The portfolio for the University of ED

[ Chenxi Wang ] PORTFOLIO

Selected Works

2018-2022

For the application to MLA at the University of Edinburgh

Chenxi Wang ]

Phone: +(86) 17835460320

E-mail: wcx1304382116@gmail.com

Address: No. 50, Chengdong Road, Taihang East Street, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, China 046000

Southeast University, Nanjing, China,Sept. 2018 - Jun. 2023

Bachelor of Engineering in Landscape Architecture

GPA: 3.75/4.0

Internship

- Shanxi No.3 Building Engineering Company Changzhi Branch Architectural Design Institute;

Aug. 2022 - Oct.2022

- responsible for architecture construction drawings and facade design for a hospital construction project;

2022 Imperial-RCA Design for Global Challenges Online Summer School

- Most Innovative Design Award;

- an A-Distinction for the individual;

Jul. 2022 - Aug. 2022

- finished a two-week online course; carried out group service design around Climate Change and completed a final presentation;

Research Program, Southeast University

- “Application of Dynamic Fitting of Digital 3D Model in the Study of Stacked Mountain Technique “; - team leader;

Nov. 2020 – Nov. 2021

- through the dynamic fitting of three-dimensional digital models, taking "Pu" Garden rockwork as the research object, using the parameters in the image correspondence to generate three-dimensional information, combined with an interview with the rockery craftsman Fang Hui, to a certain degree of visual interpretation of the stacking technique reflected in the rockery;

- written paper “Application of Dynamic Fitting of Digital 3D Model in the Study of Stacked Mountain Technique -- Take Kunshan "Puyuan" rockery as an example”;

Ancient Buildings Measurement surveys, Southeast University

- team member

Jul. 2021 - Oct.2021

- did fieldwork and measurement for the traditional landscape architecture in Lu Garden, did online measurement surveys for Master of Nets Garden;

- 3D model, detailed plans, sections and facades of the buildings and classical gardens, video;

Volunteer Experience

- 2021 Jiangsu Red Cross Registered volunteer

- Teacher role in school-related subjects (art, English, science) in Xuanwu Community Service

3D Modelling: Sketchup / Rhino / Grasshopper / Blender

2D: AutoCAD / Adobe Photoshop / Adobe Illustrator / Adobe InDesign

Analysis: ArcGIS

Rendering: Lumion / Enscape

Oct. 2021

"Why this major?"

"Why persist and love ?"

"What kind of landscape architect I'd like to be?"

These are the questions I'm constantly looking for answers to, and the reason I choose the University of Edinburgh.

Born in a small town in Shanxi Province, the largest coal-producing province in China, my daily life seems filled with the billowing smoke from the chemical plants and the smoky haze shrouding the sky. Facing the scarred land under my feet, I think landscape design is the best solution to restore the ecological environment and build a livable city. This is my original intention in choosing Landscape Architecture as my major.

During my five years of undergraduate study at Southeast University, its rigorous and practical landscape teaching system has taught me how to be a down-to-earth problem solver in landscape design. In my fourth year of undergraduate study, I participated in landscape planning projects for ecological restoration. This topic triggered my rethinking of the ecological issues in my hometown and finally derived into my academic interest in Ecological Landscape. Landscape architecture is a powerful weapon in both the broken ecological environment and the built environment of cities, which I learned through this experience. The purpose of green spaces should not be only to beautify urban spaces, but also to restore or improve the ecological environment. By using expertise and technology, a landscape architect can gently balance urban construction and the ecological environment in a wide range of sociocultural and socioeconomic contexts.

I wish to enter Landscape Architecture at the University of Edinburgh to study MLA. I really appreciate the teaching philosophy of the University of Edinburgh, which has always been adhering to the whole field, multi-scale, exploring multiple possibilities of space design, combining artistry with theory and practice. What I am most looking forward to is the interdisciplinary course design of the Department of Landscape Architecture, which not only includes theoretical courses such as landscape history, botany, ecology, geography, and detailed design, but also combines Edinburgh's ecological characteristics with a large number of field trips. In the future, I hope to consider the relationship between human behavior and cities from the perspective of nature. As a landscape architect and researcher, I will conduct in-depth research on sustainability and ecological landscape projects.

01

Healing Earth Scars

Mine park design based on GIS analysis

Acadamic Work

Jijiagou Village, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China

Individual Work

Tutor: Pang Li April 2020

The site locates near Jijiagou Village in Xishan District, Wanbailin District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, covering an area of 396hm2. The ecological problems caused by coal mine goaf in this area are the most prominent. In the regional context of the resource-based regions in Shanxi Province, affected by China's policy of vigorously developing ecological civilization, the Xishan area is facing the need for environmental restoration and scenic spot construction. With people's pursuit of quality of life, suburban parks with a good environment have gradually become the places of leisure and entertainment that people yearn for.

Due to the site's large-scale geographical scope and complex mountainous terrain, to achieve ecological restoration, activation of regional tourism resources, and objective and reasonable regional landscape transformation, this project adopts the GIS to analyze this site. After analyzing the slope, elevation, aspect, and land use of the restricted terrain, it is more reasonable to decide on the landscape reconstruction process of the abandoned coal mine land.

China's coal industry Coal export /Coal import proportion /Coal production and reserves in China

Chinese coal mainly exports to Asian countries such as Japan and Korea.

The source countries of China's coal imports mainly include Indonesia, Australia, Russia, Mongolia, etc

Regarding the distribution and reserves of coal resources, China's regional distribution is highly uneven, mainly distributed in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Shanxi.

China accounts for 50% of the world's coal consumption.

China accounts for 13.3% of the world’s coal reserves.

Coal production

Coal import

Coal reserves

Coal Emport

Proportion of coal exports to China in 2020

Coal exports to China showed an increasing trend from 2019 to 2020

Coal exports to China showed an decreasing trend from 2019 to 2020

In current situation

China accounts for 51% of the world’s coal production.

50%

13.3%

51%

World Coal Consumption World Coal Reserves World Coal Production

China's oil and natural gas resources are relatively insufficient, with proven oil recoverable reserves accounting for only 2.4% of the world's total and natural gas accounting for 1.2%. In comparison, coal accounts for about 14%. Such resource conditions determine that China's energy structure dominates by coal.

China's coal imports and exports

Before 2007, China imported a small amount of coal and was a coal exporter. Since 2007, China's coal exports have been lower than imports, becoming a coal importer.

China’s energy structure

According to the graphs above, we can see that the leading energy consumed in China is coal.

After 1970, the level of coal mining mechanization in Shanxi improved, and coal production increased.

In 1998, Shanxi adjusted the coal production and transportation order and closed unreasonable coal mines.

After 2000, Shanxi carried out the integration of coal mine resources, and coal production gradually recovered.

Landscape Planning

of Shanxi abandoned mines

"Shanxi Provincial Mine Environmental Governance and Restoration Fund Management Measures" forms a solid institutional constraint on the performance of mining rights holders on the obligation of mine ecological restoration.

Phased Governance

The restoration will carry out in stages. It expects the green space construction of mines with less ecologi cal damage and the fundamental ecological restoration will be completed by 2040.

Ecological Restoration

According to the destruction of abandoned mines in Shanxi, the areas that need water restoration and landform landscape reconstruction will be defined in 2040.

Green Space System &Tourism Linkage

Through the landscape construction of abandoned mines, it is expected that in 2040, the mine parks will link the eco-tourism resources with the surrounding parks to form an ecotourism network system.

The development process of Shanxi coal industry

Site analysis based on GIS

Second-order Factors

First-order Factors

The point in the middle of the pixel grid is selected as the sample point, and the construction suitability index at the sample point with high height and dark color is high.

The point in the middle of the image grid is selected as the sample point, and the ecological sensitivity index of the sample point with high height and dark color is high.

Results Analysis

According to the GIS analysis results, the four more representative sites in the site were selected as samples. These four samples adopted different design strategies.

Sample 1 has excellent construction suitability, and the ecological sensitivity is extremely low.

Sample 2 has a high overall value, high construction suitability, and low ecological sensitivity.

Sample 3 has higher construction suitability and higher ecological sensitivity.

Sample 4 has extremely low construction suitability and high ecological sensitivity.

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4

Design Strategies

Strategy1 Coal Mine Museum

Gangue Backfill

Backfilling and subgrade materials enable the bulk consumption of gangue with low pollutant content, reducing the cost of construction of roadbeds, foundations, or dam foundations and reducing the land occupied.

Lay Gangue

Check Transportation Leveling

Strategy2 Mine Exploration Park

Gangue Reusage

Gangue can be used to prepare building materials to build park structures, mainly brick making, etc. When making bricks, the explosive substance of gangue can save coal, forming a virtuous circle.

Crush Gangue Stir to mix

Leveling Roasting Dry Build

Strategy3 Artificial Wetland Park

Gangue Acid Wastewater Treatment

Gangue can produce acidic wastewater, which causes soil, surface water, and groundwater pollution and seriously affects plant growth. Alkaline materials such as fly ash can be sown to neutralize with acidic substances in gangue, followed by the construction of wetlands.

selection Plant Configuration Trestles Construction

Gangue Add Alkaline Substances Submerged Macrophyte Floating Plant Emergent Aquatic Plant

Strategy4 Land Art

Ecological Restoration of Gangue Mountains

Regional Plan & Section

02 Plan of the industrial theme design of the mining area

01 Plan of the ecological reconstruction of the wetland High Constructional Suitability High Ecological Sensitivity

A-A Scenic Boardwalk

B-B Viewing Platform

C-C Wetland Recreation

D-D Colliery Museum

E-E Children's Sunken Theater

F-F Climbing Area for Children

Section Perspective

Wetland Ecological Park Area

The wetland shall be constructed using Design Strategy 3 for the subsided land resulting from coal-mine with high ecological sensitivity in the site to solve the problem of water pollution caused by coal mining. The coal gangue is backfilled as soil, nourishing the growth of plants during the long natural succession. The artificial wetland park can also bring tourists a relaxed and pleasant tour experience.

The collapse area is close to the ponding revetment, and the ability to resist waterlogging and pollution should be considered when selecting the varieties of trees. Aquatic plants with high purification capacity are planted in shallow water areas to improve the quality of water areas.

Wetland Plant Configuration

Mine Pit

Climbing Plank

Waterfront Waterfront Plank

Rest Place in Forest

Mine Theme Park Area

The theme park area of the mining area is built at the mine pit and coal gangue hill in the original site. The coal gangue is reused through the coal gangue utilization method proposed in Design Strategy 1 and Design Strategy 2 . The mine pit style is presented to show the place's memory to visitors.

Mine Plant Configuration

Plants should choose plant varieties with tolerance to a wide range of pH values and drought and barren to improve the soil humidity and temperature conditions, establish the nutrient cycle between plants and soil, and ensure the success of the plant replantation strategy.

Runway

Gangue reuse structure

02

Inverted pyramids

A digital deisgn for a community that makes a living from e-waste

Acadamic Work

Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana

Individual Work

Tutor: Minzhi Lin; Jieping Chen

October 2021

The site is controversial in the capital of Accra, Ghana; this used to be a lagoon where mangroves grew and is now a huge source of pollution. It is called "Agbogbloshie". Locals also nicknamed it "Sodom and Gomorrah," two cities condemned in the Bible. However, the poor living here believes this is a dignified land providing housing and job opportunities. Despite improper burning and dismantling, it has created devastating environmental and health problems for the entire capital. The dumping of e-waste brings them many discarded precious metals, which means a considerable income.

In 2021, the Ghanaian government incorporated it into its utopian urban planning, using it as part of the land for the construction of medical facilities, pulling out the slums on the site, and relocating the dumping site, which not only fails to fundamentally solve the pollution but completely defeat the dignity of the poor.

Based on site characteristics and unavoidable waste dumping, I use phytomining and automation to amplify its site characteristics as an e-waste disposal site and make the e-waste industry harmless while retaining its employment opportunities. At the same time, to ensure the living problem of the poor while using phytomining for soil remediation, the slum is lifted vertically in the form of a giant landscape structure, forming a utopian living form that places the poor on the upper layer. It is an ironic project that celebrates the impartiality of the landscape.

E-waste exported to other countries

E-waste exported to Ghana

E-waste importing countries

E-waste exporting countries

Slum: Old

PM 2.5 > 150 μg/m³ 10 times higher than The maximum limit (WHO): 15μg/m³ Mortality Rate: 80/100,000 >28,000 people/year

Daily Income: GH¢2 ( ＄0.35) ~ GH¢200 ( ＄35)

Population Structure: Young Men & Children 80% of the children have dangerous levels of lead in their blood.

Population: 40,000 Most residents work High Residential

E-waste Burning

Main cause of Air Pollution in Accra Central

Soil Pollution

Poisons such as furans, and brominated into the surrounding

Agbogbloshie

40,000 Women, Men and Children work at Agbogbloshie Density: 0.2m²/person

Water Pollution

the Basel Action Network found dangerous levels of dioxins and PCBS in chicken eggs at Agbogbloshie.

Onion Market: 207m from the dumping site

Tomato Market: 446m from the dumping site

Largest Food Market in the Accra Central

E-waste Input: 13,090 ¬ 17,094 tonnes/year

as lead, mercury, arsenic, dioxins, brominated flame retardants seep surrounding soil.

Agbogbloshie is situated on the banks of the Korle Lagoon, northwest of Accra's Central Business District.

Dumping Site

Dumping Site

Old Fadama

Fadama

Metal

E-waste

Health Problems

Period

More Agriculture. Join Stockbreeding. More Residential structure constrcution.

Period 3 5 YEARS Period 4 3 YEARS

Residential structure of 3 hight & connection

Reactor for e-waste recycling

End-processing

Pre-processing

3 types of public structure

WORK

Analysis of bulk powder

Processing of bulk powder

Convert to raw meterials

TECHNOLOGY

Auhmented Reality

Energy Efficient Robotics

WORK

Device disassembly

Device shredding

Sorting into e-waste fractions

Grinding into bulk powder

WORK TECHNOLOGY

Machine Vision

Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

E-waste collection

Device level sorting

WAGE

￡7.83 / hour in the UK

￡1.29 / hour in Agbogbloshie

Modelling by Grasshopper

Reactor for phytomining

The ash is mixed with water and electrolysis is then used to extract the metal from the mixture.

Hyperaccumulators are delivered into the second layer of the reaction for incineration.

The ash is then delivered to the third layer of the reaction.

Hyperaccumulators are grown in an area with high grade ores

Hyperaccumulators are harvested and transported into the bottom layer of the reaction by the poor.

Modelling by Grasshopper

hydrolysis

Incineration

Planting

Master Plan

Community1 >690 people

Community1 >690 people

Community2: >2083 people

Community3: >1017 people

Mangrove

KorleLagoon

Community4 >1576 people

Tuesday Market Football Park

Timber Market

GraphicRd

Agbogbloshie Market

Abossey Okai Central Mosque

Current flood divection

Original flood divection

Flood area

Current river courses & Reservoir

Current flood divection

Agricultural losses

Original river courses

Original flood divection

Safety loss of life and property

Loss of biodiversity

Floodplain

Vltava River

Benounka River

03

Weaving rivers

A resilient landscape design oriented by flood adaptability

Acadamic Work

Prague, The Czech Republic

Individual Work

Tutor: Pang Li

December 2022

The project is located in the floodplain at the confluence of the Vltava River and Benounka River on the outskirts of Prague. Since the floodplain is located upstream of the Vltava river flowing through Prague, it is of great locational significance for preventing or delaying floodwaters from entering the center of Prague.

Due to the wrong river management in recent years, the historical river course has been artificially filled or shortened and straightened. Although the historic confluence of the Benounka river and Vltava river and other historic waterways are still visible and forced to be used during floods, they still cannot regulate or slow down the surge of river flow during heavy rains in any way.

The planning goal of this project is to realize the resilience of the landscape, and the design strategies of flood resilience, economic resilience, and biodiversity resilience were put forward, and then the flood-adaptive design of suburban parks was carried out. Through diverse water landscape designs, the Vltava river and Benounka river were woven together to relieve the pressure of floods on a single waterway.

Problem Analysis

Flood risk

Insuffient flood-adaptive facilities Artificial flood control facilities that weaken the river's flood discharge capacity

The floodplain Çernošice, and excellent opportunity the development

Construction of multi-level road system

Activities and temporary installation heavily dependent on the transportation system

Average

Landscape infrastructure construction

Insufficient landscape infrastructure such as seats that can not meet the needs of high-density crowds

Addition of sports facilities

Inseffitcent sports facilities construction that does not match sports demand

Diversified habitat construction

Insufficient vegetation configuration that can adapt to the floodplain habitat Single vegetation type & chaotic plant configuration

Černošice

7,925 inhabitants

Average age 38.8

floodplain area spans five Prague city districts and a Central Bohemian town, and covers an area of approximately 1300 hectares. This presents an opportunity for the development of recreational, sustainable farming and development of valuable river views.

14,234 inhabitants

Average age 39.2 years old

836 inhabitants

Average age 39.2 years old

12,334 inhabitants

Average age 39.2 years old

Legend

Settlement

Water Body

Agriculture

Bare Land /Brownfield

Buildings

Q5 Flood Area

Q20 Flood Area

Q50 Flood Area

Q100 Flood Area

Floodplain Area

Cycling Road

Railway Design Area & Area of Interest

City Districts

Road

Railway Station

Lahovice Radotín

Sectional Perspective of Ecological Water Landscape

Bird

Nelumbo sp. Scirpus validus Vahl Lythrum salicaria L. Canna indica L.

Snow goose Mute swan Green-winged teal

Pool frog Green Toad Carpathian Newt

Parnassius apollo Purple Emperor Butterfly

Lemna minor L. Potamogeton distinctus A.Benn. Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms

Myriophyllum verticillatum L. Hydrilla verticillata (Linn. f.) Royle Ceratophyllum demersum L. Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara

Amphibian

Wetland

Insect

Amphibians Observing

Waterfowl Observing

Forest Wetland River

Sectional Perspective of Agriculture Landscape

When there is a flood, the fish pond can be used as a flood storage tank to slow down the damage to the farmland caused by the flood.