01.1 NICE TO MEET Y’ALL!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
02.1
01.2
THE CONTAINER [FOR POMEGRANATE]
BUILDING CONVIVIALITY
02.2
DEFINE “COMMUNITY” “What is most important, perhaps, is that unlike all other terms of social organization (state, nation, society, etc.) it seems never to be used unfavourably, and never to be given any positive opposing or distinguishing term.”
WHAT WOULD ARCHITECTURE BE AS THE CREATION OF CONTAINER FOR UNCONTAINABLE BODY?
03 CUBIC CORRESPONDENCE
KEYWORDS - Raymond Williams
05.1 AGGREGATION OF SELF-IMAGE
05.2 DRESS THE PRADA WITH POPS
V
N
WEIRAN C H E N
08
How are journalism and architecture intertwined? Both fields have been integral parts of my upbringing; my parents dedicated their careers to journalism at our hometown newspaper, the Xiamen Daily. While the influence of print media may be waning, its legacy persists in shaping my perspective on everyday environments. I've developed a keen eye for the intricacies of public spaces, observing how they intersect with societal dynamics. This has instilled in me a profound awareness of marginalized communities striving for equitable access and meaningful engagement within interior public realms.
ALMOST A STUDIO
04 “MODERN SLAVES” REFUGE
06.1 EARS BEHIND THE BANQUETTE 06.2 BUILDING OPENNESS 07 FLOATING TOWN
2017
Selected works
2022
01
.1
NICE TO MEET Y’ALL! Community Hub within a Tea Shop
PROJECT TYPE | Professional, MULAND STUDIO ROLE | Design Lead & Project Manager BUILT DATE | Oct. 2021 CLIENT | UNCLE Q LOCATION | Dongguan, Guangdong, CHINA
COMMUNITY & ITS “TABLE“ Fast-paced and monotonous, the urban living experiences in CHINA are often mall-related. While the malls are opened around the most bustling and populated areas, the concept of neighborhood is increasingly alienated. During the commission in the year of 2021, our client had only claimed his obsession with metaverse; however, he eventually acquiesced in seeing his 200-square-meter shop, specialized in lemon tea beverages, as a community hub that shares free expe-riences with the public. By creating a stoppable place for the nearby, the client wins the opportunity of making the brand identity recognized by the public too. In The Human Condition, Hannah Arendt mentions, “as a table is located between those who sit around it; the world, like every in-between, relates and separates men at the same time.” The centered installation, as the “table”, is meant to encourage the conversations and interaction that preserves a sense of neighborhood, as well as to stand as a spatial focal point that eases up the surveillance to those being alone.
2
2
SOCIAL CONTEXT - CLIMATE CHANGE Composed of 18 transparent LED screens, the installation broadcasts brand visual identities and the weather forecast of the past 30 years that the local TV channel has recorded. Guangdong is a southern province of China where the summers have been devastatingly hot around the recent decade. Although people feel the heat but still, lack of awareness about global warming. Being as a public reminder of climate change, the installation works not only commercially, but socially too.
NEIGHBORHOOD ANALYSIS
sch
ool
soh
o
offic e
resid e
nce
pa
rk
The neighborhoods within 15-minute walking distance
To offer more than a theatrical experience, the elevated platforms accomodate the needs of different user groups. • toddlers • a gathering place for empty nesters • a quiet study corner • easy access for family with strollers • office meeting • round tables for mobile gamers • lone person I was touched to witness all kinds of programs initiated by the intended users on site.
SOCIAL CONTEXT - MORE MALLS, LESS INCLUSIVITY Because of the compound effects of population growth and urbanization in Shenzhen: the city is now home to over 260 large retail establishments (and still counting), meaning that every subway stop has at least one shoping complex. One of the most frequently used slogans by the malls is “open to all”. However, the more so-called interior public spaces are built, the more exclusivity and passivity are imposed on the public. The design aims to really implement that slogan. Metro Line 2 -
malls along the stops
3
3
construction process
SITE 1 VISIBLE INTERIORS The installation is managed to be visible outside of highly reflective glass facade. SITE 1
SITE 2 INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION A vacant doorway for fire escape transformed to a public display for both branding and interacting.
SITE 2
MT
02
MT
5mm乱纹不锈钢
CT
02
+960
CT
02 MT
02
5mm乱纹不锈钢
160 150
5
01
4mm白色铝塑板
铺外
5
按现场实际尺寸
水泥砂浆
MA MA
5
02
MA 水吧区
120
CT
01
03
600*1200mm 仿水泥地砖
210
灰色麻石
CT
300
02
白色微晶石
+FFL MA
2
白色微晶石
白色微晶石
+200
餐区
内部钢结构抬高
CT
+600
03
600*1200mm 仿水泥地砖
踏步参考图
03
03
600*1200mm 仿水泥地砖
03
600*1200mm 仿水泥地砖
02
2
600*1200mm 蓝色真空石
MT
5
铺内
CT
60 5 60 5 10
CT
02
360
MT
5mm乱纹不锈钢
03
10mm凹槽
120
03
CT
600*1200mm 仿水泥地砖
300
01
300*300mm灰色吸水砖
灰色麻石
5 5
CT
600*1200mm 仿水泥地砖
CT
01
120
MA
02
5mm乱纹不锈钢
60 5 60 5
辅助线
租赁线
MT
5mm乱纹不锈钢
03
600*1200mm 仿水泥地砖
陶粒回填层
600*1200mm 仿水泥地砖
+FFL
60 5 60 5
120
陶粒回填层
04
NEON LIGHTING making corner desirable
地面大样图 1:3
05
墙身大样图 1:10
02
02
地面大样图 1:8
丘大叔
东莞国贸店
墙身大样图 2021.09.15 NTS A2 DQ-04
100
200
100
95 5
MT
MT
01
4mm WHITE ALUMINUM COMPOSITE PANEL
5mm POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL
MT
01
MT
02 01
12mm FIRE RESISTANT PANEL III FIRE RESISTANT PAINT
1080
12mm阻燃夹板 三度防火涂料
GALVANIZED SQUARE TUBING
CT
04
300*450mm 白色釉面砖
+200 MT MT
02
02
3mm WHITE ALUMINUM COMPOSITE PANEL
+FFL
STEPS IN TWO COLORS preventing people from falling especially for those with beverages
地面大样图
DF-01
墙身大样图 1:10
120
4mm白色铝塑板
+200
丘大叔
01
东莞国贸店
水吧大样图 1:10
02
丘大叔 中国 广东 深圳 福田区 八卦岭工业区八卦五街
栋 中国 广东 深圳 福田区 八卦岭工业区八卦五街
01
50
01
4mm白色铝塑板 暗藏灯带 以灯具白皮书为准
03
30
TREE POND - taking the advantage of the elevations 2021.09.15 NTS A2
栋
02
430
01
3mm乱纹不锈钢
地面大样图 1:3
东莞国贸店
丘大叔
MT
4mm WHITE ALUMINUM COMPOSITE PANEL
EXPANDED CLAY AGGREGATE
L型角码,焊接固定
地面大样图 1:3
MT
4mm白色铝塑板
180
30
240
240
03
600*1200mm CONCRETE TILE 03
600*1200mm 仿水泥地砖
MA
WHITE STONE TILE
CT
02
03
715
5
MA 02
CT
中国 广东 深圳 福田区 八卦岭工业区八卦五街
CT
CT
600*1200mm 5mm POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL+1080 CONCRETE TILE
60 5 60 5 20
02
600*1200mm CONCRETE TILE
10 110
60
FFL
膨胀螺栓
45 5
定制不锈钢柜体
830
5
MT
400
02 880
+600
WHITE STONE TILE
60
600*1200mm CONCRETE TILE
160
120 10
2
10 10 20
MA 02
STADIUM SEAT
4
MT
5mm POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL
内部镀锌方通结构
395
780
MT
WHITE STONE TILE
03
400
5mm POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL
WHITE STONE TILE
+FFL
WHITE STONE TILE
10
02
03
03
600*1200mm CONCRETE TILE
L-TYPE CORNER BRACE
02
390
1.2mm乱纹不锈钢
CT
3 50 3
1080
02
MT
3mm乱纹不锈钢
02
950
CT
600*1200mm 蓝色真空石
CT
MA
120
03
02
10mm GROOVE 610
STAINLESS STEEL +1080 MT
02
2
600
MT
02
5mm POLISHED
600*1200mm CONCRETE TILE
WALL WASH
MA 02
Fire Exit Doors
GL
MT
03
5mm POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL
+600
265
白色微晶石
LED Light Strips with numerical control ends
MT
5mm乱纹不锈钢
CT
1.5mm POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL
10
6+6mm钢化超 白夹胶玻璃
MA 02
+450
35
02
1.5mm乱纹不锈钢
1.2mm POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL
5
12mm FIRE RESISTANT PANEL III FIRE RESISTANT PAINT
36
MT
STADIUM SEATS CT 02 600*1200mm 蓝色真空石 MT 02
600*1200mm CONCRETE TILE
600*1200mm CONCRETE TILE
600
265
地面大样图 1:8
02
210
CT 03
02
03
600*1200mm 仿水泥地砖
120
CT 03 600*1200mm 防水泥地砖
MT
5mm乱纹不锈钢
390 CT
白色微晶石 暗藏灯带 以灯具白皮书为准 内部镀锌方通
170
240
340
MT
250
+600 CT 03
MA 02
01
02
600*1200mm STONE TILE
10
+600
地面大样图 1:5
FOR 50mm PC CABLES
CT 02
白色微晶石
30
02
CT
300
350
10*10mm乱纹不锈钢方通 600*1200mm 蓝色水磨石地砖
植物
地面大样图 1:5
CT 03 600*1200mm CONCRETE TILE
MT 02
MT 02
30 30 120
20 30 10
定制坐垫 1.2mm乱纹不锈钢 1.2mm乱纹不锈钢
MA 02
455
330
01
GL 03 6+6mm钢化夹胶超白玻璃
20
100mm厚钢筋混凝 土地枕高度150
L型角码,焊接固定
5
膨胀螺栓
栋
水吧大样图 1:10
+FFL
LOWER COUNTER unrestrained ordering process 地面大样图 2021.09.15 NTS A2
东莞国贸店
水吧大样图
DF-02
2021.09.15 NTS A2 DQ-02
4
01.2
BUILDING CONVIVIALITY THE “UNCLE Q“ SERIES
PROJECT TYPE | Professional, MULAND STUDIO ROLE | Design Lead & Project Manager
FOLDED PLAYGROUND LOCATION: NANSHAN, SHENZHEN; BUILT DATE: JAN. 2022; AREA: 65 SQM.
MUSIC CLUB
STREET KALEIDOSCOPE
NANSHAN, SHENZHEN; JUL. 2021; 60 SQM.
TIANHE, GUANGZHOU; APR. 2021; 136 SQM.
1. ways of seeing people & street 2. color changing LED lightbox
3. transparent LED screen connecting 3 floors
4. animated logo display Beating lemon in a cup stimulates its aroma. The making process is the brand’s signature, that is also regarded as a kind of performance, like DJs playing behind their controllers.
5
5
02
THE CONTAINER
.1 FOR POMEGRANATE
PLACING
STUDIO 201, 2017 Spring Professor Jennifer Logan
CARRYING
The series of drawings and models illustrate the process of anatomizing a pomegranate and how its shape, color, texture and void are diagrammed. The formal manipulation inspires the creation of the architectural space within a pomegranate’s container. It then triggers a reflection on John Rawls’s original position, that is, if every person in our world is unaware of their race, ethnicity, gender etc., would the design of space achieve the ultimate fairness and equity?
SITE RESEARCH
02
WHAT WOULD ARCHITECTURE BE AS THE CREATION OF
.2 CONTAINER FOR UNCONTAINABLE BODY? PROJECT TYPE | Thesis; Individual ADVISOR | Anne Coggan Crawford DATE | 2019 Spring LOCATION | Brooklyn, NY
6
I used to live on 45 Cumberland Street in Brooklyn for over a year. The first day I moved in, the landlord told me not to go in the public housing districts - dirty, violent, dark, he described. The public housing developments have surrounded my apartment, and I had to detour to avoid them. There were times I was in a rush, however, when I took the “shortcut”, I heard people talking in my mother tongue - Mandarin! It wasn't until then, I decided to ignore the hearsay about my own neighborhoods and to form a fair understanding about them.
6
UNCONTAINABLE BODY
UNDERSTANDING UNCONTAINABILITY IMMIGRANT RESIDENTS
OIL
There are a total of 11,111 residents living in three adjacent developments- Farragut, Ingersoll and Whitman. People of color predominate the population, and 17% of households are linguistically isolated. While many families are in high poverty, they have to face high consumption standards around the gentrified blocks, which is another form of displacement.
PUBLIC HOUSING AT RISK OF GEANTRIFICATION ONGOING EXCLUSION ADVANCED GENTRIFICATION STABLE EXCLUSION SUPER GENTRIFICATION
SITE RESEARCH 1806
Vinegar
Juice
Milk
Soap
Plastics
T h e Ya rd 's first building is completed.
1841 - 1851 T h re e g ra n i te d r y dock have been built.
1915 WWI The USS Arizona, the largest ship in the Navy, is launched.
1939 - 1945 The Yard doubles in size to construct the world ’s largest dry docks and crane.
1966 The Yard is closed, along with over 90 other military bases and installations.
2011 -2018
YORK STREET
BRIDGE STREET
FARRAGUT
MY APARTMENT
190
202
10
8
111
6
BOROUGH: BROOKLYN
7
NYCHA Development
5
NYCHA Building 177
Residential Addresses
4
191 233
Management Office
280
SAND STREET
192
234
O BR OK
3
NAVY STREET
GOLD STREET
NYC Parks
Feet
N-Q LY
2
S EN UE
EX ES PR AY SW
1 237
NASSAU STREET
Prepared by: NYCHA Performance Tracking & Analytics Department
FLUSHING AVENUE
INGERSOLL
BR
BOROUGH: BROOKLYN
OO
KLYN
-QUE
EN
NYCHA Development
S EXP
ET
35
NYC Parks
5
85
20
0 34 2
80
NYC17 Parks 82 88
0
88
143
25
310
87
18 102
16 0 16 2
34
HUDSON WALK
PRINCE STREET
28
133
151
24
16
110
7
39
5 127
117
6
106
104
14 151
13
149
4
140
132 151
3
2
138 131
135
37 38 MYRTLE AVENUE
E PARK
7
Data from: www.nyc.gov
8
J BYRN
Downtown Brooklyn has undergone significant gentrification. As a result, public housing in those neighborhoods now borders milliondollar homes. In some cases, public housing authorities across the United States have ta ke n d ra m a t i c s te ps to c o n f ro n t t h e problems of isolation, crime by demolishing and replacing them with new, mixed-income complexes, yet with fewer units. The amount of housing available for low-income families has been reduced, and some studies have identified significant displacement.
84
102
145
146
158 157
T
Prepared by: NYCHA Performance Tracking & Analytics Department
32
152
RD'S STREE
MYRTLE AVENUE
15
86
9
99 101
125
AUBURN PLACE
N PLACE AUBUR14
Feet
EDWA SAINT EET
36
Management Office 78
125
75
UE
26
19
NYCHA Building 55 74 Residential Addresses
ARD'S STR SAINT EDW
27
60 NYCHA Development 64
31
330
29
NOMADIC MEMORY
60
10
79
AVEN CARLTON
EE T
BOROUGH: BROOKLYN
56
AVENUE
TR
107
68
11 12
81
PORT LAND
JOHNSON S
45 48
48 50
29 31
21
LK
PLACE
32
NT WA
56
ELLIOT
38
30
36
NORT H
16
33 28 30
22 25
MONUME
95
Feet
Prepared by: NYCHA Performance Tracking & Analytics Department
24
46
NORTH
34
EXPRESSWAY
PARK AVENUE
9
T
8
400
58 60
GENTRIFIED NEIGHBORHOODS
BROOKLYN-QUEENS
8
NAVY STREE
TILLARY STRE
Management Office
Building 127, former boat factory with rows of seven-feet-high skylight windows.
PARK AVENUE
23
Residential Addresses
Oil is molecules of nonpolar compounds. Even when mixed well into water, oil tends to separate from the water when the mixing stops. The reaction between oil and water responds to the issue of intersectionality in such diverse neighborhoods. How to approach collective ownership of space while embracing individualities?
WHITMAN
RESSWA Y
NYCHA Building
0
*oil on the wet pavement
NORTH ELLIOT PLACE
CONCORD STREET
Data from: The Urban Displacement Project, University of California Berkeley, University of Toronto, 2016.
BNYDC opens Building 92 – an exhibition, visitor, and employment center.
224
9
0
1969 - 1981 N ew Yo r k C i t y reopens the Yard as an industrial park.
1
124
Nomadic tribes were characterized by an openness and fluidity. Is it true that nomads have no history, but only the geography? If not, how do they remember? Nomadic memory is a process of crossing boundaries. In places distant from one another, geographically and culturally different, nomad’s memory spreads by singing, dancing, telling folks… Art can represent common aspirations and emotions.
Building 127 and its new facade.
FUN FACT In 1966, the first vest-pocket public park opened in Bed-Stuy, 10-minute drive from the Yard. It was designed by Pratt Institute professor M. Paul Friedberg and the park also featured murals by Pratt art students.
7
FARRAGUT HOUSING yr: 1952 population: 3,208
4F Offices/Rehearsal Studios
INGERSOLL HOUSING
(4F) Backstage-Shower
yr: 1944 population: 4,318
3F Classrooms/ Rehearsal Studios (3F) Backstage-Fitting room
2F Classrooms/ Services
WHITMAN HOUSING (2F) Backstage-Make up
yr: 1944 population: 3,943
BACKSTAGE SET FRONT
Dr. Mindy Fullilove defines "root shock" as the loss of interpersonal ties and the "capital" -social, cultural, political and emotional- that is vested in the collective connections.
The uncontainable body refers to the lower income immigrants who are marginalized in the districts facing constant risk of displacement. Like drops of oil in the water, the residents have been suffering from exclusions and root shock. Like how nomadic tribes memorize their history, it is crucial for me as a designer to understand that, moving from one place to another, people take their roots with them. The performing center seeks to serve as a community's turning point that cheers individual roots through art performances, rehearsals, education, and community gatherings. Upon entering, people would cover up their upper body. The reduced awareness to the public domain has potency to resolve people's "uncontainability" within a constantly changing environment. As being reused over and over, the helmets become a new collectiveowned cognition that encourages the exposure of individuality as well as preserves the diversity.
8
GF Theater
The venue’s two main stages are divided with a translucent curtain wall in between that enables the visibility and mobility. Even when there is no performance, the stage will not be left vacant, where the spatial openness and fluidity allow the spotlight to be project on every performing-audience.
2F - 4F Plan
Ground Floor Plan
The backstage, or to say, the middle-stage's layout.
8
ENTRANCE/HELMET PICK-UP
HELMET MOCK-UP HANDCRAFTED OUT OF THE VELLUM PAPER
Admittedly, many urgent public needs still remain unresolved. While the project proposes equal access, “many children from public housing remain in segregated, poorly performing schools, and there is no evidence that public housing residents in these neighborhoods are more likely to obtain good jobs than those in areas of concentrated poverty.” The marginalized community‘s root shock and the loss of public value is what I intend to further explore and restore in the future. .
9
9
SITE RESEARCH
ETHNICALLY DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOODS BEDFORD STUYVESANT Since the late 1930s, the neighborhood has been a major cultural center for Brooklyn’s African American population. In the early 2000s, Bed-Stuy has undergone significant gentrification.
HISTORIC BUILDING CONDITION
The Bedford branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) was built in 1895, now in its third century of service. MOSTLY NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
03
CUBIC CORRESPONDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR NANNIES Nominee for 2018 GENSLER Brinkmann Scholarship PROJECT TYPE | Studio 301; Individual INSTRUCTOR | Professor David CC Foley DATE | 2017 Fall LOCATION | Brooklyn, NY
10
A branch of a public library responds to the specific needs of its nearby community. According to multiple times of site investigation and observation, the Bedford Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library is where many nannies choose to bring their toddlers during the weekday daytime. Instead of seeing the library as a daycare center, the nannies want to read too. The fact that the existing historical library does not have clear boundaries for such a group of users leads to many negative complaints. The re-envision of the library designates its form/program/furniture to the nanny use, who actually represents one of the minority in our society, the low-income immigrant women of color. Thus, the library also aims to service the enhancement of care workers’ living standards.
10
ARMATURE FOR NANNIES
CONCEPTUAL TRANSLATION
READING WITH A STROLLER
ARMATURE TO FURNITURE
Nannies are busy rocking the strollers to comfort the babies. So there has always been a problem with flipping books using only one hand.
SITE OBSERVATION MAIN PATRONS: CARE WORKERS
The armature’s mechanisms of sliding and corresponding are being applied to the furniture making.
NANNIES WANT TO READ!
WRIST BOOK STAND CUBIC CORRESPONDENCE
Jan. 4, 2018 The New York Times
Nannies and toddlers have occupied the BPLs. Some libraries even provide stroller parking lot.
Nannies gather for a writing workshop at the public library in Brooklyn Heights.
“Care workers are overwhelmingly low-income immigrant women of color. “ Demography of Care Workers in New York City, 2016. Date from: NYC Department of Consumer Affairs
Among the most circulating books at Bedford BPL, there is TABE, used for adult basic education.
POSTURE STUDY
how hand muscles support a book.
11
11
SPATIAL TRANSLATION NANNY CENTERED PROGRAMS
STROLLER PARKING
The library offers a variety of programs that meet nannies’ interests and needs. Also, the provision of the private communal spaces aims to encourage their conversation and interactions. B
1
2 3
1. QUIET ZONE
MEZZANINE A ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE
EXISTING ADULTS SECTION
RECEPTION 4
ENTRANCE
B
2. TEST PREPARATION CORNER
3. RESEARCH STATION
GROUND FLOOR
KIDS SECTION
4. DISCUSS/WORKSHOP ROOM
FLOOR PLAN ELEVATION B
MATERIAL PALETTE
The extensive use of transparent materials aims to promote the eye contact, not only between the people, but also to the books.
12
12
OFFICE
OFFICE
OFFICE
OFFICE INSIDE-OUT; OUTSIDE-IN
EXISTING BUILDING #1/3
#3
#1 The window directly faces the morning flow heading to the office.
04
FLOW-ORIENTED WINDOWS
“MODERN SLAVES” REFUGE HUAWEI HEADQUARTERS CAFE
PROJECT TYPE | Professional, MULAND STUDIO ROLE | Design Lead & Project Manager BUILT DATE | TBD (Designed in Dec. 2020) CLIENT | HUAWEI LOCATION | Shenzhen, Guangdong, CHINA
Humans are not work machines. The cafe as a refuge is designed to question the 996 working hour system that has been prompted by a wide range of companies in China. The 996 has been complained and objected fiercely, called as an act of “modern slavery”. The project proposes exposing the cafe’s interior leisure scenarios and drawing the flows in. Four giant glass facades function as an active reminder to the employees about taking some time off, regardless of the fact that the client and site location are the HUAWEI Headquarters - one of the biggest 996 representatives. #2 The window faces the office building's main entrance.
13
13
POPS is a distinct feature of NYC where private property owners share their street-level space in exchange for bonus floor area. To date, over 590 POPS have been built at over 380 buildings. Even though the POPS is designated for public use, some of them make people question about their inclusivity, for example, tasteless lucrative puzzle of the Trump Tower's one.
TRUMP TOWER
BLOOMBERG
IBM BUILDING
05
.1
AGGREGATION OF SELF-IMAGE
RE-ENVISION OF THE PRIVATELY OWNED PUBLIC SPACES (POPS) Presented to The Municipal Art Society of New York PROJECT TYPE | Studio 401, Individual INSTRUCTOR | Professor Karin Tehve DATE | 2018 Fall LOCATION | New York, NY
14
SONY PLAZA
Is it true that we can’t enter public space with our identities intact? Mark Kingwell, in his article The Prison of “Public Space”, agrees and explains that it is because our identities are the achievements of public dimension in human life. While admitting the urban public environment is complicated and impactful, the project investigates the spatial concept of self in the realm of public that intends to help people either form, realize, or restore their self-identity. The POPS of the Cityspire Building was used as a pedestrian arcade, and for this project, the original program will be maintained and a new program is going to be added - the public restroom, a place the individuals could reflect on themselves the most.
14
SITE RESEARCH
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT - BECOMING A PUBLIC RESTROOM
EXISTING INTERIOR / PROPOSAL
RE-DEFINE POPS
PROPOSAL
REALITY
Our fragmented identities are the achievements of public dimension.
Boosting public confidence necessitates individual self-recognition, especially at a time when digitalizations are extremely flattening and restraining our shared physical space.
SELF-REFLECTION
Ce n
tra
Ca rn
eg
ie
lP ark
Mu sic
Ha
C i t y s p i re c e n te r p rov i d e s a pedestrian arcade as a site for Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS), located at 6½ ave and runs through 54th street to 57th street. The Nolli Map shows how very few interior public spaces are open around the site. The passage is surrounded by the retails, and the 5th avenue is only two blocks away. The streets have many nonshoppers waiting for their companions.
ELIMINATING MIND CLUTTERS
ELIMINATING
WASHING
GROOMING (LOUNGE)
AV E 5th
AV E 6th
MIRROR PANELS By folding mirrors into 45 degree panels, people can only see themselves.
GROOMING/LOUNGE
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GROOMING
Bored flaneurs from the Fifth ave.
AV E 7th
ll
WASHING
The restroom here, although being the program that enables self-reflection the most within the urban public realm, is only a room to rest due to the high costs for lighting and ventilation. Additionally, it could be regarded as a think tank for the person to eliminate his/her cluttering thoughts from the "outside world".
PROGRAM EXPLORATION NOLLI MAP
(LOUNGE)
NON-BINARY RESTROOM Stalled!, an advocacy group, proposes treating the restroom as a single open neutral space, consisting of only three main activities.
WASHING/ELIMINATING
GROOMING/LOUNGE
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DRESS THE PRADA WITH POPS PUBLIC SPACE AND HIGH-END RETAIL PROJECT TYPE | Studio 401, Individual INSTRUCTOR | Professor Karin Tehve DATE | 2018 Fall LOCATION | New York, NY
One is a high-end fashion brand loved by the rich, saying "you don't belong here"; the other, saying "please come in" to all, is an interior public spot popular among the homeless and wandering people. Perhaps, what PRADA and POPS have in common is only that they are both built for the social "marginal" groups. When the most exclusive and the most inclusive spaces encounter under one roof, their unusual coexistence directs to the possibility of community intersection. Even the thickest woven coat requires a sense of breathability. The project tailors such permeability throughout the space, which appears to wear PRADA on the POPS, or to say, dress the PRADA with POPS.
3F
GROUND FLOOR
GRAND CENTRAL STATION
PARK AVE
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COMMERCIAL COMPLEX In the beginning year of 2022, another brand new mall has opened in Shanghai, featuring a garden atrium. The quantity of malls has been growing tremendously in the recent years, that sucks people away from street dining experience.
OUTDOOR BAR
INDOOR DINING
SITE
ATRIUM
FACADE The mall enforces stringent regulations on the shops, particularly on their facade. There are unified design standards for logo's size, lintel's color selection, material application etc..
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EARS BEHIND THE BANQUETTE
PUBLIC DINING: KOREAN BARBECUE RESTAURANT PROJECT TYPE | Professional, MULAND STUDIO ROLE | Design Lead & Project Manager BUILT DATE | Nov. 2021 CLIENT | Han Yang Guan LOCATION | Shanghai, CHINA
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I see restaurants as privately-owned public spaces, since they have been an indispensable everyday destination for many young urbanites. While restaurants used to ask for both transparency and privacy, the owners today are more concerned about the turnover rate, which would be best for one table to receive three groups of customers in one night. In this way, the public nature of a restaurant, like a canteen, has been revealed even more. The project is commissioned by a Korean BBQ brand. Inspired by the atrium used for gatherings in the traditional courtyard of Hanook, I lowered the height of the backrest of each banquette, allowing more inter-permeability both visually and dialogically. The conversation is opened up, going beyond the table in front, as there are ears behind the banquettes.
SITE INTRODUCTION 17
STUDY OF HANOOK NATURAL LIGHT ROOF STRUCTURAL PATTERN ELEVATED PLATFORMS
The traditional korean residence, pronounced as "hanook", provides communal gardern at the center. Even today in Seoul, hanook is attractive for people to cluster.
To mimic skylight at the center of the restaurant
B F E
C
A
D
CEILING DETAILS
The hood is made of stainless steel and the form is inspired of the giant bronze bell in the asian temples.
A
TRANQUILNESS
EXHAUST PIPE & HOOD
F
boom 2mm galvanized sheet
boom
bolt fixating
B
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C
D
MT 01 2mm galvanized sheet
E 01
大样图 1:5
8mm round rebar
8mm round rebar
MT 01 2mm galvanized sheet
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.2 BUILDING OPENNESS THE “HAN YANG GUAN“ SERIES All three restaurants resided in newly opened malls. The title sounds like an architectural cliche, since the rule of malls has been about newness and openness. However, the pandemic makes us want to re-emphasize the "openness". Besides increasing more outdoor seating, the restaurant has no more “ears behind the banquette” but behind a piece of glass partition. We open up the dining distance and seek to give the customer the senses of security as well as reconnection during the pandemic.
PROJECT TYPE | Professional, MULAND STUDIO ROLE | Design Lead & Project Manager
#1 #2 #3
#1 JOGAKBO
The art of making patchwork for wrapping cloths has enjoyed a long history in Korea.
LOCATION: FUZHOU, FUJIAN BUILT DATE: MAY, 2022 AREA: 260 SQM.
#2 QILOU
Inspired by Hainan's architecture Qilou, the design aims to reflect the interaction between sequential columns and disarrayed bushes. LOCATION: HAIKOU, HAINAN BUILT DATE: AUG, 2022 AREA: 340 SQM.
#3 MOTION ENERGY
Since the mall targets at the ages of 1828, the design shows a spatial energy that appears to burst out at any alert. LOCATION: SHANGHAI BUILT DATE: DEC, 2022 AREA: 320 SQM.
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FLOATING TOWN PHOTOGRAPHY
Individual 2017 Summer Tonle Sap, Cambodia
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ALMOST A STUDIO DIGITALIZED PUBLIC INTERVENTION: ARCHITECTURAL NARRATIVE
Personal Business, Founder Founded in Aug. 2022 Xiamen, CN | New York, USA
"Why are the forms - needle and sphere - so attractive to the public? "
Even a word wants to be something. The text is capable of not only containing a majestic sense of space, but also breaking away the geographical restrictions to allow further spread. Young architects can change the world without building architecture. Since August 2022, I have received nearly 30k views on RED, China’s Instagram. The theme of each article is based on my previous thoughts and experiences and the range of discussion spanned from space, history and social context. Other than revolving around my own works, I seek to enrich the contents with additional readings, research, field investigation, statistical visualization... How to make architectural narrative a more powerful communication tool? I am eager to continue writing for the public and find the answer.
school
church residence police dept.
kids & women work as boatmen
MINIATURE SOCIETY
"How to make a tiny shop stand out of the bustling and hustling airport? "
*The article aroused extensive discussions online, and there were nearly 500 commented messages in just two days. I cannot deny it is a new way of spatial engagement.
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Entangled Commons Insights into Shenzhen’s Contemporary Public Domains
PROJECT TYPE | SES-5443 INSTRUCTOR | Professor Alex Yuen DATE | 2023 Fall LOCATION | Cambridge, MA
The "Entangled Commons" is a curated collection of computer-aided drawings and images that delve into the ongoing efforts to tackle the dynamic challenges presented by Shenzhen's rapidly urbanizing landscape. In contrast to the diminishing footprint of American malls, the situation in China, particularly in Shenzhen, presents a stark contrast. Experiencing the compounded effects of population and economic growth, Shenzhen boasts over 260 large retail establishments, with at least one shopping mall at every subway stop. These malls serve as common spaces, even in the absence of shopping activities, embodying the generic city Koolhaas once predicted – a place characterized by "weak and distended sensations, few and far between emotions, discreet and mysterious, like a large space lit by a bed lamp." Utilizing softwares like ArcGIS, Blender, and Rhino, this collection provides a fresh lens through which to explore these new commons, also sparking a multitude of inquiries. What delineates the concept of publicness within privately owned domains? Who holds access to these ambiguous zones? In the wake of last year's real estate crisis, what repercussions might ensue if the mall relinquishes its auxiliary role due to an economic downturn?
Left to right: A common space nestled amidst residential buildings, called “ 握 手 楼 ”(handshaking buildings) locally; the dense cluster of Shenzhen's high-rises spanning 50 years of urban development from east to west; cubes symbolizing the alienation of human relationships in the "15-minute life circle" urban living concept, typically with a mall at its core; the bustling atrium of the mall juxtaposed with delivery men, emblematic of relentless metropolitan comfort.
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