Yueci Luo
Selected Works 2017-2019
Model detail of the paper garden, Oct 2017
Content
Self-introduction and contact 2-3 Project 1 Paper Garden 4-31 Project 2 Beads in Waves 32-53 Project 3 Becoming Air 54-89 Project 4 Community Garden 90-109 Project 5 Pond Pavilion 110-117 Project 6 A Regular House 118-125 Other works 126-131 Writing: No Companion: Shirai Seiichi 132-135 (appendix not included)
Yueci Luo
EDUCATION: 9/2018-9/2019 SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE,COOPER UNION Master of architecture 9/2014-7/2018 TSINGH UA U NI V E R SIT Y, BEIJ ING, CHIN A B ac h elor of A rc h ite c tu r e c a n d id ate 9/2013-7/2014 TSINGH UA U NI V E R SIT Y B ac h elor of E n gi n e eri n g c a n d id ate R EL AT ED E X PE R IE NC E: 3/2017-5/2018 DA IPU A RCHIT ECTS, BEIJ ING, CHIN A T w o- m o nt h Inter n sh ip 5/2017-8/2018 J U N YA ISHIG A M I+A SSO CI AT ES, TOK YO, J A PA N T h r e e- m o nt h Inter n sh ip G A R PHIC SKIL LS: R h i n o, V-ray, d igit a l pr oje c t, f u ll ad o b e g ra p h ic s u ite, auto c ad, la s e r c utt i n g, h a n d illu st rat io n, m o d el b u ild i n g
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CONTACT: xidan1013@outlook.com tel:(1)6468525087
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Photoed by Luo, Geometry Model of the Garden, Oct 2017
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PROJECT 1
PAPER GARDEN
Individual project Instructor: Hui Wang Date: 9/1/2017-10/31/2017 Credit to Shuqing Qiao For makimg the video Credit to Tongda Xu, For lending me the projector
Images work as segmentation of time and space. A painting itself is an abstraction of time and space. It contains all, yet expresses only itself. A garden is ever-changing. Thus it is hard for us to learn the picture of it entirely. Time is all it matters when we are designing a garden: we have to obtain the full image, the whole impression of a garden. Based on the logic expressed above, I tried to summarize a year’s time through 24 pieces of paintings, projecting them to a spatial model of a garden. The scale and size of the garden are based on an actual site, situated on the side of the old Peking city wall’s relic. The final image of the projection inspired me to simulate the scenery through continually changing light beams, building a light (in all aspect) transparent garden which gently reminds people the ephemeral scenery around them.
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First it was only a dark empty room. Giant screens , tower of time One keeps looking closely enough A garden appears, a fleeing dream Every day’s experience was placed into their grid—a box, a screen or a suitcase—something which takes a general square form. They set themselves aligned with each other in my brain, like frames of a movie. Each screen had its performance, showing incidents happened within that day. On one of the screens I saw my mother standing by the sink, and on the other is the nighttime scene of my bedroom. I stood by these screens and watched them silently.
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Luo, pencil sketch, Size: A3
Memory of A Dream Garden, Scene 1, Oct 2017
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Luo, pencil sketch, Size: A3
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Memory of A Dream Garden, Scene 2, Oct 2017
Luo, pencil sketch, Size: A3
Memory of A Dream Garden, Scene 3, Oct 2017
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Luo, pencil sketch,
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Size: A3
Memory of A Dream Garden, Scene 4, Oct 2017
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In order to simulate a year’s time, the 24 pieces of pictures are processed into a five-minute long video. The experiment of constructing a garden happened in the dark empty lobby, where I set up the model and the projector with the help of other three students. Videos recording this process were then shot from multiple angles, just as if one were inside an actual garden in life and were taking photos of it.
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Luo, watercolor, Size: 34.6cm*17cm, Luo, watercolor, Size: 34.6cm*17cm,
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Summertime1, Oct 2017 Wintertime1, Oct 2017
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24
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color tones for projection
Above left: model set–up shot from second floor; Above right: Adjusting the model for projection; Below: Transition From Winter to Summer, Oct 2017
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Plan View, color tone: Late Spring, Oct 2017
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Plan View Geometry, color tone: Late Spring, Oct 2017
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Plan View Geometry, color tone: Early Summer, Oct 2017
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Plan View Geometry, color tone: Maple in Autumn, Oct 2017
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Plan View Geometry, color tone: Winter with pine, Oct 2017
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Geometry of Elevation View, color tone: spring to summer, early winter to winter, Oct 2017
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Geometry of Elevation View, Early Spring: Scene of Ecstasy, Oct 2017
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Back to reality, I intended to build the garden through a layer of thin light fiber, hanging approximately 12 meters above the site. Here ‘light’ as a constructional element have been interpreted into another fold of meaning. The whole garden is artificial yet not artificial, with ancient natural elements like plants and soil, and modern elements like fiber and electricity. Through the control of the light beam’s colors, the garden will glow like spring in cold winter days, shine brightly in the endless night, or remain ever-changing as well as eternal at the same time.
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A Dash of Light--A Sample of the Light Effect of the Garden Nov. 2017
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Night scene–A Garden Composed of Light Fiber, Nov. 2017
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Samples of light: one day in spring, summer,autumn and winter, Nov 2017
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Samples of light-close-up
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Perspectives in the garden, Nov 2017
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Perspectives in the garden, Nov 2017
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Perspectives in the garden, Nov 2017
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Overlapped images tracing the motion of beads, Nov 2018
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PROJECT 2
BEADS IN WAVES
Individual project Instructor: Michael Young Date: 9/1/2018-12/16/2018
This studio tried to discuss the possibility whether a project can be synthesized through three seemingly irrelevant parts: plans, images, models. Each part was developed separately, and all are connected and rationalized by a single story e.g. project. Plan: The Plan The Plan The Plan The Plan The Plan
as as as as as
Material Distribution Social Scenario Formal Composition Spatial Sensation Image Manipulation
Images: The Dutch Still Life Speculative Realism Parafictional Scenario Models: Models & Translation Projective Geometry Analytic Geometry The Modeling of Bodies or a Brief History of Rhino: Descriptive Geometry; Parametric Representation; Explicit Representation The Aesthetic Perfomance Objects & Estrangement: Inanimate Animation; Cross-Materialization; Donkeys and Feathers
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PLAN
I was very much interested in how to build a real labyrinths, in which people get lost and every spot is so similar with each other yet all of them are different. What I did at first is to break architectural elements into small pieces, so small that you can hardly figure out what they are. Their spatial relationship with each other became uncertain and interesting. During the whole process of developing the plan, I tried to figure out what those small elements stand for. They can be small sculptures, leaves or holes on a giant floating surface. When we dig a hole which is relatively very small in proportion, it actually doesn’t matter to the whole. I consider that as a very intriguing fact. Above left: Seven Types of Plans
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Plan sketch: combination of two plan types, 36in*36in, colored pencil,Sep 2018
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Plan sketch: zooming out,Sep 2018
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Plan sketch: zooming out,Sep 2018
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Site on East River, New York; Torrent Date indicating the direction and speed of the flows
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Site plan: an accumulative island
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Image/Model
I had a very hard time separating images and models. For me, images are descriptive and models are progressive. In the end I decided to make the objects/models first. Then I observe the models and generate drawings or images according to them.
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Image sketch: imaging the resolution of the field
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Model sketch: Red dot as reference in a changing field
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Plan of the water tank: liquid experiment
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Water tank in motion simulating currents on site
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Water tank in motion simulating currents on site
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Plan: Many Little islands and one big island
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Beads acting as cleaning pods for East River
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Beads
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When the big island is spinning along the torrents, the beads also change their positions
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Section as Design Outcome
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Section of the Island,12in*144in, watercolor and colored pencil
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Section of the Island,12in*144in, watercolor and colored pencil
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Drawing in process, Aug 2019
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PROJECT 3
BECOMING AIR
Graduate Thesis Individual project Coordinator:Michael Young, Anya Bokov Instructor: James Lowder Date: 6/1/2019-9/5/2019
There is an ambiguous and rich relationship between translucent objects and the world surrounding them. Subtly these objects absorb light and information more than matte ones; on the other hand, each of them is a closed world themselves to form that active interface. Things get more interesting when the transparent objects cluster. Depth and distance become blurred. The inside and the outside melted into one, visually and spatially. How to form the shape of air? Is it possible to use air and water as the basic component for construction? I treat translucent forms as the ghosts of objects. With jelly and transparent structure, the moment where architecture becomes air is fixed and recorded.
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Peter Halley-Abstraction and culture Transparency(1964)/Colin Rowe &Robert Slutzky Collage (1958)/Clement Greenberg The cunning of cosmetics(1997)/Jeffrey Kipnis X-ray Architecture(2019)/Beatriz Colomina small images/Junya Ishigami little spaces/ Inui Kumiko
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The emotional drive towards transparency When I was very little, I watched an anime in which a line deeply affected me: ‘I don’t understand people.’ ‘We humans can hardly understand ourselves, let along understanding others.’ As time goes by, I feel more and more deeply that I live in an enormous world, where people are living in some way or another that I can hardly imagine. In constant exchanges, I am both eager and fearful associating with other people, and I believe this attitude is somewhat universal. The cost for living in this society emotionally is that we have to bear the misunderstanding, condemnation, mistrust and all negative effects caused by being exposed to others. The eager to acquire understanding and the fear for exposure are, relatively speaking, outside and inside of our mind. Transparency is a controversial term being defined, redefined and subdivided over the past few decades. Some argues that modern architecture is gradually opening itself up to the world so people can peek inside. How a person can fit into the current urban lifestyle is still an open question. How far, how close is the distance between the human body and the city itself? In-between city and body the architecture of dwelling exists.
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The Depth of Translucency
At first I was attracted by how light and shadow move through transparent objects. To me, transparency is more like a kind of feeling instead of a certain quality, like color or texture. When we see red, we recognize the color red; we feel materials like silk or wool and recognize the softness of them; we touch ice and feel the hardness and chilliness on our fingertips. Transparency, however, cannot be read so easily. For example, when we see a piece of glass, we think: that is a transparent object. But when several layers of glass collapse together, a kind of translucency emerges. When we see the ocean, we see a spectrum of blueness. But when we hold a handful of sea water, we see only colorless liquid. Bubbles, a container for air, are so fragile and untouchable, yet this fragility is an indication of how heavy air is. There is an ambiguous and rich relationship between translucent objects and the world surrounding them. Subtly these objects absorb light and information more than opaque ones; on the other hand, each of them is a closed world themselves to form that active interface. Things get more interesting when the transparent objects cluster. Depth and distance become blurred. The inside and the outside melt into one, visually and spatially. How can we define transparency/translucency? How do we form the shape of air? Is it possible to use air and water as the basic components of construction? In architecture, transparency/ translucency is an even more complicated term. The publication of ‘Transparency’ by Colin Rowe and Robert Slutzky started the debate on literal and phenomenal transparency in 1956. What you see visually as transparent is not going to lead to phenomenal transparency. Instead, non-transparent visual and spatial forms were phenomenally as transparent. The debate continues to 2019, when Beatrix Colomina made the analogy between X-ray and transparency: if something is transparent, then you can see through it. She also mentioned the discomfort and fear caused by the intimacy of transparency, when people are forced to expose themselves in modern architecture through large glass walls. I wonder, through all these studies and arguments, whether there is anything we can do inside purely transparent material. Modern transparent spaces (with glass and steel) both
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isolate and connectpeople’s lives in multiple ways. Peter Sloterdijk argued in his book ‘Bubbles Vol. 1 : Spheres 1’ that everyone is living inside a sort of bubble. These bubbles melt into each other, break and reform all the time, just as our relationships with each other are forever changing. The push and pull between these bubbles leads to the formation of space. Are we going to become more isolated from each in the future? How can we re-materialize this sense of isolation through spatial manipulation? To what extentcan transparency produce ever-changing translucent spaces? This is a bit confusing - are you differentiating transparency and translucency? Or are you arguing something else? This is a very important sentence for you to clarify. As a result of this research, I decided to treat translucent forms as the ghosts of objects. With jelly and transparent structure, the moment where architecture becomes air is fixed and recorded. The model itself is a translucent object, trying to float in the air.
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Collage:Clouds and paper
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Collage:Clouds and paper
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Collage:Firework and paper
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Imitation: Jellyfish and jelly
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Study of jelly: soft, transparent,non-toxic
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Study of jelly: soft, transparent,non-toxic
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Jelly looks like soft ice
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Soft, transparent grid
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Sketch:Possibility of combining clouds, bubbles and jelly
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Sketch:Possibility of combining clouds, bubbles and jelly
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Sketch:Environment
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Sketch model
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Sketch: Story of a bubble
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Sketch: Story of a bubble
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Formation of a jelly bubble Several facts about jelly
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Formation of a jelly bubble
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Formation of space inside translucent material
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Formation of jelly bubbles
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Molds
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The outcome
Wood frame for supporting the softened plastic sheet
Toaster: Depth:8in Width:11in
Multiwell panel for height adjustment Multiwell plate
Multiwell plate for smaller molds
vacuum machine 1700w for home supply
Multiwell panel for height adjustment Layout of self-made vacuum setting
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Sealed food container
Box with lid made with hard plastic Duck tape
The process from mold to plastic bubble
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Environment and bubbles
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Part of the environment drawing; Setting of the final model and drawing
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Environment drawing, Air of Spring, Watercolor, 72in*96in
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Close-ups
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Overall setting; The unfinished model
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Jelly samples
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Model Close-up
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Baita Si in 1994,photoed by Changqing Wang
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PROJECT 4
COMMUNITY GARDEN
Undergraduate Thesis Individual project Instructor: Yue Zhang Date: 6/1/2019-6/5/2018
The founding of New China in 1949 and the peaceful liberation of Beijing made the existing urban structure at that time free from the erosion of war. After that the old city of Beijing has undergone one major demolition and transformation due to the ‘Renovation of dilapidated houses’ policy in 1990’s. Despite of that, there are still a large number of hutongs that retain the historical pattern and remain in the old city. The demolition of Hutong houses is no longer a means of improving the urban space. Beijing Old City not only has to face many historical problems, but also because it can't match and coordinate with modern life in terms of spatial scale, personnel composition and spatial function, new problems emerge in an endless stream; there is a need to break through conventional and innovative theories and practices. This project focuses on the construction of a micro-plaza, which is situated at the cross-section of two Hutongs. The current function of the space is storage and parking, creating a chaotic disturbance to the transportation of the whole area. The design strategy is to retrace the history in a more or less unexpected way.
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Baitasi is a historic district with 18000 residents, nearly 20% of them are aged and 50% are migrant workers. The average living space is less than 12㎥ This leads to three major problems: Fragmentation of property, extreme high density of residence and poor quality of buildings. Due to the soaring land and housing price of Beijing, it is common that several irrelevant families share the same courtyard, each own one or several rooms in the courtyard.Thus it is crucial for us to know exactly how the property is divided in each yard and whether they belong to the people living in the house or not. Left: Detailed land ownership map given by the government,2018; Right: Detailed house ownership based on door to door interview, in collabration with Luojia Zhang, Apr 2018
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3F
F
F
? �30
0
100
400
Site Plan: Central Openair Courtyard
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Address
Information including the resident's name(s), housing area, self-built area, character of ownership: private/public-owned The owner's needs for renovation: what they hope to see in the future com munity
The position of the
The position of the
photos of the courtyard,
entire courtyard
owner's house in the
the external and
courtyard
internal space
In order to have a clear clue of each family's information, an a4 information sheet was designed. Up to 43 families and individuals have accepted our interview and we tried our best to understand each person's living condition and their needs. Above: Example of the information sheet
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9：00
talking
eating
wholesale spot
13：00
sit and rest
大龄劳动工作者
smocking
street hawker
workers
white-collar
coupling
sit and rest
15：00
local food
14：00
15：00
16：00
construction worker
19：00
10：00
9：00
聊天
中年人 散步
10：00
本地年轻人
散步
玩耍
11：00
买菜
本地年轻人
14：00
15：00
12：00
白领
坐着休息
13：00
14：00
吃东西 批发采购
坐着休息
13：00
大龄劳动工作者
20：00
15：00
16：00
16：00
锻炼身体
遛狗
小朋友
老人
锻炼身体 19：00
年轻打工者
建筑工人
本地年轻人
初中生
18：00
19：00
20：00
批发采购
锻炼身体
玩耍
17：00
散步残疾人
睡觉
18：00
聊天
谈恋爱
坐着休息 批发采购
婴幼儿
散步
17：00
20：00
11：00
吃东西
谈恋爱
wholesale
12：00
建筑工人
young workers
local
9：00
19：00
买菜
work out
20：00
play
handicapped
kids
junior high
18：00
抽烟
walk your dog
old
work out
17：00
stroll
sleep
散步
sit and rest
take a walk
17：00
talk
聊天
work-out
中年商贩
babies
couple
wholesale
16：00
18：00
11：00
12：00
local young people
14：00
take a walk
grocery
12：00
13：00
daily shopping
stroll
11：00
CHAT
10：00
play
middleaged
strolling
10：00
9：00
Left: Mapping of people's activities along the time and position axis, English; Right: Mapping of people's activities along the time and position axis, original
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before 1980
1980-1989
1990-1999
2000-2009
2010-2018
Research on past activities in Hutong, especially Bata Si area Arranged based on timeline
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1980-1989
before 1980
1980-1989
1990-1999
1990-1999 2000-2009
1990-1999 2000-2009
2010-2018 2000-2009
2010-2018
Close-up Research on past activities in Hutong, especially Bata Si area Arranged based on timeline
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Plan Sketches: possibilities of the activities
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Seesaws; Screen for movies; Low light
Hammocks
Flying kite; Flowers and birds; Drinking tea
Plan Sketches: possibilities of the activities
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Chestnut stool, tomato s Three sizes of seat rede original size of the ben etc. in the hutong, the mesh; different combinat people to homing the sea
Hammock drying rack A variation of the swing in the shade of the tree Swing drying rack Taking the common quilt a in the hutong (1.2m-5m) a as reference, the drying ostrich are linked to m more interesting. Brake slab Two or three people can and when they are laid fl for stalls.
Mobile garden Lay the plastic tray and put a few pots of flower from the ground provides pedestrians to sit down; to become a flexible deco (such as temple fair) el Big white folding sofa While ensuring the com functions of being mov are also added.
Rest cabin Provide people with smal can lie in the nap, or s
Small table lamp sofa According to the research of table lamp + sofa i suitable for people who in the evening in the ho
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stool and pumpkin stool esigned according to the nch, sofa, folding stool, e material is hard wire ions are convenient for at after moving the seat
g drying rack is located es.
and drying space required and height (minimum 1.8m) g rack and the swing and ake the drying behavior
ride at the same time, flat, they become a table
d turf on the board, and rs; the height of 30 cm a comfortable height for can be moved: convenient oration in special times lement.
mfort of the seat, the vable and accommodating
ll personal privacy: you sit and chat with people.
summary, the combination is developed, especially want to enjoy the cool ot summer. Examples of Furniture Design
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0
1
5
Plan of Scene 1
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Scene 1: Everyday life The daily scene is very quiet, quiet hutong life: different activities in the square can have their own independent space, and at the same time can generate communication. Dry the quilt clothing, the old man is snoring, reading the newspaper; the child is playing football, playing basketball, swinging, sitting on the grass; young couples are chatting, or just looking at flowers and plants. The quilt and the drying rack, the sofa, and the green plant together form the boundary of the square. Perspective of Scene 1
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0
1
5
Left:Sketches for Scene 2 Right: Plan for Scene 2
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Scene 2: Temple Fair Although the Baita Temple Association is quite famous in history, the scene is huge. However, most temple fairs in history use the space inside the White Tower Temple. The connection between the large scale of the “Temple Fair� and the life of the residents of the Baita Temple community is a key point. What I want to shape is a living, daily celebration scene. It is not so much a attraction for tourists, but rather a spontaneous celebration of the residents' community. The temple fair that took place in the small square is very small. It is more like an opportunity to promote the exchange of feelings in the neighborhood. Everyone gathers here on the occasion of the festival, drinking tea together in the summer and drinking a hot drink in the winter. Perspective of Scene 2
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0
1
5
Left:Sketches for Scene 3 Right: Plan for Scene 3
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Scene 3: Night The night of the hutong is different from the daytime. If there is no interference from bars and food stalls, it should be very quiet. After the meal, everyone will stroll out of the house, and then the square will become a recreational place that integrates cool, chat, and entertainment. On weekend nights, you can consider setting up a projection screen to show movies on the grass; in the sofa seating area nearby, there are old people with children coming out to enjoy the cool, chat, and read the newspaper: Today is another day of calm and peaceful. Perspective of Scene 2
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Model photos
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Site model, April 2016
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PROJECT 5
POND PAVILLION
In collaboration with Jianshu Ding Instructor:Xinggang Li Date: 2/1/2016-4/16/2016
Based on the mission given, the project is of two sections— designing a new pavilion which has no particular functions plus refurbishing the old outdoor swimming pool ‘Xihu.’It It seems that the only connection between the two sections is that the water pulse underground is connected: ‘Xihu’ was once a part of Garden Jinchun ’s pond. Therefore, the challenge is how to integrate these two literally different sections into a single design scheme on culture, form, and experience. We developed the Pavilion according to the text in Zhu Ziqing’s prose ‘Moonlight over the Lotus Pond.’ It frames out the view and atmosphere Garden Jinchun seasoned hundreds of years. The Natatorium was regarded as a modern version of the prose. A spatial pattern in traditional Chinese Gardens was adopted to complete the odyssey. We hope that our design can make the natatorium’s massive volume as invisible as possible, almost blends into the shade of undulate hills.
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Above: Luo, Night Scene on Lotus Pond,
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April 2016
Zhu Ziqing was a Chinese proser and a poet in early twenty century. He was assigned to the job as a professor in the department of Chinese literature. Although Zhu Ziqing’s family was extremely impoverished, he didn’t give up his pursuit of the higher position in literature. In his late thirties, he lived in the dormitory situated on the north-west corner of the lotus pond. When he felt the darkness in his mind was gradually eating up his confidence, he intended to recollect himself through secluded walking seldom with companion. ‘Moonlight over Lotus Pond’ was written after a lonely walk beside the lotus pond, late at night. We intended to reconstruct and emphasize what he had seen and admired that night.
Above: Luo, Site Plan, April 2016
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It has been rather disquieting these days. Tonight, when I was sitting in the yard enjoying the cool, it occurred to me that the Lotus Pond, which I pass by every day, must assume quite a different look in such moonlit night. A full moon was rising high in the sky; the laughter of children playing outside had died away; in the room, my wife was patting the son, Run-er, sleepily humming a cradle song. Shrugging on an overcoat, quietly, 1 made my way out, closing the door behind me. Alongside the Lotus Pond runs
It has been rather disquieting
Alongside the Lotus Pond runs a
these days.
small cinder footpath.
the beauty of being alone. For the moment, just let me indulge in this profusion of moonlight and lotus
in a lush, shady ambience of trees
I am on my own, strolling, hands
fragrance.
all around the pond
behind my back
uplifted from my ordinary self into
All over this winding stretch of water, what meets the eye is a silken field of leaves,
the exquisite water is covered from view, and none can tell its colour;
the light is not at its brightest
Only on the path side can two or three gaps be seen through the heavy fringe
distant mountains, but merely in
But the liveliness is theirs, I have
we have long been denied such a
nothing.
delight.
a small cinder footpath. It is peaceful and secluded here, a place not frequented by pedestrians even in the daytime; now at night, it looks mare solitary, in a lush, shady ambience of trees all around the pond. On the side where the path is, there are willows, interlaced with some others whose names I do not know. The foliage, which, in a moonless night, would loom somewhat frighteningly dark, looks very nice tonight, although the moonlight is not more than a thin, grayish veil. I am on my own, strolling, hands behind my back. This bit of the universe seems in my possession now; and I myself seem to have been uplifted from my ordinary self into another world. 1 like a serene and peaceful life, as much as a busy and active one; I like being in solitude, as much as in company. As it is tonight, basking in a misty moonshine all by myself, I feel I am a free man, free to think of anything, or of nothing. All that one is obliged to do, or to say, in the daytime, can be very well cast aside now. That is
All over this winding stretch of water, what meets the eye is a silken field of leaves, reaching rather high above the surface, like the skirts of dancing girls in all their grace. Here and there, layers of leaves are dotted with white lotus blossoms, some in demure bloom, others in shy bud, like scattering pearls, or twinkling stars, or beauties just out of the bath. A breeze stirs, sending over breaths of fragrance, like faint singing drifting from a distant building. At this moment, a tiny thrill shoots through the leaves and lilies, like, a streak of lightning, straight across the forest of lotuses. The leaves, which have been standing shoulder to shoulder, are caught shimmering in an emerald heave of the pond. Underneath, the exquisite water is covered from view, and none can tell its colour; yet the leaves on top project themselves all the more attractively. The moon sheds her liquid light silently over the leaves and flowers, which, in the floating transparency of a bluish haze from the pond, look as if they had just been bathed in milk, or like a dream wrapped in a gauzy hood. Although it is a full moon, shining through a film of clouds, the light is not at its brightest; it is, however, just right for me -a profound sleep is indispensable, yet a snatched doze also has a savour of its own. The moonlight is streaming down through the foliage, casting bushy shadows on the ground from high above, jagged and checkered, as grotesque as a party of spectres; whereas the benign figures of the drooping willows, here and there, lank like paintings on the lotus leaves. The moonlight is not spread evenly over the pond, but rather in a harmonious rhythm of light and shade, like a famous melody played on a violin. Around the pond, far and near, high and Iow, are trees. Most of them are willows. Only on the path side can two or three gaps be seen through the heavy fringe, as if specially reserved for the moon. The shadowy shapes of the leafage at first sight seem diffused into a mass of mist, against which, however, the charm of those willow trees is still discernible. Over the trees appear some distant mountains, but merely in sketchy silhouette. Through the branches are also a couple of lamps, as listless as sleepy eyes. The most lively creatures here, for the moment, must be the cicadas in the trees and the frogs in the pond. But the liveliness is theirs, I have nothing. Suddenly, something like lotus-gathering crosses my mind. It used to be celebrated as a folk festival in the South, probably dating very far hack in history, most popular in the period of Six Dynasties. We can pick up some outlines of this activity in the poetry. It was young girls who went gathering lotuses, in sampans and singing love songs. Needless to say, there were a great number of them doing the gathering, apart from those who were watching. It was a lively season, brimming with vitality, and romance. A brilliant description can be found in Lotus Gathering written by the Yuan Emperor of the Liang Dynasty: So those charming youngsters row their sampans, heart buoyant with tacit love, pass to each other cups of wine while their bird- shaped prows drift around. From time to time their oars are caught in dangling
sketchy silhouette
algae, and duckweed float apart the moment their boats are about to move on. Their slender figures, girdled with plain silk, tread watchfully on board. This is the time when spring is growing into summer, the leaves a tender green and the flowers blooming,- among which the girls are giggling when evading an outreaching stem. Their shirts tucked in for fear that the sampan might tilt. That is a glimpse of those merrymaking scenes. It must have been fascinating, but unfortunately we have long been denied such a delight.
'Moonlight over the Lotus Pond' –a prose by Ziqing Zhu
'Moonlight over the Lotus Pond' –a prose by Ziqing Zhu Tender is the night
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Prose into Architecture, April 2016
Prose into Architecture,
April 2016
Prose into Architecture-Phase 2,
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April 2016
Above left: Ding, First Floor Plan of pavilion Above right: Ding, Second Floor Plan of pavilion Below: Luo, First Floor Plan of natatorium
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Concrete slabs Steam cut off 120 mm Sandstone Cushion
1 layer of Polymer membrane 2 layers Silver reflective coating 20 mm 1:30 Cement mortar leveling 1:8 Expanded cement perlite sloping the thinnest place is 20mm
Exterior plastering
ceramic tile
Moisture barrier
350 mm Concrete
Metal Panel
10 mm u-plate
Insulation(Insulation cut off)
In-situ steel concrete roof structure layer Light steel keel 30 mm Plastic bag package expanded perlite insulation 12 mm thinkness Gypsum board
Above: Luo, Section Below: Luo, Detailed Drawing of pavilion
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Model in Process, photoed in Feb 2016
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PROJECT 6
A REGULAR HOUSE
Individual project
Instructor:Xinggang Li Date: 3/3/2017-3/20/2017
The site of this design is the residential area where I was born and grow up until three years old. But I had never been into the dark, gloomy community center. It always looked a bit scary under sunlight, for all the windows were covered with thick dust, and nobody went there during the daytime. While at night, all the rooms were lit up: people’s laughter and talking their light movements, all could be heard and seen through those large windows. This is an image imprinted in my mind since then. The center is of two parts: one is consists of five concrete arch units, the other gentle gable roof, and bricks. To correspond with this context, a mixed structural unit was developed, in which three arches replaced the beam. The unit, on the whole, appears in shape of a simple gable roof. The connection of the old part and the extension is through the former front gate (now out of use). The building is placed slightly to the left as to reserve the three old sycamore trees.The floor is lifted up above the ground for automobiles’ passage.
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Site observation: unchanged scenery for 20 years Above: Parents and me, photoed 1995 Below: At Present, photoed Mar 2016
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Site plan Interior perspective
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Perspective:: A Regular House Integrated into the site
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B
A
A
B
plan
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Section A-A Section B-B
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Model of Shibuya Mansion's balcony, Scale 1:25, photoed Aug 2017
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Other Works
Completed during the summer internship,2017
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Model of Shibuya Mansion's balcony, Scale 1:10, photoed Aug 2017
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Model of Shibuya Mansion's balcony, Scale 1:10, photoed Aug 2017
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Sculpture, Dog Butt, photoed Aug 2017
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Photography, Hanabi, photoed Aug 2017
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No Companion an essay on Shirai Seiichi
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No companion --The World of Seiichi Shirai Yueci Luo There's a lady who's sure/All that glitters is gold/and she's buying a stairway to heaven/ … And as we wind on down the road/Our shadows taller than our soul/ There walks a lady we all know/Who shines white light and wants to show/How everything still turns to gold/And if you listen very hard/The tune will come to you, at last,/When all are one and one is all/To be a rock and not to roll/And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
-- Led Zeppelin <Stairway to Heaven> Introduction Seiichi Shirai spent his life committed to materialize human beings’ deepest thoughts and desires into a spatial language. Five factors continued influencing his life and work: his personality strong as a wild horse, his early years spent wandering in Kyoto temples, his study with Karl Jaspers in Germany on existentialism, his trust in the power of primitive culture (Jomon culture), and his belief that the world is on its way of decay and destroy. This belief that at some point the world itself will be called to an end is essential in many of his mid and late-term works. In most views of western critics, Seiichi Shirai remains as a second-rate postmodernism architect. Admittedly, some of his works looked like European fortresses and castles. But his castles aren’t simply collaging architectural elements in a post-modernism way. There is a certain kind of authenticity in his works brought out by his subjective synthesis of form, and one can recognize it easily as no work of his was generated by typical skills used by post-modernism architects. His languages were created not to be against popular modernism or emphasis individualism but simply expressing how he understood the truth of the world. Unlike most modernism works discussing the lightness and refinement of architecture, his works were extraordinarily ‘heavy’. Thick columns, stone walls, rich curve lines, and windowless facades are signatures of him. Large openings and gigantic arch doorways (though very few) were created in order to let in fresh air and view. Such a set of
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languages can be seen in the design of Atomic Bomb Catastrophe Temple (1955),Yokote city hospital
(1962),
Laborer's
Building
in
To-hoku
region(1963),
Shinwa
Bank
O-hato
branch
(Nagasaki, 1963)/Shinwa Bank Tokyo branch (Tokyo, 1963), Shinwa Bank Main Office first and second phase(Nagasaki, 1967) NOA building (Tokyo, 1974), the famous Kaishokan Pavilion for Embracing the Heaven (Nagasaki, 1975) and Shoto Art Museum ‘The Wind in Pines’ Art Museum(Shibuya, Tokyo, 1980). Meanwhile, another kind of style was hidden behind these fortress-looking works, as to be seen in the work Zenshoji Temple (Tokyo, 1958), Kohakuan The Hut of Void and White (Nakano, Tokyo, 1970) and Unhan-kyo The Dwelling for cloud-waiting(Kyoto, 1984). The strangeness in these tradition-looking houses is extremely subtle and hard to define like impenetrable myths. Though during Seiichi Shirai’s life time he decidedly stayed away from the architectural society and refused to be involved into any kind of parties, his influence is deeper than one can participate. In a lecture given by Shin Takamatsu at SCI-Arc on Sep 27, 1989, when asked what influenced him most aside from Japanese tradition (‘Dento’ in Japanese), Takamatsu answered: ‘Literature, particularly Japanese literature.’ then added, ‘I am very much influenced by the works of Seiichi Shirai… I am not influenced by Kenzo Tange, Arata Isozaki or Kisho Kurokawa. Those people…Not at all.’ Nowadays, among Japanese architectural critics, Seiichi Shirai’s works and writings are often compared with Kenzo Tange. Shirai is viewed as a pioneer for Japanese style in the age when Japanese architecture was under the control of modernism among the discussion ongoing in Japan. a As most of Seiichi Shirai’s works are highly personalized with rich details, it is hard to enlarge the discussion and bring it into the context of the modern and post-modern discussion. This article aims at deciphering his life and works by connecting his life experience with certain kinds of expression in his works. Meanwhile, analysis of architectural elements is necessary in order to understand his thoughts through practical work. ...
*The rest of this essay is concluded into an appendix.
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Yueci Luo Selected Works 2017-2019