Mentor: Daniele Porfeta |2024 Spring Collaborator: Xinyu (Avalin) Li
Site: Rio Marina, Elba Island, Italy
"===/ /===" is a public architecture embedded in the cliff of Rio Maria, a beautiful small town on Elba Island.It creates a convenience tunnel to activate the lower part of the beautiful beach. It also brings an enriching sensory contrast by varying the light, scale, and views between the front and back parts of this architecture. The size and purpose of the space are also flexible. It always corresponds to the different needs of the local people. The elderly can play cards in the morning, kids can hang out after school, and adults can enjoy performances or movies after work. Soft divisions within the architecture allow people to take their space based on their needs.
Phase 1: Identify some key features of the site: cliff next to the beach, existing retaining wall, and an abandoned tower
Phase 2: Settled the strategy for the public space: creating convenient access as well as leisure space next to the beach
Phase 3: Adjusting the form and the organization of the architecture
Phase 4: deciding style for the interior design, which is highly based on local current decoration style
Render of the Lower Activity Space
Render of Front Activity Space 2
Lumu Museum
Mentor: Yuyang Liu |2024 Fall Collaborator: Yun (Sally) Jiang
Site: Lumu District, Hangzhou, China
Lumu Museum aims to weave the traditional Suzhou Street texture and existing urban layout into a contemporary architecture, through its form, facade texture, and the arrangements of programs.
Phase 1: Analyzed the characteristics of the site: the west side of the canal has modern architecture for education purpose, while the east side of the canal is more traditional and commercial
Phase 2: Drafting the massing strategy to meet the requirements for the hotel, commercial street, office, and museum
Phase 3: Coming up with the strategy that the architecture complex serves as a mediator between the east side and the west side of the site; the facade and the function respond to the surrounding environment
the Spine
Programmatic distribution
Programmatic distribution
Programmatic distribution
Path as the Spine
Museum forming courtyards and connection
Museum forming courtyards and connection
Path as the Spine Museum courtyards connection
Path as the Spine Museum courtyards connection
Strengthening the spine as urban experience
Strengthening the spine as urban experience
Massing Model in Site (Top View)
Chunk Model 1 (Sectional View)
Chunk Model 1 (Perspective View)
Chunk Model
Ground Floor Plan
Third Floor Plan Render
View of the Hotel and Commercial Zone from River Side
View of the Museum and the Commercial Zone from River Side
View of the West Side of the Museum
View of the Research Center on the West Side
Terrance 1054
Mentor: Richard Rosa |2023 Fall
Individual Work
Site: Q-Park Byzantium, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Terrance 1054 tries to bring traditional Amsterdam Street culture into a modern architectural context. Challenging the common idea about the living room, people in Amsterdam move their chairs outdoors or even close to the street as their real "living room." Thus, the street becomes the place for social activities. Similar to this project, to create a shared public space between neighbourhoods, the solid boundaries of balconies are brokenen. The original isolated balconies become a continuous street to hang out.
Formally, Terrance 1054 is composed of three parts that try to respond to different sides of the environment. At the front, the terrane housing maximizes the light and air at the park side. Vegetation on the balcony extends the green space experience upward to the housing. Housing at the back is developed more vertically to follow the surrounding architectural language, and the space close to the main street is designed to maximize the great view of the canal while serving as a transition barrier from a noisy urban condition to a quiet dwelling.
Mentor: Valerie Rachel Herrera |2023 Spring Individual Work
Site: Los Lavaderos, Tequila Jalisco, Mexico
The Ascending and Descending Tequila Factory is derived from two intertwined circulations: the circulation of blue agave and the circulation of visitors. The production line gradually descends into the ground: the fruits of blue agave take advantage of the gravity to roll down, going through the sequence of tequila production to save the labor force. The visitors start their visit from the bottom of the hill, gradually ascending through the programs in a reverse manner to uncover the story of tequila and finally witness the original product, the blue agave.
The production machines and facilities are incorporated into the architecture’s form. Thus, the architecture could be treated as a giant machine for tequila. Also, the two circulations, parallel for the machinery-based part, become more intertwined when they come to the manual labor-based part. At this point, visitors can join the workers to enjoy the production process
Section for Machinery-Based Programs
Long Section of the Tequila Factory
Center and Fermentation Room Section for Manual Production Programs
During Production
Start of Visiting
0 Degree Axon
After Production
Roof for growing plants
Place for visitors to gather
Paths for Visitors Consistent ascending experience
Extended Platform for workers
Buried under earth
Gathering Space and Store
Falling Path for Juice
Visitors can see and taste the fresh juice
Activate different paths base on demand
Place for habitats to hang out
Room for Gathering
Start of production
Plan of upper part scale: 1: 40
Storage of Blue Agave
Stove for Baking
Grinding Section
Nigerian Film School
Mentor: Joseph Godlewski |2022 Fall
Individual Work
Site: Kano Street, Abuja, Nigeria
Two key themes for this project are soft boundary and passive systems. Research indicates significant local architectural features: a compound form for safety reasons and cultural tradition and a passive design to create a comfortable environment with low energy costs. Thus, this design focuses on these two elements to create the film school.
In this project, the height difference creates a boundary for a more open-eye view. Certain ground-floor areas are left to share with the passersby. The classrooms are arranged on the second floor with an active louver system that can be easily adjusted for different weathers.
Axon in Site
Exploded Axon
Floor Plan
Second
Octaflora
Competition: YAC Home After Crisis |2023 Summer Group Work:Yexin (Tina) Jiang, Yun (Sally) Jiang, Xinyu (Avalin) Li
Site: Malkohi, South Nigeria
To respond to the urgent need for housing in Nigeria, OctaFlora is designed as a housing model that is easy to expand and regulate while accommodating the local community living demands and reflects their traditional architectural language. The octagonal shape is derived from the traditional Nigerian circular housing compound. Octagon creates straight edges to regulate efficiently.
In a compound, the housing owner can customize based on the need for functional areas and family size. There are five choices of rooms serving different purpose, including religious space, cooking area, crafting space, and bedroom. When the space is insufficient for a single compound, another plot can be attached and extend the living area.
The flexible combination of octagonal housing allows inhabitants to develop communal spaces based on their needs. Therefore, OctaFlora responds subtly and respectfully to the local religious, cultural, and living demands.
Family Units
Scenarios
Scenarios
Flexible Combinations
Different Scenarios can take place at the connecting corridor, this is designated for family unit type D and C(if the corridor is constructed)
Flexible Combinations
Different Scenarios can take place at the connecting corridor, this is designated for family unit type D and C(if the corridor is constructed)
Pray (Islamic)
Pray (Islamic)
Polygamous Family (14)
Multigenerational and polygamous Family (18)
60 72/76/88
Polygamous Family (14)
Multigenerational and polygamous Family (18)
60 72/76/88
(Muslim) Praying (Christian)
Crafting/ Relaxing
(Muslim) Praying (Christian)
Craftsmanship/market
Crafting/ Relaxing
In this case, by removing two houses at two ends of the corridor, different scenarios can take place at these places where the houses used to sit.
This is designated for famiily unit type E, A and B with a growing expection in population in the future.
In this case, by removing two houses at two ends of the corridor, different scenarios can take place at these places where the houses used to sit.
This is designated for famiily unit type E, A and B with a growing expection in population in the future.
Craftsmanship/market
Pray (Christian)
Other Works
Whitman School of Management
HVAC System Analysis
Due to a southfacing facade, the building will gain a fair amount of thermal energy from the low angled sun that is benificial for the building. To response, the vertical louvers will turn more perpendicularly (partially) to the glazing wall to embrace the mild sunlight that provides thermal energy to the building and reduces the energy needs for the heating system. The windows are closed with the double glazed wall to store the thermal energy within the interior.
a. Aluminum sloped glazing system
b. Aluminum composite wall panel
c. ST. STL. handrail bracket
d. 2”x24x24 precast conc. roof pavers
e. Curtain wall bracing anchor w/ Slotted holes to allow for vertical movement
f. Suspended woof ceiling panel
g. AGP Fineline-XTS operable glass louvres (cLosed)
h. Kinetic aluminum verital louvers (perpendicular to the glazing; winter condition)
i. Steel Cable set
j. 5/2” x 5/2” Aluminium strucutral frames
k. 1” I.G.U. double glazing glass with Patterned frit.
l. ST. STL. Cable
m. Four sided struct silicone glazed sloped alum. Curtain wall w/1”I.G.U.
n. Steel tube truss
o. Alum. head w/snap cover
p. STR. Silicone glazed alum. sill mullion
q. ST. STL. Cable
r. Precast terrazo tile
s. Reinf. conc. curb platform
t. Thin set epoxy terrazzo
u. Concrete topping slab
v. Radiant floor heating & cooling system
w. Conc. slab on metal deck x. HVAC (supply diffuser)
