2020 | The Levee Park | Austin Lu Design

A HOME FOR CULTURAL LEGACY: THAMESMEAD ART DISTRICT

Thamesmead is branded as a cultural hub based on the cultural infrastructure plan released by Peabody Group. The report focused on delivering a cultural center at Thamesmead waterfront, developing large-scale creative production workspaces, and exploring work and live spaces for creative companies and professionals. The art district is a great medium to attract tourists, boost local economies, and a great way to preserve the culture.

Inspired by the cultural infrastructure plan, this project aims to create the art district at the center of the community, the key cultural and educational center, surrounded by mixed-use residential blocks. The outdoor spaces serve multi-purposes including recreational, cultural, and educational destinations. To improve the accessibility within the community, four levels of road systems are planned: primary roads, secondary roads, primary trails, and secondary trails. Many cultural features such as theater, outdoor exhibition, sculpture garden, art wall, pop-up stores, art dining, and film studio are designed for diverse types of activity. Additionally, education is also another key component of the art district. Students can visit the museum, student center, performance pavilion, and outdoor classroom anytime.

The art district offers recreational amenities for the community and better serves the residents and outside visitors. The art district is the new brand for Thamesmead as a cultural and educational center.

RUSCHA'S REAL PLEASURE GARDEN

Ruscha's Real Pleasure Garden

As people getting vaccines and hoping to have opportunities to travel again, the concept of social and cultural space from the pleasure gardens is helpful to prepare for the boost of tourism after the global pandemic. People worldwide have opportunities to enjoy more films and music while spending more time at home during the pandemic. The film and music industry in Los Angeles remains strong and gains more fame during the pandemic. The desire to visit travel destinations like Los Angeles will help the city to regain the level of vibrancy before the pandemic.

This project aims to design a multi-use public garden in Los Angeles for visitors and residents to experience Hollywood culture through on-site filming learning opportunities, film-related exhibitions, live performances, etc. The design of the project is achieved through the medium of landscape architecture and urban design. The use of space within the garden is adjusted based on different times and events in a day. Many programs are included to attract different groups of people and help people use the site during daytime and nighttime. Providing shade for visitors is the essential goal for this project.

The design concept of the garden was inspired by the customized StyleGAN machine learning model trained on Runwayml.com. The model was trained based on 900+ images from artist Edward Ruscha’s street images. The StyleGAN model generated many visual elements similar to the input images. The vectors were sequenced into 10 individual rooms for different uses. The depth map was further distilled from the vector images in Rhino and was transformed into scenes that imitated the original StyleGAN vector drawing.

MITIGATING RISK: NEW BEDFORD STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ACT AND BIODIVERSITY ZONE

Mitigating Risk

In the context of climate change, many coastal cities in Massachusetts will be facing increasing risk due to sea-level rise and stormwater flood. New Bedford has a long history of addressing the risk caused by hurricanes. In light of growing economic damage and fear of existing infrastructure being obsolete in the future, the state of Massachusetts has proposed a newly established New Bedford Stormwater Management Act, which is part of the execution of The Green New Deal. New Bedford, a leading city in Massachusetts, has the opportunity to champion the latest policy. This project helps New Bedford identify the original stormwater managing labors such as hurricane barrier and underground pipe system, which will fail to meet the requirement in the future. Besides decommissioning pipe infrastructure, new human and non-human labors such as landform, vegetation, and wildlife are introduced to further address the stormwater issue and sea-level rise risk in New Bedford.

The New Bedford Stormwater Management Act, inspired by the New Jersey Pinelands Protection Act, cedes control on infrastructure and brings additional values to the non-human ecosystem. The act operates at a range of scales, including coastline, neighborhood, and watershed, to reduce the risk and damage from climate change.

Besides regulating stormwater, the act will help generate long-term job opportunities, create new public space zones, and promote healthy biodiversity zones for wildlife, contributing to a successful climate transition in the future of New Bedford.

The Levee Park

THE LEVEE PARK: REVISIONING THE CONNECTION WITH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ON THE WATER CAMPUS

UNDERGRADUATE THESIS PROJECT

Connections - Synergy in the City of Central

CONNECTIONS - SYNERGY IN THE CITY OF CENTRAL

The Photographers' Courtyard

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS’ COURTYARD

Nicholson Hall Parking Lot Redesign

NICHOLSON HALL PARKING LOT REDESIGN

Through the removal of the Nicholson Hall Parking Lot as proposed by the Master Plan, the parking lot is altered to an open plaza connecting students from the Student Union and the quad area. Additionally, the plaza is designed to reduce the risk of flooding by using sustainable elements including permeable pavers and rain gardens. Deciduous trees are planted to create shade for students in the summer and a focal point in the winter. Movable tables and chairs are provided for any potential activities such as group discussion, group lunch, or temporary performance. Fixed benches are designed under the canopy to create a more relaxed and private feeling. Multiple vertical paths are intended to connect the entrances from the buildings on the north and south side.

Site Grading