CONTEMPORARY DESIGN TYPOLOGY PROVIDED BY TRADITIONAL CHINESE GARDEN DESIGN PRINCIPLES ON A SITE IN CHICAGO’S CHINATOWN A CREATIVE PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BY JUE WANG MALCOLM CAIRNS, COMMITTEE CHAIR BALL STATE UNIVERSITY MUNCIE, IN July 2016 ACKNOWLEDGMENT ABSTRACT Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my committee chair Prof. Over thousands of years of history, the Chinese garden has formed its unique style. For Malcolm Cairns for the support of my study and research, for his patience, motivation, a time, it was well known all over the world. But due to WWII and the Chinese cultural enthusiasm, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped me in all the time of research revolution, the Chinese garden declined and kept silent for almost 100 years. It was and writing of this creative project. so long that people nearly forgot about the existence of the Chinese garden. Since Beijing held the 2008 Olympic Games, the country started to construct new buildings Besides my committee chair, I would like to thank the rest of my committee: Prof. Joseph and landscapes everywhere, which allowed the Chinese garden to be revitalized and Blalock, Prof. Bo Zhang, for their encouragement, insightful comments, and hard redeveloped in the contemporary era. However, the revitalization is full of challenges. questions. People praised the newly constructed landscape features while criticizing some of the My sincere thanks also go to Prof. Jody Rosenblatt-Naderi, Prof. Meg Calkins, Prof. designs. The intense collision between tradition and modernity causes wide discussion. Miran Jung Day, Judy Wand, and Marilyn Davis for their inspiration and help in study, People sometimes think the designs completely mimic the ancient Chinese garden which work and life. is incompatible with modern urban contexts. And some of the designs were partially I would also like to thanks to Barth Hendrickson, Drew Braley, and Bonnie Roy for taken from the typical Chinese garden but don’t seem to fit into the urban textures. Also, offering me the summer internship opportunities in their groups and leading me working there are some successful abstraction and simplified products that people feel express on diverse, exciting projects. the spirit of traditional Chinese gardens. So in fact, there are no rules or guidelines that tell designers what to abandon and what to preserve, which leads to the confusion of the I thank my fellow in the studio for the stimulating discussions, for the sleepless nights we new design. Generally speaking, the Chinese garden has not found a way to adapt to were working together before deadlines, and for all the fun we have had in the last three western settings or modernization. years. This creative project will provide a fresh, and contemporary design typology which is Last but not the least, I would like to thank my family: my parents Jun Wang and Bo Gao, adapted to contemporary urban context, that also shares the hybrid design strategy for giving birth to me at the first place and supporting me spiritually throughout my life. of traditional Chinese garden design principles and modern design principles. Through the research of Chinese garden history, analysis of ancient and contemporary examples,comparison of successful and unsuccessful cases, I seek to create a demonstration site that embraces a culturally-rich urban context. The significance of the project is to stimulate the traditional aesthetics and awake in others the dim memory of 2 3 the Chinese garden. TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 3.4 the framework of designing a Chinese garden………………………....66 Figure 3.5 cultural symbol-moongate……………………………………….………..68 Figure 2.1 Chinese garden paintings………………………………………………15 Figure 3.6 contemporary strategies…...................................................................69 Figure 2.2 three seas…………………………………………………………………20 Figure 4.1 Chicago.s Chinatown……………………………………………………....73 Figure 2.3 bank of China, Hong Kong……………………………………………...20 Figure 4.2 land use around site………………………………………………………..74 Figure 2.4 timeline of Chinese garden history……………………………………..21 Figure 4.3 connections around site…………………………………………………....75 Figure 2.5 Kongzi……………………………………………………………………..23 Figure 4.4 site existing consition……………………………………………………….77 Figure 2.6 Laozi……………………………………………………………………….23 Figure 4.5 site analysis-from south………………………………………………….....79 Figure 2.7 windows in traditional Chinese garden………………………………..45 Figure 4.6 site analysis-from north……………………………………………………..81 Figure 2.8 moongate shapes in traditional Chinese garden…………………….47 Figure 4.7 site analysis- opportunity and constraints.............................................83 Figure 2.9 timeline of Chinese immigration history……………………………….49 Figure 4.8 goals and objectives..............................................................................85 Figure 2.10: Chinese population % in U.S. states (Year 2000) …………………50 Figure 4.9 master plan……………………………………………………………….…..87 Figure 2.11 population and founded year of Chinatown…………………………51 Figure 4.10 site plan and section……………………………………………………....89 Figure 2.12 Summer Palace…………………………………………………………53 Figure 4.11 analysis-fengshui………………………………………..………………....90 Figure 2.13 Seventeen-Arch Bridge………………………………………………..54 Figure 4.12 site plan……………………………………………………………………...92 Figure 2.14 the Small Flying Rainbow……………………………………………...56 Figure 4.13 analysis-spatial articulation……………………………...........................93 Figure 2.15 the Humble Administrator’s Garde…………………………………...56 Figure 4.14 analysis-spatial framework…………………………………………..........94 Figure 2.16 the garden plan…………………………………………………………57 Figure 4.15 spatial framework..................................................................................95 Figure 2.17 the park master plan……………………………………………………58 Figure 4.16 analysis-thematic units..........................................................................97 Figure 2.18 rock and pine……………………………………………………………59 Figure 4.17 analysis-scenic views 1.........................................................................99 Figure 2.19 suzhou museum………………………………………………………...60 Figure 4.18 analysis-scenic views 2.........................................................................98 Figure 2.20 moongate garden……………………………………………………….62 Figure 4.19 new design framework..........................................................................100 Figure 2.21 moongate………………………………………………………………...62 Figure 4.20 SCLM.....................................................................................................102 Figure 2.22 Temple of Heaven…………………………………………….………...63 Figure 4.21 planting list............................................................................................103 Figure 3.1 fengshui of hills, buildings and water features……………..….…......65 Figure 4.22 entrance plaza.......................................................................................106 Figure 3.2 two approaches, physically and spiritually……………………...........65 Figure 4.23 lotus pond..............................................................................................108 Figure 3.3 the basic framework of Chinese garden………………………………,67 Figure 4.24 playground.............................................................................................110 4 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1. Project background and Introduction 1.1 Project Statement 1.2 Questions 1.3 Parameters 1.4 Assumption 1.5 Delimitation 1.6 Methodology 1.7 Significance Chapter 2. Literature Review 2.1 Chinese Garden History History of Chinese Garden Ethics and Philosophy of Chinese Garden 2.2 Chinese Garden Design Principles Composition and Design Principles Construction Guidance and use of Elements 2.2 Chinatown in United States Chinese immigration in United States Chinatown in United States 2.3 Case Study Chapter 3. Design Framework 3.1 Two Approaches 3.2 The Framework 3.3 Hybrid Design Strategy Chapter 4. Design Demonstration 4.1 Site Background-Chinatown in Chicago, IL 4.2 Site Inventory and Analysis 4.3 Goals and Objectives 4.4 Design References 6 7 CHAPTER 1 PROJECT INTRODUCTION The newly constructed landscape features were both praised and criticized. The intense collision between tradition and modernity causes wide discussion. Some people think 1.1 PROJECT STATEMENT the designs completely mimic the ancient Chinese garden and that this is incompatible with modern city contexts. And some of the design is partially copied from the typical Chinese gardens reveal a high level of artistic achievement in a characteristic style. Chinese garden but doesn’t fit into the urban context. There are also some successful They have an important position in the history of gardens of the world, for not only did abstractions and simplified products that people feel express the spirit of traditional they influence the construction of gardens in many countries of Asia, including Japan, Chinese gardens. So in fact, there are no rules or guidelines that tell designers what to but also, in the late Eighteenth Century, they had a definite effect on garden planning abandon and what to preserve, and this leads to confusion in the new design. Generally in England and other countries of distant Western Europe. Re-flourishing the artificiality speaking, the Chinese garden has not found a way to adapt to western settings or as well as the natural beauty of the Chinese garden and adapting the traditional design modernization.