Sunday, December 20, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Waidiren, Shenzhen, and my Thesis
Ever since my parents emigrated to the US, I have been curious of the foreigner-and-native conflicts on identity. I chose Shenzhen for its particular situation as a young but rapidly developing city. Shenzhen has undergone a drastic transformation from village to metropolis in only 30 years.
Meanwhile, there is an air of "native" superiority that has been slowly developing. Slang such as "western digital person" or "hard disk person" are used to denigrate the new migrants that seek work and opportunity for a better life. Ironically, these "natives" were immigrants themselves pursuing the same dreams as the current generation.
In this context there is potential for an architectural solution to bridge the cultural, social, and economical gap between the two parties. This is even more evident in the conditions of Huanggang, a village from the past sandwitched between large scale developments of the new Central Business District. There, I propose a new form of architecture that attempts to promote a healthier interaction between the old village and the new metropolis: to examine the current workings of both the village under attack and the generic city, and to imbue the site with a new identity.
Meanwhile, there is an air of "native" superiority that has been slowly developing. Slang such as "western digital person" or "hard disk person" are used to denigrate the new migrants that seek work and opportunity for a better life. Ironically, these "natives" were immigrants themselves pursuing the same dreams as the current generation.
In this context there is potential for an architectural solution to bridge the cultural, social, and economical gap between the two parties. This is even more evident in the conditions of Huanggang, a village from the past sandwitched between large scale developments of the new Central Business District. There, I propose a new form of architecture that attempts to promote a healthier interaction between the old village and the new metropolis: to examine the current workings of both the village under attack and the generic city, and to imbue the site with a new identity.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Trip to HangZhou
After my visit to Shenzhen, I decided to tour Hangzhou/West Lake for a couple of days. Where as Shenzhen is a newly developed metropolis, with record breaking high-rises, Hangzhou has only recently started to develop vertically. The city still has a good mix of modern and historical (now tourism-related) architectures.
The train ticket from Shanghai to Hangzhou was 54Y. That is the equivalent of $8, or 5+ local lunches or 2 Micky D's. The train ride was around 1.5hrs in a clean, fast, smooth cabin. The difference between SH and HZ is like that of metropolis and large oasis, though HZ is expanding rapidly in its new city on the other riverbank. Even by local standards, this price for the train ticket is a great deal!
While in HZ I had a pleasant stay at west lake hostel, and toured the beautiful West Lake and its metropolitan city core. It was refreshing that HZ had a much better air quality (opaque blue) than the larger metropolises; unfortunately I was not alone in that discovery.
The visit got me thinking about the dichotomies of City and Garden (referring specifically to XiHu/west lake and SH). The simple comparison is between the City as a modern, routine, and polluted commercial and residential center and the Garden as a traditional, serene, and quiet natural retreat. In this comparison, physical and psychological distance plays a large role in nurturing the distinctions between the two archetypes.
The train ticket from Shanghai to Hangzhou was 54Y. That is the equivalent of $8, or 5+ local lunches or 2 Micky D's. The train ride was around 1.5hrs in a clean, fast, smooth cabin. The difference between SH and HZ is like that of metropolis and large oasis, though HZ is expanding rapidly in its new city on the other riverbank. Even by local standards, this price for the train ticket is a great deal!
While in HZ I had a pleasant stay at west lake hostel, and toured the beautiful West Lake and its metropolitan city core. It was refreshing that HZ had a much better air quality (opaque blue) than the larger metropolises; unfortunately I was not alone in that discovery.
The visit got me thinking about the dichotomies of City and Garden (referring specifically to XiHu/west lake and SH). The simple comparison is between the City as a modern, routine, and polluted commercial and residential center and the Garden as a traditional, serene, and quiet natural retreat. In this comparison, physical and psychological distance plays a large role in nurturing the distinctions between the two archetypes.
Announcement of Graduation and Thanks
In addition to planning out the thesis book, I have been making a graduation thank-you card as a distraction. I was pretty happy with the result, so I decided to save and post the layout process.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Final Boards
Here are the low res images for my final presentation on the 23rd of July.
I will post renderings later...
I will post renderings later...
I am finally done!
My thesis semester took two more months than initially planned. At last, I have finished and successfully defended my final presentation with my committee. While I couldn't sense the moods and reactions of the moment, I have been later congratulated by those attending for a strong presentation.
I had produced a set of plots that documented my hypothesis, research, development, and proposal. My hypothesis was done in prethesis in fall; I went to visit Shenzhen over winter to do my research, and my thesis was developed with the help of my committee throughout this year. During the summer, three great friends helped me pull together my ideas, craft a beautiful model and its respective site. In addition, I have received great criticism from numerous friends, and support from many, many more. I couldn't have done this without all the help I've received. I am really proud of being a part of the Class of '09.
As for this blog, I plan to use it to gather my research and proposal, fill in any logical holes, and to compile it as a resource for my thesis book. Therefore, the posts will be initially non-linear and tag oriented for my own usage, and will be more of an assemblage of ideas.
more pics...
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Perimeter Walls
Shenzhen's non-commercial sections are often enclosed by perimeter walls for privacy and security. What is understandably necessary in an urban fabric quickly devolves into entire sections of the city being closed off to public traffic. (The mix-use housing typology that provide for ground level commercial activities is noticeably missing at the bottom of high rises. Instead, peddlers' carts attack street intersections and a scattering of shopping malls sit on block-sized islands dispersed throughout the city.)
All perimeter walls have gateways and openings to let private passage through. These openings are often guarded by gatehouses and attendees. Like crossing a checkpoint, there is a protocol to follow before opening the gates for entry. These thresholds disrupt the flow on the sidewalk and interactions between the public passer-bys. The street becomes a maze of ugly walls.
The lack of public identity is one of the faults that I attribute to the over-zealous claiming of private spaces. Is there a better way to provide for security and a sense of public space? (Are there similar deterrents to monotony and rigidity of the perimeter walls and provide for a smoother transition between what is public and private?) Can architecture create a new "defensible space" for the city scale?
All perimeter walls have gateways and openings to let private passage through. These openings are often guarded by gatehouses and attendees. Like crossing a checkpoint, there is a protocol to follow before opening the gates for entry. These thresholds disrupt the flow on the sidewalk and interactions between the public passer-bys. The street becomes a maze of ugly walls.
The lack of public identity is one of the faults that I attribute to the over-zealous claiming of private spaces. Is there a better way to provide for security and a sense of public space? (Are there similar deterrents to monotony and rigidity of the perimeter walls and provide for a smoother transition between what is public and private?) Can architecture create a new "defensible space" for the city scale?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Shenzhen marketplace
The Shenzhen marketplace in 华侨城 (foreign Chinese city) is located in the middle of a well planned industrial neighborhood built in the 1980s. But for the new developments nearby, going to the market in a dangerous daily task. I tailed an elderly leaving the marketplace (a majority of morning shoppers are elderly) for about 15 minutes before she got to the gates of her luxury highrise.
Traditionally, the Chinese marketplace has been the soul of the neighborhood; it was where people come together to purchase fresh produce and meats, and share a bit of each others lives. They were usually complimented by small eateries and other shops that sell domestic wares. However, current city living demands business models of a different scale: markets become supermarkets and mom and pop stores give away to larger warehouse stores. While most are still pedestrian friendly, these points of transaction are no longer about daily living but about efficiency and cost. (Unfortunately, new developments like this one in Shenzhen often do not have adequate access to domestic goods and services, and should be amended)fringe apartments
On my way to Shenzhen, I noticed that along the fringes of large urban centers there are some patches of newly transformed residential villages. The rise of this apartment typology here is due to 1) the rising wealth amongst the rural dwellers; 2) the increasing demand for suburban housing; and 3) the continuing industrialization of large scaled farming.
These 3-4 story apartment styled housing are situated on what used to be railroad-side strip farmland. Noise and vibration aside, they are significant improvements upon previous rural structures that often lack water/sewage and electricity. In comparison to the skyscraper apartments, these tightly packed
While there are many different decorations and styles of ornament used on these apartments, for the most part, they share a very rigid set of components: There is the stairs core that provides access and division to the units with a sharp point to the skies; the balconies that open to the south for light in the winter and sun protection in the summer; the load bearing construction method that limits (or enables) different spatial compositions (the ability for developers to sell by #bedroom/#bath); the tightly packed (dare I say urban) condition of these developments; and a one story wall that encloses a tight front yard just before the narrow streets.
These 3-4 story apartment styled housing are situated on what used to be railroad-side strip farmland. Noise and vibration aside, they are significant improvements upon previous rural structures that often lack water/sewage and electricity. In comparison to the skyscraper apartments, these tightly packed
While there are many different decorations and styles of ornament used on these apartments, for the most part, they share a very rigid set of components: There is the stairs core that provides access and division to the units with a sharp point to the skies; the balconies that open to the south for light in the winter and sun protection in the summer; the load bearing construction method that limits (or enables) different spatial compositions (the ability for developers to sell by #bedroom/#bath); the tightly packed (dare I say urban) condition of these developments; and a one story wall that encloses a tight front yard just before the narrow streets.
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