ROGER W TRAN
PORTFOLIO
As a student of architectural design & CRITICAL theory, I LEARN BY continually oscillating between manipulating mass and reflecting upon the conceptual consequences of my actions. architecture is a language communicated through sensory experience - and it my vision is to UNRAVEL the phenomenological characteristics that alchemize a space into a "place." with my hands, thoughts, and words i seek to construct a comprehensive understanding of our relationship to aesthetics. I want to master the art of evoking FEELING FROM FORM. I want to draw CLARITY out of CHAOs, extract meaning from the mundane, and one day create something beautiful that might last in memory. The following works, arranged in chronological order and serialized by season, trace my evolution of work and thought thus far -
stanford university 2009 - 2013
art history
Architectural theory & criticism civil engineering
architectural design
SPRING
summer
fall
winter
architecture
sculpture
graphics
2011 drawing
architecture
painting
landscape
furniture
architecture
HOME
photography
structure
architecture
2012
2013 SOUND
2011
summer 2011 architecture / harvard gsd career discovery
i was introduced to the act of sculpting space...
but i soon recognized that architecture cannot simply be the consequence of formal, aesthetic exercises. i began investigating form as a means of shaping human experience by framing moments and enclosing atmospheres.
fall 2011 sculpture / space for meditation
i developed an interest in communicating through direct sensory experience. my vision for this work was to create an immersive
&
tactile portal
to a meditative space. by physically erasing one's reflected image and embedding one's body in fine sand, i sought to dissolve the
'self.'
winter 2011 graphics / implied space
i investigated imagery's capacity to suggest space and suspend time.
man
woman
terrain
sharpie, fountain pen
charcoal
sumi ink, gesso
winter 2011 drawing / portraits and landscapes
2012
blossoms sumi ink & strawberries on vellum
spring 2012 architecture / ring towers project participants: roger tran1, jacob schaffert2, andrew luck3 instructed by skidmore owings & merrill
physical model, photography, diagrams, and graphics computer model and drawings 3 hand-drawn plans, sections, and drawings 1 2
our instructors from som challenged us to reimagine the experience of living in urban vertical environments. the existing archetype of the skyscraper often stratifies and separates its users, effectively dissolving neighborly interactions. our team thus sought an architectural solution to foster vibrant communities by metaphorically lifting the city streets and building physical connections amongst our towers.
located along san francisco's waterfront, our site was situated at the intersection of three communities: residential, tourist, and financial. to cultivate a sense of connection and synthesis, we conceptually lifted the
neighborhood's surrounding streets and interspersed
large public forums throughout each tower. residents and nonresidents alike access these sectors via large-capacity elevators" that operate on regular timetables.
"bus
ring bridges connect the three towers every ten floors. we imagined these spaces as programmed streets and parks that allow residents to circulate and access fresh air.
3-10 CURTAIN WALL
ACRYLIC t = 1/4”
2 STRUCTURE
WOOD t = 1/4”
2 FLOOR
BRISTOL t = 1/16”
1 STRUCTURE
WOOD t = 1/4”
1 FLOOR
BRISTOL t = 1/16”
M3 STRUCTURE
WOOD t = 1/4”
M3 FLOOR
BRISTOL t = 1/16”
M2 STRUCTURE
WOOD t = 1/4”
M2 FLOOR
BRISTOL t = 1/16”
1 STRUCTURE
WOOD t = 1/4”
1 FLOOR
BRISTOL t = 1/16”
using the lasercutter, i created identical and repeatable components that slotted into one another perfectly. vertical basswood structural members hold up bristol floorplates which support acrylic curtain walls. the final model was constructed with minimal adhesive.
spring 2012 landscape / japanese garden aesthetics garden designed + constructed by: roger tran + chloe english instructed by gert van tonder (professor of visual cognitive science)
i learned to analyze aesthetics and composition through the lens of our optical processes. with time and practice, i was able to replicate nature's balance of complexity and simplicity, chaos and order,
+
focus and diffraction.
summer 2012 chinese ink painting
i use painting to explore the
sumi ink
ink's unforgiving permanence liberates me to act on
calligraphy brushes
/
knives
conceptual balance between intervening and releasing.
instinct and embrace the creative impulse.
skeletal metamorphosis sumi ink on butcher paper
5
minutes each
22
motion
self portrait
seconds each
sumi ink, left and right hand
summer 2012 furniture / calligraphic chairs
my interest in sensory experience drove me to research touch and contact. i decided to try my hand at carpentry and learn to design for the human body. drawing at 1:1 scale, i developed several iterations of the chair's profile. each step unveiled new tensions between my aesthetic preferences and the chair's functional properties. the final design simultaneously utilizes the optimal curvatures for comfort and preserves the intent of my initial concept.
i moved into a vibrant coop that embraces creative freedom. having returned from copenhagen itching
fall 2012 home / the enchanted broccoli forest bar
to build more things, i decided to spend a couple weekends putting together a communal outdoor living space.
with the help of my fellow residents, craigslist's free section, and scrap wood salvaged from deconstructed palettes, we built ourselves a cozy outdoor lounge and bar.
winter 2012 photography / california
i seek places that suspend thoughts and cast reverberance.
2013
spring 2013 architecture / the hellapier project participants: roger tran1, julia schubach2, toby newman3 instructed by perkins + will
physical model, programming, photography, graphics, presentation design physical model, programming, presentation design 3 physical model, rhino model 1 2
PREFACE
our instructors at perkins having spent the past year exploring architecture primarily through reading, writing, and observing, i was eager to finally return to the studio and see if i could successfully realize the type of architecture i believe in.
+
will prompted us
to design a new concert hall for the city of san francisco. located in a historical port district, our site runs along the city's reinvigorated waterfront. our goal was to give san francisco's residents and musicians a public space that resonated with the local culture's heart and history.
concept the pier
|
formal
concept | social public living room saw
this
researching the history of
we
our site, we learned that the
opportunity to create a public
city's coastline was artificially
home
for
project
concept | urban waterfront
san
as
an
francisco.
expanded with landfill made of sunken ships, mud, and wooden piers in the late
1800s.
our
team
felt
that
comfortable
and
advantage site's
our
footage,
we
extra decided
microbrewery,
we thought it would be a
a
powerful and beautiful
shop,
metaphor to revive our site's
an
a
outdoor
of
tracing
square
our
to
our
add
coffee patio
back
site,
the
we
building's
sit
on
the
san
attractive experience.
waterfront taking
san
francisco currently lacks a
what
history
realized
of
that
foundations used
francisco
to
be
bay.
we
space, and an elevated park
wanted to reconnect our site
history by adopting the formal
to the program. these free
to
language of a wooden pier
spaces open our site to all
experience
emerging and folding out of the
demographics, drawing vibrant
to create new spaces above
life
to
our
concert
the
bay
by of
bringing water
the
across
hall.
and underneath it.
INTENTIONS
we wanted to create architecture that we believed in. our project grew from spirited discussion and debate.
PROCESS
we designed spaces thoroughly and accurately by grounding ourselves in the real constraints. rather than ignoring difficult parameters for the sake of convenience, we tried to simulate a real design exercise.
site analysis our team traveled to the site to experience and analyze the surrounding context. with its triangular footprint, a congested highway to the east, and a quiet residential neighborhood to the west, we concluded that our site was an amalgamate of highly varied and disparate conditions. to bring clarity and legibility to our design, we extended the area's existing axes to shape our building.
design philosophy we developed the building moment by moment. by imagining the journey through each space. architectural details, dimensions, and form were derived from empathic experience.
SECTION
STUDY MODEL
PLAN GROUND FLOOR
PLAN 2nd FLOOR
SKETCH
our team worked with mixture of mediums to achieve our final design. maintaining a balance of hand-drawing, digital modeling, and physical experiments was critical to our approach.
spring sound
2013 / clean
white space
music is another medium of accessing space. through sin waves, sounds, and pauses, i explore different imaginary realms and document my findings in the form of recordings. clean white space is a music & artists collective i formed in 2010 that has grown to over 300 active members. together, we have released over 30 podcasts and hosted dozens of audio-visual events.
listen
@
www.cleanwhitespace.tk
(01/21/12) >_,
click me
F L O Y D EOM
unsubscribe
summer 2013 print / information
i practice graphic design to refine my ability to communicate visually. i use every design opportunity to further my understanding of composition, color, and vector.
STEEL TUBE BEAM BETWEEN A-FRAMES t = 3/16”
MONITOR V-ROOF FRAME t = 1/32”
MONITOR LATERAL X-FRAME t = 1/16”
FLOOR PLAN
WOODEN SILL BEAMS (TOP & BASE) t = 3/16” L = 14”
WOODEN PERLIN t = 1/16” L = 14” STEEL C-CHANNEL A-FRAME t = 1/16”
MONITOR WOODEN POST t = 3/16” STEEL FRAME / WOODEN POST CONNECTION SADDLE t = 3/16”
WOODEN RAFTER t = 1/16”
C-CHANNEL FLANGES t = 1/16”
INTERIOR WALL t = 3/16”
STEEL TUBE COLUMN t = 3/16”
SECTION
fall 2013 structure / structural model
foundation, but had little experience with the realities of architecture. i want to learn how to construct real spaces
field architecture residence designed by stan
i graduated from university with a theoretical
+
jess field
with real components, assemblies, and professional software.
winter 2013 architecture / physical field architecture residence designed by stan
as an assistant to the firm's design
&
digital modeling
principal, i help fabricate and realize his investigations physically and digitally. i am learning the value of embracing inspiration
+
jess field
when it arrives, remaining flexible and open to change, and finding a balance between the poetic and the rational.
ROGER W TRAN R O G E R . T R A N @ A L UM N I . S T A N F O R D . E DU
650 . 898 . 9299