the area are used unusually, the efficiency of performing space needs to change. Each table can only be used by one student in the College of Design’s atrium. The gallery is closed and wast a lot of space. If the partial wall between the atrium and the gallery is removed, the gallery will be used as a resilience space for the atrium. The space used can be more efficient.

After taking down the atrium wall, shifting space between usual and pandemic is another problem. The design needs to consider the dimension of both sides and the method that to shift. The dimension needs to adapt to each activity’s function, such as pin-up boards, personal study space, and discussion boundary. Meanwhile, it also helps visualize the social distance to keep the six feet.

The Inside Out is a “furni-tecture” that the design has both architecture and furniture identities. The inside out fold the unusual and social distance into 4 ft by 4ft, which keeps the balance an original part and basic functions. The inside part has a basic study space and a seat with different height shelves. The ninety degrees of unfolding can create a semi-closure space for personal study during the pandemic. Two pin-up boards cover the outside, so the back can use as presenting wall.

There are totally around eleven Inside Out. Because the Inside Out can rotate to different angles, it can create several different forms and create several combinations for different purposes. During the pandemic, it can create personal study space and become the boundaries to maximize the efficiency of using space. After the pandemic, it also can create the boundaries of discussion space. The pin-up boards also give the presentation wall and maximize the flexibility of the presentation space. So students don’t need to pin down and change to other student works.

During the pandemic, the whole architectural industry was affected, and most working processes became remote. It is a tough time to ask companies to produce the design. So, the design process also considers digital fabrication as the producing process. School’s Computation + Construction Lab offers the CNC router to fabricate the structure and most parts. It reduces the cost, and more people are involved in spreading the virus.

CNC Cutting Organizing and Polishing

Larying Structures Assembling Panels

SPRING 2022 - SPRING 2023

Professor: Shelby Doyle Iowa State University

The Digital Clay studio in the spring of 2022. It explores the collaboration between traditional crafts and digital fabrication tools. Students also work with a ceramic studio in this studio to learn materiality and the making process.

The Digital Studio has several phases. Students will explore different fabrication methods, such as 3D printed roller and stamps, using a hand extruder and 3D Potterbot clay printer. The exploration products will be fired and test different glazing recipes. Students will select the greatest results for making modular units to create 2 feet by 2 feet cabinets for final exhibitions.

The part is from 3D Affordable Innovative Technologies Houding. The project proposes using the 3D-printed concrete technique to create affordable housing. The project is still ongoing. The selection part records the printing test to find the right ratio of concrete recipe based on printability.

The research and experiment process uses 1/8" or 1/4" housings mold contour to test 3D printed recipes for applying the 3D Potterbot. There are two types of concrete, Quikrete and Sikacrete. The Quikrete needs to mix with other materials (grout and VMA) to maintain printability. The Sikacrete is concrete designing for 3D printing, which only need to add water.