Topography Analysis drawings
Sun study
3D Modeling
2D graphic drawings
PhotoShop Rendering
D5 Rendering
InDesign Editing
Skill:
Contact Info
linkedin.com/in/yun-gao-215a54314
Phone: 14153506423 (Mobile)
Email: yungao920@berkeley.edu yungao920@gmail.com
Languages:
Native speaker in Mandarin
Proficient in English
• Graduate from UC Berkeley with BA degree in Architecture in May 2025
• Fast learner
• Parent of 3
• Housewife
• Responsible
• Reliable
• Resilient
Date:
Semester:
Location:
Professor:
Tools:
January- May/2022
Spring 2022
Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA 94607
Ron Betts
Revit, 3D Modelling, D5 rendering AutoCad 2D Drawings, PhotoShop, Physical Model.
Introduction:
In this semester, I was requested to design a new public library for the City of Oakland on the site currently occupied by the Kaiser Convention Center adjacent to Laney College. The existing Convention Center will be demolished to make room for the new Library, but certain elements of the existing structure may be salvaged, reused or incorporated in your new proposed design if you deem appropriate, but there are no historical restrictions in place to prevent its total demolition. So I choose to demolition all the main building but reserve the existing parking lot.
Site analysis: Around 200,000 square feet of space was occupied by the site. It was a critical location situated in the most desirable area of Oakland; the north side is bordered by Lake Merrit, the west by the Oakland Museum, the south by Laney College, and the east by Peralta Park.
buildings; Multifunctional space; Sustanable design; Green Building.
Concept Development process: As designers, I want to foster communication and the way individuals interact with the building its self and through our manipulation and creation of spaces and environments. A public facility should not only state of the art, accommodates all the minimum spatia requirements, provide a destination for individuals seeking to enrich themselves, but also become a symbol of community and civic pride and distinction.
I try to envision what a library is, or what it could be and what it can be, a book, that was the initial idea
Phillips Exeter Academy Library inspired me with the genaric modle
Geisel Library mushroom-shaped, steel-framed structure gave me the idea of inside struciton of Oakland library.
I want a roof garden with an opening on the ceilings, lets the skylight into the
Sunlight is sufficient in the Bay Area. A solar panel roof would supply green energy for the library’s electric use
By examining exist library design and site analysis, I integrate several elements into my book-shaped library: A solar panel roof would supply green energy for the library’s electric use. A roof garden, with an opening in the roof garden, lets the skylight into the building. Underlay drive-through tunnel with sky light on the top.
Oakland Public library; Public buildings; Multifunctional space; Sustanable design; Green Building.
Ground floor plan
A water fountain and stream on roof garden build with glass bricks give an opening on the ceilings, daylight would light up interior space.
Drive-through tunnel under the roof garden with sky light on the top.
Some other rendering drawings show more details
Date:
Semester:
Location:
Professor: Auguest- December/2023 Fall 2023
Intersection of S Hope St and W 12th St, Los Angeles, CA
Introduction: This project was to be repurposed a former car dealership that currently houses various commercial spaces. The general context for the building is downtown Los Angeles in Southern California. Design required to transform the exsisting building into a unban working center by developing a concept that will drive three discrete research/search exercises:
1. Site/context, Working with our collective understanding of the terms site and environment context, explore how a concept frames our understanding of the site.
2. Form/space: Transform a rectilinear volume through the selective subtraction of a sculpture by the artist Tony Smith.
3. Program/problem: Working with collective understanding of terms program and problem, write a program that explores how a concept frames the design pro lem for a Work Center in downtown Los Angeles, CA. The program should be in the form of a list of spaces that will be housed in the Work Center.
Site/context, this was a group work(my partner were Jarron and Zack). We were required to redesign a UC Berkeley parking lot to meet the needs of the community and accommodate more public institutions.
We reserve most structure of the garage, and added a openning from 3rd to the roof, modified it a small auditorium. and a library in the 4th floor,
The roof garden incorporates vegetation boxes, trees, and landscaped areas to provide a natural retreat within an urban environment. Providing an open-air communal space, the garden fosters connections among residents, workers, or visitors.
Form/space: Using the sculpture to development concept. Begin with a ‘solid,’ fully enclosed rectilinear volume 24” x 15” x 12” and then transform it through the strategic introduction of a series of spatial voids
My Concept is Holding Hands, it looks like a hand or hook to symbolic a friendly relationship between people and people, building and environment, business and community families. I developed my model step by step showed above.
Program/problem:
Site analysis: The site was located in corner that intersection of S Hope St and W 12th St, Downtown Los Angeles. The flat landscape has facilitated urban development, resulting in a dense concentration of residential and commercial skyscrapers and pretty high buildings. The climate is characterized by moderate, rainy winters and scorching, arid summers. which results in moderate temperatures and intermittent marine layer effects.The average maximum temperature in the winter is 68°F (20°C), while in the summer it is 85°F (29°C). Temperatures may occasionally exceed 90°F (32°C) during the summer months due to heatwaves.
3D site analysis diagram
Design evolved from the concept of ‘Holding Hand,’ embodying a harmonious balance between preservation and transformation. It addresses the challenge of repurposing an existing building by retaining its original structure and a single egress on one side. The design enhances the aesthetic appeal while seamlessly integrating essential workplace functions, ensuring both functionality and architectural refinement. Two central squares opennings allow plenty of natural light throughout the day.
Date:
Semester:
Location:
Professor:
Tools: January- May/2024 Spring 2024
Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
Aaron Forrest
Rhinow 3D Modelling and Rendering, V-ray, AutoCad 2D Drawings, PhotoShop, 3D Printer, Physical Model.
Site analysis: The selected area of the project was about 6,400 SF, tasks would be to locate and to orient within the larger outlines of the plot. The site is not a square, and the topography was descended from Northeast to Southwest; the difference was about 8 feet. Location was in near the Campus of UC Berkeley, between 2315 and 2339 of Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704. The climate in this area is pretty mild which has a Mediterranean climate characterized by mild, wet winters and dry, warm summers. Temperature is average highs ranging from 58°F (14°C) in winter to 73°F (23°C) in summer. Heat waves are rare but can occasionally push temperatures into the 80s or 90s (°F). Berkely experiences regular breezes from the bay, which keep it cooler than inland areas.
Introduction: This semester, I will work within and around this bounding box from multiple points of view, establishing individual formal, organizational, and political positions vis a vis the square, the building, and the city– a frame in which architectural ideas of many forms can play out and intersect. I was required to build specifically architectural ideas, concepts that operate on the world through the tools of space, circulation, structure, and organiz tion via three cumulative design projects. work will be conduced iteratively through the primary instruments of architectural design: orthographic drawings, models, and images.
Design concept development prcedure through 3 projects
Project 1: Pavilion.
Design required an enclosure-less roof structure as a means of reconfiguring a site with minimal means. I conceptualized my concept by incorporating square elements throughout the area to create a green space that is both pleasurable and provides a shade canopy for urban residents to congregate and participate in activities.
Project 2: Stack.
This step required to turn pavalions into the vertical dimension, creating an open framework driven by parallel concepts for circulation and structure, as well as the progressive redefinition of the building’s edge as it ascends upward. The project will be centered on the design of the grid, which will serve simultaneously as the structural skeleton of the
Project 3: Building.
Synthesize architectural ideas from Projects 1 and 2 into a proposal for a new public building that kind abstract concepts of organization, space, and tectonics. My design solved a broader array of architectural problems—site, structure, circulation, program, and enclosure recreation center. The center presents a larger scale with complex program including 1 lobby, 1 cafe, 2 Gymnasiums (to fit high basketball court with mimum 2 locker rooms, another gymnasium has to be 20’ clear height), 4 shared studios, 4 classrooms, 4 Pribat Offices, 1 open area, 2 administ meetig rooms, 2 restrooms, 1 storage, circulation ystems and other mechanial facilities. The challenge was the archetypal strategies employed for the Pavilion and Stack hold as much relevance as manage the programs while left 50% of site (minimum) must be unbuilt as public space, but you should plan to design the entire ground plane(including paved and planted areas, seating, and topography) in addition to your building. ever as the new design.
I strategically utilized the site’s topography, leveraging the 8-foot elevation difference between the north and south. By excavating 10 feet into the ground, I seamlessly integrated gymnasiums into the design. A ramp connects the north entrance, while the south entrance aligns almost level with the road, ensuring smooth accessibility. Building structure was 2 feet larger while overlap each floors.
Design a landscape on the North side of the lot, I sophiscatedly incorperated an arch bridge to smoothly link the basketball court to the green open area below, improving accessibility and visual harmony.
Outdoor steps link the south and north doors, allowing easy access to the public leisure complex. A central square aperture allows for plenty of natural light throughout the day, increasing the space’s openness.
Berkeley Student Apartment Residential Multi-Family affodable house
Date : September - December / 2024
Semester : Fall 2024
Location: 2536 Regent St,Berkeley, CA
Prefessor: Kristen Sidell
Contributions: Revit 3D Modeling, Rhino, Photoshop, AutoCad 2D, D5, Physical model, 3D Printer
In this studio project, students were required to design an apartment which at least 5-7 units for student housing and multi-family housing complex near the Berkeley campus, with a total occupancy of more than 25 residents. Based on the new regulation which require increase housing, decrease inequality, improve afordability, and enhance urban life with greater diversity and more robust community connections- To explore how the architectural changes possibilities of student housing. The site, located at 2536 Regent St, Berkeley, CA
Introduction:
The design accommodated the diversity of Berkeley’s residents, offering adaptable layouts that cater to different lifestyles, from students to small families. Units range from compact studios to multi-bedrooms with Varied ceiling heights. The Project includes communal and private spaces, which are indicated in the drawings with a courtyard, public cafeteria, reading room, and a small communal space even within the individual modules. Highlight the modular room configurations to create opportunities for personalized living experiences within a unified life environment. This design is approached closely to Berkeley’s downtown context, balancing density with sustainability. The whole design process was a journey to explore different ways that make people have a convenient and comfortable living space, as well as living variation, efficiency, and flexibility.
Site analysis: The site is surrounded by high-density neighborhoods. Two single-family houses on the left and 4 level high apartment on the left, front fasade
Berkeley Student Apartment Residential Multi-Family affodable house
Sky roofing alows nature light into the building and brighten all floors through the vertical circulation system.
Berkeley Student Apartment Residential Multi-Family affodable house
Longitudinal Sections
Unit for a family of two or three.
Design exploring living space variation. Front yard are regular house layout which accomadate large size family Highlight the modular room configurations to create opportunities for personalized living experiences within a unified life environment.
Units for a family of single or two.
The layout is conceived as cozy zones that integrate bedroom, a small ketchen, bathroom, a cute outdoor area can seamlessly transform to serve multiple functions. By lofting bedroom in the subsecond floor, while leave an open area makes the room notfeel deppressed because of the small space. A big window give a unique scenery and nature light to the bedroom.
