Ruxuan Zheng ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ City on the Loop ᱢᱮᱥᱟᱭ ᱵᱮᱵᱷᱟᱨ

Ruxuan Zheng ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ City on the Loop ᱢᱮᱥᱟᱭ ᱵᱮᱵᱷᱟᱨ ᱫᱚ ᱱᱚᱜᱚᱨ ᱭᱚᱡᱚᱱᱟ ᱯᱨᱚᱛᱤᱡᱚᱜᱤᱛᱟ ᱵᱷᱟᱜ ᱨᱮ 2026 A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱟᱹᱰᱤ ᱢᱟᱱ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱡᱤᱛᱠᱟᱨ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾

ᱨᱩᱯᱟᱱᱚᱜᱚᱨ ᱭᱚᱡᱚᱱᱟ· 2026

City on the Loop ᱢᱮᱥᱟᱭ ᱵᱮᱵᱷᱟᱨ

Ruxuan Zheng ᱞᱮᱠᱟᱛᱮ

ᱜᱟᱦᱟᱠ: Ruxuan Zheng

ᱱᱚᱜᱚᱨ ᱭᱚᱡᱚᱱᱟ ᱵᱷᱟᱜ ᱨᱮ A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ ᱡᱤᱛᱠᱟᱨ

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ᱡᱟᱸᱪ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱮᱣᱟᱨᱰ ᱡᱤᱛᱠᱟᱨ

#176557 ᱞᱟᱜᱤᱫ ᱮᱣᱟᱨᱰ ᱦᱟᱞᱚᱛ ᱡᱟᱸᱪ

ᱥᱟᱭᱤᱴ ᱧᱮᱞ ᱢᱮ A' Design Award ᱨᱮ ᱧᱮᱞ ᱢᱮ ᱯᱨᱮᱥ ᱨᱤᱞᱤᱡ ᱯᱩᱨᱥᱠᱟᱨ ᱵᱮᱡ

ᱨᱚᱝ

ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ

City on the Loop ᱢᱮᱥᱟᱭ ᱵᱮᱵᱷᱟᱨ ᱵᱟᱵᱚᱛ ᱛᱮ

ᱥᱤᱴᱤ ᱚᱱ ᱫᱮᱸ ᱞᱩᱯ ᱫᱚ ᱵᱨᱩᱠᱞᱤᱱ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱫᱟᱜ ᱰᱩᱵᱟᱹᱣ ᱫᱟᱲᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱫᱚᱨᱭᱟ ᱟᱲᱮ ᱠᱚ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱞᱟᱜᱟᱛᱟᱨ ᱱᱟᱜᱟᱨ ᱫᱷᱟᱨᱮ ᱞᱮᱠᱟ ᱱᱟᱶᱟ ᱛᱮ ᱩᱭᱦᱟᱹᱨᱟ, ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱫᱚ ᱫᱚᱨᱭᱟ ᱫᱟᱜ ᱩᱛᱷᱱᱟᱹᱣ ᱥᱟᱶᱛᱮ ᱢᱮᱬᱦᱮᱫᱚᱜ-ᱟ᱾ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱠᱟᱸᱴᱷᱟᱢᱚ (ᱤᱱᱯᱷᱨᱟᱥᱴᱨᱚᱠᱪᱚᱨ) ᱪᱮᱛᱟᱱ ᱨᱮ ᱵᱮᱱᱟᱣ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱫᱚ ᱯᱮ ᱴᱷᱮᱱ ᱛᱮ ᱪᱮᱛᱟᱱ ᱨᱮ ᱨᱟᱠᱟᱵ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱚᱲᱟᱜ, ᱦᱟᱞᱠᱟ ᱨᱮᱞ, ᱟᱨ ᱫᱟᱜ ᱰᱩᱵᱟᱹᱣ ᱥᱟᱦᱟᱣ ᱫᱟᱲᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱡᱟᱱᱟᱜᱟᱨᱤ ᱠᱟᱹᱢᱤ ᱠᱚ ᱟᱹᱜᱩᱭᱟ᱾ ᱠᱮᱴᱮᱡ ᱥᱤᱢᱟᱹ ᱡᱟᱭᱜᱟ ᱨᱮ ᱚᱴ-ᱫᱚᱨᱭᱟ ᱜᱨᱮᱰᱤᱭᱮᱱᱴ ᱛᱟᱦᱮᱸᱱᱟ, ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱛᱮ ᱟᱨᱠᱤᱴᱮᱠᱪᱚᱨ, ᱡᱤᱭᱚᱱ-ᱡᱮᱜᱮᱛ (ᱤᱠᱚᱞᱚᱡᱤ) ᱟᱨ ᱟᱹᱛᱩᱨᱮᱱ ᱡᱤᱭᱚᱱ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱴᱷᱮᱱ ᱨᱮ ᱡᱚᱲᱟᱣᱜ-ᱟ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱞᱩᱯ ᱫᱚ ᱡᱟᱭᱜᱟ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱠᱟᱸᱴᱷᱟᱢᱚ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱚᱫᱚᱞᱚᱜ ᱫᱟᱲᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱦᱚᱨᱟ ᱞᱮᱠᱟ ᱵᱟᱨᱟᱱ ᱛᱮ ᱠᱟᱹᱢᱤᱭᱟ, ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱫᱚ ᱥᱟᱶᱛᱟ-ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱱᱟᱜ ᱵᱚᱫᱚᱞ ᱥᱟᱶᱛᱮ ᱦᱟᱨᱟ ᱤᱫᱤᱭᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱟᱜᱟᱢ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱥᱮᱭᱟᱱ, ᱡᱟᱹᱛᱩ-ᱵᱟᱫᱚᱞ ᱧᱮᱞᱚᱜ ᱥᱚᱨᱠᱟᱨᱤ ᱪᱟᱞᱟᱣ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱠᱟᱸᱴᱷᱟᱢᱚ ᱮᱢᱟᱭᱟ᱾

ᱢᱟᱱᱟᱱ

A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ ᱵᱟᱵᱚᱛ ᱛᱮ

City on the Loop ᱢᱮᱥᱟᱭ ᱵᱮᱵᱷᱟᱨ ᱫᱚ A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ ᱧᱟᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱥᱩᱱᱫᱚᱨ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱠᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱮᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱥᱚᱢᱟᱱ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱠᱚ ᱫᱚ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱᱟᱨ ᱠᱚ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱵᱷᱟᱵᱱᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱠᱟᱢᱤ ᱡᱷᱟᱞᱠᱟᱣ ᱠᱚ᱾ City on the Loop ᱢᱮᱥᱟᱭ ᱵᱮᱵᱷᱟᱨ ᱫᱚ ᱠᱚᱞᱟ, ᱣᱤᱜᱭᱟᱱ, ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱟᱨ ᱴᱮᱠᱱᱚᱞᱚᱡᱤ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱥᱤᱢᱟ ᱵᱟᱲᱦᱟᱣ ᱟᱨ ᱫᱩᱱᱤᱭᱟ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱜᱚᱲᱚ ᱮᱢ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾

ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱯᱤᱪᱷᱟ ᱨᱮ

ᱯᱨᱮᱥ ᱠᱤᱴ

ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱᱟᱨ ᱧᱮᱞ ᱠᱷᱚᱱ ᱠᱨᱮᱰᱤᱴ, ᱴᱤᱢ ᱥᱫᱚᱥᱭ ᱟᱨ ᱴᱮᱠᱱᱤᱠᱮᱞ ᱵᱤᱵᱚᱨᱚᱬ ᱮᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾

ᱟᱞᱜᱟ ᱜᱩᱱ ᱠᱚ: City on the Loop reimagines Canarsie Pier as a dynamic coastal system that adapts to rising sea levels. Through a phased loop structure built along a land–sea gradient, the project integrates housing, infrastructure, and ecology into a resilient urban edge. It transforms the shoreline from a barrier into a platform for coexistence, with future potential for AI-assisted adaptation and growth.
ᱢᱟᱯ ᱟᱨ ᱯᱮᱠᱮᱡᱤᱝ: The design was developed through phased urban modeling, sectional prototyping, and spatial iteration to explore adaptive growth along coastal gradients. Ecological, social, and infrastructural systems were layered using loop-based logic, allowing the project to evolve as both a physical structure and a future-responsive framework.
ᱴᱮᱜ ᱠᱚ: Architecture; Urban Design; Coastal Resilience; Housing; Ecological Systems; New York City
ᱛᱮᱭᱟᱨ ᱛᱮᱠᱱᱚᱞᱚᱡᱤ: This design was developed through iterative digital modeling, combining GIS mapping, ecological data, and layered analysis of coastal conditions. Renderings and animations were produced using 3D visualization tools to simulate the gradient between land and sea. The process emphasized feedback loops—testing urban form against resilience, housing demand, and public accessibility.
ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱱ ᱪᱮᱞᱮᱧ: The hardest part was reconciling ecological resilience with urban density. Historically, the site has been cut off by the Belt Parkway; socially, the community faces limited waterfront access. Externally, sea-level projections and flood laws required strict compliance, while production constraints limited material choices. Information gaps on long-term climate data challenged our modeling. Overcoming these, we created a looped edge that balances housing, ecology, and public life.
ᱜᱚᱵᱮᱥᱚᱱᱟ: This is applied design research aimed at rethinking coastal urban edges. The objective was to create housing integrated with resilient infrastructure. Methodology combined GIS mapping, site surveys, 3D simulations, and projected sea-level rise and flood data. Results show a looped edge that strengthens housing, ecology, and access. Insights suggest design can influence real estate, community life, and climate adaptation.
ᱯᱨᱮᱨᱚᱱᱟ: Inspired by the contradictions of the Belt Parkway—both connective and divisive—this project explores how infrastructure can shift from separation to integration. It draws from tidal landscapes, looped mobility, and phased urbanism to envision a future where architecture mediates between ecological forces, human needs, and evolving coastlines.
ᱯᱨᱚᱡᱮᱠᱴ ᱥᱚᱢᱚᱭ: The project started in September 2019 in New York as an academic studio research in Syracuse University. It has been continuously refined and expanded through independent work until June 2025, when it was exhibited at the UTOPIA exhibition.
ᱠᱟᱹᱢᱤ ᱦᱚᱨ: The design works like a continuous walkway that rises above the highway and bends along the shoreline. As people move through it, the structure shifts from housing to public spaces to green wetlands. Key moments include crossing the elevated loop, stepping down to the water, and meeting open plazas. By blending living, nature, and access, it turns a barrier into a shared edge, making the coast safer, more open, and more resilient for everyday use.
ᱴᱤᱢ ᱥᱮᱫᱟᱭ ᱠᱚ: Ruxuan Zheng
ᱪᱤᱛᱟᱹᱨ ᱥᱟᱹᱦᱟ: All images, renderings, and video content created by Architect / Designer Zheng Ruxuan. Copyright © 2025, all rights reserved.
Background music: Ocean Song, created by Memê no Beat.