Architecture Portfolio 2013 [OUTDATED]

Hello,

My name is Yuchen Zhang.

I was born in Beijing, China and have lived there for seven years before immigrating to Toronto, Canada. I am presently completing my second year of architecture at the University of Waterloo and will be looking to start a 4 month internship as of January 2014. This is my portfolio of selected works. Enjoy!

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Content Curriculum Vitae

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Curbshell

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Junk

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Synthesis

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Dune

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Retrack

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Reflection

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Personal Work

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Yuchen Zhang Email Mobile Address Nationality

Contact information

yuchen.zhang2@gmail.com +1 647 780 3702 43B-5305 Glen Erin Dr., Mississauga, ON, Canada Canadian

Education

2012- Present Candidate for Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Co-op University of Waterloo, Faculty of Engineering Relevant courses Design studio, building construction, environmental design, visual communications, and cultural history

Skills • • • • • •

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Highly proficient at model making Excellent customer service skills from experience Quick learner with initiative and a team player Positive attitude and great sense of responsibility Well organized and with excellent time management skills Great communications skills; fluent in mandarin

Programs AutoCAD Revit SketchUp Rhino Vray Photoshop Illustrator InDesign

Experience

2013 ACADIA Guest management staff University of Waterloo • Registered guests and answered inquiries about the ACADIA conference 2013 Front desk clerk Sushi Sushi Japanese Restaurant • Resolved customer conflicts both in person and over the telephone • Consistently communicated with coworkers in English and Mandarin to meet the needs of customers and other employees 2012 Model maker Philip Beesley Architect Inc. • Assisted in the production of an installation project for the grand opening of Simons in Edmonton 2011 Assistant cabinet maker Golden Baths and Kitchen • Reorganized workshop to enhance efficiency of work-flow • Cooperated with cabinet maker to complete cabinetry construction

Awards and recognition • • • •

Exhibited artworks at the Port Credit Emporium in Mississauga, Ontario University of Waterloo Entrance Scholarship Graduate of the Regional Arts Program Visual Arts Award 2011 7

Curbshell

a structural steel pop-up shelter for barren sidewalks

Location Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Skill set Rhino Vray AutoCAD Illustrator Photoshop Team Anisha Sankar

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Curbshell was An entry for the Structural Steel Education Foundation Competition, Curbshell is a pop-up steel frame structure that targets the barren sidewalks of the parking lots of Square One Shopping Center. Coming in a modules of 6, Curbshell utilizes a pinned steel frame, coloured acrylic panels and lighting to create an aesthetically appealing walkway that also includes features such as benches and markets. At night, the structure comes to life when it is completely lit up from within.

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pot lights

fold-out benches

left exterior render right section

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

built-in market space

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Legend Sidewalks Car lanes Parking lots

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Pin connection with diagonal bracing

Clips welded to the steel to allow acrylic sheets to slide in

Base plate is welded to steel column

left site right exploded axonometric 13

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Junk

recycling spaces and ideas into miniature studio units

Location Cambridge, Ontario, Canada Skill set Rhino Vray AutoCAD Illustrator Photoshop Team Lola Abraham Marisa Musing Valerie Nuyanzina

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Situated in a remotely used parking lot of Cambridge Ontario, Junk is a project that transforms unused parking lots into small parcels of residential units. As a part of the project, the design had to be a conceptual union of two preliminary design ideas from fellow classmates. Given the two preliminary projects, the main components of both projects were extracted and combined. Greenery, daylighting and unit stacking were the borrowed components used to create the present design.

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Thorne St.

Water St.

Ainslie St.

site

morning shadow afternoon shadow

The site is framed by residential and commercial buildings which shades a considerable portion of the site during the day. The site criteria required 60% of original parking spaces to be preserved, while a minimum of twelve 40m2-60m2 studio units were to be placed on the site. Additionally, building surfaces less than 1m away from the lot line could not have windows while surfaces within a 1m to 3m distance could have windows on 10% of the surface. Passageway for emergency vehicles also had to be provided.

Dickson St.

left rendered exterior 19

merging concepts

Two preliminary concepts were randomly paired to act as a base for the design. Junk works with the ideas of greenery, daylighting and stacking from these two conceptual designs.

Preliminary concepts by Ilhan Ozdemir and Justin Jones

screen

+ greenery

+ daylighting

stacking

In order to accommodate for both daylighting and privacy, a series of wood panels forming a screen were added to the facade. The wood panels are bolted to steel angles which are then bolted to a steel piece. On the opposing side, the steel piece is bolted to a another steel angle that is then bolted into the wall in order to join the wood panel to the wall.

left site plan right ground plan 20

emergency vehicle passage benches act as a threshold units are lifted to preserve original parking spaces lamps provide ambiance and security

screen

trees and plants

a trelliis defines front entrance

Units are set back to allow for glazing 21

third floor units provide both residential and office space

second floor contains all residential features

cross ventilation

private study area on the first floor

water tanks to store storm water

stacking

An interesting feature of most of Junk’s units are that work and residential spaces are split and stacked on top of one another.

A wooden screen on the exterior offers privacy for the offices while allowing sunlight to fill the interior. The stacking also allows for parking spaces to be provided underneath.

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left diagrammatic section right interior render

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Synthesis

a townhouse experiment in light and social activityor

Location Cambridge, Ontario, Canada Skill set Revit AutoCAD Photoshop Illustrator

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Synthesis is a townhouse project designed for a family of four who wished for socially active house for the senior member of the family in juxtaposition with a private workspace for the parents. The programs are organized vertically to create a social hub on the ground floor and a private study on the top floor. The three floors within the house is connected by a lightwell that not only lights up the interior but also acts as a channel for communication throughout the house.

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summer sun 60째

winter sun 30째

study

bedrooms

bedroom, living, dining and kitchen

daylighting

During the summer months, the light travels directly down through the light well. However in winter, the light bounces off the white walls and gently lights up the living room.

left rendered exterior right diagrammatic section

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PARKING

DN

UP

WATER ST.

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DN

UP

left ground floor, second floor, third floor right rendered section

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Dune

recycling spaces and ideas into miniature studio units

Location Tripoli, Libya Skill set Rhino Vray AutoCAD Illustrator Photoshop

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Dune is a desert shelter that depends solely on passive design to achieve optimum temperature, moisture and lighting conditions. Dune takes advantage of the thermal lag in the earth and uses the soil as an earth berm to cool the inhabitants during the summer and keep them warm in winter. Through the use of passive solar design and materiality, Dune creates a comfortable desert hub for all travelers.

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N

concrete benches

interior partition blocks off southern sunlight

W W

E E ladder to rooftop sand fills concrete walls and acts as an earth berm

solar heating

S

warm

hot

left project in context right solar orientation diagram

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south daylighting

north daylighting

passive solar design

To prevent overheating, no openings except for the doorway was created the south side. On the north side however, a multitude of windows allow for sunlight to light up the interior without overheating the space. Furthermore, these wide box-windows also act as a shading devices during the summer when the angle of the sun’s rays are too steep to penetrate through the wall.

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left lighting diagram right winter lighting summer lighting

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Retrack

transforming recycled tires into playful landscapes

Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada Skill set Rhino Vray AutoCAD Illustrator Photoshop

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Designed as a public playground for the Playscape competition by Building International, Retrack is a series of mini-playgrounds situated in the scarcely used walkways in downtown Toronto. Each year, approximately 10 million tires are being dumped into landfills in Ontario and while many tire recycling programs are in place, scrap tires continue to be generated and recycling is not always the best solution. Retrack uses scrap tires donated by the community to create a small playground along the unused walkway. As the community continues to supply tires, the playground continues to grow.

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the see-saw

the bumper

the hoops

left see-saw in use right site plan 39

the bumper

the hoops

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the see-saw

the playgrounds

The bumper playground features half tires of varying heights that produce a bouncy artificial topography for people to have fun travelling on top of. In addition, the higher tires in the bumper series may also be used as seating.

In comparison, the hoops are a flat colourful playground of painted tires. The see-saw combines perforated metal planks and half tires to create shifting platforms which can be fun when walked over or seated upon.

left playground variations right hoops in use

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Reflection

A work in progress of a community centre for the city of Cambrdige

Location Cambridge, Ontario, Canada Skill set Rhino Vray Illustrator Photoshop

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t

Reflection is a site sensitive approach to public space. The building inserts itself into the pre-existing context, working with the surrounding buildings to create an open piazza for a range of social activity. The common reflection as we know from standing in front of a mirror is an image that simultaneously captures the viewer and the surrounding context. In a similar fashion, Reflection aims to integrate the individual, the built world and the natural world within one image as an expression of the Cambridge common.

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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

left concept vignettes right parti diagrams ground plan 45

Personal Works

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Form and Line Pen on vellum 1.83 x 5.38m

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Icarus Matches and Wire 41 x 21 x 19 cm

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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yuchen.zhang2@gmail.com +1 647 780 3702