DU_PHI_PORTFOLIO by Tan Du Phi

LOS

ANGELES, CA VOL 1

SELECTED WORKS BY

TAN DU PHI

SOUTHERN

M. ARCH II

M.Arch II | Southern California Institute of Architecture | Spring 2025

+84328750614 phitandu@gmail.com

https://tanduphi.myportfolio.com/work

TAN DU PHI

03. IN_AROUND/BETWEEN

ARCH 366

04. INSTITUTE 88

ARCH 466

01. HABITAT LHX

DS1200

02. DUNES

ARCH 365

HABITAT LHX

DS1200

Architecture is being redefined by shifting political, social, technological, and ecological forces. Hence, this project pushes the boundaries of formal strategies while addressing how architecture can integrate with natural ecosystems to support ecological research. Focusing on themes of ecological sustainability, this project aims to rethink Lincoln Height Jail as a habitat that instigates climatic technologies in preserving the indigenious chaparel environments in the region and city of Los Angeles.

Instructor: William Virgil

Team: Harrison Ryan

Selected Work for exhibitions at 2025 SCI-Arc Spring Show and Venice Architecture Bienale

FORMS & CRUSTACEANS:

Inspired by crustaceans’ biomorphic forms, this design begins with modular segments to create a dynamic, sequential experience of interconnected volumetric spaces. Reflecting natural exoskeletons, the architecture integrates sustainable principles, optimizing energy, light, and ventilation. The result is an adaptive, immersive environment that blends organic forms with ecological responsibility.

HYBRID OVERLAY:

Here, the formal gestures of crustaceans are integrated with the existing architecture form of the site, creating a compelling connection that drives ecological expression and experience. These organic forms mirror the building’s historical context while suggesting possibilities for ecological restoration. The intersection of natural and artificial elements highlights the limitations of urban spaces and unveils opportunities for revitalization, fostering a harmonious relationship between architecture, nature, and community.

Lincoln Height Jail, Los Angeles, CA

Detail: Uncertain Ambiguity

Distinct spatial layers and systems generated by overlaying biomorphic forms creates a dynamic systems of spatial interplay . The redundancy of that systems then becomes an opportunity for unique spatial qualities in details, functions and programs.

Detail: Sprawling Flows

Explosive, yet decentralized systems becomes an medium for circulations and various spatial sequnces within the building. These sequential threshold and qualities in circulation then becomes a crucial frameworks for further exploration.

ARCHEOLOGY:

The hybrid relationship between crustaceans and the Lincoln Heights Jail is explored through curated pull-outs from the crustacean’s segments, imprinted in an ice block. These organic forms inspire a dynamic system of circulation, creating fluid pathways that guide movement. The imprints form the foundation for the building’s spatial sequences, integrating segmented, biomorphic shapes into the architectonics of the building.

Inspired by the structure of an ice block, the building’s design uses its unique spatial configurations to shape how people move through and experience the space. This organization is reflected in both the building’s exterior and interior, creating a system that naturally guides circulation and organizes different areas. The exterior design, with its distinct shapes and openings, hints at how the interior spaces are arranged, while the layout inside influences the building’s outward form. This connection between the inside and outside results in a seamless, integrated design, where the building’s structure and flow work together to guide visitors in a meaningful way

FRONT ELEVATION

BACK ELEVATION

ECOLOGY:

Habitat LHX, located near the LA River, is dedicated to studying California’s chaparral ecosystem. The design blends the built environment with nature, reflecting the delicate balance between life, water, and the ever-changing landscape. Research spaces are connected to the surrounding ecosystem, with specialized chambers for exploring the potentials in regional dryness, wetness, air and water filtration, and resilience to urban heat. Through direct experimentation of regional ecosystems from the site, the habitat not only presents the current solution to the crisis but also provides a collaborative platforms for both public and researchers to educate and tackle the crisis for a better future together.

TYPOLOGY:

The building’s design prioritizes seamless circulation and interactive exhibition spaces. A central atrium connects lab areas with public zones, ensuring fluid movement and ample natural light. Visitors navigate from the experimental gardens—featuring native plants—into flexible exhibition spaces that adapt to a variety of scientific displays. Clear sightlines and open pathways guide exploration, fostering engagement with both indoor and outdoor environments. An auditorium, positioned near exhibition zones, enhances the platform for knowledge sharing. The integration of circulation and exhibition spaces creates an intuitive flow, encouraging visitors to discover and connect with the building’s diverse functions and the surrounding natural landscape.

The intricate dynamics of spatial transitions between rooms can be better understood by deconstructing the architectural model into distinct segments. Through this process, the qualities of space, the fluidity of transitions, and the immersive experience of movement are rigorously analyzed and explored.

DUNES

ARCH 365

This project explores the feasibility of establishing an architecture school within a desert setting of the Mojave Desert, examining how the inherent characteristics of the sand dunes can harmoniously coexist with the principles governing human habitation and learning environments. DUNES not only signifies the interplay between the dunes and the inhabitatble roof, but also challenges the posibility of an architecture school in such an arid landscape.

Instructor: Francessco Marullo

Team: Louis J. Hannes

Selected Work for exhibition at 2023 UIC Year End Show

Situated within the Mojave Desert, Kelso Dunes encompass a notable expanse characterized by a substantial accumulation of sand dunes interspersed with profound valleys. The pronounced discrepancy in elevation between these elements engenders a captivating topographical configuration .

CONCEPT

The contrast between the organic, flowing topography of the dunes and the rigid, grid-like roof structure generates a rich architectural dialogue that informs both form and function. This interplay gives rise to diverse circulation routes—some intuitive and meandering, others deliberate and structured—encouraging exploration and layered user experiences. The spaces created within this tension accommodate a variety of programs, including shaded social plazas, contemplative alcoves, and active public playgrounds. By weaving built form into the natural landscape, the design dissolves the boundaries between architecture and environment, fostering an immersive spatial narrative. Translucent materials and open thresholds enhance visual permeability, natural ventilation, and light, reinforcing a sense of openness and connectivity. Public and private realms overlap, encouraging spontaneous interaction while also allowing for moments of solitude. The result is a responsive architectural framework that promotes community, adaptability, and a deeper connection between people and place within a vibrant, evolving ecosystem.

ARIAL VIEW: Kelso Dunes, Arizona

The inhabitable roof acts as a gridded, communal framework that organizes social interactions and leisure activities, giving rise to distinct lifestyles within each neighborhood. Its structured design offers a dynamic space that accommodates a range of programs, fostering community and engagement.

Below, the valley between the roof and the dunes creates a continuous academic zone, facilitating uninterrupted circulation between the various rooms and spaces. This open area promotes an uninterrupted flow, enhancing both connectivity and movement throughout the environment.

1. Zoom-in Details: Mutal Contrast

2. Double Living Space

3. Zoom-In Details: Central Atrium

4. Single Living Space

VALLEY

SECTION AA': Scale 1/8” = 1’-0”

Nestled within the valley, the studio strategically unfolds toward its natural surroundings— cultivating a dynamic interplay between interior workspace and the external environment. This spatial openness dissolves traditional boundaries of architectural practice, inviting students to engage directly with the site as an active laboratory for experimentation, collaboration, and innovative design discourse

Drawing inspiration from the undulating contours of desert dunes, the central atrium emerges as an architectural nexus—harmoniously mediating between human experience and the built environment. Within this spatial core, the architecture school transcends its conventional role of academic and practical instruction, evolving into a vibrant catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration, social interaction, and leisurely engagement

STUDIO

ATRIUM

PATIO LIVING:

In contrast of the extreme climate from the desert, the living condition brings students back to a lively habitats that brings refreshment in student's living space. The courtyard serves as a dynamic atrium that brings natural sunlights into the living space and hallwaysmonitoring building’s ventilation and lighting systems. Here, by utilizing the natural climatic systems, the building's energy concumption is significantly reduced to the minimum while creating a self-sustainble loops for efficient habitat.

IN_AROUND/ BETWEEN

ARCH 366

This project explores the room as a core architectural element, inspired by Louis Kahn’s idea of a "society of rooms." Rather than relying on straight, linear layouts, it introduces curved sphere-like extrusions that emerge from walls and rooms to shape how people move and experience space. These undulating forms create dynamic transitions and rhythmic relationships between rooms—visually, emotionally, and spatially. By layering this with bold pop-pink accents on glass surfaces, the design pushes back against the neutral minimalism of the “White-Box” ideal, creating a lively, expressive environment shaped by both form and color.

Instructor: Abigail Chang

Type: Cultural Centers

Selected Work for exhibition at 2023 Year End Show

CONCEPT

This project engages in an exploration of the utilization of curved sphere extrusions originating from walls or rooms to actively manipulate spatial movements, configurations, and transitions between rooms. By challenging conventional linear trajectories, this system introduces an undulating circulation scheme that transforms spatial conditions within and between rooms, fostering rhythmic connections in both emotional and visual elements across the entirety of the building. Moreover, the infusion and absorption of vibrant pop-pink accents onto the glass surfaces of the structure serve to challenge and innovate the prevailing principles of the “White-Box” movement.

VERTICAL TRANSITION

SPATIAL DIVIDER

POP-INFLUENCE

IDENTITY

Here, the individual identity is erased overwhelmed by the character of the room, prevailing a sensory atmosphere of unity and equality.

INSTITUTE 88

ARCH 466

This project explores the future of architecture through four progressive phases, culminating in the design of a new research institute to address a critical crisis of digital advertisement on mass consumption waste of woods in construction waste facing Chicago. Using dystopian and utopian lenses, Institute 88 is a speculative research institute exploring potential opportunities of adaptive reuse on woods from construction debrises that directly confronts the chosen crisis and reimagines the city’s infrastructure.

Instructor: Vincent Calabro Team: Individual Project

Selected Work for exhibition at 2024 UIC Year End Show

PAST - PRECEDENT

The Plug-In Office from Archigram’s Plug-In City features modular, replaceable office units within a flexible megastructure. Its adaptable design aligns with adaptive reuse principles by allowing spaces to change function without demolition, promoting sustainability and ensuring the office environment evolves alongside shifting technological and occupational needs.

Archigram’s Plug-In City (1964)

Plug-in Modules

Plug-in

PRESENT - SOCIETY

THEY LIVE (1988): Describing consumerism in society

When architecture focuses more on ads than people, buildings become mere billboards, drowning out social connections. Urban spaces fill with visual clutter, putting consumerism above community and well-being.

The Archway Oil Station’s transformation into a Research Institute challenges consumerism, repurposing a fuel-driven symbol into a reflective space that promotes sustainability and digital detox through interactive, mindful experiences.

SITE: Archway Standard Oil Station - 1647 N. LaSalle Drive, Chicago, IL

TIME SQUARE, NEW YORK: Center of digital advertisments

In the dystopian future, architecture exists solely to fuel mass consumption. Digital advertisements dominate every surface, transforming cities into soulless landscapes of billboards and screens. Buildings, stripped of aesthetic value, serve as mere frames for relentless advertising. Human experience is oppressed, and rampant consumption breeds resource depletion and environmental degradation

PROPOSAL In a utopian future, adaptive reuse architecture features interchangeable wood facades that act as passive billboards. These dynamic, sustainable surfaces display community content without overpowering aesthetics. Repurposed buildings harmonize digital elements with natural materials, reducing waste while prioritizing human experience and fostering meaningful, context-aware visual communication in urban environments.

DYSTOPIAN FUTURE: ADPOCALYSPE -Digital Advertisment on Mass Consumption

CRISIS

UTOPIAN FUTURE: Adaptive Reuse Architecture As Passive Billboards.