Taili Zhuang Portfolio 2020

TAILI ZHUANG ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

I II III IV V VI VII VIII

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A CONFERENCE WITHOUT WALLS

A TOWER OF CROSSING GRIDS

A NIGHTMARE OF MIESIAN MODERN

A HAVEN ON THE IRON BRIDGE

A BATH FROM THE OASIS

A DRAMA OF TWO LIGHTS

A HARVEST WITHOUT SOIL

A FLIGHT WITHOUT WINGS

I

A CONFERENCE WITHOUT WALLS A Library and Housing Complex That Provides Public Space to Its Urbanscape.

Site: Central West End, St. Louis ARCH 411 - Instructor: John Hoal December 2019 Individual Work

Located at a historically important intersection, this library and housing project aims to react to its surrounding street conditions. In the front, the project interrupts Lindell boulevard's setback wall of apartment blocks.

On the sides, the project completes the retail stretch of Euclid Avenue with restaurants and reacts to York Avenue's residential conditions with housings.

The community library starts from Lindell Boulevard and wraps around the corner to stretch along Euclid Avenue. The Library elongates its shape, separating into community programs that can be operated on different schedules. The library segments take the shape of scoops to let in diffused northern light, which becomes a way to mark all the public programs.

The residential towers complete a residential courtyard with a hotel across the street. The courtyard is populated with platformed playgrounds and sandpits for the children to play outdoor in shade, with benches surrounded for the parents to oversee. In the winter, the children could sled down the slope at the south side of the loop. The complex programs are organized with the idea of two intersecting loops. One organizes the circulation and composition for the library programs, the other for the residential programs.

Painting, Representing the Intuition

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Painting / Acrylic on Canvas

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1. Residential Composition 2. Library Elevation 5.

3. Library Plan & Section 4. Plan Study

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5. Dual Loop Scheme 6.

6. Sectional Skylight 7. Monumental Front

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8. Stepped Landscape

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The Narrowness of the Street and the Height of Adjacent Buildings Give the Street Its Character.

Site Mapping / Ink on Mylar

1. Tall Buildings Connect and Wrap around in the Surrounding Context 2. A Record of Building Heights 3. Views and Experience through the Street Corridors.

4. Streets in Sections 5. Studies of Specific Street Conditions

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Study Models in the Site, Testing Adjacent Height Relationships and Street Qualities.

Site Model / 3D Printed Facade on White Boards Study Models / ChipBoard, Butter Board, and Pink Foam Core

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York S2

ue

Aven

Library Loop

Physical Model / Foam Core and Butter Board

1.Children's Area on the Elevated Platfo

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e

venu

id A

Eucl

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2. id Eucl ue

Aven

York

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S1

e

u Aven

orm

venue

Argyle A

2. Reading Staircase

3. Outdoor CafĂŠ

4. The Navel of the Library Loop

5. Computer Lab

6. Meeting Rooms

Lindell

ard

Boulev

York ue

Aven

Residential Loop with Library

Physical Model / Pink Foam Core and Butter Board

1. Entrance to the Residential Loop

venue

Argyle A

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e

venu

id A

Eucl

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id Eucl Aven

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ue

York e

u Aven 2. Conference

3. The Navel of the Residential Loop

4. Skybridge

5. Dog Park

ard Boulev Lindell 6. Van Eyck Inspired Sandpit and Children's Playground

1. Pink Foam Casts Red Shadows, Marking the Public Spaces Overall Modell / Pink Foam Core and Butter Board

2. Diffused Light floods in the Six Scoops of Light Wells Sectional Study Model / Foam Core and Butter Board

3. A Study of the Space within the Library

Sectional Study Model / Foam Core and Butter Board

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Tracing, Representing the Translation of Intuition Diagrams / Ink on Traces

Layer 2: Residential Cores

Layer 3: Community Loop

Layer 4: Residential Loop

Layer 5: Library Enclosures

Layer 6: Conference & Navels

Layer 4: Internal Circulations

Layer 7: Residential Towers

Layer 9: Tower Skybridges

Layer 6: Profile Studies

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Library Loop Section 1. Children's Area on the Elevated Platform

2. Reading Stairs

3. Computer Lab

4. Meeting Room

5. Clubhouse

6. Sky Lobby

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Residential Loop Section 1. Drop Off Zone Sheltered by the Canopy

2. Gallery Along the Loop

3. The Conference of Two Loops

4. Computer Lab

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5. Street Level Retail

6. Clubhouse

7. Sky Lobby

8. Sky Bridge

9. Rooftop Swimming Pool

1. At the interior of the Library, Diffused light washes on the curved wall.

Drafted Perspective / Graphite on Bristol

2. On the Library’s Facade, Children Peek out from the Low Windows to Watch the Street.

Drafted Perspective / Graphite on Bristol

3. On the Promenade Through the

Drafted Perspective / Graphite on B

e Residential Loop, Public Space Extends in Distance and in Height. A Streetlike Space with a Character.

Bristol

II

A TOWER OF CROSSING GRIDS A Research Complex Designed with a Focus on Plan Strategy.

Site: Cortex District, St. Louis ARCH 312 - Instructor: Pablo Mayano May 2019 Individual Work

In the proximity of an iconic grain silo, this concrete research complex comes complete with a complex mix of programs: laboratories, classrooms, office spaces, meeting spaces, program-specific service spaces, and an exhibition hall, approximately thirty thousand of square feet combined.

The project started with an investigation on the organizational strategies of the three precedent architects: Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn, and Santiago Calatrava. A series of collages were made in an attempt to layer the three grid systems together. The predecessors’ heavy usages of geometry and grid in spatial planning were reinterpreted. Various methods were used to explore the ideas and form-making methods of precedent architects. Small casts of ultra-high-performance concrete were made to explore the formal possibilities of this versatile material.

Spandex was stretched over a framework, then concrete was poured on to the surface. Volumes were formed in the gaps of the crisscrossing grid.

In the design process of the research complex, the casting strategy of the concretefacts was taken as a spatial planning strategy to derive an organizational method of programs within a crossing grid.

Precedent Collage

Collage / Printed Bristol

Precedent Collage 2 Collage / Digital

Ultramoderne

Sculpture / Cast Iron

1. Spandex Tiles

Molds / Spandex, Basswood & Wire

2. Concretefact Tileset Casts / Plaster

3. Spandex Cicada

Mold / Spandex, Basswood & Wire

4. Silverliner

Cast Sculpture / Ultra High Performance Con

5. Totem

Cast Sculpture/ UHPC with Silica Sand

6. Apollo

Cast Sculpture/ UHPC with Play Sand

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ncrete (UHPC)

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3rd Floor Plan

2nd Floor Plan

Various Plan Study Models & Site Map Physical Model / Basswood on Cardstock

Ground Floor Plan

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The Long Section 1. Lab 2. Attrium 3. Lobby 4. Auditorium

The Short Section 1. Lab 2. Classroom Various Sectional Study Models & The Elevation Physical Model / Basswood

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Elevation Drawings

1/8’ Sectional Model Physical Model / Basswood and Plywood

III

A NIGHTMARE OF MIESIAN MODERN A Form & Facade Reimagination of the Classic 860-880 Lake Shore Drive.

Site: Lake Shore Drive, Chicago Seminar ARCH 407B - Instructor: Sungho Kim December 2019 Individual Work

The Seminar's objective was to take the classic Lake Shore Drive Residential Towers and transform their facade. Inspired by the classic modernist idea of a "free plan", this project aims to transform the facades of the original towers with "free elevations". New Public Programs are "hanged" on to the existing framework on the elevations. Their forms all follow the original grid. Ribbings with varying thickness are added on to accommodate the load of the new programs.

The course uses 3D Printing as a means to iterate models at a level of complexity that is hard for handcrafting to achieve in a limited time frame.

An Array of Iterations Physical Model / 3D Printed Facades on Cardstock

Site

Elevation Studies and Variations Physical Model / 3D Printed Facades

Final Model Physcial Model / 3D Printed Facades on Polycarbonate

Section

IV

A HAVEN ON THE IRON BRIDGE A Bridge Hostel Designed with a Focus on Structures and Modules.

Site: Chain of Rocks Bridge, St. Louis ARCH 311 - Instructor: Bruce Lindsey December 2018 Individual Work

On the historical Chain of Rock Bridge that is now decommissioned, a hostel is proposed to be constructed on the existing truss structures on the Mississippi.

The Hostel serves as a resting point for the outdoor enthusiasts who are active in the region, a respite in the journey. It can also serve to connect different outdoor activities by allowing visitors to switch gears and provide rentals.

Architecturally, The hostel was designed after an exhaustive study on the existing site, the steel truss bridge from 1929. From the understanding of the bridge structure, the hostel was designed to respect the structural language as well as the structural rationality of the bridge itself.

Different scales of bridge models were made to explore the joints and connections of the structures and forms.

1/8’ study models

Physical Models / Basswood, Bristol, 3D Prints, & Chipboard

1/4’ study model Physical Model / Basswood

TWO STUDIES

Two exercises were conducted prior to the architecture. A machine that uses water to draw, and a dwelling unit that is made out of standardized shipping containers. The machine opened the possibility for design inspirations and the dwelling unit taught the specificity of the program of a hostel.

A Drawing machine:

A pendulum swing set that has built-in trays for cyanotype sheets, measuring grid, and a sun cover. The user first swings the machine with a certain angle of motion.

Then, the machine lets the sun prints out the pattern created by the sand grains on the cyanotype paper.

A Dwelling unit:

A dwelling unit stands in the middle of the forest, lifted up from the ground. This exercise studied the design opportunities created by the overlapping of two masses.

1. 1/16’ Bridge Study Models Physical Model / Basswood

2. Water Drawing Machine

Physical Model / Plywood & Hardware

3. Wave Pattern Study

Prints / Cyanotype Paper

4. Dwelling Units Axonometric Drawing Drafted Drawing / Graphite on Mylar

5. Dwelling Units Study Models

Physical Model / Basswood & Fishing Line

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A MAPPING OF OUTDOOR RECREATIONS

For many outdoor enthusiasts, the great Mississippi is a target location of for boating, canoeing, fishing, and other water-related recreational activities. The old Chain of Rock bridge is also a part of the current existing bike trail system that spans vastly along the shores of Mississippi.

The mapping indicates all the bike trail systems and the public river access points (has a boat ramp and a parking lot) near the site.

Hostels Canopy Cafe Reception Social Atrium Shower Room Bar Elevator Bridge Ramp

Component Overview Diagram

Hostel Bracket Hostel Pods Canopy Cafe Core Structure Circulation Pier Amenities Amenity Bracket

Core Structure - Plan

Core Structure - Elevation

Overall Structure - Plan

Overall Structure - Elevation

1. The Long Section

2. The Sho

ort Section

3. The Plan

1. The Entrance From The Shore

2. The Canopy View

Over The Woodland

3. The Social Atrium

V

A BATH FROM THE OASIS A Bathhouse Designed with a Focus on Composing Geometries.

Site: Soulard District, St. Louis ARCH 212 - Instructor: Don Koster Date: May 2018 Individual Work

In the vibrant Soulard district, a bathhouse is proposed with a surprising integration of a greenhouse. A new building type is created: a bathhouse greenhouse. Architecturally, the project asks for the programmatic needs of the two but also seeks innovations to merge the two parts as a whole.

An eco-unit was designed to investigate an enclosure strategy and later serve as formal inspiration. A grid was constructed with geometries and diagonals in order to organize the massings within. Inner massings and exterior enclosure were connected not with glue but physical joints, such as screws and bolts. The massings in the enclosure serve as a system of measured watering, cross ventilating, and draining devices. By making the process explicit and indirect, The eco-unit translates the daily act of caring for a plant into a ritual.

The bathhouse follows the spatial and formal strategy of the ecounit by deriving heavily from geometries and their protruding moments with an enclosure. The massings shift and tilt in a square grid, forming moments for intimate paths, unexpected views, and gaps for light to flow in. Baths of different temperatures are arranged with their according bathing orders.

Greenery not only serves as a means for revenue but also as a scenic backdrop for the activities, separating the bath goers from the harsh urbanscape.

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1. Echeveria Color Pencil Drawings Drawing / Color Pencil on Bristol

2. Eco-Unit Operation diagram 3. Eco-Unit Unfolded Elevations Elevations / Digital Collage

4. Operation Photo

Physical Model / Acrylic

5. Eco-Unit Four Sides Photos Physical Model / Acrylic

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Elevational Drawings

Sectional Drawings

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1/16’ Sectional Model

Physical Model / Basswood 1. Undulating Landscape

2. A Narrow and High Cathedral Space leading towards a Balcony

3. Sauna

4. Cold Plunge

5. Light Stairwell

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6. Light Cannon

7. Extreme Hot Pool

8. Hot Pool

9. Warm Pool

1. Hierachy

2. Circulation

9. Proportion & Details

3. Direction

4. Solid & Void

5. Procession

6. Interlock

7. Alleyway & Aperture

8. Stairwell & Lightwell

Plans With Model Superimposed Physical Model / Basswood

Site Mapping With Site Model Superimposed Physical Model / Painted Foam on Chipboard

VI

A DRAMA OF TWO LIGHTS A Theatre Designed with a Focus on Interior Sunlights.

Site: Delmar Blvd, St. Louis ARCH 211 - Instructor: Jonathan Stitelman December 2017 Individual Work

The home to numerous historical St Louis theatres and dinings, Delmar Blvd is a lively commercial street that sees the arrival of a new theatre.

Illuminated by sunlight in the day and embellished by neon lights in the night, the theatre is designed to react to both lighting conditions with formal and material choices. A translucent external membrane on a waffle-like structural system allows interior space to be reactionary to changing daylight and permits the theatre to glow from within in the night.

Although initiated by a series of iterated freehand sketches, the flamboyant shape of the theatre was derived out of a rigorous system of circles and tangents, as these two elements constructed the plans and sections accordingly.

Light Studies

Site Mapping / Digital Collage

Design Through Iterations

Sketchings / Graphite on Paper

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1. Various Study Models

Physical Model / Bristol & Basswood

2. Circular Grid Strategy 3. Plans and Section

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1/16 Sectional Model

Physical Model / basswood & Balsawood

Translucency VS. Opaqueness

Internal Atmosphere

Skin System

Translucent Membrane

VII

A HARVEST WITHOUT SOIL A Growth Chamber that grows rubber trees in the air.

Site: Brooklyn, New York Research Fellowship - Mentor: Mitchell Joachim August 2017 Group Work with Mitchell Joachim (PI), Matt Mitchell, and other members of the Terreform ONE Team

In the summer of 2017, I worked on a project called Liveware, a soft root aeroponic chamber that aimed to grow soft roots for use in living structural applications. I helped design an armature that grew rubber tree roots in the air and could adapt as the plant grows. Terreform has ongoing research that investigates the potential of constructing a house with living biomaterials: that is, a house made from living tree roots planted in a specific way, pleached on scaffolds, and maintained more like a plant than traditional architecture.

The rubber tree is chosen for its adaptability and utility. When growing, the tree is suspended in the air with misters providing nutrients. Without soil, the root can focus its energy to grow straight down. An adjustable shade covers the root to trick it as if it is in the soil to keep it flexible. There is also an LED to mimic the movement of the sun. When the root is at an ideal length, it is placed on a scaffold to pleach with other roots. When the roots are exposed to the sunlight, they will lignify and harden over time, turning into a connected system of load-bearing walls and crossbeams.

Iterated Studies (Drawn by Taili Zhuang) Sketchings / Ink on Trace

Component Diagram, Axon, and Plan (Diagrammed by Taili Zhuang) Drawings / Digital

Prototype (Team)

Physical Model / Various Materials

VIII

A FLIGHT WITHOUT WINGS A Flying Machine Designed with a Focus on Joints.

Site: Forest Park, St. Louis ARCH 112 - Instructor: Elisa Kim May 2017 Individual Work

The project reimagines a flying machine by combining the aerial qualities of both the pressurized water rocket and the giant squid. The propulsion method of the water rocket along with the maneuvering method of the giant squid were integrated into the iteration process, becoming a product that aims to take off like a rocket but stably recover down like a giant squid in its hunt.

Numerous joints were made to connect different materials (basswood, plastic, mylar, piano wire, and rubber) and various planar surfaces. The modules were made with the intention of weight reduction and expandability.

All the parts were designed with extra surface areas all taken out, only left with integral edges, forming almost a gothic-cathedral-like structural language.

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1. Midterm Model

Pysical Model / Basswood & Wire

2. Final Model Detail 3. Final Model Detail 4. Final Design Model

Pysical Model / Basswood & Wire

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