Fanyin Xu

Graduated from Landscape Architecture two-year program, travelled to Albania and Brazil, and have been a TA for LARP 6010 Regional Planning Studio, I was grateful to spend a fulfilling time at Design School.

Degrees

Master of Landscape Architecture

An amphitheater at the river edge hosts festivals and serves as a flood basin, blending culture and climate resilience.

The Sobral, Brazil Studio: Reconnecting the City to its River Wenshu Huang, Fanyin Xu, Hanzhang Xiao, Youyou Fu

Inspired by pomegranate, one of the most common and culturally important tree in Shkodër, Albania, the newly opened ground public space emphasize on pedestrian experience with graphic design, turning 2D graphic into 3D installation, providing ludic experience for community.

Ludic Futures: Intersecting Climate + Play Fanyin Xu, Yuqian Liu

The paints brokes and scatters when comes to street junction, slowing down people, creating vibrant street coner.

Ludic Futures: Intersecting Climate + Play Fanyin Xu, Yuqian Liu

The project proposed residential courtyard build on top of the ground floor parking garage, with bioswales, tree canopy, and urban farm, bringing vitality to community life, envisioning a sustainable future.

The Sobral, Brazil Studio: Reconnecting the City to its River Fanyin Xu, Youyou Fu, Wenshu Huang, Hanzhang Xiao

The housing typologies are designed to accommodate diverse residents—including students, professionals, large families, and those seeking affordability or flexibility—while responding to varied site and social conditions. Featuring a mix of unit sizes and layouts, they support future expansion, integrate retail at key edges, and promote community interaction. These strategies ensure livability, adaptability, and a vibrant, inclusive neighborhood fabric.

The Sobral, Brazil Studio: Reconnecting the City to its River Youyou Fu, Wenshu Huang, Fanyin Xu, Hanzhang Xiao

A Three-Phase Strategy for Integrating Nature, Topography, and Urban Functions

The Sobral, Brazil Studio: Reconnecting the City to its River Fanyin Xu, Hanzhang Xiao, Wenshu Huang, Youyou Fu

Planting adapts from dry slopes to wetlands, forming a resilient ecological gradient throughout the urban fabric in Sobral.

The Sobral, Brazil Studio: Reconnecting the City to its River Fanyin Xu, Hanzhang Xiao, Wenshu Huang, Youyou Fu

The theme of the Gallery Boulevard echoes the public library and school located in the uphill mixed-use block on the west side, enriching the pedestrian pathway with art installations that can serve as a rotating showcase for local artists in Sobral. Bioswales are installed along both sides of the pedestrian system to enhance surface runoff infiltration.

The Sobral, Brazil Studio: Reconnecting the City to its River Wenshu Huang, Fanyin Xu, Hanzhang Xiao, Youyou Fu

By opening up the ground floor of the apartment building, I created this playful, iconic public space for gathering and social.

Ludic Futures: Intersecting Climate + Play Fanyin Xu, Yuqian Liu

The uphill zone is a mixture of civic facilities, public landscape and housing with diverse planting scheme, aiming to provide high quality public space and social resources for the neighborhood.

The Sobral, Brazil Studio: Reconnecting the City to its River Fanyin Xu, Youyou Fu, Wenshu Huang, Hanzhang Xiao

COMMUNITY TYPOLOGY: To respond to the site’s diverse natural conditions and the edge conditions of public spaces while fostering a socially integrated community, we have developed various community typologies. The community design emphasizes canopy coverage and housing diversity. Each typology features a range of housing unit sizes and green space functions to accommodate the diverse needs of residents.

The Sobral, Brazil Studio: Reconnecting the City to its River Youyou Fu, Wenshu Huang, Fanyin Xu, Hanzhang Xiao

A BALANCED RIVER COMMUNITY: Masterplan 1. Waterfront Gateway Park 2. Sobral High School 3. Shaded Forest Path 4. Uphill Library 5. Industry Zone 6. Student Common 7. Agriculture Land 8. Birdwatching Station 9. Stream Trail 9 Housing with internal courtyard Housing To University School Housing on the hill The community’s design prioritizes public spaces with ample canopy coverage and pedestrianfriendly design. The Central Pedestrian Spine and Main Public Green Spaces serve as the primary f

The Sobral, Brazil Studio: Reconnecting the City to its River Youyou Fu, Wenshu Huang, Fanyin Xu, Hanzhang Xiao

Civic, landscape, and housing programs create vibrant, green public spaces and social amenities on Sobral’s upper terrain.

The Sobral, Brazil Studio: Reconnecting the City to its River Fanyin Xu, Hanzhang Xiao, Wenshu Huang, Youyou Fu