UC Berkeley Design Studio
Academic, 2023
Collaborate with Yabiao Guo
Instructor: David Jaehning
Academic, 2023
Collaborate with Yabiao Guo
Instructor: David Jaehning
UC Berkeley Design Studio
Academic, 2022
Individual Work
Instructor: René Davids, Greg Castillo
Collected in Dessau Effect 3 | 2022
Academic, 2022
Individual Work
Instructor: René Davids, Greg Castillo
Collected in Dessau Effect 3 | 2022
UC Berkeley Design Studio
Academic, 2021
Individual Work
Instructor: Eric Reeder
Academic, 2020
Individual Work
Tutor: Elliott Chieh
Kyushu University Design Studio
Academic, 2020
Collaborate with Tatsuhiko Hirata, Ishimoto Daiho, Masaaki Hiramatsu, Kido Togo
Instructor: Takefumi Kurose
Shortlisted | 2020 the 7th Urban Design and Town Planning Competition, 2020
Top100 | Fukuoka-Design Review, 2020
Collected in Design Review 2020 (pp.121, ID 44) & UD&TP Competition 2020 (pp.160-161)
Academic, 2019
Collaborate with Zhichen Gong, Congying He, Yingzhi He
Academic, 2019
Collaborate with Zhichen Gong, Yong Chen, Yingzhi He, Congying He
Collected in eVolo Skyscrapers 4 | 2021
Exihibited in Paradoxical, 4C Architecture and Design Innovation Exhibition | 2021
Academic, 2018
Collaborate with Zhichen Gong, Congying He
Third Prize | 3th "Tianhua"ART&TECH National College Students' Arch Design Competition, 2018
Academic, 2018 (Reworked in 2020)
Individual Work
Instuctor: Yiwa Shen, Elliott Chieh
Professional, 2024
Supervisor: Geoffrey Sorrell
Associated with
Professional, 2022
Supervisor: René Davids
Associated with
Associated with
13
UC Berkeley Graduate Thesis
Academic, 2024
Indivudual Work
Instructor: Neyran Turan, Mia Zinni
Academic, 2024
Indivudual Work
Instructor: Neyran Turan, Mia Zinni
11. Duplicate Beauty
UC Berkeley Graduate Thesis
Academic, 2024
Indivudual Work
Instructor: Neyran Turan, Mia Zinni
Academic, 2024
Indivudual Work
Instructor: Neyran Turan, Mia Zinni
Monologue
I returned to school to complete my graduate degree after spending 15 months interning in New York, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark. As an architecture student who had been studying the field for six years, I finally had the chance to explore so many incredible places. I was drawn to these experiences and embraced all kinds of events, while architecture remained a constant, though somewhat secondary, focus. This journey broadened my perspective on architecture, allowing me to connect it to various fields such as history, geography, politics, and social ideologies — not through distilled opinions from books, but through my own personal experiences.
By the time I returned to school, my thesis topic had expanded into much broader and more complex themes. However, I eventually narrowed it down to something more specific. It’s natural that many of my original ideas didn’t make it through this process, but isn’t it also a bit naïve to expect a thesis to encompass all of the travels and experiences I had?
Statement 1
Architecture has long been trapped in a heroic manifesto — we must design something beautiful, precise, original, timeless, and eternal. The reality, however, is quite the opposite. Architecture is underappreciated, misused, duplicated, abandoned, and demolished.
Architecture is a paradoxical profession. There is a pursuit of precision in many architectural projects, but most of these will not make sense anymore in just a few years.
Duplicate Beauty is an architectural fiction based on the palace Petit Trianon in Versaille, France, and its duplicate in San Francisco - Le Petit Trianon (Duplicate No.1). Both are historic heritages. Duplicate Beauty imagines such a copying process repeated over and over, and describes the contradictions that arise in the process, including the pursuit of luxury and the localization of materials, the fidelity to the original work, and the actual life of the user.
The story of these replicas is presented to highlight the unrealized design ambitions and question the positions of architects.
Petit Trianon, Versailles, France, 1768
Le Petit Trianon, San Francisco, US, 1902
The Petit Trianon, located in Versailles, France, was constructed in 1768 for King Louis XV. Today, it is a significant historical building and a popular tourist destination. A similar structure, named Le Petit Trianon, was built in San Francisco in 1902 and is also recognized as a historic landmark (Duplicate No.1). The two buildings share similarities in design, particularly in their facades and floor plans.
However, there are differences in the construction methods between the two. Unlike the original Petit Trianon, which was built with traditional masonry, the San Francisco version utilizes modern steel and concrete construction, finished with stucco. The masonry patterns in the San Francisco structure are represented through engraved grout work rather than solid stone.
Statement 2
Duplicates always put lots of effort into looking like the one they are derived from, but they can never be the same. I am interested in this never-met obsession and the never-realized success of the duplicate process. I want to reveal the paradox through the uncanny moments from the user’s perspective.
This thesis project describes a fictional story of this copying happening over and over, in different places at different times.
Entrance, Duplicate
Entrance, Duplicate No.1
Taking from the entrance of duplicate No.1, we are in the same space in the duplicate No.2.
The entrance retains its domed ceiling, framed by dark green marble. On the left, the peeling wallpaper subtly references the essence of the marble, while on the right, a movie poster contrasts with the original "beauty" of the material.
The door frame has been repainted, though the color does not match the original. Ahead, multiple layers of doors suggest a progression of opulent spaces unfolding before the viewer. However, an umbrella rests on the floor, drying, while shoe racks, clothing racks, and a table are haphazardly placed in the area.
Ballroom (Storage), Duplicate
Ballroom, Duplicate No.1
We are now in Duplicate No. 3, which was originally a ballroom. This subterranean space retains the qualities of underground lighting, with no wall openings to allow natural light. The once elegant piano is now tilted, and a bicycle is leaned against the wall—transforming the space from its original purpose as a ballroom into a storage room.
Although the chandelier still retains its shine, it no longer functions, prompting the user to introduce an alternative light source. To preserve the room’s original grandeur, mirrors continue to line the walls; however, the user has covered them to mitigate excessive glare and reflections.
Bedroom, Duplicate
Bedroom, Fireplace, Duplicate
Bedroom, Duplicate No.1
The narrative continues with Duplicate No. 4, a fireplace.
Objects, unlike buildings, can be more easily replicated with modern manufacturing techniques. However, in the process, they may lose their original functional purpose within their geometry. They may also undergo shifts in usage due to changes in lifestyles and evolving building codes.
In this instance, the fireplace no longer serves its intended purpose of containing fire.
While the walls remain "thick," they now feature voids between layers. The fireplace is embedded within this artificially thickened wall, forming a symmetrical niche in a similarly symmetrical room. The ceiling, too, is artificially thickened. The fireplace "supports" this thickened ceiling, yet is itself supported by two slender legs—an example of anti-gravity geometry.
The user has repurposed the fireplace as a bed headboard. And why not? After all, it is, in essence, a decorative sculpture.
Shroom, Duplicate, Section
Shroom, Duplicate, Plan
This set was inspired by a friend who grows mushrooms in his bedroom. To ensure proper ventilation, he drilled a hole through his bedroom closet into the bathroom for the ventilation pipes. His bedroom is filled with various racks and machines, and he documents every observation of his plants. It’s a one-bedroom apartment, while he has turned the bedroom into a mushroom farm and sleeps in the living room.
I was initially shocked by his unconventional hobby, but it also prompted me to reflect on the limitations of current housing design. Many housing standards assume that everyone follows the same routine and requires the same kind of space. To some extent, our lives are quite similar. However, I couldn’t help but think that, while it may not be easy, it is a reasonable aspiration for housing to reflect its owner’s individuality and serve as a vessel for their dreams.
Penthouse, Laundry Room, Duplicate
Penthouse, Laundry Room, Duplicate, Zoom in
Penthouse, Duplicate No.1
Returning to the narrative of duplicates, we now arrive at Duplicate No. 5, located on its rooftop.
What is the value of a rooftop? What do we mean when we refer to a penthouse? A penthouse traditionally symbolizes social status and success — its elevated position above all other floors and its unobstructed views.
But what if we consider the intrinsic value of such a space? In this case, the user repurposes the penthouse as a laundry room, stripping it of its traditional prestige. Certain modifications are necessary, such as covering the carpet with plastic.
What happens if the duplicate loses its prime location, as in the case of the one in San Francisco?
The answer is simple: even a view can be replicated. A photograph, for instance, offers a view that remains perpetually in its prime.
Public Amenity, Duplicate. No. Whatever
The surroundings of this duplicate are less maintained, allowing grass to overtake the yards, which have essentially disappeared. The mansion simply stands in place. A sign permits passersby to continue using the space as a public amenity. Discarded cigarette butts and cans are scattered around the area.
Rendering of All Duplicates
Statement 3
The efforts made to preserve the original beauty sometimes can not be paid off, due to the redefinition of values, the changes in lifestyles, different users, etc.
There is a certain pursuit of precision in many architecture projects, but most of the reasonings won’t make sense anymore in a couple of years.
By staging the moments of duplicate stories and embracing the unexpected outcomes, this thesis aims to generate a discussion.
Model
Zoom out
Zoom in_Entrance, Fireplace
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Zoom in_Penthouse, Mushroom
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Zoom in_Penthouse, Ballroom