design portfolio of selected works
hi—i’m karena
Working at the intersection of architecture, design, and marketing, I craft spatial stories and solve problems through creative strategy. My strength lies in collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to bring narratives to life through thoughtful design and innovative technologies that push the boundaries of architectural experience.
krna.yeung@gmail.com
778.861.5893
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenayeung/
education
University of Calgary
Master of Architecture September 2021 - November 2024
University of British Columbia
Bachelor of Arts
Major in Visual Arts, Minor in Environment & Society
skills
Core Skills + Industry Knowledge
Architectural Design
3D Modeling
VR/AR Prototype
Generative AI
Graphic Design + Branding Business Development + Proposals
Digital Software
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Rhino 3D
Revit
Blender
Unity
Unreal Engine
Lumion
Enscape
Grasshopper
Bluebeam Revu
Microsoft Office
Fabrication
3D Printing
Laser Cutting
Model Making
Wood Working
certifications
LEED® Green Associate
U.S. Green Building Council®
Issued June 2019
awards & achievements
SAPL Continuing Scholarship 2022, 2023
School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape, University of Calgary
professional experience
Graduate Research Assistant @ University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape June 2023 - August 2023 • Calgary, AB
- Collaborate in a fast-paced design-build team of 4 members to conduct design strategies and construction planning for 10+ institutional pop-up spaces.
- Champion user research and data visualization to translate project vision into a captivating creative strategy and visual identity, resulting in increased faculty engagement and event attendance by 35%.
Intern Designer @ Perkins&Will
May 2022 - August 2022 • Vancouver, BC
- Schematic Design and Design Development stages for the PARKWAY residential development in Surrey, BC including preparation of renderings, concept diagrams, and fIoor plans for various submissions.
- Participate in weekly design review sessions to define and iterate design features and parameters, including how space will function, budget considerations, and aesthetic preferences in collaboration with principals, project team, and client.
Marketing Coordinator @ Perkins&Will September 2017 - August 2021 • Vancouver, BC
- Collaborate and coordinate with firm principals, architects, and consultants to lead and win project pursuits for the studio, resulting in exceeding sales goals upwards of $20+ million every year.
- Expertly communicate company and project goals by translating technical jargon into compelling visual graphics and persuasive text for proposals, award submissions, project sheets, OCPs, and presentation decks that effectively resonates with target audiences.
- Develop proposal compliance matrices for multi-stakeholder teams to streamline execution and ensure cohesive, client-focused content.
Proposal Specialist @ DGBK Architects August 2015 - July 2017 • Vancouver, BC
- Manage end-to-end proposal development, including opportunity tracking and kick-off meeting to interview, debrief, and close-out. Ensure strategic messaging alignment and visual consistency by facilitating progress reviews and integrating team feedback. Conduct win strategy reviews to optimize win rates, contributing to 20% increase in wins from previous year.
Communications Coordinator @ UBC Digital Emergency Medicine May 2015 - May 2017 • Vancouver, BC
- Lead development and execution of marketing campaigns and communication strategies in collaboration with 4 cross-functional project teams to enhance branding and graphic consistency for events and digital platforms.
projects
Work Integrated Learning @ Taylor Institute of Teaching and Learning September 2023 - December 2023 • Calgary, AB
- Creation of Virtual Reality (VR) tool that reimagines architectural theory as an immersive, gamified space, leveraging phygital learning to help non-visual thinkers construct visual spaces for enhanced comprehension and retention.
Un[void]
A
space that exists between moments, emotions, or memories, inviting visitors to explore the in-between, the transitional, and the reflective.
Comprehensive Studio: Museum of Memory - 2024
Typology: Cultural/Museum
Site: Calgary, AB
Collaborators: Earlene Li
Tools: Rhino, Lumion, Photoshop, Illustrator
Un[void] is a conceptual museum exploring the emotional layers of memory and discomfort within transitional urban space. Located in Calgary’s East Village, the project responds to the site’s ‘urban void’ by designing a space of reflection, emotion, and recollection. The museum re-imagines uncomfortable spaces as places for new narratives, using architecture to bridge the physical and psychological.
The void is the central element of this project, not as an absence, but as an in-between space of transition. Rather than masking the site’s existing uncomfortability, the design embraces and reinterprets it, allowing the void to shape the experience. Movement through the museum mirrors the way we navigate memory, passing through voids that hold traces of what once was, while creating space for new meaning.
RECLAIMING THE VOID
SITE ANALYSIS
STRUCTURAL CONCRETE WALLS
Composite Precast Insulated Wall Assembly
ONE-WAY CONCRETE SLAB
2nd Level + Roof
CONCRETE WAFFLE SLAB + ONE-WAY CONCRETE SLAB Ground Level
ONE-WAY CONCRETE SLAB Underground Parkade
CONCRETE RETAINING WALL Below Grade
STRUCTURAL AXONOMETRIC
AIR DISTRIBUTION + VENTILATION
What the Flux Hotel
Poking fun at stagnant urban spaces by introducing dynamic, ever-evolving programming that celebrates the movement of city life.
Senior Research Studio II - 2024
Typology: Hospitality + Retail + Transit-Oriented Development
Site: Calgary, AB
Collaborators: Bushra Javaid, Earlene Li
Tools: Deep Learning Model, Rhino, Revit, Blender, Photoshop, Illustrator
What the Flux Hotel reimagines transit-oriented development in Calgary as a dynamic, ever-evolving spatial experience. Nestled around a bustling LRT station, the project challenges static architectural norms by leveraging a deep learning AI model to develop fluid forms inspired by local vernacular and user movement patterns. The hotel becomes a 24 hour living entity—its layout, program, and facade continuously shifting in response to the city’s hustle and bustle.
My role focused on integrating deep learning models into the form-finding process, designing adaptive programming and space planning strategies, concept diagrams, renderings, and creating immersive VR environments to prototype user flows and interactions in real time.
CO-WORKING + FOOD LOUNGE
POP-UP RETAILERS
POP-UP RESTAURANTS
LRT STATION
This senior research studio explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can reinterpret Calgary’s architectural vernacular to generate new design typologies. By training deep learning models on local forms, we developed innovative hotel and retail prototypes that address gaps in the city’s urban fabric.
Our chosen prototype and final design categorizes its programs into four distinct zones—Sky, Sleep, Transition, and Ground—each embodying the concept of flux.
Sky hosts rooftop lounges and event spaces that shift from day to night; Sleep offers hotel accommodations that adapt to the temporary nature of guests; Transition connects zones through fluid circulation; and Ground anchors the design in the energy of its urban landscape.
karena yeung
STRUCTURAL AXON CHUNK DETAIL: MEDIA FACADE
Positioned amidst iconic landmarks such as the Bow Building, Calgary Tower, and Central Library, What The Flux Hotel embraces its role as the rebellious new kid on the block.
While its neighbors boast permanence and tradition, What The Flux defies convention by embodying the concept of flux—constantly changing, adapting, and evolving. It challenges the static grandeur of its surroundings with fluid forms, ever-evolving spaces, and a design that thrives on the energy of movement, injecting a sense of playfulness and reinvention into the cityscape.
TYPOLOGY HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
CULTURAL PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC
RESIDENTIAL CAR TRAFFIC
COMMERCIAL +15 SKYWALK
CIVIC LRT LINE
HOSPITALITY POPULAR ROUTES
EDUCATION CONGREGATION AREAS
RESTAURANT
Experience the spaces in 360° on the Facebook app
Stereoscopic screenshots taken from VR video of event spaces
Exploring this project in VR allowed us to experience real-time spatial transitions during the design process, revealing how the building’s dynamic forms respond to the movement between different programmatic spaces.
This design approach extended to the visitor’s perspective, where creating spherical panoramic renders and sharing them on social media provides an immersive glimpse into the evolving spaces, enticing them to return for new experiences with every visit.
RE:Memory
Transforming architectural theory into a shared and immersive adult playground through a phygital learning approach.
Work Integrated Learning - 2023
Typology: Institution
Site: Calgary, AB
Tools: Unity, Oculus Quest 3, Rhino, Blender, Illustrator
RE:Memory is a hybrid educational tool developed in Unity for VR, designed to re-imagine how architectural theory is taught and experienced. Drawing inspiration from the ‘memory palace’ technique, the project transforms dense theoretical concepts into spatial, game-based environments. Students navigate personalized virtual memory palaces that map ideas to architectural forms, enhancing retention through movement, symbolism, and interaction.
The experience continues in the physical classroom through collaborative workshops, where peers share, critique, and expand on each other’s interpretations, bridging the digital and physical in a new model for architectural education.
PLAYER DEVELOPS OWN MEMORY PALACE FROM GAME TEMPLATE
PLAYER WALKS THROUGH MEMORY PALACE IN VR
PLAYERS MEET UP IN WORKSHOP SPACE
TEMPLATE IS FILLED WITH KEY IMAGES & OBJECTS FROM BOOK
MEMORY & UNDERSTANDING OF BOOK IS ENHANCED
GROUPS ASSIGNED, EACH REPRESENTING A KEY CONCEPT FROM BOOK
GROUP COLLABORATES ON RESPONSE AND PRESENTS TO CLASS
In collaboration with the Taylor Institute of Teaching and Learning, this studio explores the intersection of video game design, architecture, and pedagogy to develop innovative learning models by examining the impact of spatial characteristics on education.
The project especially allows non-visual learners to create virtual memory palaces through spatial computing by enhancing retention and comprehension of theoretical texts. Through blending digital and physical environments, this hybrid approach transforms traditional memory techniques into immersive, shareable experiences.
CLASS EXPERIENCES VR GAME OF EACH GROUP
MEMORY RECALL OF CONCEPTS THROUGH GAMES & PRESENTATIONS
PLAYER READS BOOK
REAL-WORLD CASE STUDY
PHYSICAL DIGITAL
PHYSICAL: CLASSROOM
DIGITAL: GAMEPLAY
What would a classroom designed for VR learning look like?
A future-forward classroom was designed specifically for exploring the innovative teaching methods explored in this project.
Created to accommodate diverse pedagogical goals, this concept was conceptualized on the studio floor of the University of Calgary’s City Building Design Lab to seamlessly integrate digital and physical environments by incorporating spaces for VR, AR, and XR learning opportunities.
4.14 Enlarged Floor Plan: Level T4-06 Amenity, N.T.S.
Marketing @ Perkins&Will
Shaping winning strategies and elevating brand impact through design and storytelling.
Professional Experience
Tools: InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop
As Marketing Coordinator at Perkins&Will, I led the development of marketing materials and coordinated project pursuits with cross-functional design teams. I translated complex design concepts into visually impactful presentations, proposals, and award submissions that aligned with corporate branding guidelines and resonated with target audiences, driving the studio’s success in competitive bids.
1. Client Interview Presentation sample slides
2. Social Purpose infographic spread for inclusion in proposals
3. Balcony Structural Design + Construction Report sample page
4. Residential Interiors Brochure for Brentwood Development
Clockwise from Top Left:
FRAGMENT PROTOTYPE
Using Grasshopper, a prototype of a global form is created via visual scripting through manipulating a series of control and fixed points on a surface. The form is then projected with a surface image pattern, and further enhanced through push-and-pull transformations across the geometry.
PROTOTYPE TO PARAMETRIC COLUMN
Ceramic 3D Printing
Integrating digital fabrication with ceramic craft to create structurally integral, ornamental forms.
New Ceramic Skins - Block Week 2024
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, WASP Large-Scale 3D Printer, Maya
A week-long intensive seminar that emphasized a cyclical process of iteration between digital fabrication and physical prototyping, focusing on custom tool path manipulation via Grasshopper to 3D print intricate clay surfaces.
The course examined how micro deformations in clay, shaped by the printer’s tool path, could not only transform the surface aesthetically but also strengthen the structure. For the final task, a 3D-printed clay column was designed with these deformations to ensure stability and height.
PRINTED PROTOTYPE
