Portfolio - Ruoxiang John Lu

I. II. III. IV. V.

Elm St. Housing for Youth

Lot 7: Senior Housing

Pier 30-32 Museum

Harvest Crossroads

Latte Architecture

Elm Street Residence for Emancipated Youth is a studio project where I developed a 4-story building to house youth ages 14 – 18 years of age. It features a landscaped entry courtyard, serving as an outdoor atrium and as the center of the circulation. A bike storage and maintenance shop can be accessed on the east side of the atrium. The unique shape splits the building, creating two paths of doubleloaded corridors inside. The lobby is located at the top center, with a mail room across the elevator. The left path has access to the lounge area, interview room, manager’s office, locker rooms and a gym. The right path has access to a study room, trash room, and multi-use space.

The upper floors are dedicated to the residents. There are 34 one-bedroom apartments, and 1 two-bedroom apartment for the live-in maintenance employee. The front of the building is reserved for community space, featuring an outdoor garden, kitchenettes, study rooms, classrooms, outdoor countertops, and laundromat. These social spaces have access to balconies and open seating.

LOT 7: Senior Housing SPRING

Cathcart St.

Lot 7: Affordable Senior Housing is a studio project where I developed a 6-story building to house seniors. The ground floor is 17’ tall for future development in retail or office space. The lobby is located in the center right, creating a connection to Front St. The entryway features a skylight that extends into the lounge area, bathing the entire space in light. The south path has access to the mail room, elevators, offices, and a bike storage connected to the parking lot. The north path is connected to the lounge, maintenance room, locker rooms, and a gym.

The first floor utilizes the full site except for the 20’ row on the west side, which allows for vehicle access to the parking lot. On the second floor and above, the form shifts, with a double loaded corridor spanning from the upper right corner to the bottom left. A tree line wraps the border of the building, creating 4 unique open spaces. They are designed to bring the residents out, with trellises to shield them from the sun, a yoga space to promote health, landscaped courtyards/gardens, and balconies that provide views of the San Lorenzo River and Monterey Bay.

All bedrooms feature a balcony and their own restroom and kitchenette. Each floor has access to a shared trash room, restroom, balcony, emergency staircase, and community room (for bingo night!). There is a laundry room on the second floor, which is adjacent to the public kitchen and cafeteria.

Pier 30-32 Muesem

LEVEL 1

LEVEL 2

LEVEL 3

III.

The museum is the feature building, the centerpiece of a larger pier design. I developed steel roofs that were used throughout the site and created a fractured roof that cuts into the landscape. My deconstructivisonist vision permeates through my design.There are cuts and elevation changes within the roof, using cuts along the steel to bring in natural lighting. The walls are uniquely shaped with harsh angles, allowing views into other galleries and the pier itself. There are 3 floors, with basement parking reached by a bridge that cuts across the water in the center of the site. The upper floors are accessible through a staricase or an elevator.

1-Bedroom

2-Bedroom 3-Bedroom

III.

I completed this project with another architecture student and three master’s in public administration students. We formed the The Jesuit Development Group and entered the national Low-Income Housing Challenge held by the Bank of America. The site that we chose is an 8-acre lot in the city of Manteca. We had ongoing conversations with city officials and elected staff to determine how the land would be developed. Per their request, we incorporated a transitional/navigation center for the homeless, a police station, and affordable housing. For the competition, our group focused on financing and designing a proposal that fleshed out the affordable housing component of the site.

My part in the competition was to collaborate with my architecture teammate to develop a livable housing community. We developed a 3-story structure with 106 units, a daycare center, supportive office spaces, community rooms, and rooftop terraces. The building features a courtyard space between units, promoting community engagement. All units on the ground floor have their own private garden space and sidewalk access pathway. This allows residents to contribute to the character of the building by actively working on the frontage. We also added various sitework components, including parking, a playground, community garden, plaza, and dog park.

Latte Boardwalk

The design of latte architecture emerges out of the historical vernacular structures that populated my home, Saipan and its surrounding island archipelago. My design takes inspiration from history and creates a new style. Its aim is to protect against rising threats due to climate change. The biggest and most devastating event is tropical cyclones, which contribute billions to property damage every year across the world. For a small, isolated place like Saipan, it can be difficult to return to a previous way of life after a strong typhoon. Latte architecture allows local residents to gain solidarity in their culture while being better prepared for high winds, rain, and utility blackouts.

The latte boardwalk reimagines a coastal boardwalk that borders 2 miles (3.2 km) of the western shoreline. It is in need of massive renovation as rising sea levels threaten beaches. I took inspiration from a local endangered species of coral, acropora jacqulinaeae, to develop a stronger foundation. I also introduced a new bike lane that will promote a healthier lifestyle for island residents, giving them a safe space to bike while enjoying an ocean view. A green area strip,

parallel to the boardwalk and biking lane, serves as a space for the island to promote its biodiversity. Local flora and fauna can be planted to beautify the roads and common spaces. In the previous page’s section of the latte boardwalk, I highlight the official tree of the islands: the Flame Tree.

The latte dwelling is based on the vernacular architecture, latte houses. The modernized house seeks to preserve the unique history of the local Chamoru while implementing newer technology to create a resilient, long-lasting building. The roof is designed with the intention to bear the intensities of strong typhoons, being the first line of defense against harsh rain and wind-borne debris. Because of the island’s history of colonization, it has adopted many Western styles of building that don’t fit the island’s climate or weather conditions. There is a need to return to indigenous knowledge that have protected the community. Latte architecture is a basis for new building styles to emerge. It takes the local patterns into consideration, providing designs that are rooted in the surrounding environment and history.