White 孙浩宇

Ba (Hons) Interior & Environment Design - 2019 Cohort

My Design Philosophy

My passion for design comes from minor problems in my life. There are always some small problems in our life, whether it is the way we use gadgets, the business model or the planning of the building. So to make our life more comprehensive, efficient and comfortable, I decided to improve our life by learning to be a designer.

Honours Project - Community Integration

Project Brief

Gather and Disperse

  • Ventilation design  

  • Vehicle storage  

  • Daylighting design  

  • Studio-hall  

  • Outdoor short rest space

Idea Generation & Design Process

Division

Rhythm

Integration 

Feasibility

Division

Rhythm

Integration 

Feasibility

Slider image

The interior space is divided and planned preliminarily

The first draft began with the removal of the walls. The two sides of the building and the back of the ventilation of the diversion design. The interior space is divided and planned preliminarily. At the same time, the indoor and outdoor plants are planned.

Slider image

Making the whole building more integrated and rhythmic.

The demolition of the building wall has been designed more, making the whole building more integrated and rhythmic. And on the top of the green plants for more image planning and layout. And the interior design of the preliminary design.

Slider image

Designing to make the building more integrated

The overall appearance of the building began to be designed in more detail. Soft character and rhythm that make the appearance more page-like. And the window of the external wall is designed to make it more in line with the rhythm of the building wall. The steps in front of the building were also designed to make the building more integrated.

Slider image

Considering the feasibility of the construction

Considering the feasibility of the construction, the process of the outer wall was re-planned. The original curved parts are turned into hard straight lines, while keeping the design inspiration of the original architectural pages. And arrange the indoor staircase access to the outside of the building, so that the interior space is not destroyed, more compact.

Step 1 of 4

Final Design Scheme

Design directions and proposed design drawings

This design aims to meet the basic needs of life and solve the problems of the local community by bringing the original scattered people or small groups together. When people get together, infinite possibilities will be generated, and then spread out the new possibilities or ways of life. When people in other communities discover this way of life, new reactions and behaviours occur. That is to say, from within one community to other communities, to a city, to a province, and even to a larger scale to really affect society, to bring about new reforms and people's attention.

Final Design Proposal

In order to ensure the quality of film viewing, the building was made with little ventilation and light under the backward technology, which led to the rapid aging of the building. With a sustainable perspective, I decided to transform the building through ventilation design. These include the enhancement of indoor and outdoor ventilation and the treatment of excessive wind resistance.

General Views

Most of my primary users are older people, so accessibility has to be taken into account. Not only indoor accessibility should be considered, but outdoor accessibility should also be considered. And outdoor parts should also take into account the height of the guardrail in various places to prevent users from falling off accidentally.

Context, Site analysis, Design Narratives and Concept

Get to know the thorough design development from the stages listed below.

Community Project - Participant’s Installation

Design Narrative

Each generation possesses its own unique characteristics, which may stem from social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. These backgrounds and traits give rise to distinct concerns and issues specific to each generation. These problems impact not only the individuals within a generation, but also everything surrounding them, such as architectural design, regulations, and political policies. However, from our current perspective, some of these aspects are problematic. As designers, we should consider these factors and incorporate them into the design of people's future lives. Based on past experiences, we understand that all problems arise from people themselves, and it is people who also find the solutions. This implies that communication among individuals is crucial for progress. Therefore, we require an event that necessitates the presence of two or more individuals simultaneously. The participants must willingly engage and have genuine interest. As designers, we must identify a common characteristic shared by all generations to ensure the smooth running and fruitful outcomes of this event. We aim to provide real benefits to people, enabling them to embrace this way of life. While envisioning a new future, we must not overlook past problems. We need to address these issues and learn from them, ensuring effective implementation and a better future life for all.

Honours Project - Site Research and Representation

Part I: Research and Analysis

The old building I chose is an old movie theatre built in the 20th century, which is currently in a dilapidated state. The building is located on Boling West Road, Shenzhou Town, Shenzhou City, Hengshui City, Hebei Province, China. The building is divided into two parts: the first part is a front square and a framed office building, and the second part is a brick and concrete cinema that can accommodate hundreds of people. At present, the main part of the office building is in good condition, but the windows of the office building are all broken. Moreover, due to the local climate and the fact that there is a river 200 metres to the south of the building, the walls of the building's movie hall have deteriorated. The sun in the area where the building is located shines from the south to the north. The building is on the south side of the road facing north, so the whole building is backlit. This is what was considered when the cinema was built according to the architectural needs. The building is located in the most central area of the city, so there are many resource buildings around, such as the famous hotel and the first local hospital, among others.    

Part II: Site Representation

The object I chose is the movie ticket. Let's start with its materials. The inspiration for this experiment came from the fact that cement mixed with wood ash has the effect of water and alkali resistance. So, I added plant ash to the red bricks. Plant ash comes from the ashes of burning paper. Since the main building material of my structure is red brick, I chose to combine grass and wood ash with red bricks. To test whether the new red bricks are alkali resistant, I soaked them in water. After a period of testing, it was found that the new red bricks did not alkalize and crack. Therefore, the new red bricks were a success. However, the new red bricks are brittle and not suitable for bearing the weight of a building. They are only suitable for places with weak weight or for modelling and decoration purposes. I soaked the paper in water. After a period of time, the paper turned into pulp. From this, we can observe that pulp has a strong variability. Additionally, we can also color the pulp, demonstrating its strong coloring property. Pulp is also malleable, allowing us to create signs and use them where signs are needed (e.g., toilets, entrances, and exits). By doing this, we can reduce the use of paint, thereby reducing the environmental impact of formaldehyde. Simultaneously, pulp material logos have a rich texture and thickness, providing a certain interior decoration effect.

Honours Project

Theoretical Underpinning

Part I: Generation Z and Self Identification

'Generation Z is a generation of rapid development. Generation Z has been working on the Internet since they were born, so they are the real natives of the Internet.'

A generation that yearns for freedom

Generation Z specifically refers to those born between the late 1990s and early 2010s. They experienced unexpected events that no other generation had, and created products that no other generation could have imagined. Generation Z is a generation of rapid development. Generation Z has been working on the Internet since they were born, so they are the real natives of the Internet. Because the Internet is convenient and powerful, not only science and technology, but also the economy and so on are developing rapidly. The people of Age Z are more interested in freedom. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China occurred in December 2019, when most people in the z generation were at school and at work. However, after the outbreak of the epidemic, working people and students are living in isolation with autism. At present, Generation z is in the best time of their life, but they have been in a long time of "autistic" isolation life. This makes them feel more repressed than ever, so they are a more liberal generation. In this work, masks and ropes are the conditions to control people's freedom, and the photos of different scenery represent people's yearning for freedom.

Part II:  Pre-generation Z and Self Identification

'Generation X is the generation where stress begins. At a time when these young people were already the backbone of the American economy, especially in new industries like high-tech.'

The generation gap between different generations

Generation X was created by Time magazine in the United States. Time magazine called the young people born between the mid-1960s and late 1970s Generation X. This is the first generation to use the name "unknown" because its mind is hard to understand. They have a variety of ideas and interests, never follow a certain pattern of life and work, and like to constantly seek new stimulation and challenges. Generation X is the generation where stress begins. At a time when these young people were already the backbone of the American economy, especially in new industries like high-tech. Generation X's unique concept of consumption and finance led to the financial crisis. Two-thirds of baby boomers, aged 50 to 61, said they would delay retirement as a result of the financial crisis, squeezing the job market. The fledgling Generation Y has an advantage over Generation X because they are paid less and are more tech-savvy. So Generation X is the generation where stress begins. In the works, the change of materials from left to right represents the change of generations. The materials are arranged in order from tidiness to individuality, showing the characteristics of each generation. At the same time, from top to bottom, also realize the "advice" of the previous generation.

Part III: Generations and Community

'An idea that Gen Xers had held on to for half their lives was abandoned. So in order to prove the value of their ideas, they are desperate to communicate freely with Gen z.'

Freedom from gathering

One of the most common is freedom. It is just that young people want freedom of the body, and old people want freedom of the mind. I call Generation X freedom "freedom of thought." After the founding of New China in 1949, the x generation was liberated from feudalism, and their thoughts and communication gained unprecedented freedom. But with Generation z, that freedom is slowly disappearing. Gen z people think Gen x people have extreme language. An idea that Gen Xers had held on to for half their lives was abandoned. So in order to prove the value of their ideas, they are desperate to communicate freely with Gen z. And Generation z, the freedom they crave is what I call "personal freedom." Because they are at an age where they are eager to go out and explore the world. But because of the epidemic, their movement has been limited. So they long for personal freedom because there are many things they have not experienced and do not understand. So, they just want to do it. And the biggest benefit that practice brings us is real experience. So Gen z wants real experience. In the work, the keyboard represents Generation z and the stick represents the previous generation. People come together to create new ideas and ways of life, which is shown by the red rope of freedom.

To Explore, Discover, & Regenerate