L A N D S C A P E P O R T F O L I O
Juntao Gao / 2018-2025 Collection
WHO AM I ?
6+ yrs academic experience
Zhejiang University, CN
University of Michigan, US
With ~1.5 yrs work experience
Worked both in China and the U.S.
2+ yr academic experience
University of Michigan, US
Proficient in graphic design
Good at interaction logic
Can also develope front-end website
MBTI Personality: ENTJ-A
Decisive & strategic thinker
Efficient & energetic
Love momentum & accomplishment
Rarely hesitate before acting on them
Serious worker & patient listener
Love cooking & baking
Gamer & PC DIYer
Movie & puzzle lover
Driver & road trip enthusiast
Water Wonderland Water Trail Planning
Blend in Affordable Housing
Island Memory Factory Transfromation
Doppelgänger Theme Park Sweet Life
Unban Square Rustic Revolution Rural Planning
Construction Docs CAD work
Other Work Other Projects
* Unless spcifically indicated, all the images/photographs were drawn/token by me independently.
WATER WONDERLAND WATER WONDERLAND
ROUGE RIVER WATERSHED
The Rouge River watershed is situated in southeastern Michigan, covering an area of approximately 467 sqmi. The Rouge River begins in Oakland County, flows through western Wayne County, and ultimately empties into the Detroit River. The river and its tributaries provide important habitats for a variety of wildlife, including fish, birds, and mammals.
We have been assigned to work on a captivating project as a three-person team. The primary aim of our assignment is to meticulously formulate targeted development strategies for the water bodies present in the basin. Our overarching goal is to strike a harmonious balance between fostering economic development and safeguarding the environment to the utmost extent possible.
STEP 1 - AREA SELECTION
STEP 2 - NATURAL FACTORS ANALYSIS
For natural factors, we used Invest Habitat Quality Model Taking the five layers below as input, the outputs on the right are obtained.
Habitat Quality
Degradation
STEP 3 - SOCIAL FACTORS ANALYSIS*
Three factors are considered in this section - minority rate, average income, and unemployment rate . Different weights assigned to each to calculate a social equality index for the Rouge River watershed. It provides a way to assess the overall social equality of different areas, with higher scores indicating greater equity across the three factors.
STEP 4 - GENERATE RECOMMENDATIONS
Factors
Development
No Development Economy Dev Leisure Dev Mixed Dev
Degradation Level
Degradation Level NO DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMY-FOCUSED DEVELOPMENT
Degradation Level
LESURE DEVELOPMENT
MIXED DEVELOPMENT
* Please note, ALL 4 of the social-related diagrams on the left are drawn by my teammates, NOT by me. Social Inequality
LEISURE & PRESERVE MIXED ECONOMY-FOCUSED
BLEND IN 02
BLEND IN 02
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The site was an abandoned storage warehouse. Now, on the premise of demolishing all the structures in the site, we need provide at least 32 apartments and equip a parking lot at a ratio of 1:1. In addition, at least 0.5 acre of contiguous habitat should also be included.
ABOUT SURROUNDING AREA
The site is located west of Ann Arbor, next to I-94. The area is an ecological fault zone, lacking habitat connections. Therefore, although our site is not large, it still plays a big role in building better habitats for the area.
LARGE-SCALE ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This is a course assignment when I originally finished in April 2022. I edited it in early 2023.
BIGGER PATCH
Connecting nearby woodlands to create a bigger patch, which is more functional.
WINDBREAK
Increase planting density to reduce the impact of cold north winds on the site in winter.
AVOID FREEZING
Use deciduous tree in the core of the site to avoid massive frozen pavement in winter.
SHADOW
Use deciduous tree in the south boundry to provide shadow in summer for backyard of nearby house.
BARRIER
Increase planting density to avoid noise and dust from the street entering the site.
HABITAT
Consider planting native plant species in order to creat proper habitat for native birds, insects, and small mammals.
ALL-SEASON
Consider planting conifers and evergreen broadleaf trees to make sure its function even in winter.
RESILIENT
Set some low ground woodland to store a small amount of rainwater and increase the resilience of the site.
PRIVACY
Cutting off the view from the backyard to the south building to ensure privacy.
SAFTY
Avoid planting trees at intersections to ensure driver visibility.
KIDS/ BABIES ADULTS
FAMILY
UNDER
ACCOMPANIED
Set
ISLAND MEMORY 03
MEMORY
Zhoushan, Zhejiang, Cn / Factory Transformation
FACTORY TRANSFORMATION
The site was a shipyard next to the coastline, And now it is abandened. The government wants to transform it into a city park with commercial functions.
1548
ATTACKERS WON BECAUSE DESTROYED ENEMY FLEET AT FIRST
ABOUT ZHOUSHAN
This city, Zhoushan, was tightly connect to ships on the past five centuries. So it is important to perserve some of the history memory. Now Zhoushan has became one of the most important habour city in east China. How to show the site history under the modern background naturally becomes the focus of the design project.
1840
DEFENDERS WON BECAUSE GENERATION-DIFFERENCE OF NAVY 1949
SITE
ATTACKERS FAILED BECAUSE LOST FLEET IN THE STORM
FAILED BECAUSE LOST OF NAVAL SUPERMACY
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This is the graduation project of my bachelor time. It was a teamwork when I originally finished in June 2019. I edited it in early 2020, removed ALL the content which is NOT made by myself and improved rest of them.
Establishment of Jiangwan Shipyard
With the help of the experts from the Soviet Union, Jiangwan shipyard became one of the earliest shipyards in Zhoushan. The shipyard also laid an important foundation for China's first five year plan.
In the 1990s, the owner of the shipyard realized the development of modern shipbuilding industry, pushed forward the modernization reform, And they increased the R & D funds. In the next 10 to 20 years, Jiangwan shipyard has achieved many technological breakthroughs.
Planned Relocation
Because of Fire
In October 2009, a fire broke out in Jiangwan shipyard, covering an area of 5,400 square feet, 36 workshops were burned. The shipyard was abandoned after the fire. At the end of the year, Jiangwan shipyard planned to be relocated to meet the demands of urban renewal.
Tendering of Seafront Park
Zhang / 68 / Former Shipyard Employee
I DEDICATED EVERYTHING TO THIS SHIPYARD.
“ ” ” “
Cheng / 25 / Migrant Worker THERE IS NOTHING BUT RUINS HERE.
After the shipyard was abandoned for nearly ten years, Zhoushan Municipal government finally decided to redevelop the land. The government positioned the site as an urban public space integrating commerce, education and park, and invited public bidding.
Warehouse
DONGHAI ROAD
PROPOSED PLAN
STANDING
Meet the shopping needs of citizens.
Container is the symbol of modern shipping.
Child-fridrendly facilitiy. Inspired by the shape of the dock.
The core structure of the site. The fusion of new and old materials is used.
E lements of seafront are extracted to reflect the site characteristics.
Space with relatively open vision in order to attract the public to enter the site. Users are introduced into the sunken square through the transition of materials.
DESIGN ANALYSIS
INTEGRATING HISTORY INTO LANDSCAPE
Abstraction / Transformation
Rusty metal
Boat
Old & new ship material I-beam
Gantry Crane
Historical Stairs Seafront Seats Lighthouse Bridge Green Belt
CORE LANDSCAPE
HISTORY MEMORIAL
THE LIGHTHOUSE REMINDS ME OF THE OLD TIME.
Historical Stairs
Seafront Seats
Memorial Lighthouse
Zhang / 68 / Former Shipyard Employee
PARK LANDSCAPE STREETSCAPE
LEISURE SPACE CONNECTING CITY INTERFACE
Container Café Arrow Seats
Cheng / 25 / Migrant Worker GREAT PLACE FOR WEEKENDS. “ ”
Street Stalls Outdoor Seats
Guo / 51 / Snack Stall Owner THIS PLACE ATTRACTS MANY CUSTOMERS. “ ”
RUSTIC REVOLUTION
Jiangsu Province is located in east China. It took the lead in achieving economic take-off in 1980s. Nowadays Jiangsu is still one of the leaders of the national economy. However, it is also facing the impact of social economy and population structure.
Our site is located in rural area, about 30-min drive from the nearest city center. Economic backwardness and a large number of population loss lead to a series of social and environmental problems.
This was a 3-men teamwork competition project originally finished in October 2020. I edited it in November
removed ALL the content which is NOT made by myself and improved rest of it.
There are mainly five exsiting problems lead to the low quality of life of the residents. According to these problems, I put forward five corresponding solutions.
I / INCONVENIENCES
There are over 1,100 seniors (over 65) live in our site, over 50% of total population. They cannot go far from their home on foot. And there is no mature public/shared transportation system.
II / LIMITED PHYSICAL LABOR
The pillar industry in our site is agriculture. However, seniors, the majority of the population can not engage in excessive physical labor.
I / REMOTE MONITORING
Through the monitoring of rice field image, temperature and humidity, the walking distance of the seniors can be effectively reduced.
PROBLEM ANALYSIS
III / EMPTY LIFE
Being far away from children, unable to participate in labor, no work and lack of entertainment activities, these four factors lead to the empty life and poor quality of life of the seniors.
IV / LOW INCOME
The former factors and relatively closed geographical location determine that residents' income is relatively low.
V / ENVIRONMENT PROBLEM
Low income makes it impossible for residents to decide or change their living environment.
II / UNMAN MACHINARY
Automatic machinery will complete most of the agricultural work, such as sowing, fertilizing, weeding and harvesting, thus greatly reducing the labor burden of the seniors.
EXSITING PROBLEM
III / TOURISM INDUSTRY
V/
INPROVED ENVIRONMENT
With the development of economy, the funds to ecological protection will be relatively abundant, and people's living environment will be improved accordingly.
IV / BOOST ECONOMY
Based on this, the site can develop some sightseeing agriculture. On the one hand, it can attract tourists and improve economic benefits. On the other hand, it can also employ the elderly to do some simple reception work.
Large scale mechanized agriculture will increase grain output significantly. In addition, the development of the toursim industry will also bring extra vitality to the economy.
DESIGN ANALYSIS
WETLAND & RIVER SYSTEM
Eutrophic elements in soil dissolve
Organisms
Eutrophication
Most of the nitrogen and phosphorus remain in the water.
Algal proliferation algae
The eutrophic water body causes the algae to proliferate.
Underwater plants die because of algae cover the water and block sunlight.
Aquatic Animal (Inedible)
Aquatic animals can absorb heavy metals. And these creatures are not edible for sure.
Oxygen content decreased Aquatic Plant
Remove of Silt
The cleaning of the riverbed will effectively reduce excess nutrients.
The cleaning of algae will ensure enough sunlight in the water. Animal feces and corpses enter the water.
Salvage of Algae Dehydration &
Aquatic plants can provide suitable environment for aquatic organisms.
Water is regularly tested before it flows to the lake.
After passing the test, water finally flows to the lake through the sluice.
The surface of the trestle is equipped with dust-proof solar panels, which can effectively use solar energy. There is totally 5.7acre of solar panels.
The moisture content of fresh grain is too high, which is not suitable for long-term storage.
FIELD
The normal reproduction of animals in the field indicates that the environment is livable. Otherwise, further test should be considered.
Frogs and fish can effectively reduce the number of pests in the field.
Unlike traditional one, our unmanned agricultural machinery is driven by electricity, which can minimize the environment pollution.
Domestic waste is easy to degrade, but if it's centrally landfilled, it may lead to the emergence of underground cavities, which is a threat to the above ground buildings.
There is still a lot of energy in domestic waste, and composting can ensure the maximum use of energy.
Electricty
WETLAND BUFF
DETAIL DESIGN
Siberian White Crane Tringa Ochropus
Passer Montanus
Mergus Squamatus Chinemys Reevesii
SWEET LIFE 05
SWEET LIFE 05
ABOUT SITE
The site occupies an excellent geographical position. It is in the heart of the old city and surrounded by scenic spots and local communities. At present, this site only has the fuction of passing. and it is lack of maintenance.
URBAN SQUARE
This project combines the local culture of dessert and the demand of urban square. Diversified users will continue to inject vitality into the site. Younger and senior residents and tourists could have exactly what they need in the square.
55K YOUNGER
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This was a independent course assignments originally finished in December 2018. I edited it in the middle of 2020 and made some improvment.
RESIDENTS
17K SENIOR* RESIDENTS
184M TOURISTS
refers to those residents over 65. The rest are classified as yonungers. Statistic from Hangzhou Bureau of Statistics, 2018.
Hangzhou, Zhejiang CN / Unban Square
FOOD MAP OF CHINA
DESSERT
SENIORS YOUNGERS
B.C. 10
Store ice in winter and use in summer.
A.D. 8
Mix ice with suger sold as a snack.
A.D. 12
A.D. 19
PRESENT
Original ice cream became exclusive to royal family. Citizens can have a variety of desserts on market. People still perfer dessert in east China.
YOUNGERS' PERSPECTIVE
COMMERCIAL COMPLEX
SUNKEN SQUARE
Triangular pool - Child friendly
Rest seats - Gathering & rest
COMMERCIAL
Bookstore - Buy recipies
Ikebana class - Edify sentiment
Grocery shop - Buy kitchen utensils
Cocktail party - Try drinks & desserts
YOUNGERS' PERSPECTIVE
SEMI-OPEN MARKET
SEMI-OPEN MARKET
Have snacks & light meals
Purchase souvenir
Special festival market
SENIORS' PERSPECTIVE
STAIR LABYRINTH
Branched pathes - stay / cross
Mini square - chat / play chess
Shaded seats - rest
STAIR LABYRINTH
TOURISTS' PERSPECTIVE
Playground for children
Suitable for family activities
Small break for tourists
Children-friendly Educational fuction
Suitable for high-tempture weather
TOURISTS' PERSPECTIVE
CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND & CAFÉ
CAFÉ
J JELLY FITNESS BALL
W WATER LIFTING DEVICE
WATER LIFTING DEVICE
JELLY FITNESS BALL
DOPPELGÄNGER
Children imagine they are superheroes. Adults do that too. Adult life could be very stressful nowadays We may relax by watching movies or TV series after work. We roam in our imaginary worlds. So how about leting the imagination go into reality?
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
This is a CREATIVE & CONCEPTIAL project. During this program, I didn't pay too much attention on the constraints of some realistic conditions, but tried to inject creativity and ideas into the project as much as possible.
This was a independent course assignments originally finished in June 2018. I edited it in the middle of 2020 and made some improvment.
QUESTIONNAIRE
WORD TO DISCRIBE YOUR LIFE
clerk household dispute magnificent view heroic plot thrilling sence
fight for justice dragon & magic team adventure grand scene
POPULAR FACILITIES
THE CASTLE OF THE TWINS
Three times a day of Red Wedding live shows. You don’t want to miss that!
DRAGON KNIGHT
View the beauty of Westeros on the back of dragon!
MORIA MINE
PLEASE be careful in Moria mine. There will be Orcs, maybe...Balrog?
LAKE-TOWN
The most amazing town in the Middleearth! Whole town is built on water.
MIDDLE-EARTH
THE WHITE CHURCH
Horrible things happened here before. And this is not a normal church. Maybe... check the confessional?
BANQUET SHOOTING
Don’t piss out the hosts! Or you'll be tought a lesson.You can have paintball shooting with other players!
LOS POLLOS
Delicious fried chicken! One of the best restaurants in Doppelgänger!
of the basterds
advanture
MIDDLE-EARTH
CRUMBLING
WESTEROS
CRUMBLING LAND
RELAXED SCENERY
Reduce stress of daily life
Contact with nature
Enrich life Ryan
DESIGN ANALYSIS
FAMILY-FRIENDLY
Enhance family relationships Jakie
Enjoy spending time with family
Reduce work stress
THRILLING ACTIVITY
Release stress of daily life
Escape from real life for a while
Immerse yourself in the story world Felix
Joe
GROUP ACTIVITY
Relieve work pressure
Enjoy spending time with friends
Experience the joy of teamwork
SCENE REPRODUCED
Immersive experience
Attract a core fan base
Socialize with like-minded people Olivia
Alternate work with rest TIME-CONSUMING Clare
Say goodbye to the boring Enrich holiday life
The castle of the twins
The white church
Banquet shooting
Los pollos
Moria mine
Dorgon knight
Lake-town
RED WEDDING
WATER GARDEN
THE CASTLE OF THE TWINS WESTEROS Live show Natural scenery
Live show theater
Haunted house
Roller coaster
Dragon Knight
Roller coaster
FACILITIES SHOWS
MISTY MOUNTAIN
FIREWORKS HARBOR
MORIA MINE
LAKE-TOWN
Hunted house
Natural scenery
Fireworks show
Natural scenery
spectacular water dwelling - satisfy tourists' curiosity
BANQUET SHOOTING
SWEETWATER TOWN
THE WHITE CHURCH
CRUNBLING
LOS POLLOS
DOCUMENTS
CONSTRUCTION 07 DOCUMENTS
This section shows some of the construction documents I made. This set of construction documents is from a course final assignment in 2022. It includes a plan, grading plans, planting plans and details. These drawings were supposed to be presented on 11 * 17' sheets, so the scale here is not accurate.
THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENT OF MIXED
TOWNSHIP
WORK
OTHER WORK 08
I / URBAN DESIGN
Hengjiang Peninsula Planning / Bidding Sheme 2019 / Hu'nan Prov., China
My main tasks in the project included design analysis, modeling, and animation rendering.
II / INTERIOR DESIGN
Corridor Improvement in ZJU / Under Construction 2020 / Zhejiang Prov., China
My main tasks in the project included detail design, modeling, and rendering.
III / LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Landscape of SME Museum / Comceptual Plan 2020 / Oberösterreich, Austria
My main tasks in the project included detail design, modeling, and animation rendering.
IV / INTERIOR DESIGN
Room Renovation in ZJU / Completed Project 2019 / Zhejiang Prov., China
My main tasks in the project included conceptual design, modeling, and rendering.
screeshots
V / URBAN DESIGN
East Capitol Urban Farm / Competition Plan
2022 / D.C., US
My main tasks in the project included detail design, modeling and rendering.
VI / URBAN DESIGN
Sandun Cultural Center / Bidding Scheme
2019 / Zhejiang Prov., China
My main tasks in the project included design analysis, modeling and animation rendering.
VII / LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Eberwhite Woods / Conceptal Design
2021 / Michigan, US
Independent assignments for studio courses. Basic rendering and Photoshop are used.
V VI VII
Block generation
Aerial view
* Rendering in the millde-right was produced by the renderings company.
Juntao Gao / 2018-2025 Collection