pmjk peter myung-jin kwak
2019 Architecture Visualization Portfolio.
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Hello!
My name is Peter Kwak, and I am a recent undergraduate from the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. I am extremely passionate in learning everything I can about architectural visualization and the 3D representation of our built world. In particular, my studies and interests throughout my academic career have constantly revolved around the idea of using media to frame the conversation about architecture and its narrative. I hope to further my passion and studies in this field to ultimately expand and explore new ways to communicate architectural qualities and spatial emotions. I wish to be able to develop compelling media that tells the story of architecture in effective and provocative ways. I am a driven team-worker, and I always pursue opportunities to learn and improve myself as a student and as a person. Please enjoy this portfolio!
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Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
Contents.
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CV
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Using images to explore...
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Narratives in cinematic architecture.
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Comparisons of contrasting experiences.
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Lighting, landscape, and atmosphere.
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Small scale render studies.
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Using films to explore...
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Story-telling through landscape and user experience.
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Nostalgia and memory in an architectural context.
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Ways to explain a building concept through animation.
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Character development and human emotion.
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Thank you for visiting!
Contact +1-647-677-0296 www.kwakitecture.com peterkwakmj@gmail.com
Peter Kwak.
Work Experience Jan. 2019 - Apr. 2018
Jan. 2018 - Aug. 2018
Skills Forrec - Junior Designer Participated in a team to develop a conceptual proposal for an international competition. Responsibilities involved designing in a collaborative environment and communicating various schematic options through visual render iterations.//Involved in administrating construction drawings for a large scale amusement park in China.
Bjarke Ingels Group - Design Assistant Involved in the conceptual design of an addition to a historical building; creating analytical diagrams and 3D and physical massing studies.//Participated in designing a masterplan of a distillery + resort; producing renderings, designing the hotel aspect of the masterplan.//Led a team to create an animation narrative for a New York based project utilizing real-time rendering.// Produced graphical studies and working drawings for a construction administration phase project of a tech company headquarters.
Education Sept. 2014 - Aug. 2019
3D/Animation Rhino3D ++++ V-Ray ++++ SketchUp ++++ Lumion +++ Unreal Engine +++ Houdini ++ 3DS Max ++ Badger ++ Grasshopper + Maxwell Render + Adobe Premiere Pro Photoshop Illustrator InDesign After Effects
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CAD AutoCAD Vectorworks
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BIM ArchiCAD
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Fabrication Laser Cutting Hand Modeling 3D Printing CNC Routing
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Language Korean
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University of Waterloo Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Co-Op
Extra-curricular May 2019 - Aug. 2019
Students’ Association - Vice President Communication between students and faculty.
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Using images to explore...
Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
Narratives in cinematic architecture. Cinematic architecture - as taught by Pascal SchÜning - proposes a way of designing that utilizes the curation of spatial moments in a sequence to craft a narrative. This method of designing takes into consideration that memories of places and events are embedded in the spatial memories that a visitor retains from their experience. Spatial memories are defined and constructed by the tactile touch of the material the visitor engages with, the distance between the walls as they move through the space, and the views they register upon and beyond the built space. This project utilizes this methodology in an effort to convey the unique story that can be found on the site of Olympic Island, Toronto. Specifically, the built form embraces and breathes with the natural flooding, solar, and wind cycles of the site to create an experience that is unique to each singular moment. The goal of these renders was to explore and strengthen this architectural concept and use the renderings as a key element in discussing the proposal. Materiality and the form of the project were depicted in a robust manner to allow the architecture to become the framework for the changing use and natural conditions. People were rendered black and white to imply that the occupation, like the building, operated on a different temporal scale than the natural cycle. This was so that the images could highlight the spatial qualities of the experience. The images were originally laid out on a panel in a linear line to tell the story of moving through the building as a sequence, working both as an elevational study, but also a storyboard of the visitor’s experience of the building. Programs used: V-Ray, Rhinoceros 3D, Photoshop.
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Using images to explore narratives in cinematic architecture.
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Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
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Project drawing for reference.
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Using images to explore narratives in cinematic architecture.
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Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
Comparisons of contrasting experiences. This project was designed as a proposal for a public winter installation. The main concept of the design was to provide two distinct experiences with a single form. A disorienting and activated experience from the outside as you approach and walk around the installation, and a calm and introspective experience once you enter the interior. The purpose of these two renders were to highlight these two moments and provide an opportunity within the proposal to showcase the contrasting experiences. The interior rendering’s purpose was to focus on the calm and tranquil experience created by the white wood material and the isolation. The composition was broken into 3-parts: the sky, the installation, and the ground. The three elements of the image were meant to cohesively tell the story of the introspective experience. The quiet sky was to add to the mood of slow movement, while the installation wanted to evoke the feeling of being embraced by the walls while sitting on the bench looking back at your reflection. The footsteps of the snow was to imply the use and engagement of the installation throughout its duration. For the exterior render, the main story was to highlight the approach of people as they approached the project. Instead of showcasing the installation as the main focus, the purpose of the image was to highlight the fragmented reflection of the mirrored surfaces. Showcasing the aspect of the project where the outside experience is about the installation taking in the reflections of its surrounding environment and then fragmenting them to activate the visual senses and engage the user.
Programs used: V-Ray, Rhinoceros 3D, Photoshop.
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Using images to explore comparisons of contrasting experiences.
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Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
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Using images to explore comparisons of contrasting experiences.
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Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
Lighting, landscape, and atmosphere. These images were created for class and work respectively. With these projects, dramatic lighting and the surrounding natural landscape were explored as a tool to create an atmosphere that told the story of the specific moment. With the first image, the goal was to create the sense of being in an underground museum while visually highlighting the light wells bringing in natural light from above. The idea was to split the composition in two. While the foreground shows the artifact and a visitor being basked in natural light, the background tells the story of the rest of the objects that define the program. The second image served the project to bring up conversation about the view from the upper level of the museum back to the terraced landscape of the site. The glazing feature was the central focus of the composition as the natural light diffusing from the window was meant to draw the eye towards the exterior landscape. Compared to the earthy tones of the first image, the bluer hues were implemented to contrast the lower and upper level experiences. The final image is a drawing of a hotel building situated within a quarry. The sunlight shining behind the building was used to create a dramatic emphasis of the formal reading of the building from right to left. The reflection on the ice was also used to reinforce the v-shape of the massing created to fit within the existing landscape. The warm light of the interior was used as method to create an inviting feeling glowing from the hotel rooms in contrast to the cold exterior. Programs used: V-Ray, Rhinoceros 3D, Photoshop.
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Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
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Using images to explore lighting, landscape, and atmosphere.
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Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
Small scale render studies. The following renders were created as a way to test out new methods and techniques in the Rhinoceros 3D to V-Ray workflow. They were primarily used to explore materiality and the technical capabilities that I could learn about the softwares such as: modeling, PBR texturing, procedural landscape and object creation. Although the main focus of these exercises were to experiment and educate myself technically, they were a good opportunity to test out ideas regarding colour theory, composition, and lighting. As my interests ultimately lie in the intersection between the built form and story-telling through visual media, these smaller scaled projects have been very helpful in also exploring the idea of telling stories through the built environment. My goal moving forward with these projects is to further develop a vocabulary of storytelling through that interaction between the larger architectural scale and the human scale.
Programs used: V-Ray, Rhinoceros 3D, Photoshop.
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Using images to explore small scale render studies.
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Using films to explore...
Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
Story-telling through landscape and user experience. Scan Me!
My role in this project was to lead a team to create a short animation telling the story of a ticket pavillion and associated parking lot design proposal. One of the main difficulties was that this method of delivery was new for the office. A lot of the time was spent learning and creating a workflow for the brand new program and rigorously planning the method of approach. I was responsible for storyboarding, editing, rendering and animating the sequence. As well, a colleague and I were tasked to learn the program and distribute the knowledge to the other members of the team and eventually the rest of the office. One of the main concepts of this project were the season specific parking lots that shifted in use as the months passed. To deliver this concept impactfully, the proposal was to have the main shot be of a car moving through the multiple parking lots parallel to the camera as the seasons blended and changed around it, taking a lot of the inspiration from the animation works of Wes Anderson and Pixar. The project was an extremely difficult but exciting exercise in experimenting with a more conventional animation narrative and melding it with architectural visualization techniques to capture the essence of the architecture. Additionally, the project was a very interesting opportunity to choreograph different camera movements that were responsive to the forms of individually designed elements. Compared to a static image, the addition of the camera’s movement within the space not only added more layers of visual interest, but also allowed for the sense of space to be heightened as the sequence was able to capitalize on the temporal nature of animation.
Programs used: Unreal Engine, Rhinoceros 3D, 3Ds Max, After Effects, Premiere Pro. Completed during co-op at Bjarke Ingels Group.
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Using films to explore story-telling through landscape and user experience.
Pavillion Animation (2018) 3:10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4wPU9QVgHM
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Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
Nostalgia and memory in an architectural context. Scan Me!
“Home,� was a film that I submitted as a final project for my high school media studies class. The narration of the project is a slam poem that I wrote addressing what the word home means to me. The video is composed of footage of buildings and common spaces that I filmed throughout the city of Vancouver and White Rock, my hometown. The idea was to explore the idea of community and belonging in three different scales: the global, the urban, and the neighborhood. Personally, the airport was always an important piece of infrastructure that signified the end of one chapter in life and the beginning of another. In the film, I wanted to explore the idea of the airport as the first entrance to the concept of home: as a space that holds an important meaning to many people as a place recognized with the act of returning and a space for reunion and celebration. In the urban context, I wanted to capture Vancouver as the home for the many people who lived and commuted within the city. Using the infrastructure and architecture as landmarks, I wanted to portray the daily life and routine of the citizens in context with the built environment. Specifically, the film focuses on the shared spaces that induce interaction and define the city’s public life. The final chapter of the project explores the scale of my hometown and the house that I grew up in. In comparison to the ideas explored earlier about infrastructure and the busy public spaces, I wanted this final section to define home in a sense that was more personal and intimate. Focusing on the comforts of routine and the memories that make the house a home for me, I wanted the narration and the cinematography to engage a sense of nostalgia. Ultimately, as I left the province of British Columbia to start university in Ontario, I wanted this project to be a reminder and a bookmark that captured and portrayed what I loved so much about my home and childhood.
Programs used: Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X.
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Using films to explore nostalgia and memory in an architectural context.
Home (2015)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIXO1OYkcJo
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Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
Ways to explain a building concept through animation. Scan Me!
This animation was an accompaniment to the case study of Le Fondation Cartier. This project was particularly helpful and exciting in that it was a great opportunity to explore communicating more abstract ideas regarding architecture. In this case, Jean Nouvel’s design concepts regarding transparency and layering within architecture were explored diagrammatically. Using 3D to animate normally static diagrams allowed for additional information to be added to the narrative while simultaneously evoking an emotional atmosphere. Furthermore, narratives regarding pre-existing buildings and uses of the building elements were able to be articulated more clearly with the control of movement and time.
Programs used: Rhinoceros 3D, Houdini, After Effects, Premiere Pro.
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Using films to explore ways to explain a building concept through animation.
Le Fondation Cartier - Case Study (2017) 1:41
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcv5q15Yy7c&
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Peter Kwak - Architecture Visualization Portfolio 2019
Character development and human emotion. Scan Me!
Pygmalion is a project that I took on with a group of classmates. The film is an adaptation of the play written by Jean Rousseau, and explores the themes of the sublime and creation. The film was planned, shot, and edited in the span of two weeks, and all music was originally composed and recorded by the group. The aim of the film was to capture the madness of the artist in his quest for perfection. Although less directly architectural compared to the previous projects, this film allowed for the exploration of set design and cinematography, and utilizing the built spaces/existing landscapes to frame a narrative. Looking through different filming locations, it was extremely interesting to compare initial story board and script ideas to the constraints and opportunities presented by the sites. Taking into account the emotion and story we wanted to convey, we learned that the materiality of the walls and floors, the placement of the windows, and the way light enters the scene were all essential. It was also fun to experiment the parallel of the character’s madness through the different ways he was situated within the confined space: like the asymmetry with growing discomfort and backing into a corner as he became frustrated. The transitions between the different scenes were also very notable excercies in that the way different environments were cut together could almost create a micro-narrative on its own. The way each shot was transformed into the next told a small story about how the narrative was flowing, or in some cases, abruptly stopping.
Programs used: Premiere Pro, Davinci Resolve.
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Using films to explore character development and human emotion.
Pygmalion (2016) 11:07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FzwYy7_bLc
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Thank you for visiting!
+1-647-677-0296 peterkwakmj@gmail.com www.kwakitecture.com