Xicao portfolio feb 2017 pages

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO Xi Cao Architecture + Health Candidate. Clemson University

Architecture - Landscape Selected Work

2014-2017

Architecture is a tool to improve lives.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

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“CASTLE OF SPIRIT”

Clemson Spiritual Center Design

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“WALKING TOGETHER”

Reabilitation Center and Walking Trail System design

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“DIFFUSE THE CITY CORE”

Beijing North Railway Station Plaza Design

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“STREET ACTIVATION”

Asheville Street Reform Landscape Design

33 DIGITAL DESIGN AND DRAWINGS

41

HAND DRAWINGS

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“CASTLE OF SPIRIT”

Clemson Spiritual Center Design Time : Location: Area : Instructor:

Dec 2016 ( First Year Architecture) Clemson, South Carolina 3 Acre Peter Laurance, Associate Professor Andreea Mihalache, Assistant Professor

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Master Plan + Plan + Perspective

This design located on a secondary axis in Clemson campus to avoid the sharpness of the main axis as well as the symmetrical layout. The surrounding buildings and trees creates a cozy hub for students to relax.

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Floor Plan

Clemson Spiritual Cnter Design

The chapel was designed to respond the existing circulation streams on this site, thus the new building can create a good conversation with those existing ones without conflict in terms of the overall shape. And the position of the entrances are carefully selected to better direct people into the building.

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Plans and Sections

The sanctuary is on the west side of the building with a vertical crack on the very end, which allows subtle light come in to create a rather dramatic atmosphere. Classrooms, meeting rooms, cafeteria are on the north-west with light coming in from the rear. Spaces level up as the privacy increases.

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Section of Sanctuary

Clemson Spiritual Cnter Design

Sancturay is designed to be dark using two tall concrete walls. Thus the light could be better appreciated and perform a significant role in directing users both physically and mentally. The rythem of lights is a guidence for people when they approach the alter.

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“WALKING TOGETHER”

Reabilitation Center and Walking Trail System design

Time : Location: Area : Instructor:

Dec 2014 ( 1st Semester, 1st Year Graduate) Oconee, South Carolina 280 Acre Matt Powers, Associate Professor

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Suitability Analysis

The geographic information system (GIS) is the leading method in the preliminary design phase of this project. Useful information maps are selected based on their contribution to the origional program. They were put in catagories to prepared for later analysis.

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Site Selection

Reabilitation Center and Walking Trail System design

Information was re-organized in this phase and maps were given different weight according to their relavance with the site selection requirement, after that they were converted into scores and shows the result in the suitability map.

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Plan and Analysis

The ralationship between decking, tree arrangement and the waterbody gives diversity to those trails and creates varies atmosphere.

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Plan and Analysis

Reabilitation Center and Walking Trail System design

And all the sight analysis considered both people on the wheelchair as well as standing to fulfill different user groups.

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“DIFFUSE THE CITY CORE”

Beijing North Railway Station Plaza Design Time : Feb 2016 (Second Year of MLA) Location: Xizhimen, Xicheng District, Beijing, China Area : 4.62 Acre Instructor: Mary G Padua, Professor

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Site Inventory

This site is in a crazy city center of Beijing. The origional design of the plaza was not able to direct the circulation of pedestrians and vehicles and make this transportation core even more complex and chaos.

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User Groups Analysis

Beijing North Railway Station Plaza Design

Entertainment

Commuting

Social Activities Shopping

7.7 9.0%

60%

Schooling 14.6%

Chart 1 : Trip purposes by transit in Beijing , 2005

Non-Commuting

52%

Commuting

Commuting 60%

Shopping 9.0%

Schooling 14.6%

Time

Highly

Not Sensitive

Sensitive

Peak

7:30-9:00 a.m.

5:45-7:20 p.m.

Friday Evening Weekend

7:00-7:30 a.m.

4:00-6:30 p.m.

Moderate Distance Walk a lot

Short-

48%

Chart 2 : Rate of commuting and non-commuting travels in Beijing, 2007

Other Long Distance (59mins)

Analysis of the pedestrian circulation based on types and their travel behavior.

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Vertical Design

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Plan

Beijing North Railway Station Plaza Design

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Programs

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Story & Senarios

Beijing North Railway Station Plaza Design

Commuters

Newcomers

Customers & Residents There are different senarios for all types of user group on this site. Navigation need to be clear and intuitive to people coming from every possible directions and able to direct them to where they need to go.

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“STREET ACTIVATION”

Asheville Street Reform Landscape Design Time : Oct 2015 ( 1st Semester, 2nd Year Graduate ) Location: Asheville, North Carolina Area : 5.8 Acre Instructor: Hyejung Chang, Associate Professor

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Precedent Studies

Two case studies were done specific in spacial relationship and the impact of the design “edges� on user interactions.

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Concept

Asheville Street Reform Landscape Design

Design should be a living thing, which keeps an active conversation with users. They should able to talk to, embrace, protect and attract each other.

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Module Solution of Street Design

Due to the width inconsistancy of the street. I came up with the idea of “module solution� to fit different situation. Street section is broken into funciton units, and through simple re-connect those pieces, streets of varies of width are able to function well.

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Plan

Asheville Street Reform Landscape Design

The idea of “platform” is carried throught the project to immitate the image of mountains. At the same time, breaking a certain vertical change into several levels helps eliminate the pressure of a tall retaining wall to people. And through converting objects from “city scale” to “human scale”, the design could be welcoming and friendly.

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Perspective

Rest Area

Street Arts

Fountains

Diverse Pavement to define space

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Perspective

Asheville Street Reform Landscape Design

Pedestrian Street Seatings

Street Lights

Street Furniture with Planter

Street trees are helpful in releasing pressure and shortening the distance between people and built environment by humanizing streets. Trees as a mass also break skyline and add more layers to spaces.

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DIGITAL DESIGN AND DRAWINGS Time : Fall 2016 ( First Year A+H ) Instructor: Joseph Choma, Assistant Professor

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Digital Design and Drawings

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Digital Design and Drawings

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Renderings

An urban design created in Rhino. “ array along curve” + “loft”

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Digital Design and Drawings

Light comes in through the crack created by the loft command.

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HAND DRAWINGS

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Sydney Opera House

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Hand Drawings

Chinese traditional garden. Hangzhou, China

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Chinese pavilion

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Hand Drawings

Interior Practice

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Amphithether, Botanical Garden

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Hand Drawings

A penguin

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Thank You !

ARCHITECTURE+HEALTHCARE, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY (864)-643-9606 cao8@clemson.edu 811 Issaqueena trl, 416 Central, SC 29630