Jerry Xu Work Sample

Discovery of Process Architecture Work Sample Jerry Xu

1

About This portfolio is a chronological compilation of highlights from projects that aim to demonstrate key moments within my academic career, where new frames of understanding spaces were found through first exposure to field conditions, new methods of synthesizing information were discovered and explored through collage, and more. Rather than displaying purely pretty pictures and showing lifeless drawings, I aim to show what forms the basis for my architectural and design thinking that I suspect will motivate much of my trajectory throughout my professional life.

Table of Contents Project

Focus

Page

Resume

Projects, Experience, Education

3

Jungle

Field Conditions

4-9

Collage, Narrative, History

10-12

Collage, Culture, History

13-15

Urban Patterns

16-19

Fall 2022

Treehouse Spring 2023

Steel Necklace Fall 2023

Library Spring 2024

2

EDUCATION

ARCHITECTURE STUDENT @ CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

Jerry Xu CONTACT Phone: 516-724-4865 Email: jwx@andrew.cmu.edu Instagram: @jwx_folio

SKILLS

August 2021 - present | Pittsburgh, PA

American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) Treasurer/Member, Freedom by Design Public Relations Chair/Member, National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) Spring Carnival Pavilion Design Team/Member, Habitat for Humanity Member, All-University Orchestra 1st clarinet

PROJECTS

NOMAS SPRING CARNIVAL PAVILION DESIGN TEAM October 2023 - April 2024 | Pittsburgh, PA

Digital: Rhino 3D, AutoCAD, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, VRay, ArcGIS, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace Fabrication: CNC, Laser Cutting, Model-making, Woodworking, Hand Drafting, Sketching, Painting, Mixed Media Languages: Native English, Native Chinese, Professional Working Spanish Interpersonal: Communicative, Collaborative, Active Listener, Adaptable, Quick Learner, Empathetic, Problem Solver, Mediator

COURSEWORK

Co-led the design of the entryway pavilion for the 2024 CMU Spring Carnival, prioritizing community engagement and sustainability. Managed collaboration with student groups, suppliers, and consultants, and advanced an iterative design process through sketches, 3D models, and physical models. Specialized in the design and logistics of the ringlock scaffolding system.

EXPERIENCE

ARCHITECTURE PRECOLLEGE TEACHING ASSISTANT June 2024 - July 2024 | Pittsburgh, PA

Provided tailored guidance and critique to high school architecture students during desk crits and reviews. Assisted with performance evaluations, promoted the program on Instagram, and offered post-program support with portfolios and school applications.

MATERIALS AND ASSEMBLY TEACHING ASSISTANT August 2023 - December 2023 | Pittsburgh, PA

Architecture Design Studio, Structural Design, Urbanism, History, Materials and Assembly, Building Performance, Structural Design, Computational Design, Active Building Systems, Passive Building Systems and Environmental Design, Business, Spanish, Psychology, Writing, ArcGIS

ACHIEVEMENTS

Winning carnival pavilion design, 2x published writer for Interpunct, 3x work featured in CMU Exchange, Competition entries for Buildner Hverfjall Volcano Coffee Shop and Epic Metals

Supported students in producing construction drawings, led team meetings for a student-designed masonry project, organized a class-wide resource drive, and offered detailed feedback on assignments.

INTERN, AEDAS SHANGHAI June 2023 - August 2023 | Shanghai, China

Contributed to multiple projects using 3D modeling, CAD, and Adobe software, including a twin skyscraper with a commercial podium and transport hub, and an office high-rise near Shanghai’s Yu Garden, supporting all phases from ideation to final detailing.

ARCHITECTURE FACILITIES ASSISTANT, CMU October 2022 - May 2023 | Pittsburgh, PA

Developed detailed renovation plans for school spaces using CAD software and created a comprehensive furniture inventory for the School of Architecture, while also assembling and installing pieces as needed.

3

Poeisis Studio III: Architecture Biome and Climate Coordinator: Laura Garofalo | Instructor: Manuel Ladrón

4

Project Title: Jungle Focus: Understanding Field Conditions Physical Model as Culmination of Field Analysis 5

M

L

COMPONENTS

CONSTANT

S

S

S

S L

GROWTH

M

M

L

M

L

S

S

CONNECTION RULE

Are there two same new octagons?

Yes

No

START

VARIABLES ATTRACTOR

REPELLER

VARIABLE 1: WALL

6

VARIABLE 2: HATCH

S

VARIABLE 3: STAIR

M

7

Field Model Composition

CONSTANT

Octagon Corners Constant height of 3 inches

Variable 1: Platforms Higher, denser, smaller hole closer to attractor.

RESULT

8

+

+

VARIABLES

Variable 2: Walls Higher & denser near attractor

Variable 3: Stair Longer & steeper slope near attractor

This process of understanding the field concept serves as a simulation for thinking about how to grapple with multiple dimensions of information and conceptualize them within a simplified, systematic format. Completed in my second year fall studio, exposure to this concept gave me the first example of a framework for design thinking, the core concepts of which have carried throughout all of my work since then. Inspired by Stan Allen’s essay, “From Object to Field: Field Conditions in Architecture and Urbanism,” I recognize that architecture must not be viewed as isolated objects, but as entities intertwined within an intricately interconnected system made up of infinite dimensions of information, the analysis of which can be ordered in any direction: for example, environmentally, is this architecture materially sustainable? Ecologically, might this architecture disrupt animal migration paths? Culturally, does this architecture inconsiderately bury old neighborhoods, and along with them, their peoples’ traditions and stories?

This framework guides my design process by viewing architecture as part of an interconnected system rather than isolated objects. It encourages examining relationships with surrounding environments, enhancing sustainability, ecological impact, and cultural relevance. In practice, this approach enables responsive, context-rooted designs that engage deeply with the realities of our built world, a foundation I expect to carry throughout my architectural career.

9

S’23 Second Year Options Studio: The Ancestral Home - Past-Present-Future Instructor: Jackie Joseph Paul McFarland

10

Project Title: Treehouse Project Location: Shanghai, China Narrative, Character, History, Urbanscape Collage

11

Treehouse, completed in the fall semester of my third year, primarily deals with understanding narrative as a means of driving the architectural process. My project is situated in the Shanghainese dystopia set in the year 2200. In order to justify this proposal being situated in this specific setting, I first looked to the past, analyzing Shanghai’s complex historical, social, cultural trajectories, collaging all of this research together to serve as a foundational ethnographic basis from which to build a contextually specific and considerate narrative.

In my general process, I apply this research-driven approach to craft designs that engage deeply with their surroundings, respecting both physical and cultural landscapes.

By weaving together historical analysis, visual collages, and contextual symbols, I aim to create architecture that not only fits within its environment but also resonates with its layered stories and evolving identity. This approach allows each project to act as a bridge between past and future, thoughtfully addressing contemporary needs while honoring the narratives embedded in the space.

12

Architecture Design Studio: Praxis Studio 1 The Steel Necklace: Event, Housing, Infrastructure Coordinator: Heather Bizon | Instructor: Ala Tannir

Pittsburgh Immigrant Analysis Matrix This collage traces the journeys, living conditions, culture, and lives of Pittsburgh’s three most prevalent immigrant groups.

13

Hill District Proposal Logic Derivation From Site Analysis to Design Ideation

14

Explored during the fall studio of my third year, the Steel Necklace project explores connections between three sites, the Hill District parking lots, St. Peter and Paul Church, and the Duquesne Incline. Properly understanding these specific links required delving into understanding the history, people, and culture of Pittsburgh to find points of connection.

I used collage and architectural drawings like the exploded axonometric to express how layered this information truly is, showing how three sites, being representative of Pittsburgh as a whole, are intersections of many moving parts. As can be seen, previously explored notions of field conditions and analysis through collage show themselves here.

However, I am critical of this project as a whole because site visits were not a significant part of the process.

Recognizing the importance of firsthand experience, I now prioritize immersive fieldwork in my design process. Direct engagement with a site and its communities offers insights that can’t be captured from a distance, enriching the understanding of place, cultural significance, and social interactions. By combining fieldwork with analytical techniques like collage and layered architectural drawings, I can better convey the nuanced interplay of cultural heritage, personal narratives, and urban pressures. This approach enables designs that resonate deeply with their environments, rooted in direct observation and interaction, bridging analytical rigor with genuine, lived experience.

15

Praxis Studio II: Upham’s Corner Library Coordinator: Jeremy Ficca | Instructor: Vicky Achnani

16

Project Title: Upham’s Corner Library Focus: Considerate Design Process Border Condition Render 17

Residential Community Meeting Staff Lobby

Teen Adult Children

1. Block

2. Path

3. Courtyards

4. Polygonize

5. Program

An alleyway, bordered by programs, connecting the public street and the more private cemetery

Carving away to create ample exterior space and to allow for sun exposure from the south

To maximize surface area for sun exposure, increase feasibility, and approach designated floor area values

Community space becomes border between library and residential block; frequented spaces face south

Path- Linked Edge This iteration wants to see the edge condition between the public, loud street and the relatively private and quiet cemetery as quite fluid, by connecting the two spaces with a simple path.

Although there is no intended hierarchy between the two entry points, the irregular undulation of the facade on either side of the ‘alleyway’ creates a journey from one side to the other.

Teen Children Staff Residential

Meeting Adult Community Lobby

1. Block

2. Courtyard

3. Lift

4. Residential

5. Program

Carving away to create a clear invitation for public street flow to enter the library, and for sun exposure

Condense to approach designated floor area values and to allow public flow to cross over to cemetery

Add residential block as one side of the support for the ‘horseshoe,’ and to slightly restrict flow

Community space on ground floor becomes shared space between residence and library, and funnels flow to cemetery

Lift- Open Edge This iteration aims to minimize the edge condition between the street and the cemetery by lessening view hierarchy and only suggesting a funneling of flow from public to private. With the more communal programs on the ground floor on one side and the residential space on the other, the above ‘horseshoe’ creates a natural courtyard, enabling many ways to share the exterior space.

Residential

Staff Community Lobby

Adult Teen Children

Meeting

1. Block

2. Funnel

3. Courtyard

4. Polygonize

5. Program

Creating a funnel to restrict flow from public, loud street into relatively private and quiet cemetery

Augment south-facing sun exposure and greatly increase space for exterior programs

Maximize sun exposure with more surface area and approach floor area values

Community space becomes border between library and residential block; frequented spaces wrap south

Funnel- Controlled Edge This iteration recognizes the historical and cultural significance of the Dorchester North Burying Ground by actively trying to limit too much noise and public flow from leaking into it. The geometry of the funnel tries to reveal this to passersby by constricting the entry point closest to the cemetery, creating a visual hierarchy that, from the street, seems to frame the sacred greenery in a respectful and honorary manner.

18

This final project completed in the spring semester of my third year was of a library situated in the Upham’s Corner neighborhood in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts. This studio demanded the most realistic proposal I had developed to date, incorporating detailed studies of materials—specifically mass timber—as well as targeted environmental considerations and other factors that added a level of gravity and practicality beyond the primary conceptual fields of past projects. Therefore, site research was conducted primarily in the first phase of the project, serving as a tie-in to preliminary formal iterations and massing studies. The displayed diagrams show my noticing and eventual foremost interest in understanding the site as an edge condition, where a clear line can be drawn between opposing conditions in noise, traffic, greenery, privacy, and other factors, the analysis of which played very significant parts in the development of the final design.

Applying the concept of “edge conditions” is central to my design process, enabling me to see sites as thresholds where contrasting forces—environmental, social, spatial—intersect. This approach enriches my understanding of context and equips me, in professional practice, to design architecture that sensitively balances these dynamics. By designing with attention to these edges, I aim to create contextually grounded and adaptable work that responds to real-world complexities.

19