Portfolio of Work Zachary Wong
One of the first things people notice is how different my portfolio compares with those of most Architecture students. A lot of students I had the chance to work with rarely knew how to draw, to represent a physical space through lines at the end of a pen. I was even somewhat shocked when one of my teachers told me to stop drawing in my sketchbook and get back onto the computer. In the long run, the final building may come from detailed CAD drawings and computer renderings, my emphasis lies on the initial ability to draw and visualize the space before wasting time trying to see if it may work and it doesn’t. The skill of hand drawing and rendering is lost in the modern architecture school and I fought a losing battle to bring it back against my professors who only wanted to see clean ideas from clean processes. It may work for some, but the inorganic experience creates a stale architecture that has no place in homes or places where people have to spend time.
Works & Contribution Fall 2014 | MCM Eames Tree - Hammersmith Guild April 2013 | Dos Equis Chariot - Hammersmith Guild Design for a simple chariot for Dos Equis Cervezas at Bay to Breakers Event Summer 2012 | Subpar Miniature Golf Murals - Subpar Miniature Golf Design and execute a 170 foot long mural depicting the East Bay. January 2011 | HO Scale Model of Alcatraz Island ASM (All Scale Models), San Francisco, CA Land Formation Plotter & scale modeler Fall 2010-Present | Thorsen House Fence Rebuild Sigma Phi Society, Alpha of California Welder & Fabrication of Custom Stainless Steel Post Bases Interviews & Published Works May 23, 2011 | The Thorsen House Video Interview (www.thisiscarpentry.com) Spring 2011 | Style 1900 Magazine - “Student Aid� Interview & Photographs
email: craigwong810@gmail.com | tel: (510) 541-3517
An introduction to understanding structures & construction. The class emphasis is to tie into family history and personal desire. Emphasis on being able to design with intent & understanding of the built and natural environment. Taught by Randy Hester and dealt with site analysis as well as reflections into personal insight to influence design. Projects consisted of designing a home, intergrating the same design patterns used into the landscape and intergrating it later into a pre-existing building condition.
Environmental Design 1 Hester, R. | Fall 2007
Introduction to drawing taught by Chip Sullivan & Joseph Slusky. Students at Berkeley were initially trained in the drawing methods somewhat along the lines of the Beaux-Arts school system. Class intergrated hand rendering, lineweight, watercolor, tone and beginning design concepts. Unfortunately, most of the photos for this class have been lost due to hard drive corruption. What is here is what is left of the original photos from the class.
Environmental Design 11A Sullivan & Slusky | Spring 2008
This is a studio course to help students develop a more conceptual understanding of deriving form from the pre-existing environment. Course intended to examine a repeated element and then develop a double negative, then a public space and eventually a library. Extensive use of Rhino through this course. Course not finished due to illness
Architecture 100A Adel, A. | Fall 2013
This is a small body of work from the re-take of the class on the previous page. Finished, Dec 2014
Architecture 100A Manthripragda, A. | Fall 2014
As part of Berkeley’s curriculum, architecture 140 is a course introduction into design coordination with sun, wind, climate & the building envelope. In a two man team, researched the Chartwell School in Carmel, CA to analyze how well the building performs and understanding Post-Occupancy evaluations. In four man groups, taking a portion of the Louisiana Museuem in Denmark and transposing it into a local climate and redesign specifically for the function of art with specific parameters.
Architecture 140 Brager, G. | Spring 2014
This as part of Berkeley’s architecture related courses is an introduction to construction and materials. The course incorporates an understanding of three primary construction materials: wood, metal & concrete. Site visits tied in with understanding of construction practices, personal safety and site. Projects were made to facilitate out of the box thinking and pushing material constraints to the limit.
Architecture 160 Buntrock, D. | Spring 2014
Art 117 (Laney College Chavez, C. | 2012-13
This class dealt mainly with Intaglio, Engraving & Etchings. The volume of work produced in this class is around 120 pieces give or take five including 3 lithographs, 1 chromolithograph, and 1 woodcut print.
Through the National Parks Service, I was drafted into a team of eight people to craft this HO scale model from scratch. My chief function was to ensure that the entire land formation was accurate to the point of March 21st, 1963.
NPS HO Scale Model of Alcatraz ASM, SF | Winter 2011
Sketchbooks 100A Self | Fall 2013
Watercoloring is an excellent quick rendering technique that I love to utilize. Although drawing can say a thousand things, the addition of slight hints of color helps add a greater depth to an otherwise flat, monotonous image.
Watercolors Self | Ongoing
A landscape course taught by Chip Sullivan to create a greater understanding of the natural landscape. To be able to draw quickly and critically understand how the landscape functions and how to incorporate & frame the natural world. Projects to understand how the built environment affects necessary life such as the common honey bee and coast live oak.
Landscape 135 Sketchbook Sullivan | Fall 2013
Miscallaneous Sketches One of my favorite new forms of architecture is the tiny house. The minimal impact & footprint could have the potential to reduce over consumerism and loads on the grid. What is not learned in architecture school is the treatment of indoor spaces and finishes and details seem to get lost and it has to be a personal pursuit.
Why there is
An Exerpt From
Evil in the world
H.M.S. Pinafore or
Leo Tolstoy from Fables for Children
The Lass that Loved a Sailor Words & Lyrics By
Typographic Experiements Self | Fall 2013
“The Pond in Winter” A SELECTION FROM
W.S. Gilbert
Walden
Recens Press MMXIII
RECENS PRESS MMXIII
1869-1872 Recens Press MMCIII
Henry David Thoreau
One of my personal hobbies is understanding and designing portions of books as a personal exercise. I studied under Peter Koch in 2011 and fostered a deep appreciation for fine press books, letterpress and good typography. As an architecture student, I was always pressured that the arrangement & choice of text was as important as the content itself. Watching one of my peers ignored altogether due to his choice of text was a harsh and inevitable reminder that text cannot be ignored. From L to R: Cover page - Why there is Evil in the World | Cover Page - Selection from H.M.S. Pinafore | Cover Page - “The Pond in Winter� from Walden | Cover Page - The Sigma Phi Society Christmas Songbook
Typographic Experiements Self | Fall 2013