SHUJIE LIU
Not A Zoo
Studio Project | Group Work | December 2021
Instructor: Leslie Lok, David Costanza
Team: Shujie Liu, Cynthia Kuo
Due to the development of agriculture and urban recreation, short-eared owls face the challenge of decrease in population due to habitat loss. The rehabilitation center concentrates on creating habitat for the owls while providing a safe and ground, the center primarily extends the ground to the tower, allowing them to fly around within the aviary. The three stages of rehabilitation consist of an examination room offering immediate care, a protected aviary for recovering owls, and a tower with operable windows allowing migrating owls to overwinter. The simplified folding system introduces pinching and opening for different moments accommodating both owls and humans.
I. Not Quite Flat
This architectural endeavor delves into the intricacies of geometric manipulation, exploring a refined folding system inspired by the simplicity and versatility of the L-shaped tetromino. By streamlining the folding process, we grant the structure both stability and fluidity, enabling it to morph into an enclosed form with deliberate precision. This design retains the dynamic nature of expandable pleats, offering a seamless blend of flexibility and control.
In essence, this project is not merely a construction of form but a crafting of experience, where each fold, pinch, and aperture is a verse in a larger story of interaction, perspective, and discovery.
The site of the project is located adjacent to the existing walking path in the Mundy Wildflower Garden. The tower stands as a beacon, with its openings meticulously oriented to frame and celebrate the surrounding wildflower garden. This placement of apertures curates a panoramic experience, guiding eyes and feet through a journey from the wild, open meadows to the introspective ambiance of the tower’s interior.
The visitor’s journey is punctuated by alternating moments of revelation and reflection. As they navigate through the structure, they are met with a cadence of expansion and contraction, openness and enclosure. It is within these transitions that a dialogue is forged between the observer and the observed, the exterior wildness and the interior calm. The physical space becomes a medium, an intermediary, providing an experiential passage from the outside world to the intimate realms within, crafting a narrative that is both spatial and temporal.
Render and Model Photos
II. Not A Zoo
In reimagining the interface between wildlife and human habitation, this project introduces a novel architectural lexicon, one where the act of folding transcends mere form-making. Our simplified folding system is meticulously engineered to embrace both the needs of the owls and the curiosity of human visitors. It is a design that speaks of coexistence, crafted through the strategic manipulation of material and space.
The design’s ingenuity lies in its pinching and opening techniques, which create varying moments within the structure, tailored to accommodate our feathered friends and their human admirers. At the base of our edifice, large pinching gestures carve out generous spaces, forming transparent canvases for visitors to observe the majestic owls in their simulated natural habitat. These expansive apertures not only facilitate visual connection but also embody the gesture of welcoming, inviting an intimate encounter with nature.
Sections and Elevations
Render and Model Photos