BRIAN CHAN F
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California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
ANGELA BRACCO
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Born in Hong Kong, Brian Chan moved to the suburbs of Arcadia in L.A. when he was just 3 months old. Along with parents, and his two siblings, Brian was an extremely happy child. Sharing a room with his brother, Kenneth, he soon started to find a role model in him. He found in his brother someone who shared the same interest as him; gaming, art and and sports. As a young teen Brian participated heavily in sports, from the early ages of 5 up until he was 16. His interests ranged from soccer, basketball, football to baseball. It wasn’t until Brian was 17 that he knew he had two callings in his life, being a commercial pilot, or an architect. He came from a family that owned development companies in Southern California. His father was a developer and so was all his uncles. All 10 of his cousins from his father’s side were all either architectural designers or engineers. But when he was 18, before he enrolled in Cal Poly, he tested his luck in becoming a pilot for Cathay Pacific. Before then, he had worked at his local airport to earn enough money to learn how to fly and pay for his instructions. With enough exposure to the aviation industry he knew he had a special attraction to aviation. Applying to and interviewing for Cathay Pacific was one of the best experiences of his life. Being able to go to Cathay City, in the bustling city of his hometown, was a special experience indeed. For the future, he hopes to get this degree in Architecture from Cal Poly and hopefully work in a firm somewhere close to home in L.A. or somewhere in Asia. After he gets enough experience he wishes to open his own development company where he can just live a comfortable lifestyle flipping houses in a high price market.
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GAMESPACE
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study models
Using cardboard as the primary material, I was able to make quick, but creative models. Models that helped me understand not only how the diagrams worked but, how to work with my tools and cardboard. All things I was not accustomed to
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final model
Combing bristol board with chip board, I was able to create a final model that was cleaner. As well as learning from my previous study models, I grasped a refined idea behind the game diagram that I translated towards my final model
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Diagrams
Pixel Junk
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Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
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Terraria
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Minecraft
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WALK THE LINE
Original Photos
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Trace Sketches
Fabric Stitches
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closeup of fabric stitches
Floor rubbings from the scene
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OVERVIEW OF TRACE AND FABRIC STITCHES
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Reflection
I thought the idea behind sewing was creative and fun, but to me I didn’t really have a sparked interest to this just because I was limited to what I could use and make. I wasn’t satisfied at all with this project because I couldn’t really pour my all. Simply because I wanted to explore more rather then be confined to a fabric and stitch. The process of making my pathway was fun and very “zen-like.” It wasn’t arduous but it was incredibly difficult to get the shape that I envisioned due to the nature of the thread and fabric. My classmates had some very interesting designs, and to some people this was definitely something they were able to capitalize on. The way that some of them were made with some cool patterns really speak out. However, if I had a choice between this or constructing something more, I guess structural, I would choose the latter.
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I N T E R P O L AT E D V O I D
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01 to expand
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02 to expand
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03 to join
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Experience
The parti diagram assignment was pretty fun. After the practice I had from drawing numerous diagrams I was able to get an idea of how these parti and diagrams work. Even though both of them are different in drawings. Going out and hunting for pictures was fun as well, I trekked all over downtown and even came across a railway with an old train. All in all this first part of the project was fun and rewarding. After we finished up the parti’s and progressed into the interpolated voids I also felt the project was very amusing and fun. The way we were supposed to connect or relate two pictures together was challenging yet interesting. It took some thinking as to how I can give it form but at the same time give it some implied shape and structure. It was about completing a structure that was not supposed to even be together but in the end it worked out.
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Ultimate Folded Object
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The model making phase of this project was both fun and not fun. The beginning part where we were limited to the shape of the interpolated voids was dull because I felt the shapes and lines associated in my interpolated voids didn’t do me justice, and also I was at a loss on how to convey my voids. But after we removed the limitations and ground and were able to move away from the voids I truly loved the craft and thinking involved with how I made my models. Lastly, we added light and shadow and even though that incredibly new to me I had an amazing time making models based off of the shadows I created from my light model. Everything worked out pretty well and in the end it was incredibly enjoyable to do this project. The night after we hung all the voids up I visited the studio at midnight and just sat by the stairs looking at all the lights floating in the air, as if they were like mini stars illuminating different planets hanging in the black sky.
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Operation Totem
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Harford Pier DESIGN PROCESS
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elevation drafts orthographic and oblique
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STUDY MODELS
original model 1/4� scale
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study model 1/4� scale
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group study model 3/4� scale
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FINAL MODEL
I d e a t i o n
On a pier surrounded by gigantic structures and creations, we wanted to construct something that would be firm, solid, yet smaller in size. At the same time we wanted to extend our reach outwards to give pedestrians an oppurtunity to walk away from the chaos on the pier and just have a breather. Our concept was a building that could hold its own in an area of the pier that was extremely larger than life.
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This quarter was full of ups and downs. To just find my way in a new place and just getting comfortable with everyone around me. All of the time that I spent in studio this quarter doing projects really helped me get a sense of what architecture was and broaden my knowledge, in general terms. At first I was really lost and didn’t know how to do anything. My skills were not polished and all my work early on felt dry and dead. As time went on, I was able to learn more and more. Observing what other people were doing and learning from that. That was the reasoning and basis for my portfolio cover. The two squares that represent the early stages of this quarter, grey, and the other square that represents the latter stages of this quarter, blue, where I began to get better and better at what I was doing. Hence, my projects felt more and more alive. One of the greatest things that defines me is simplicity and how to keep everything simple but still tell a great story. No one says it better than this man himself.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.� - Leonardo da Vinci
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