Masterpost.

This is the blog for students enrolled in ELI 530- Academic Speaking and Writing for Architecture and Urban Planning, at the University of Michigan.

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1/4

The past four months challenged me more than any time before.

In the first half of the semester, I was struggling about the abstraction definitions in both studio and sustainable systems. Sometimes I could understand every word in the sentence without knowing its meaning and sometimes the meaning of words differed from I used to know. The good thing is that I am starting to understand. Considering the theory course in the next semester, I am sure I am still going to struggle with the readings.

And in the studio, with the help of my instructor Mclain Clutter, I practiced how to emphasize an idea throughout different phases of design, which will benefit me a lot in the future. Also, during the process, I improved my software skills and design techniques.

Fabrication is my favorite class of the semester. One interesting thing is about playing with different digital and physical materials. The other thing is that the team cooperation went really well.

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Reflections

At this point I am a little stressed about studio’s final presentation because everyone is telling me I need to finish all the drawings a week prior to deadline so that I can have the time for printing, that is to say, the final is not in 2 weeks but in one week actually. I guess this is something I have learned this semester: make plans for everything because the real deadlines are always early. The studio I am experiencing does not focus on convention architectural approaches, which is not my favorite one. However, I guess this is what grad school is--diverse studio culture, cut-edge technologies and skills (only if we had a chance to choose). 

The purpose of continuing this program for me is to get into different topics of the field and explore my real passion. Honestly, I might take a gap year after next semester because I want to take a break from school and then come back and focus on Thesis. 

I am still getting used to Michigan and the weather. Hope I can be in love with it.    

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Blog Post #8 - Reflections

The semester is drawing to a close. Classes are slowly winding down, the Media Center queues are getting longer, and final presentations are rapidly approaching. Now is a great time to reflect on your time so far.

How did the semester go for you? What did you improve upon during the term? (Time management? Writing? Speaking? Computer skills? Design techniques? General knowledge/theory?) Did you find a new topic of interest you had not encountered before, or change the way you thought about a topic previously?

Finally: What does this mean for you as you continue on the program? Reflection at the end of the semester is incredibly important for defining your goals, interests, and direction as you continue through the program. What are the insights, ideas, or skills you intend to continue working on in the following terms?

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Things just Happened

I didn’t have any plans before Thanksgiving but still ended up doing quite a bit. I went to Chicago for a day My friend asked me to go there 8am in the morning when I was waking up and we left for it at 9am. We didn’t do much there, just walked around, had deep-dish pizza and saw Architecture Biennale. The next day I went Toledo to see the glass museum by Sanna, and It was closed due to Thanksgiving break, without doubt. Then we were back and took a walk in a hill behind Huron Towers. On Friday I had to work on studio because my instructor asked for an online submission. (have not heard any other instructor made students work on Thanksgiving tho)  

I planned to do some work for sustainable systems today and ended up slept almost whole day, as expected. Probably I just deserve a good rest. Only shopped for a parka to get through the winter.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

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Art institute of Chicago!

Art institute of Chicago!

When my friends asked me one month ago whether I wanted to visit Chicago during thanksgiving break, I said yes without hesitation, because last time I didn’t have enough time to enter Art Institute of Chicago which owned great collection of impressionists’ artworks including Monet.

Since I started learning painting before primary school, Monet had been my favorite painter. I have always loved the way that how he manipulated with colors and lights. This time, I finally got the opportunity to take a closer look at his masterpiece. In the exhibition hall, several paintings of stack of wheat lined up so the visitors could see the connection and difference between them. I was amazed by his delicate depictions of light and the color difference brought by the light. If you look closer, you can see the trace of paint and imagine the process that he created this.

Visiting this museum was like having a feast of art and my next goal is MoMA, where Vincent van Gogh’s ‘starry night’ is.

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Blog Post #7

Finals are approaching quickly and the temperatures are dropping; we’ve even started to see first snowfalls over the past few weeks!

In 100-150 words, write about what you did or are planning to do over Thanksgiving break.Will you eat a homemade meal with colleagues for a “Friendsgiving”? Are you traveling?

***Note This blog post will be due on WEDNESDAY, 11/29

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National Day

The Chinese National Day is on October first. It was found to celebrate the form of People’s Republic of China. Every four years during that day, in order to celebrate, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will organize a parade to show the power, confidence and methodic organization of our army.

In addition, there also will be a 7-day legal holiday for the citizens to travel around our country or go abroad. The national holiday is a long one compared to other legal holidays in China, so people will make a good plan to go out with their families or friends and enjoy a precious relaxing moment.

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Double Eleven Day

Right now, my friends back in China are preparing for the Double Eleven Day, which is on November 11th.

This day was used by single people to self-mockery about their relationship status because the date looked like four single people. Then the E-business giant Taobao took advantage of it and transformed it into a Bachelor’s day promotion, like Black Friday in the US. They promoted this event by implying that even if you feel sorry for being single, you could always flatter yourself by spending money. Last year, 120billion yuan were involved in to this huge orgy of shopping.

Before the date, we would compare prices between e-shops on Taobao and add products to shopping cart, setting alarms for flash sales. And when the clock became 12a.m, mouses and phone screens would be crazily clicked so that we could get the chance to buy or they might be sold out.

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Blog Post #6

Towards the end of the year,  America has many holidays during the fall season that are commonly celebrated, such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christimas. ‘Tis the season to be festive!

For the blog post, share about a holiday that is commonly celebrated in your home country. It could have already passed for this year, or it can be an upcoming holiday. What is the holiday about? Why is it celerbated? What are some common traditions that happen during this holiday? Share your response in 100-150 words.

Please end your response with any questions you have about any American holidays.

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Stereotomy

Stereotomy is a word I learn from the book “horror in architecture” which is recommended by my studio professor. It is a technique that people work on solid materials like rock and stone. There are several examples of architectural or landscape work developed from stereotomy. What I mean by work on the solid is to carve out something from the stone to make it partially hollow, or to etch on the surface of the rocks. This process helps people to explore the inside of the stone which seems massive, mysterious and “horrific”.

In the field of architectural design, we tend to think about our design in a “technical” way, which is the opposite to stereotomy. In a “technical” design, we think about the structure and frame first. All we are trying to make a feasible design is to have a plausible scheme of columns and beams. However, in stereotomy, things appear totally different. The first step is to imagine an integrative volume, and the way to create space is to imagine that you are digging out the space from the entity. Unlike the technical design, stereotomy is not to achieve lighter structure or “floating-like” appearance, but to achieve a strong feeling of the massing, and also the purity and continuity of space. ( The picture attached is from Pinterest, which represents an example of “stereotomical” architecture.)

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Stereotomy

Stereotomy is a word I learn from the book “horror in architecture” which is recommended by my studio professor. It is a technique that people work on solid materials like rock and stone. There are several examples of architectural or landscape work developed from stereotomy. What I mean by work on the solid is to carve out something from the stone to make it partially hollow, or to etch on the surface of the rocks. This process helps people to explore the inside of the stone which seems massive, mysterious and “horrific”.

In the field of architectural design, we tend to think about our design in a “technical” way, which is the opposite to stereotomy. In a “technical” design, we think about the structure and frame first. All we are trying to make a feasible design is to have a plausible scheme of columns and beams. However, in stereotomy, things appear totally different. The first step is to imagine an integrative volume, and the way to create space is to imagine that you are digging out the space from the entity. Unlike the technical design, stereotomy is not to achieve lighter structure or “floating-like” appearance, but to achieve a strong feeling of the massing, and also the purity and continuity of space. ( The picture attached is from Pinterest, which represents an example of “stereotomical” architecture.)

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Universal Design

Universal Design is one of the design methods. Universal Design has the ultimate goal to make sure everyone can use it anytime, anywhere. Age, ability, place, and so on.

However, every design has a target layer. For example, scissors usually are sold with right-handed and left-handed scissors separately. Most people are right-handed, so left-handed scissors are difficult to obtain. If Universal Design is applied to these scissors, it can be used with one scissors without discrimination of right hand or left hand. This Universal Design can also be applied to people with disabilities. A person with a disability and a person without a disability can use a single product without distinction. Universal Design has seven principles. Equitable, Flexibility, Simple & Intuitive, Perceptible Information, Tolerance for Error, Low Physical Effort, Size & Space for Approach.

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Stereotomy

Stereotomy is a word I learn from the book “horror in architecture” which is recommended by my studio professor. It is a technique that people work on solid materials like rock and stone. There are several examples of architectural or landscape work developed from stereotomy. What I mean by work on the solid is to carve out something from the stone to make it partially hollow, or to etch on the surface of the rocks. This process helps people to explore the inside of the stone which seems massive, mysterious and “horrific”.

In the field of architectural design, we tend to think about our design in a “technical” way, which is the opposite to stereotomy. In a “technical” design, we think about the structure and frame first. All we are trying to make a feasible design is to have a plausible scheme of columns and beams. However, in stereotomy, things appear totally different. The first step is to imagine an integrative volume, and the way to create space is to imagine that you are digging out the space from the entity. Unlike the technical design, stereotomy is not to achieve lighter structure or “floating-like” appearance, but to achieve a strong feeling of the massing, and also the purity and continuity of space. ( The picture attached is from Pinterest, which represents an example of “stereotomical” architecture.)

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Blog Post #5

In 150-200 words, describe a term or a concept that you are currently studying or exploring in studio or another course. In your own words, define the term and explain how it applies to studio or the course where you are studying it. Include an image in order to support your definition.

This can be a subject your are exploring in studio or a term that has come up in class recently (examples: New Urbanism, Postdigital, etc.)

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This was an unusual travel in Chicago during the fall break, which was totally different from what we expected but still fun. As we can see from the first image, there was a heavy rain in Chicago in the first day of the travel and water even covered the streets. It took an unexpected long time to travel to Chicago because of that and the heavy traffic. But, to be honest, we didn’t realize that the sequent problems of heavy rain will affect the plan so bad.

On the next day, we tried to stick to the plan that we drive to visit the Farnsworth House, which is designed by Mies Van der Rohes. I have to say that weather after rain in Chicago became so windy and cold, making us tremble while we were walking to the Farnsworth House. When we arrived the front door, it said that the house was closed because of the flood, which was showed on the third image. What is worse, when we came back from the house to Chicago biennial exhibition, we were told that the exhibition would be closed in 5 minutes.

Even plan didn’t go well at all, but we did have some good time during the travel. Like we spent time driving around the rainy Chicago, we enjoyed Chinese food we missed so much in the china town, we talked about everything along in the car along the travel. In all, this was an forgettable experience about a rainy Chicago.  

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Pictured Rocks Cruises

During fall break, I went to Michigan Upper Peninsula which was covered by forests. Various shapes and color of trees and leaves create richness of the scenery. Most of the time, my friends and I stayed in the car, appreciating the scenery along the way, which made the Pictured Rocks Cruises special and impressive.

The Cruises lasted for about 4 hours. Since I was fine with the long sailing on the superior lake, I enjoyed the whole cruises without feeling seasick. The waves, lake and sky kept changing according to the wind change, different distances from me, and temporal change. The forests were like a paradise, situated on the floating rock in the superior lake, sporadically dotted with small houses. One spectacle is that a pine tree stands right on a rock, rooted in the soil from the surrounding rocks. The rock is like an artwork sculptured by nature. Waves eroded the rock, creating small arched caves. I guessed that the color of rocks is varied just because of different mineral contents. When we were back to the harbor, the night was falling. Yellow dim light made me feel warm. Such a peaceful night, giving an end to the journey of the whole day. I enjoyed a lot!

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Blog Post #4

What has been influencing you recently?

-Do you have a particular designer or thinker whose work you have been looking at as inspiration for what you are doing?

-Is there a person who you look to as an example of success?

Choose ONE of the above questions. If possible, post a related image. Talk about why that topic is important to you, and what it has been influencing (i.e. has it changed your style of drawing? did it influence the way you were working? did it help with your life outside school?)