Portfolio / Stanford University / Art, Architecture & Design

Page 1

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

PRINT

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

PLAN GROUND FLOOR

PLAN 2nd FLOOR

STUDY MODEL

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.


conclusion at the beginning of this project, i consciously told myself that this building could not simply be an isolated, formal exploration of space. instead, we began by listening to the site and responding to its existing conditions. as we moved forward in the design process, each space was sculpted by imagining ourselves standing at a particular moment in our building. we wondered if it would be too dark in the courtyard, or too barren in the alley. we played out hypothetical narratives in our heads. we worked slowly and carefully. we wanted every detail to bear evidence of our insightful thoughts and passionate debates. in the end, we found ourselves staring at a beautifully simple idea manifested as a convincingly real place.


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

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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


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