Xuechen Zhao 2023 Architecture Portfolio

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

Xuechen Zhao

2019 - 2022

Selected Works

EXPERIENCE

AECOM | CHICAGO

Design Intern | May - Aug, 2022

- Assist in the modification of construction drawings

- Produced interior renderings

- Assist in production of PPT for presentation

- Prodeced analysis/program diagram

PROJECTS

Multiple interior renovation projects (14 in total)

- Contact manufacturers to select materials and furniture

- Produced interior renderings and modify the Revit model as needed

- Prepare presentation reports

Confidentiality competition

- Join a team of talented AECOM architects from across the United States to discuss the SD phase of the program.

- Assist in the produced floor plan

- Produced program diagram

- Prepare presentation reports

VECTOR ARCHITECTS | BEIJING

Design Intern | May - Aug, 2021

- Assist in the modification of construction drawings

- Produced architectural renderings

- Produced architectural digital & physical mode

- Architectural design development

PROJECTS

The Sound Stone

- Assist in the design of door openings in the lobby

- Design details such as stairs/windows

- Architectural design development

- Produced architectural details

Wulingshan Bathhouse

- Typography of concrete wall joints

- Assist in modifying construction drawings

Jingdezhen Jingyang Boutique Hotel

- Design the elevator car

- Produced Construction drawing

- Produced perspective renderings

- Assist in modifying construction drawings

EDUCATION

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

MArch | Master of Architecture with an Emphasis in Interior Architecture

CHAPTER. 1

CHAPTER. 2

CHAPTER. 3

CHAPTER. 4

CHAPTER. 5

If dreams only exist in dreams, how to make them come true.

Dwindling wetlands, polluted water, dead vegetation, extinct birds.

ETHEREAL SYMBOSIS BRANCH

"In a remote mountain wilderness, keep a few dogs, take in a few stray feral cats, and plant some flowers and plants that maybe can't be kept alive." She said. But all I could see was a vibrant light in her wrinkled eyes.

I still remember my grandfather's skillful hands. He could always fix anything. My doll was broken. No one can fix it for me anymore.

Exhibition hall renovation

Summer 2019 | Monaco

Individual Design

01. ETHEREAL

If dreams only exist in dreams, how to make

Ocean protection is always considered an international issue. As one of the most symbolic species in the ocean, sardines always suffer from overfishing activities by humans, which triggers different kinds of ecosystem problems.

In order to evoke people's awareness of ocean protection, the project would design, modify, and improve a showroom of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco to exhibit the interaction between people and light shadow(simulated sardines groups).

Audiences can interact with the light shadow to expand their understanding of the ocean.

Musée océanographique de Monaco

- Axonometric Diagram (Translucent mode)

- Morphological process

- Exhibition Hall Before Renovation

- Front View | Back View

3 Elements

Human: Fish Flocking: Obstacle

Visitors would act as predators, when approching to simulated fish, fish flocking would run away. Consists of points of light projected on fog that can interact with humans. When the fish flocking automatically move along a com-puted route, it would bypass the obstacals.

6 Forces Type Fish flocking has five different modes for different situations. According to different situations, it would choose different sha-pes, motions, and routes.

3 Flocking Status

Overall, the interaction between visitors and simulate fish can be summarized to three flocking status shown on the right.

Laser projecters are installed on walls of three sides of the exhibition hall. Fog generators are placed underneath the grid at the center of the exhibition hall(interation range for visitors). Many laser beams shot into the generated fog, their interact points form light spots, which consist the simulated fish flocking.

Therefore, the showroom perfectly shows off the human-fish(visitors and light shadow simulated fish) interation based on the routes computed by co-mputer models and other live devices.

Laser projecter

Shlef

Surface grid

Laser projecter Fog generator

Surface grid

Fog

02. SYMBOSIS

Industrial site renovation to bathhouse

Fall 2021 | Chicago

Individual Design

Dwindling wetlands, polluted water, dead vegetation, extinct birds.

The definition of symbiosis is all persistent biological interactions. Interactions means that both parties in the symbiosis need to contribute to each other. There is no doubt that human beings and nature are in a symbiotic relationship, but what humans take from nature is far more than what we contribute to nature. Of course, this bad result will eventually return to humans.

Therefore, in this subject, my concern is how architecture can achieve symbiosis. On the existing site, Prairie Material - Yard32 is close to a tributary of the Chicago River. However, the large amount of dust and the stackers by the river will undoubtedly cause a lot of pollution to the river. Due to the need for trucks to carry goods, the large area of concrete floor prevents rainwater from infiltrating into the bottom. Rain, rainwater will wash away pollutants on the ground and flow into the river next to it, which will also cause water pollution. This is obviously not a good case for realizing the symbiosis between mankind and nature. Therefore, my proposal will focus on transforming industrial sites into places where people and nature can coexist harmoniously and benefit each other.

DECLASSIFICATION | BREAK THE BORDER

In nature, there is no concept of floorlevel, such as mountains, valleys, riversides, caves, etc.

Before the city of Chicago was built in the early days, the aborigines regarded land, water, and sky as a whole, and they interacted with each other.

I intend to blur the boundary between water and ground, interior and exterior, and floorlevel. So as to restore the original state of nature to the greatest extent.

WATERWAY | GIVE BACK TO NATURE

VEGETATION

WATERWAY

Waterways generally refer to rivers, but people cannot directly use rivers as roads (you need to use boats). On the north side of my project, I want to add the experience of waterway to my proposal.

Visitors can experience Chicago's original wetland ecology while taking a bath.

At the same time, on the platform on the north side, I interspersed the waterway with the wetland, hoping to attract migratory birds to stay here in the future.

My vision is that the architecture of the future will not only serve humanbeings, but also contribute to the natural ecology.

ECOLOGICAL CIRCLE | WATER CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

WATER FOREST | ARCHITECTURE NATURALIZE

Watertreatmentsequence

hope to add the concept of ecological circulation to my proposal. Therefore, in my project, the river water can be pumped into silos for storage, filtered and provided to the baths. The used water goes through the filtration system again and finally returns to the Chicago River.

Being close to nature seems to be a human instinct, however, it is difficult for humans to touch nature when they are in a building. So, is it possible for the structure of the building to make people feel natural?

The straight and tall tree trunks of the water forest remind me of dense colonnades. Depending on the existing silos shape,

I copied the silos to the south and north. From the perspective of the groungfloor, the dense support coloums symbolizes the straight trunks of the water forest. The boats shuttle between the columns. People can experience the journey of a water forest that could not be born in Chicago

CHICAGO RIVER

Institute of Hydroponic Agriculture

Spring 2022 | Chicago

Individual Design

Growth is a necessary part of life. Can architecture also be growing?

03. BRANCH

Installation art

Spring 2021 | Beijing

Individual Design

I still remember my grandfather's skillful hands. He could always fix anything. My doll was broken. No one can fix it for me anymore.

With the progress of the times, many broken or outdated items have been abandoned. Some may be important and represent a symbol of an period; some may be unimportant and be abandoned. 798 Industrial Zone is a testimony of China’s industrialization in the last century. And fortunately, although the technology and equipment of this industrial zone have fallen behind, it has been retained as another form. But not all broken or obsolete items are so lucky. Most of them are just abandoned.

ABANDONMENT

With the progress of the times, many broken or out dated items have been abandoned. Some may be important and represent a symbol of an period; some may be unimportant and be abandoned. 798 Industrial Zone is a testimony of China's industrialization in the last century. And fortunately, althrough the technology and equipment of this industrial zone have fallen behind, it has been retained as another form. But not all broken or obsolete items are so lucky. Most of them are just abandoned.

In this photo, I found an abandoned bench in the 798 Park. I used a flexible LED light strip to depict its original frame and fixed it with wooden strips. There may also be many stories before this bench was destroyed, which may carry some people's memories or chidhood. I used all the broken benches to "repair" them. I hope people can recall that even the inconspicuous and discarded objects can represent an period. Maybe it's just a trivial memory.

Digital modeling abilities:

Leeza soho is my favorite project in Beijing, which was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The rendering below is my attempt at modeling with grasshopper after site visits and careful study of project drawing.

06. ADDITIONAL SKILL