Architecture Portfolio

Ping-Ju Liu

Bunker Hill

Alumni Commons

Minimal Surface

Fabric Casing

Project: Bunker HillClass: Architecture 20AInstructor: Coleman GriffithYear: Fall 2010

Project Description

Designing an urban landscaoe and performance spaces for small orchestras. The studio primary emphasis on the relationship between excisting buildings and the landscape. Also focusing on reinvent the relationship between the orchestra and the community.

Site

Bunker Hill ( 351 S Hill St Los Angeles, CA90013)near Angels Flight Railway. Cross St: W 4th st.

Process

Each students pick a musical instruments and studys its characteristic in order to develop a concept. Also doing research for the Constraint and realities which students will be facing to solve the problems.

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Musical Instrument (Guitar) Characteristic - Resonance

First: When string vibrate the vibrate goes from the bridge to the head and reflect back to bridge

Second: The vibration then goes from the bridge to sound board, to the sides ,then the whole body resonance Third: The vibration create sound wave then the sound wave

compression and extention out.

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First: By doing the research on site, we found the main circulation flow are from subway exit to the Cailfornia Plaza which the is like the bridge and head of Guitar.

Second: The circulation is like vibration moving from the bridge to the head of Guitar and bounce back which the guitar string's vibration create the triangle patten.

Third: Using the concept Resonance, the triangle pattens spread through the whole site like guitar's vibration spread through guitar's body to the air.

Forth: The patten transform by following the circulation, programs and slope.

Performace Space A

This performace space is design for projecting the sound. The orchestra in this performace space will be playing the wind musical instrument such as trumpet or horn. the performace space's opening is facing the south-west side of the site which the excisting building in this face of the site has the greatest surface to reflect the sound through out the site. The meterial used in this performace space will be hard types of materials such as concret or hard woods which create greatest reflect for the sound. This is the smallest performace space in the site which can only has 5 or less performers.

SEC B

Performance Space B

This performace space is design for playing the high-frequency music. The orchestra in this performace space will be playing the high-frequency musical instrument such as violines. This performance space has the diffusers all around it in order to create better sound for igh-frequency music. This performace spece is locate at the higher part of the site and is the largest performace space which allow large group of performers to perform in this space. Sittings are avalible in this space.

SEC C

Performace Space C

This performace space is design for strong vibrating music. The orchestra in this performace space will be playing the drums. The fully enclose space allow the druming gets the better vibration also the walls in this performance space are design as the characteristic of drum which not only create better vibration but also allow the vibration tranfer through the site. The performace space is locate at the lower part of the site and on the top of the performing space is a dance area. The floor of the dance area is using the stretching material which creates the bouncing feeling through the vibration.

Project: Alumni CommonsClass: Architecture 20AInstructor: Coleman GriffithYear: Fall 2010

Project Description

In this project, the studio will investigate the unique relationship between architecture and landscape. Students will challenge the traditional paradigm of a building in a landscaoe with new paradigm. The new paradigm will emphasize continuity between building and landsacpe through surface. Student's project is to Design an urban landscaoe.The studio primary emphasis on the relationship between excisting buildings and the landscape. Also focusing on reinvent the relationship between the orchestra and the community.

Site

The Alumni Commons space on the Pasadena City College. Pasadena City College's Address:1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91106

Process

Each students begin the project by picking an external reference and develope a concept. Student also do the site analysis to find out the excisting program and circulation on the site. Student also need to redesign the cafateria and understanding every small programs in the cafateria.

External Reference: Birds Migration

The Birds from the North gather together and flying to the mountain side or the costline.

As the birds form different place merge together, they may involve narrow belts of migration that are established as traditional routes termed as flyways.

As the brids get to the warmer south side they begin to spread out and travel in the different direction.

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Concept: Gathering and Dispersing

Like the North America Flyways, the Circulation in the Site has similar movement which people gather into the main path then spread out to different buildings. The cageteria is like the central America in the flyway which gather most of the people ,and the walkway in front of the cafeteria is the main path.

By using the concept of Gathering and Dispersing, I create the patten and apply on the Alumni commons.

Project: Minimal Surface ProjectClass: Architecture 12BInstructor: Kelly BairYear: Fall 2009

Project Description

Using a minimal surface construction rule sets as a “conceptual framework” for the design of a pavilion.

Site

The project will be located on the footprint of the Villa NM House and will use the basic exterior edge curves of the house as a bounding box.

Process

The Process begin with the minimal surface construction which students were divided to small groups and constructed different minimal surface. The minimal surface our group had constructed is the "Manta". After the Minimal surface construction students take the surface and do the individal designing the new Villa NM House.

Step 1: Draw line A B e and f at by midpointsStep 2: Draw line D at end points of e and f then draw line gStep 3: Draw a line with 5 cv’s from intersection of g and e to point zStep 4: Move cv”s to intersections cv2 (g,D); cv3 (C,D); cv4 (D,B)

Step 5: Draw lines (a,b); (c,d); and (f,g).Points f and d are at mid-distance.Step 6: Draw a line from A to c

Step 7: Sphere with center at corner and radius to intersection (g,e) on red. curve section to line (a,b).

Minimal Surface Construction

Step 8: Sphere with diameter Z to A , curve line.cut plane incline a-z-b

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Minimal Surface Re-Construction & Concept Diagrams

1st. Take the Villa NM building base and put the minimal surface on one of the corner.

2nd. mirror the surface base on the red line. 3rd. mirror the surface we got base on the line from point a to point b.

4th. mirror the surface base on the line from point c to point d (top right and left eage) to create the roof surface.

5th. rotate 3d the top part of surface (red) 80 degree base on X-axis(blue line) and Y- axis(green line) which yellow and green lines should be perpendicular.

Step 9: Loft edges A_B_C_D

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6th. mirror the surfaces base on the mid lines of the base and we got the basic shape on the building walls.

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Project: Material studyClass: Architecture 14Instructor: Dionicio ValdezYear: Spring 2010

Project Description

Studing on exploration of material. This is the group of fabric casting which we study the different methods of fabric casting and learn about the characteristic of concrete and fabric. Also, students have to study the different use of watering system for plants like Hydroponic system and Aeroponics system.

Process

We try both Sleeve and Shell technique of fabric casing. We use the plaster for the begining of study models which plaster has similar characteristic to concrete but dry faster. However, plaster is much weaker than concrete, then we started to use concrete for the models. In the end we decided to use the type of fabric which can strecth more and choose to use the ball to create the shape of the model.

Final Model with Plants

In final model, we choose the shorter but longer roots plants to grow on it, we use the tradtional soil planting for plants to grow, the way we label it allows the water goes from top into the botton pieces which the botten pieces have soil to store the water.

Process of Making Final Models

1. we weave the fabric into the shape we want,then setup the base, we measure the size of the ball and the length of the fabric and nail in the place.

2. we mix the concrete with water and make sure the concrete is not too watery or stick.

3. we pull the concrete into the fabric from the top. this require three people to do. one person hold the pipe, one strecth the fabric,and the other pull the concrete.

4. After the fabric was fill with concrete, the gravity will contral the shape, then we wait for it dry.

5. After it dry, carefully tear the fabric out from the center to the legs.

Study Model 1: we begin the study by using plaster and plastic bag to cast. The sleeve technique is hard to contral the shape.

Study Model 2: we then try to do the shell technique, so we try different thing to harden the cabric. However it does not work well due to the water will cause the fabric soften.

Study Model 3: we then try the sleeve technique again by having the ball to contral the shape and we also learn how to make holes by doing needle works.

6. After making numbers of models we sand each one carefully. Then we start to try different ways to label the models.

Study Model 4: We realize the plaster is too weak, so we decided to use concrete. We also decided to use strecthed fabric so the concrete will shape by the natural force itself.