Brian Tien Professional Portfolio 2024 V2

Brian Tien

Portfolio 2024

Professional

Intern Architect - Healthcare B+H Architects

Toronto, Canada, November 2022 - Current

Intern Architect, Design Workshop Architects Toronto, Canada, March 2022 - October 2022

Architectural Intern, WXY Architecture + Urbanism

New York City, USA, January 2020 - May 2020

Junior Architectural Designer, Zeidler Architecture Inc.

Toronto, Canada, January 2019 - August 2019

Architectural Intern, LAVA- Laboratory for Visionary Architecture

Berlin, Germany, May 2018 - August 2018

Project Coordinator, Duffy and Associates Design Build Limited Toronto, ON, Canada, September 2017December 2017

Architectural Intern, HLW International LLP

New York City, NY, United States, January 2017April 2017

Academic

Teaching Assistant, Visual and Digital Media

University of Waterloo, Cambridge, Canada, September - December 2021

Led by Fiona Lim-Tung

Teaching Assistant, Theory and Design of the Contemporary Landscape University of Waterloo, Cambridge, Canada, May 2021 - August 2021

Led by Jane Hutton

Teaching Assistant, Enclosure Design Studio University of Waterloo, Cambridge, Canada, January 2021 - May 2021

Led by Andrea Atkins & Jonathan Enns

Skills

Digital: Rhino 3D, Revit, Bluebeam, Sketchup, Grasshopper, AutoCAD, Vray Render, Enscape, Lumion,

Adobe Creative Suite (Ps, Ai, Id, Pr, Ae), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Ppt), Laser cutting, 3D Matterport

Analog: Hand Drafting, Sketching, Model Making, Power tools trained, G Driver’s License Languages: English, French, Mandarin Chinese

Education

Masters of Architecture

University of Waterloo School of Architecture, Cambridge, Ontario September 2020- April 2022

Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Honours Co-op

University of Waterloo School of Architecture, Cambridge, Ontario September 2015- August 2020

Awards + Publications

Issue 04: PAUSE/PLAY - Published galt Magazine, November 2021

Berlin Techno Club Bee Breeders Competition - Shortlisted Bee Breeders, October 2021

Barry Bell Scholarship Honourable Mention 2021

Eating: Alternative designs for restaurantsFinalist and Published Non-Architecture, December 2017

Nuclear Landmarker For A Waste Isolation Site competition - Honorable Mention arch out loud, October 2017

References available upon request.

August 11TH, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter to formally recommend Brian Tien as a strong designer who would be an asset to any design firm.

As the co-director of the internship program at HLW it was my role to oversee Brian’s work during his internship here in the Spring of 2017. I also had the opportunity to work directly with Brian on several of my projects.

Brian is a talented young designer with an advanced knowledge of design. He has a strong foundation in computational design skills that make him an asset to the design team. He is confident, and able to communicate well in the work environment.

I believe Brian will do well in his future career opportunities to come. I would recommend any future employer to strongly consider Brian as a candidate.

Sincerely,

Currie Gardner Sr Interior Designer / Sr Associate

HLW International 115 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10003

T 212 353 4739

M 631 258 4749 cgardner@hlw.com

DESIGN WORKSHOP ARCHITECTS

Intern Architect

Mar 2022 - Current

Type: Residential, Commercial

Location: Toronto, Canada

Tools: Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Matterport, Bluebeam

-Drafted and coordinated drawing submissions for permit, tender, and construction for a sixstorey condominium. Worked in collaboration with two other designers.

-Organized and managed the glazing schedule, enlarged floor plans, partial elevations, and the RCP drawings.

-Drew typical construction details while coordinating with brick study to ensure openings were precise.

-Coordinated louvers, lighting, and plumbing fixtures with mechanical consultants and planned facade updates.

-Managed wall and door schedules and followed OBC SB-3 guidelines to design new wall types.

DESIGN WORKSHOP ARCHITECTS

-Led the design of a small elevator addition in a type D two-story building in North York.

-Coordinated the drawing set with structural and mechanical engineers, specifically changing the elevator shaft construction from steel stud to concrete block construction which led to updating the floor plans, sections and details.

-Worked with an interior designer to design the finished lobby of the project and sourced surface materials for pricing.

-performed site visits with 3D Matterport scanning to ensure our CAD drawings were accurate.

Porcelaintileflooring+largeformatporcelainwallcladding,accentedwithwarmtexturaloak,andblackmetal.

Architecture + Urbanism

Architectural Intern Jan 2020 - May 2020

Type: Residential, Commercial

Location: NYC, USA Tools: Revit, Rhino, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator

-Worked closely with a senior associate on multiple projects ranging from affordable housing to early massing concepts for urban planning proposals.

Model Photos Model Photos, Option 1 Massing

-Prepared a design poster for the Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge Competition, drew mapping analysis and diagrams to explain a proposal for a more pedestrian and bike-friendly bridge.

-Oversaw updating the presentations for urban design responses with different options for building form in expanding neighborhoods such as Williams Point NYC and the Bronx.

-Worked primarily in Rhino 3d, Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, as well as Grasshopper 3d to automate FAR calculations and setbacks.

Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge Competition Submission

LAVA Laboratory for Visionary Architecture

Architectural Intern

May 2018 - Aug 2018

Type: Education, Commercial

Location: Berlin, Germany

Tools: Revit, Rhino, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator

-Collaborated with other architectural designers to produce the SoundHub, a five-story office space catered towards young music professionals.

-As one of the only team members proficient in both Revit and Rhino, my responsibilities included updating the drawing set for permit and modelling custom details such as the atrium stairs, the meeting rooms, and the atrium seating spaces.

-Designed a custom ETFE roof for the SoundHub’s atrium, which involved researching the material’s capabilities as well as discussing its limitations with the structural engineers.

Front View

Atrium View

Ground Floor Plan

LAVA Laboratory for Visionary Architecture

-Worked closely with the principal to produce drawings for the Urban Production Centre, a technology campus in a former industrial building site somewhere in Germany.

-Drew and organized the floor plans in Rhino3D for weekly design presentations and the final competition panel.

-Furthered my experience and skills with drawing complex curvilinear forms before bringing them into 3D form, which meant designing strict and organized parameters.

Interior View Into Light Well

Manufacturing Floors

Public Floors

Office Floors

Aerial View Onto The Urban Production Center

(RE)CREATION

Graduate Thesis Studio, Individual

Project: Fitness Gym & Community Center

Location: Junction Triangle, Toronto, Canada

Tools: Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator, Vray

The final phase of my thesis was community centre located in West Toronto which explored how can the gym as a building have a more active role in not only improving one’s experience with physical exercise, but also empower people to feel comfortable while working out. My thesis explored the architectural and cultural borders of the fitness gym, a contemporary typology that most individuals today have encountered on a mundane basis, but have been fairly neglected by designers. The program of the gym makes it an ideal site for experimenting with the connection between mind, body, and space but many think of the gym as an intimidating and uncomfortable place.

Case Study of Richie’s Gym, Brooklyn NYC

Daily Schedule Diagram

from MOCA

from Bike Railpath

from Bloor St W / Bloor GO

Gym Interior View

Main Entrance View

Stretching Spaces

The Body As a Building

Running Track

Phenomenologym

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

People work out for different reasons: to feel empowered, to be seen, and to be happy. It is a form of simulated labour we condition ourselves to enjoy as a unique blend of work, leisure, and pleasure. When commercial gyms, yoga studios, and community centres were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, many resorted to alternative exercise options such as running outside or performing calisthenics at a local playground. However, most conceded to working out at home, squeezing in cardio and bodyweight exercises between online office hours, school hours, or housework.

When our spaces become less defined, so should the boundaries of our bodies. The phenomenologym reinterprets the home gym by questioning the rituals of everyday life, work, and working out that are typically separated by physical spaces and scheduling. Rather than being composed of strict partitions, this collection of apparatuses behave similar to flowing cloth; its form shifts and adjusts to the user’s needs. Inspired by Arakawa and Gins’ writings on phenomenology, the gym proposes the idea of a landing-site: “a place for learning an attitude toward perception, a location for developing a craft of open attentive awareness.” The phenomenologym is not simply for physical exercise, but for living in a state of connectivity between the mind, the body, and the surround. Here, perceptions are not simply visual, but transcend encompass bodily experiences. Feel the floor’s curving topography forcing your body to compress and stretch while traversing from one point to the other. Your hands and feet grope for stability, a contrast from the prescribed standards for the built form of gym spaces. The railings guide you while doubling as a tool for calisthenic workouts. Gradually curving and shifting in elevation, they force your body to adjust, heightening your awareness as you reposition yourself within the space

The phenomenologym is only the first step towards deconstructing notions of beautiful and desirable bodies. The obsessive need to control every aspect of our body is still very much existent, reflected through prescribed rigid workout schedules; precise, regulated equipment; and the monitoring of one’s every movement.

Rarefaction Museum - View from the Colosseum

Aura Troupe Techno Booth - Rendering

Aura Troupe Techno Booth - Perspective Section