ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
SELECTED WORKS 2022-24
ABOUT ME
I am an architecture student passionate about designing spaces that enhance movement, connectivity, and community — with a strong focus on aviation, transportation, and urban environments. My work explores the relationship between architecture and the urban fabric, aiming to create adaptable, sustainable spaces that serve the public and get people to their respective destinations.
In parallel with architecture, I explore videography as a dynamic tool to communicate design intent. By blending visuals and storytelling, I strive to create immersive experiences that help viewers engage with a space before it’s even built — transforming static concepts and drawings into living, breathing environments.
Each project in this portfolio reflect my evolving interests: urban design, biophilic integration, and the technical development of large-scale, public spaces — with select projects incorporating video to push architectural representation further.
01Fluicity
URBAN DESIGN
FALL 2022 | ARCH202A - SCOTT URIU
A visionary concept that transforms the space of a removed freeway into a dynamic urban landscape; preserving the essence of the freeway while incorporating fluid shapes and maintaining trajectory. Inspired by the concepts of walkable cities, Fluicity ensures easy access to essential amenities and sustainable practices, fostering a vibrant and accessible community.
AIA Urban Design Merit Award Winning Project (2023) Adobe Digital Edge Award Finalist (2023)
B
PLAN DRAWING WITH PROGRAM
CIRCULATION
FIRST FLOOR GROUND FLOOR BIKE LANES
CIRCULATION DIAGRAM (MIDDLE ZOOMED IN)
In the heart of bustling traffic, ensuring seamless movement is essential. The design incorporates distinct walkway paths tailored to different speeds and directions. Additionally, designated bike lanes offer a swift and eco-friendly transportation option, separate from pedestrian foot traffic, ensuring a smooth and safe journey for all.
RIBBON LAYERS
The presence of the ditch creates an opportunity for vertical utilization, making it possible to achieve the desired densities without extensive land usage. Through strategic stacking of programs, vertical space is maximized. To ensure ample sunlight reaches lower levels, the width of paths is minimized and major roads were elongated to create open spaces or skylights. Walkways seamlessly merge across different levels, following a ribbon-like design approach.
CROSS SECTION DRAWING WITH PROGRAM
LONGITUDINAL SECTION C DRAWING WITH PROGRAM
FLUICITY VIDEO TRAILER
Witness the evolution of the project from its inception to its final form. The video serves as a dynamic medium to communicate the essence of Fluicity, capturing its design and its elements.
Click here or scan the QR Code to watch.
02 LA28 Branch LIBRARY
MODULAR LOOSE FIT DESIGN
SPRING 2023 | ARCH202B - ROBERT LEY
A remarkable “loose fit” building, serving as a vibrant local media-hub during the highly anticipated LA28 Olympics. The unique component of this building is its versatility after the games. Adapting to the evolving needs of the community, a library will take the place of the media center, ensuring a standing legacy of the Olympic events.
PUSHING THE ROOF
By establishing the hierarchy of the roof, the design led to the introduction of different spaces: exterior, semi-exterior, and interior spaces. With the roof acting as a cantilever, the building brings a new set of spaces, one that is outside yet under the roof; a space no longer bound to the public and private binary.
STUDY ON FORM
Exploring the hyperbolic paraboloid, the LA28 Branch Library utilizes the modular identity of the unique shape, arranging itself to create a wave-like roof.
MODULAR CONDITIONS
Modularity has proven to be an effective way to reduce costs for large architectural projects. The initial stages of the design focused on the development of a single module, which then had a second variation. The building consists of mostly repeated modules.
LA28 MEDIA CENTER PLAN
PHYSICAL MODELS
The presence of the model visually displays the unique views from all angles of the building. From the top, the roofs are arranged like a flower, not fully symmetrical yet organized in a clean layout. From the sides, the roofs display a stream of waves, depicting the view of the building from a far distance.
FENCE AND VINE CONCEPT
The growth of a vine depends on the structure of the surface it contacts, typically a wood fence or solid wall. By nature, a vine will tend to twine or penetrate through surfaces to compete for sunlight.
The project focuses on the contrasting identities between the fluid and undulating behavior of vines, with the organized and grided form of the fence.
03URBAN VINEYARD
SYNERGY OF WORK AND LIVE
FALL 2024 | ARCH402A - DORA CHI
NATURE AND FACADE
FENCE AND VINE CONCEPT
At the smallest scale, this concept can be observed by its literal meaning throughout the space. Wooden diagrids wrap around the buildings, providing vertical space for vegetation to grow up and around its surroundings.
FENCE AND VINE CONCEPT
The growth of a vine depends on the structure of the surface it contacts, typically a wood fence or solid wall. By nature, a vine will tend to twine or penetrate through surfaces to compete for sunlight.
The project focuses on the contrasting identities between the fluid and undulating behavior of vines, with the organized and grided form of the fence.
URBAN ACTIVATOR AND BUILDING
The growth of a vine depends on the structure of the surface it contacts, typically a wood fence or solid wall. By nature, a vine will tend to twine or penetrate through surfaces to compete for sunlight.
NATURE AND
At the largest scale, the shape of the urban activators wrapping the buildings also resemble the shapes of a vine. As the “fence”, buildings are designed with a traditional approach, flat floors vertical columns exposed on the outer facade of the building.
The project focuses on the contrasting identities between the fluid and undulating behavior of vines, with the organized and grided form of the fence.
At the smallest scale, by its literal meaning diagrids wrap around vertical space for vegetation its surroundings.
The urban activators wrap and intersect the building much like would do with a fence. Each building explores a different method a vine grows onto its host structure.
The growth of a vine depends on the structure of the surface it contacts, typically a wood fence or solid wall. By nature, a vine will tend to twine or penetrate through surfaces to compete for sunlight. This project focuses on the contrasting identities between the fluid and undulating behavior of vines, with the organized and grided form of the fence.
WEST RESIDENTIAL AXONOMETRIC
OFFICE TOWER AXONOMETRIC
EAST RESIDENTIAL AXONOMETRIC
MAIN PROMENADE
THE URBAN ACTIVATOR
The urban activators wrap and intersect the building much like a vine would do with a fence. Each building explores a different method of how a vine grows onto its host structure.
SECTION A PERSPECTIVE
04KINETIC COURTS
ADAPTIVE REUSE
SPRING 2024 | ARCH302B - JOHN MUTLOW
A bold adaptive reuse project, transforming a former big-box store into a dynamic community sports center in Pasadena. Inspired by stadiums, the design aims to motivate young athletes, with a facade wrapped in black bands that echo the lines of a basketball. Timber and steel materials reflect the sport’s iconic colors, creating a space that’s both familiar and aspirational. Beyond athletics, the center serves as a social hub, evolving with the community’s needs over time.
Adobe Digital Edge Award Finalist (2024)
HVAC DIAGRAM
RETURN AIR DUCT
RETURN AIR GRILL
SUPPLY AIR DUCT
SECTION MODEL
AIR SUPPLY VENT
ARCH 411 - ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY
STUDENT:
VERTICAL MECHANICALCASE
PROJECT: SCALE:
DATE: AUSTIN NGUYEN 3A 1/2” = 1’-0” 11 APRIL 2024
STRUCTURAL SYSTEM: FOUNDATION SYSTEM: STEEL AND TIMBER REINFORCED CONCRETE
PACKAGED AIR HANDLING UNITS
RETURN AIR DUCT
METAL PANEL ROOF
RETURN AIR GRILL
PLYWOOD SHEATHING
SUPPLY AIR DUCT
TIMBER PURLINS (6”x12”)
AIR SUPPLY VENT
TIMBER BEAM (12”x24”)
VERTICAL MECHANICALCASE
W36 BEAM
TIMBER COLUMN (12”x12”)
INSULATED GLASS WINDOW
PACKAGED AIR HANDLING UNITS
METAL INSULATED SANDWICH PANELS
STEEL SUPPORT
CONCRETE MASONRY UNITS
PLASTER WALL
RIGID INSULATION
CONCRETE SLAB ON GRADE
CONCRETE FOUNDATION
The facade approach was to utilize timber supports and a wood diagrid. The outer band is stainless steel panels. The intent was to create a noticable image from a distance while concealing the wood diagrid to be appreciated to those inside.
EXTERIOR FORM
I was inspired by the lines of a basketball and wanted to incorporate that in front exterior. The black bands that wrap around the building resemble the black rubber that lines a basketball. Additionally, the timber and steel materials were intentionally chosen to match the iconic colors of the basketball.
FIRST FLOOR
SECOND FLOOR
KINETIC COURTS (VIDEO TRAILER)
Showcasing immersive renders and the amenities of Kinetic Courts. The intent of the video was to market our project as a new building as if it was a product commerical.
Click here or scan the QR Code to watch.
Email: austinthanh99@gmail.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/austintpn
Website: https://atpn-portfolio.webflow.io
Copyright © 2025 Austin Nguyen. All rights reserved. Certain content used in this video is licensed under terms allowing modification and adaptation. All brands in this video are fictitious. No similarity to actual brands is intended or should be inferred. Videos was created as part of a school projects.