Portfolio l Xing He

School of Architecture University of Kansas

Lawrence Branch Library 04

Academic

Contents

Professional

Arts

Chicago Opera House 08

Documentary Center of New Orleans 12

Master Planning Competition in Qingdao 16

Haitang Bay Hotel in Hainan 18

Drawings 20

Hands-on Studio Tables 01

This group project included thirteen students and required that we designed and built sixty working tables for our architec-ture school. Throughout this project, we learned a wide range of construction methods and skills, including making jigs, us-ing band saws, using table saws, drilling, welding, metal polishing, wood sanding, wood protection techniques, etc.

Teamwork was the core re-quirement of this group project. Through production, we under-stood the importance of detail-ing. Sizes of the bolts and nuts, the way wood pieces connect, how drawers would slide, all these small design decisions could never be overestimated since details would determine the product’s performance and its aesthetics.

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Hands-onStudio Tables

Team Nils GoreZach Capehart, Matt Kella, Matt Ransom, Vissat Branden, Eddy Judith, Alex Rodriguez, Kelly Mike, Hannah Hindman, Melanie Arthur, Lickenbrock Julie, Kara Schippers, Ryan Mc Cabe

Fall 2010Prof. Nils Gore

Cavity Spacefor large studio tools and supplies such as tracing paper, chipboards, plywoods, and drawings.

Drawerfor small studio tools and sup-plies such as pencils, pens, cut-ting knives, and glue bottles.

Storagefor backpacks, clothes, and computer towers.

Because we had a limited budget, restrict-ing the cost was essential. We decided to treat four tables as one unit to save materi-als and ultimately reduce the cost. Both the storage units and the cavities were tackled in such a way that they looked like

they were floating without touching any sup-porting structures. The cavity was supported by steel plates that were installed on its bot-tom but recessed a couple of inches from the front edge of the cavity.

After interviewing a number of architecture students and based upon our own experi-ences, we found out that sufficient storage space for storing studio supplies and per-sonal belongings was significant to consider. We categorized items that needed to be stored into three groups and designed proper spaces for each group accordingly.

Total Estimated Cost: $100.00 Total Estimated Cost: $725.00Total Estimated Cost: $262.50Glass and Rolled Steel

Cost Estimate of Different Materials

Baltic Plywood Paperstone

We experimented with different types of stor-age units.

Through building several mock-ups, we gained a good understanding of human scale and learned about the structure.

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Outlet BoxAn integrated 4-plug outlet allows for easy and ample power access to users. Hard-wired into the wire channel, the electricity is sourced from a heavy-duty 1/2” flex conduit cord dropped down fro the ceiling grid.

Electric

Tower StorageThe storage unit has a break in the center which allows for easy wire access to com-puter towers stored below.

Wire ChannelThe 4” x 4” channel allows wires to be moved off of the table tops which unclutters the work space allowing for a more organized work area.

Fabrication

Timeline

Steel Steel

Steel

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Free WorkspaceThe workspace is kept clear due to integrated wire support which allows substantial space for laptops, monitors, and other daily tools.

3’ - 0”

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4’- 4”

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2’- 0”

BOTTOM

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2’- 2 1/4”

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1' - 10 3/4" 2' - 3"

1' 4 - 1/4"1' - 7"

2' - 10"

2' - 9 1/4"

0’- 3/8”

1’- 1/2”

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0’- 1”

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1’- 1/2”0’- 1” 0’- 1”

1’- 1/2” 1’- 1/2”

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2’- 3”

1’- 10 3/4”

1”1”- 1 1/2”1’- 1 1/2”

1”

0’ - 1" 0’ - 1"

2' - 10"

2' - 3"

1' - 1/2" 1' - 1/2"

1/4’’ plate steel3/4’’ baltic plywood5’’ by 3’’ 11g tube steel1/4’’ hex nut1 1/4’’ by 1 1/4’’ 11g tube steel

1 3/4’’ baltic plywood1/16’’ flat washer3’’ carriage bolt

1/4’’ plate steel runner is welded to the 1 1/4’’ by 1 1/4’’ tube steel

1’’ by 3’’ tube steel spine is welded to the 5’’ by 3’’ staple

1 1/4’’ by 1 1/4’’ tube steel is welded to the 1’’ by 3’’ spine

1/4’’ countersunk hole

Wood

Wood

Wood

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The Lawrence Art Center is a community center that supports both social and cultural events in the Lawrence community. Due to increased interest and demand on space, an expansion is needed to improve its service to the community.

Spring 2011Prof. Silva Kapila

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Lawrence Branch Library

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My design was aimed at exposing art works to the public. A glass gallery was designed to achieve this goal. It was shaped like a jewel---a piece of art in itself---and was suspended above the lobby.

This suspended jewel leaves space below for people to gather during events. The transparent “jewel” box structure is in con-trast to the solidity of the existing Art Center, which in effect, draws the visitors attention to the interior space.

The extension to the Art Center is located on the vacant plot just north of the exist-ing building on New Hampshire Street. The design solution focused upon making the Art Center a landmark and enhancing the urban life in the downtown area.

Basic shape of a eight-sided diamond

To develop more faces, edge lines were extended

To further break the faces, more lines were added.

A black box theater was designed to locate beneath the lobby. For the purpose of educating the public, the top of the theater’s

backstage was exposed so that people could learn about backstage devices.

Gallery

Cafe and Gift Shop

Mechanical and Service SpaceAdministration

Blackbox Theater

Circulation

Dance Department Studios

Reading Room

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A central outdoor sculpture court was designed to be partially embraced by the building. The sculpture court is protected from the noise in the streets while it still has a con-nection with the outside world. It is intended

to be used both by visitors in the Art Center and the general public. The northwest corner of the site is of paramount importance because it is where two main streets in Lawrence join. I opened

up this corner so that it reads as a welcom-ing gesture that encourages people to visit. A large gallery was designed to occupy this corner with a glass facade and a reflecting pool.

Rain screen

Louver System

Structure

Glass “Jewel”

Natural Ventilation

Cross Natural Ventilation

Summer Sun

Winter Sun

The “Jewel” sculpture gallery is suspended in the center of the lobby from a series of steel trusses.

The“Jewel” sculpture gallery is visible from the streets, an-nouncing the purpose of this building. Large pieces of sculp-tures can be exhibited here.

The lobby is capable of host-ing large events and exhibiting additional artworks. The louver system on the exterior of the glass facades reduces the summer heat gain.

A view from the reading room toward the New Hampshire Street,

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1. Ceramic Studio2. Jewelry Studio3. Digital Lab4. Studio5. Gallery6. Rental Studio7. Dressing Room8. Dance Costume9. Dance Storage10. Dance Studio11. Reading Room12. Preschool13. Storage14. Art Supply15. Preparation Room16. Rotation Storage17. Gallery Storage18. Lobby19. Gift Shop20. Cafe21. Administration22. Blackbox Theater23. Mechanical Room24. Print Making Studio25. Photography Studio

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Second Level

Ground Level

Basement Level

1. Box gutter2. Roof construction:Layer of gravelTwo-layer bituminous membraneTwo-layer mineral-wool Thermal insulation adhesive fixed with bitumen vapor barrierReinforced concrete roof slabSuspended perforated aluminum panels3. Shading device construction:Double frosted laminated safety glassAluminum 1’ wide louversDouble clear glass safety glass4. Floor construction:Natural stone panels, sand-lime stoneMortar bedThermal screen, reinforced with steel fibersPE-film separating layerConcrete floor slab5. Brick wall construction:Brick veneerFlashing at the bottomMortar setting bedMortar scratch coatMetal lathWater resistant barrierExterior gypsum sheathingMineral-wool thermal insulationGypsum board with smooth plaster finish6. Gravel7. Granular backfill8. Drainage matConcrete foundation wallMineral-wool thermal insulationGypsum board with smooth plaster finish9. Filter fabric10. Drainage holes11. Floor construction:Concrete floor slabMineral-wool thermal insulationVapor retarder

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This project proposes replacing the existing Lyric Opera House in Chicago on Wacker Drive, between Madison and Monroe Street, with a new one. The new site is located at Wolf Point, south of the Chicago Sun Times and southwest of the Merchan-dise Mart.

The new opera house is to have 2,400 seats and 240 under-ground parking spaces. The primary challenge was to both preserve the skyline of down-town Chicago and create a focal point in the city.

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Chicago Opera HouseFall 2011Prof. Stephen Grabow

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The site of the new Chicago Opera House is located at the convergence of the Chicago rivers, which is a focal point of downtown Chicago. This site is exposed both from the river and from the city.

After analyzing the program, I figured out that the area of the site is only slightly larger than the minimum footprint of the new structure to be built. Organizing spaces to accommodate the expected function of the building while maintaining a minimum foot-print was a challenge throughout the design process.

The best views of the site are to the east and south where a great number of high rises are, forming the skyline of Chicago.

The initial target of my design was to respond to the strict Chicago city grid and to open up both east and south sides of the building to take advantage of the views.

In considering the nature of an opera house, where the performance is separated from the public space, I conceptualized two separate boxes with intersecting programs between them.

By placing the solid box on the northwest corner as performance space and the transparent box on the southeast corner as public lobby space, the design scheme allows for the best views to the city.

In order to unify these two boxes, a hori-zontal plane was inserted. Higher than the transparent box and lower than the solid box, the roof plane tied them together as a whole rather than individual pieces. Beyond functioning conceptually, the plane would serve as a shading device to increase the building’s energy efficiency.

1. Two intersecting squares

3. Two intersecting boxes with a hori-zontal plane

5. Exterior columns added to support the plane

4. A smaller horizontal plane was designed to extend from the northeast corner of the building where the en-trance is located

2. Two intersecting boxes

Black square: Performance space

Clear square: Public space with the view of downtown Chicago

Intersecting area: Auditorium

Pedestrian Entrance

River Walk

River Taxi

Vehicle Entrance

Loading Dock

Performers Entrance

Michigan River

Prevailing wind from west in winter: blocked by the solid box

Prevailing wind from south in summer: natural ventilation across the trans-parent box

Summer sun path: transparent box gets natural sunlight from the east and the south

Winter sun path: transparent box gets natural sunlight from the south

Noise from the main streets

Noise from the railroad to the south of the site

Transparent box interacts with exterior public plazas

Transparent box interacts with the River Walk

Transparent box acts as a buffer zone for the solid box where the perfor-mance space locates

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Aluminum Louver SystemAluminum Louver System Structure

Glass Panels

Glass Panels

Cable System

Cable System

Vertical Glass Fins

Horizontal Glass Fins

Mullion Clips

Mullion Clips

Vestibules

Access from the Plaza

To the right is the main vertical circulation in the building which consists of a grand stair and two, glass elevators. It was designed for patrons to be viewed and to proceed from one level to the next. Upper-level lobbies provided enough space for people who sit in the balconies to gather during intervals and before the perfor-mance.

There are four vertical circula-tion stairs in the building, two serving performers and two for the public. Parking is accessible both from the interior of the building and by exterior elevators from the plaza.

Public Entrance

Performers Entrance

Performers Entrance

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1. Dance Studio2. Office3. Dance Rehearsal Room4. Rehearsal Room5. Extra Storage6. Electrical Repair Room7. Practice Rooms8. Bar9. Dressing Rooms10. Lighting Storage11. VIP Lounge12. Rear Booth13. Scene Shop14. Green Room15. Main Stage16. Cloak Room17. Box Office18. Black Box Theater19. Storage20. Acoustic Clouds21. Stage Track22. Orchestra Lounge23. Orchestra Storage24. Wardrobe25. Costume Shop26. Wig Shop27. Prop Shop28. Plenum29. Underground Parking30. Mechanical Room

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Ground Floor

Second Floor

UndergroundParking

Third Floor

Fourth Floor Fifth Floor

Sixth Floor

The parapet walls of the balconies and box-es are convex in shape so that they scatter the sound to avoid flutter echoes. Side walls of the auditorium are covered with plaster panels which are convex in shape as well, to scatter the sound. Back walls of the audito-rium are covered with perforated walnut wood

guarantee each one of the 2,400 seats in the auditorium a good sight. There are three lighting bridges above the clouds, a rear lighting booth, and stage side lighting to light up the stage. There are two rear exits located on each level of the balcony and six exits for the orchestra level seats.

bars with convex sound scattering surfaces behind, to diffuse and scatter the sound.

The auditorium is designed in a fan shape with the maximum distance from the rear seats to the stage to be about 90 feet. There are three balconies with different slopes to

Plaza

Main Entrance

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With the city’s unique history and its tradition in art, the New Orleans Center of Documentation is to be a community engagement center that assists natives conveying their own life, culture, and history.

Through filming, writing, recording, photographing, drawing, printmaking and display, the work is developed and edited, creating portraits of the people and places of New Orleans.

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New OrleansDocumentaryCenterSpring 2012Prof. Shannon Criss

City scale Local scale

Students

Schools Retails

Restaurants

Site

Workers Housing

Art Galleries

City Grid Community Scale

WorkersNew Orleans

ResidentsCultureHistory

LifeArtists

Portraits of New Orleans The Center is to be a place to learn, to share, to document, and to present.

The Center serves both at a large city scale and a small local scale.

The folding structure create well protected outdoor gathering spaces by providing adequate shades.

By folding up the street, the wrapping blurs the boundary between exterior and interior. It brings the outdoor social atmosphere into the indoor space.

1st Version

2nd Version

3rd Version

4th Version

A continuous folding piece to define floors

Create a grand stair

Insert volumes

Split to create more dynamic volumes

Cut to create a corner opening

Slope roof for water drainage

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Dark RoomBlack Box Support

Production space

Private layer

Post-production space

Black Box Theater

Storytelling Studios

Display space

Radio Station

Classrooms

Working Studios

Public layer Porch layer

Editing Room

Exhibition GalleryPublic Lobby

Outdoor Recording Booths

Teachers’ OfficesAdministration OfficesLounge

CafeShop

Vertical Layers of Vernacular Houses Vertical Layers of the Documentary Center Analysis

Performance Space

Radio Station Public Gathering Space

Roof Assembly:

Wind Blanket 3” Growing MediaSeparation FabricMoisture Management MatRoot BarrierPrimary MembraneFabric Underlayment

Rigid Insulation 3Concrete Slab 1’ ThickSteel Girder 2’ DeepGypsum Board 3/8” Thick

Cafe / Lounge

Performance Transitional Space

Horizontal Layers of the Documentary Center Analysis Horizontal Layers of New Orleans Buildings

Non-Commercial Layer

Commercial Layer

Wall Assembly:

Polycarbonate Sheet 1/2”Rigid Insulation 3Vapor BarrierPlywood Sheathing 1/2”Spray-Foam InsulationPolycarbonate Sheet 1/2”

Floor Assembly:

Wood PaversWood SleepersRigid InsulationVapor BarrierConcrete Slab 1’ ThickRigid Insulation 3”Wood SleepersWood Pavers

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UP

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UPUP

Richard Street 30’10’

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10’

UP

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UPUP

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Ground Floor

1 Live Air Radio Station2 Supporting Studio3 Staff Office4 Radio Station Reception5 Administration Open Office6 Classroom7 Teacher’s Office8 Storage9 Kitchen10 Data Server Room11 Mechanical Room12 Cafe

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Third Floor

18 Lighting Control Room19 Dark Room20 Post-Production Room21 Storage22 Story-Telling Room23 HVAC Fan Room

Vertical Circulation

Second Floor

13 Multi-Purpose Performance Room14 Storage15 Resident Artist’s Studio16 Sound Lock17 Exhibition Gallery

Ground Floor

Second Floor

Third Floor

Performance Space Flexible Layouts Skin Layers

Performance Space Lobby

Performance Space

Cafe

From Southwest Corner

Main Entrance

Main Entrance

Translucent Panels

Opaque Panels

Mullions

Transparent Panels

Thrust stage: 90 Seats

Thrust stage: 93 Seats

Arena stage: 108 Seats

End-stage: 75 Seats

End-stage: 90 Seats

Thrust stage: 75 Seats

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Qingdao IFC is located in Laoshan, Qingdao, and is the core launching zone of Jinjialing CBD.

The site includes 3 parts with a total site area 62,000m2 and a total GFA both above and below grade 600,000m2. Proposed FAR is 7.8.

The project will be the landmark of Laoshan district. It includes a 5 star and a 4 star hotel, grade A offices, SOHO, service apartment and high-end retail etc, and will be a new type of mix-use development targeting at “landmark, high-end, efficient, innovative and green”.

Various programs and functions will integrate with each other harmoniously, so as to achieve the goal of erecting a leading and outstanding icon which will accelerate urban economy, contribute to the city and establish a truly sustainable development.

Fall 2012

Qingdao CBDMaster Planning

Team Tian HongGunes Ozkal, Burak Unel, He Liu, Carmen Wurz, Andy Chen, Lu Xia, Sha Sha, Renjie Tang

Define, Emphasize and Utilise an Edge

Create a Destination and a Sense of Arrival

Five Stars HotelOfficeServiced ApartmentNeighborhood RetailMallSOHO Office

Goals of this project:

1. To create a dense, dynamic, world-class financial services centre.2. To establish a harmonious urban “heart” that combines spaces for living, work and play.3. To design a landmark development that acts as a catalyst for sustainable growth and regeneration.

Articulate Urban Scale Create a Connection to the Surrounding Greenscape

Establish Visual Focal Points

Diversify Pathway Experiences

All buildings are carefully spaced from each other to get best sunshine condition. Spring Equinox

Autumn Equinox

Summer Solstice

Winter Solstice

Daylighting Design

Natural Ventilation

Green Roof

Centralised Energy Station

Solar hot water system

Green Public Traffic

Sustainable Strategies

Design Process: Study Model 1

Design Process: Study Model 2

Design Process: Study Model 3

Design Process: Study Model 4

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Haitang Bay Resort Hotel is located in Sanya, China. The city Sanya is renowned for its tropical climate and has emerged as a popular tourist destination in recent years.

As the first-tier seascape land of Sanya, the site will be constructed with a five-star hotel and four exclusive residential buildings. A fifty meter wide landscape corridor stretching to the sea will be set in the center of the site in order to interact the site with the water.

Our design concept is to blur the boundary between architecture and nature through the integration of interior and exterior space, and to create a playful and relaxing environment.

We also focused on the environmental responses to the indigenous climate.

Haitang Bay Resort HotelFall 2012

Team Tian HongGunes Ozkal, He Liu, Andy Chen, Lu Xia

Design Concept Design Concept Evolution

The inspiration of the design comes from ocean waves.

Three-story villas possess the same architectural language with other structures.

A rhythm of the hotel facade is developed.

Each hotel room is designed to has a balcony opening up to the sea.

Height gradient of the four residential buildings allows every apartment to have an ocean view.

Pedestrian Network

Underground Parking

Hotel and Apartments Access

Emergency Vehicle Access

Vehicular Circulation

Building Footprint

Buildability - Hotel Modular design strategies

The orientation and distance of the buildings are determined by the local sunshine, ventilation and other climate conditions in Sanya. There are enough spaces among most buildings to get abundant sunshine.

The facade design of the hotel is inspired by the wooden keel for ship construction: using the wood laths and shutters which are able to resist harsh climate.

The abundant water and dense vegetation in the landscape corridor create a pleasant microclimate. Gray water generated on site as well as storm water will be collected for plants irrigation.Light colored building façades reflect the harsh sunlight to help reduce the cooling load.

The balconies and wooden shutters on the façade manipulate the tropical climate, providing a buffer zone between indoor and outdoor space.

Buildability - Apartments

Circulation Analysis

Prevailing wind

Orientated to maximize natural ventilation

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Drawings and Sketches

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