statement I transform historic buildings into environments that promote social dynamism and foster healthy communities. The interventions I implement on a host structure take into account its context (historical, architectural, environmental,
etc.)
and
existing
conditions,
and
consider the social implications that intervention would bring to its surrounding population. Prior to RISD, I worked for three of New York City’s premier design firms, where I focused primarily in marketing and business development. I have become fluent in the back-end operations that are vital in the management and success of a design studio, and learned the significance and practice of storytelling in design. My intaglio and woodcut prints focus on the intersection between my cultural identity and food.
i
robert yang
54 Pitman Street Providence, RI 02906 M | 615.479.3363 E | yang.w.robert@gmail.com
education
experience
Rhode Island School of Design
WXY architecture + urban design
Master of Design Candidate
Marketing Manager
and efficient process in the
Interior Architecture,
March 2018 - May 2019
development of detailed
Adaptive Reuse June 2019 - present
proposal, presentation, and As WXY’s Marketing Manager, I was the main point of contact for
Williams College
the firm’s RFP/RFQ submissions. I
BA in Environmental Science &
worked with the firm’s Partnership
Art History/Practice
and Managing Director to enhance
September 2011 - July 2015
WXY’s nationwide reach and impact
skills Rhino AutoCAD Lumion Adobe InDesign Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop Microsoft Suite
qualification responses. – Conducted strategic research in developing design pitches for potential clients. – Successfully coordinated and
in the architecture and urban
manage the submission of award
planning marketplace. I was also
applications including The James
responsible for:
Beard Awards, Hospitality Design
– Directing pursuit strategy and proposal meetings with design, management, and technical teams. – Managing the firm’s leads tracking system. – Conducting regular status
Awards, and Interior Design Best of Year Awards. – Managed the firm’s social media accounts and significantly increased their online presence. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
updates with firm-wide practice
Marketing Coordinator
leaders.
June 2015 - November 2016
– Continually improving the firm’s project imagery and storytelling. AvroKO Marketing Coordinator November 2016 - February 2018 I maintained a direct line of communication with AvroKO’s Partnership, the Director of Business Development, the Director of Public Relations, and Senior Management in all external and internal marketing initiatives. In this role, I:
ii
– Established a streamlined
Working closely with the marketing, architecture, interior design and graphics departments, I was responsible for a wide range of proposal development, award submittals, media, and business development, as well as support to Principals and senior staff in SOM’s New York office.
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iv
contents DESIGN 01. Memory Box
1
02. Enlivening Tradition
11
03. Compositional Living
25
04. Reclaiming Frontiers
41
05. Analog Interference
47
FINE ARTS 06. Printmaking
57
07. Take Five
71
08. Spatial Investigations
77
v
Design
01. Memory Box Storage as Memory
1
invites curation - an ongoing process of editing with intention - as a driver of discovery."
DESIGN
"Saturating spaces with storage entices curiosity and
Musei Wormiani Historia copper engraving 1655
~ Megan Panzano, Objectives: The Architectural Potentials of Storage in Harvard Design Magazine, No. 43, F/W 2016 Storage, in its current form, renders our belongings invisible and places them out of arm’s reach, expunging them from the mind’s eye. They begin to lose hold on our daily lives, and items that once held personal significance gradually become trifles. Storing, as a result, becomes an act of forgetting. The Memory Box seeks to serve the function of storage as remembering as opposed to hoarding. This personal storage system allows users to cherish their fondest memories and celebrate the objects that they or their loved ones own. The architecture creates moments of visibility
and
interaction,
and
opportunities
for
an exchange of memories between storage users. They are encouraged to curate their rooms to tell their story, or the story of someone else. In doing so, each personalized room fosters cathartic moments of reflection. Today’s storage methods place an onus on user privacy and
visibility
of
contents.
Memory
Box,
however,
invites the public to view the diverse collection of narratives housed within each box. Floating catwalks surround the periphery of the storage volume, housed within a brilliant white mesh cage that levitates just
above
the
existing
structure.
Visitors
have
the opportunity to join the celebration of storage and are encouraged to explore the curated vignettes into the memories of others. Memory Box, as a result, transforms storage, a conventionally private service, into a public good.
2
Ground
N 4th St Elevation
3
DESIGN
2F
3F
4F
Berry St Elevation
4
The diagram below profiles the imagined identities of
users
who
would
participate
in
this
new
storage typology. Storage users of the Memory Box are encouraged to curate their rooms to tell their story, or the story of someone else. The Empty Nester represents parents who wish to memorialize the memories of their matriculated children. The Mourner, however, uses their unit as a way to remember loved ones who have passed away, recreating their life frozen in time.
5
DESIGN
6
7
threshold
between
the
urban
environment
and
the inner storage volume. The in-between space is exposed to the outdoors and blurs the line between urban and interior. The
architecture
of
the
storage
volume
is
informed by the varying depths of the storage boxes (17’, 12’, and 7’). These stacked boxes create
a
terraced
atrium
that
encourages
visibility and interaction between the users. The three catwalks are all complete loops that connect to each other, encouraging visitors to freely explore and discover different memories on each level. Narrow apertures peer into each unit that allow visitors a small vignette into these
memories,
while
also
still
respecting
levels of privacy for the storage users.
8
DESIGN
The shell of the existing building acts as a
9
DESIGN
10
02. Enlivening Tradition Reflecting upon Noh
11
DESIGN
“The roof over the Noh stage symbolizes the unity of the theater space...participation of both audience and performers is necessary in the creation of a Noh play, and thus, there must be a sense of a single Noh space.” ~ Kunio Komparu, The Noh Theater: Principles and Perspectives (1983) Located in the town of Inami in the Toyama prefecture, the former Hokuriku Bank Inami Branch was the first reinforced-concrete, Neoclassical structure built and owned by the Hokuriku Bank in 1924. At risk of being demolished for financial reasons,
local
stakeholders
are
undertaking
efforts to preserve and protect this cultural asset.
In
response
to
Japan’s
ageing
and
declining rural population, as well as the need to reinvigorate Inami, the Neoclassical bank is reimagined as a cultural performing arts center, where locals and visitors alike can gather and celebrate the heritage and traditions of Inami. Noh is Japan’s oldest and its most poetic form of theater. The drama bridges the gap not only between
the
spiritual
and
corporeal
domains,
but also between the audience and performer. In this fashion, the new cultural center puts the audience in the performer’s shoes, creating moments of intimacy, participation, and reflection. Furthermore, as Noh was traditionally performed outdoors, this concept seeks to blur the lines between outside and in, all while being enclosed and protected from the elements. This project was conducted as part of a RISD Advanced
Studio
stakeholders
and
in
collaboration
Taketombo,
an
with
local
architectural
preservation organization based in Nanto.
Noh Butai no Zu (Picture of Noh Theater) copper engraving Kogyo Tsukioka Woodblock print 1868-1912
12
3
2
1
Reinterpreting Noh The concept derives certain anatomical principles of the traditional Noh stage and reinterprets them in a contemporary manner that both honors the traditions of the craft, while propelling it
into
the
21st
century.
The
hashi-gakari,
traditionally angled at 105 degrees, connects the mirror room to the main stage, functioning as
a
passageway
earthly
worlds.
between In
the
the
new
spiritual
cultural
and
center,
the threshold between the Bank building and the main performance shed serves the same purpose, connecting the audience to the performance, the old to the new. The form of the threshold is derived from the reflection of the traditional 105 degree angle. Deviating
from
the
roof
structure
of
the
traditional Noh stage, the four columns shoot up to the ceiling of the shed, appearing to support the roof above like the canopy of trees.
6.4 m
3.6 m
1 m
5.5 m
13
1.2 m
1. main stage (hon-butai) 2. bridge (hashi-gakari) 3. mirror room (kagami no ma)
DESIGN
2F
1F
14
South Elevation
15
DESIGN
South Section
16
17
DESIGN
18
c
b a
a
Cross Sections
19
b
c
DESIGN
a) Tiered arena seating creates a dynamic space that allows for small, intimate performances. Wall height mirrors create the illusion of expanded space, and encourage audience members to reflect upon themselves and the performance.
b) A glass curtain wall using the colors of a traditional Noh curtain (age-maku) imbues the space with an atmosphere of magic and mysticism. A single Japanese maple is planted within the threshold to allow for moments contemplation and bring a sense of the outdoors inside.
c) Tiered seating and a viewing platform allow for multiple observation opportunities, while large shoji screen doors open on either side of the shed to create an interface with the outdoor street environment.
20
1. skylight 2. cedar rafters 3. viewing platform & tiered seating 4. reinterpreted noh stage 5. charred cedar envelope 6. sliding shoji pocket doors 7. colored curtain wall 8. 105° bridge with reflection above 9. stadium seating 10. restored skylight & laylight
10
1
9
2
8 3
7
4
5
21
6
DESIGN
1. aluminum gutter 2. 4x10 cedar rafters 3. charred cedar fascia board 4. wood fiber insulation with vapor permeable membrane 5. batten 6. pocket door header track 7. shoji door frame 8. steel studs 9. etched glass panels 10. rigid insulation 11. plasterboard walls 12. guide channel
1 23° 2 3 4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
22
23
DESIGN
24
03. Compositional Living Housing for Musicians
25
DESIGN
“It doesn’t exist in time. I’ve taken sound out of time and made it into an entity.” ~ Max Neuhaus, on Times Square (1977) The George C. Arnold building is a three story, 3,500 square foot building located in Downtown Providence. At 12.5 feet wide, it is one of the narrowest buildings in the downtown area. The
building
sits
in
an
aurally
dynamic
environment; its north facade is subject to the cacophony of a busy streetscape, while its opposite face experiences a relatively quieter climate.
Uniquely
positioned
as
a
threshold
between these contrasting domains, the George C. Arnold Building has the potential to contribute to the urban soundscape in which it resides.
Times Square Max Neuhaus 1992
Designed as a co-residency and incubator for promising, young musicians, the George C. Arnold building becomes an unintentional instrument in an urban symphony. Personal practice rooms, outdoor terraces, a recital hall, a recording studio,
and a
speakeasy; together, the sounds
of music will be heard emanating from every corner of the building. In the vein of John Cage’s 4:33, those walking by will be subjected to an impromptu performance, varying throughout the day. No performance is ever the same.
26
Utilizing
the
building’s
exisiting
structure
and proportions, a grid system was established to determine the intervention’s rhythmic forms. The
building’s
narrow
footprint
was
copied,
partitioned into seven sections, and divided into a matrix, which became the “manuscript” upon which to compose the intervention. Each layer was inspired by the undulating notation of Bach’s Chaconne from Partita no. 2 in D minor.
27
DESIGN
28
Site Plan
Aural Topography
29
Clemence Street
Matthewson Street
Washington Street
DESIGN
Third Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Ground Floor Plan
Basement Floor Plan
30
Shifted Vertical Core
Composition
Perforated Existing Brick Wall
Wa
sh
i
to ng
t nS
ree
t
Improvisation
Axonometric Diagram: Formal Intervention
31
DESIGN
North Elevation
South Elevation
32
33
DESIGN
The rhythmic push and pull of the intervention creates a dynamic southern facade that allows each musician to interact with their neighbor as well as the outside world. Outdoor terraces function as stages where musicians can practice or hold an impromptu outdoor performance for unsuspecting pedestrians. A screen system was implemented on the northern facade to provide both privacy and protection from the sun. The louvers vary in frequency, length, and position in order to emulate the crescendo and decrescendo of a musical composition.
34
Plan Perspective
Longitudinal Section
35
DESIGN
36
Cross Section -
Cross Section -
Staircase
Practice Rooms
37
DESIGN
38
39
DESIGN
40
04. Reclaiming Frontiers A Gateway to Providence
41
DESIGN
Situated on an urban island in Downtown Providence, the triangular-shaped Avis Car Rental Center sits at a confluence of both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. While the building sees a constant flux of passerbys, it is largely ignored due to its mundane function and being overshadowed by the looming Biltmore Hotel next door. Extensive research revealed that the structure had once occupied a majority of the site’s perimeter
in
the
early
20th
century,
as
well as functioned as a Texaco gas station during the 1960s. The adaptive reuse of the Avis Car Rental Center, therefore, transforms the trivial building by recalling its former selves. A roof structure, almost double the size of the building’s footprint, was implemented to reclaim the boundary it once occupied. As reference to the mid-century gas station, two striking pylons pull at the roof structure and anchor it to the ground. In order to promote more biking and safer passage into Downtown Providence, the area beneath the roof functions as a public space and thoroughfare for bikers and pedestrians where they can gather and seek respite from the hectic surrounding traffic. The monumentality and accessibility of the intervention positions the Avis Center as a welcoming gateway into Downtown Providence.
Standard Station Ed Ruscha Screenprint 1966
42
OV
DORR
INNER
ANCE
STRE
ET
INTERMEDIATE
ORIGINAL SITE
RECLAIMED PERIMETER
TERTIARY
OVERHANG
ED DY ST RE ET
W
O
R
CE
E ST
R
S
TR
EE
T
ORIGINAL SI T E
INNER LAYER
INTERMEDIATE LAYER
RECLAIMED PERIMETER
TERTIARY LAYER
Site Plan
In line with the narrative of the gas station, the Avis Center becomes a biker’s oasis. Transparent garage doors open to the outside, allowing bikers to repair their bikes. A refreshment bar and ample seating allow pedestrians to relax on their commute to work or seek shelter from inclement weather. Apart from the expanded roof, minimal alterations were made to the existing structure.
Floor Plan
43
DESIGN
Axonometric Diagram: Formal Intervention
44
Southwest Elevation
Northeast Section
45
DESIGN
46
05. Analog Interference A Study in Light & Shadow
47
DESIGN
The pavilion, situated on the grounds of the Serpentine Gallery in London, is generated by a labyrinth of 10-foot high, wooden screens. Each panel is perforated with evenly spaced apertures that allow for the diffraction of natural light during
the
day,
and
artificial
light
in
the
evening. Visitors are invited to reconfigure the mobile panels which results in a dynamic facade and interior. This constant movement creates an everchanging display of diffracted light within the space that is dependent upon the whims of visitors as well as time of day. The panels orbit around an assembly of concrete columns that
bloom
into
an
overlapping
canopy
that
provides shelter from the outside elements.
48
The ideation process began with exploring the phenomena of light diffraction through the layering and perforation of a simple geometric form. Movement within the space is in a circular direction, while openings create mutiple points of entry. Rotating around a central axis, the resulting segments allow for various configurations.
Perforated Layers
Labyrinthine Circulation
49
DESIGN
Floor Plan
50
canopy ceiling & columns shou sugi ban wood panels
concrete floor
embedded LED lighting
51
DESIGN
52
concrete canopy ceiling & columns
shou sugi ban wood panels
concrete platform tracks routed with led lighting
53
DESIGN
54
Fine Arts
The Chinese take-out box is a ubiquitous icon of the Chinese American restaurant industry. Ironically, the original template design was patented by Chicago inventor Frederick Weeks in
1894,
and
attractive
its
efficient,
design
has
convenient,
become
a
mainstay
and for
Chinese restaurants across the country. These boxes,
however,
are
often
overlooked
and
discarded . In creating this print, I set out to transform the takeout box into an object that diners would value and perhaps keep. Inspired by the ornate designs and deep blues of
porcelain
vessels
from
the
Ming
Dynasty,
this reimagining of the takeout box turns an everyday, oftentimes disposed of container into an elevated and thought-provoking object. Imagery derived from Ming porcelain is reinterpreted to evoke Chinese cuisine: the leaves of bok choi sprout from the lid; fragrant steam flows around the container. The Chinese symbol 囍 ("double happiness")
is
printed
on
the
side
panels,
bestowing upon the diner good luck and joy. When the box is opened up, an abstraction of noodles greets the hungry diner. When laid out flat, a takeout box becomes a makeshift plate, a lesser known function of the container. Hidden on the inner panels reads a message of goodwill in Chinese to curious and passsionate eaters: 吃 饱 吃 好 ("eat well").
57
DESIGN
Ming To-Go woodcut 2020
58
Ming To-Go, Exterior woodcut 2020
59
Ming To-Go, Interior woodcut 2020
FINE ARTS 60
Take-out I woodcut 2020
61
Take-out II woodcut 2020
FINE ARTS 62
Buy Pocky! woodcut in four colors 2020
63
FINE ARTS
64
Careno, Italy line etching 2020
65
Kettle’s Yard line etching 2020
FINE ARTS 66
Squid collograph 2020
67
FINE ARTS
68
Triptych Dream line etching 2020
69
FINE ARTS
70
I was commissioned by The Archers, a design group based in Los Angeles, to create a collection of illustrations to be part of an installation for the Vitra showroom in Manhattan’s Meat Packing District. To showcase a special collaboration between Heath Ceramics and Artek, The Archers envisioned a fictional meeting between Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and American ceramicist Edith Heath, had they met in 1950. Custom designed ceramic tiles were paired with Aalto’s iconic Tea Trolley and Stool 60, which were the showpieces of the installation. The illustrations are intended to represent the “sales and marketing” material that would have been used as collateral. The commission was two-fold. The first illustration is a large-format, watercolor and ink rendering of Aalto’s Tea Trolley with the unique ceramic tile top, true to life and to scale. The second set
of
illustrations
advertisements
of
is
inspired
domesticity
by
from
vintage
the
mid-
1900s. Each vignette depicts Aalto’s tea trolley and stool set in household moments used for everyday activities.
71
72
Take Five The Archers 2018 Photo credit: The Archers
73
DESIGN
74
Aalto’s Tea Trolley 22 x 30 inches pen, watercolor, pencil 2018
75
Four household vignettes 11 x 14 inches each pen, watercolor 2018
FINE ARTS 76
Top: Variation on Tadao Ando pencil 2019 Bottom: Variation on Carlo Scarpa pencil 2019
77
Kubrick Dreams of Mies collage, pencil, vellum 2019
FINE ARTS 78
robert yang MDes Candidate in Interior Architecture Rhode Island School of Design M | 615.479.3363 E | yang.w.robert@gmail.com