Binhdinh Museum.

Architecture by Lequang Architects
Landscape by LJ-Group
Facade/Technical by SCA
Images illustrated by Duy Phan

We won Architecture Masterprize 2022 for the proposal of the Binhdinh Museum.

Aiming for a truly ‘living museum’ that creates an ecosystem around it, in this project, we tried to provide a proposal from urban planning to programming solutions for museums. To create a blend of landscape and display area that not only caters to museum-goers but also a public space that engages people in the city.

The project, named the best concept project, will be on display at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain during the AMP 2022 awards ceremony program.

Following the Parallel Worlds project led me to these new concepts, as I experimented with new visual approaches to stretch how much I can pull out from an imagined structure. Chapter 3 introduces some closer look and interaction between the design, surrounding landscape and people who temporarily occupy it. Sometimes I find myself being greedy as frankly speaking life is too short for not trying new things every chance you have. Hope you won’t regret following my “inconsistent” visual journey so far and somehow find these enjoyable! 😉

“Greeding”
Parallel Worlds project Chapter 3
Design and Illustrated by Duy Phan

‘Decorticating’
Project: Parallel worlds – Chapter 2
Design & illustrated by Duy Phan

‘Decorticating’ or Shedding bark is the most interesting characteristic about gum trees for me personally. The white new bark strikingly stands out in the forest and touching its surface is satisfying also. This skin changing feature helps the trees grow stronger every summer. Relating to what we do as an artist, I’m a believer of trying new things and not repeating yourself is key to evolve. As soon as we discover anything good, trying to find “what’s next” makes us better than our old self.

With ‘Parallel worlds’ chapter 2 – Decorticating, I wanted to break down the Periscope vertical structure into horizontal and experiment with both portrait and landscape compositions. Like unfolding the power of one simple design module can be translated into many shape and stories, taking off the old stubborn skin and expose a new outlook but still the core concept is maintained.

‘Periscope’
Project: Parallel Worlds – Chapter 01
Designed & illustrated by: Duy Phan

‘Parallel Worlds’ is a concept between in and out regarding space’s interaction. The project’s idea is told by a series of images, through my understanding of how much we can challenge the bond from outside and inside, the expected change and unpredictable stubbornness. Join me with my first chapter ‘Periscope’.

‘Periscope’ is a bunker entrance situated on the boundary of land and ocean, where multiple transport methods can be accessed. If a meteoroid is not going to land down here soon then it doesn’t hurt to act as a viewing platform for curious lookers. With knowing the overall context this time, it will make more sense for stepping closer in the coming chapters.

‘Living Capital’
Image illustrated by Duy Phan

Born from nature, I think we go a long way further from where we belong through civilised history just to find out how we can get back.

Living in a more crowded world, we learn not to take but share, and since the land doesn’t get bigger, we create more common landscapes. These outdoor spaces not only act as a socialised zone psychologically but physically cool down our shelter during every heatwave.

‘Living Capital’ is a reminder I made to keep me remembering we as humans are not the centre of this planet, but Mother Nature is. Sooner better than later we should realise the more we try to take control the more the damage is. So step back, observe and co-exist!

‘Native’
Illustrated by Duy Phan

I have noticed ‘Ordered’ and ‘Chaotic’ are going hand in hand in most if not all great artworks. It’s always that the most satisfying viewing experience is finding the rough imperfection surfaces that go with the sophisticated perfection lines. This, personally, might be the reason for my massive love of native garden design, especially when it goes with minimalist architecture.

I find myself being heavily attracted by the wildness of native vegetation yet the intention of placing and grouping them together from the landscape designer makes them lift each other’s beauty up so naturally.

‘Native’ is my appreciation for indigenous garden design, more specifically, Australian landscape.
As visual artists, if we get a strict architecture brief but an open landscape design to be populated by our own skills, I believe chances are we can have the potential for making great images, isn’t it?

‘Gummer’
Living around the forest

Project: Aquarevo
Location: Lyndhurst, Cranbourne VIC Australia
Urban & Architecture designed by: Xpace.cc
Client: CRC Water Sensitive Cities
Image illustrated by: Duy Phan

The proposal seeks an upscaled low-rise perimeter block approach that suggests a large open space at its centre. ‘Living around the Forest’ aims to combine density in suburban contexts while increasing the scale and quality of the public amenities. The proposal includes linked housing typologies that benefit from a huge landscape that brings cooling, ecological lifestyles and additional amenities in the backyard. The housing typologies are flexible within their footprints following the natural boundaries of the site.

– Building footprints are minimised over multiple storeys to maximise interaction with the forest. This allows for a flexible arrangement of sleeping and living.
– Buildings compactness and multiple-orientations allow for optimized solar gain and loss, cross ventilation and unrestricted views and privacy.
– Large centralised facilities in the forest have the possibility to incorporate and meet external demands to benefit the larger community.

‘Daring Leap’
The Fall_Design and Illustrated by Duy Phan

What does it take to jump out a diving bridge for the first time? Life is not that long to wait until the perfect moment. It all needs the courage to accept the risk sometimes.

Thriving for the better requires thinking and doing differently every day. It will take you pain with some failures first, but the gain is exclusive for those who dare to take the leap.

The crowd is way enough of stand-still feet, so jump out and speak up, keep motivating and renovating.

‘Baa’
The Fall
Design & illustrated by Duy Phan

Recently I got the chance to hear a speech from Ross Calia, Ross is a talented multidisciplinary creative artist. Well known for his addictive sound composing integration into varied project typologies, Ross’s humble speech inspired and provoked me as a visual artist to rethink the way I extract concepts from images.

Learning the limits and possibilities of aural and visual translation when it comes to conveying the conceptual message, I tried to sketch down what I think is hearable that viewers can ‘see’: people or animal’s activities, lighting shift, moving weather and shaking vegetation…etc

‘Baa’ is the outcome of this brainstorming process.

The FALL is middle-hill seated, surrounded by moving nature. In the attempt of putting the livable creatures closer, imagination gives a second of popping up the animal’s sound in our head before scattering the eye through the windy meadow to uncover the architectural object. As natural as reality, the context is built in advance and the look-out structure flows along with the topography, blending itself to be part of the scenery.

‘Emerge’
Project: The Fall
Design and Illustrated by Duy Phan

Have you ever missed an old project and would like to go back to re-make sometime?

‘Emerge’ is one of my old uni exercises two years ago. We were asked to watch the German movie “Wings of desire” and get to design a monument coming from whatever the movie inspired us.

‘Emerge’ is my introduction to the FALL monument architectural concept popping up when I finished the movie. A monument acts as a lookout in winter and a diving bridge in summer where people could experience the FALL_such experience as the main actor who played an angel chose to give up his wings and fall for human life.

I have cherished this shot since I first saved it as a scene in my sketchup file long ago (which you can see in the comment below). This shows part of my inspiration discovery for architectural ideas and visual extraction. I can’t say how much love I have for 3ds-max but Sketchup keeps pulling me back, especially at the very beginning of the work, when I was trying to set out the project’s potential frames.

Next to the main building, part of my proposal back then, is a huge local traffic roundabout. In collaboration with the aquaponic farming tower, this large open space is proposed to be transferred into a public multi-level square. Here, flower garden covering on the top, underneath, the supporting structure is framed by a 5x5m grid which creates a semi-open outdoor gallery or pop-up hawker market.

Part of the products coming from the urban farm could be distributed into this market where cultural and educational activities related to urban farming can be held to raise the awareness of a food-lacking future.

The image here captures the moment of a summer weekend night, when everyone was visiting an exhibition curated within the new square and a funny rain decided to join so suddenly. Some are well prepared with their umbrella, some still have no idea about the wetting guest is coming, some others are looking up to see half of the farming tower is eaten by the rain, other half is shining under the streetlight seconds before fully disappearing.

DISAPPEARING – Orchard Jenga

Design & visual by Duy Phan

Design credit: in collaboration with Xpace Zurich Urban Design Studio
Location: Hospital Precinct, crossing Elisabeth, Bedford, Peel and Pelham Street and
Flemington Road, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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The project bridges a challenging urban crossing for pedestrians, cars, busses, trams, and
future metro station. Taking advantage of the multiple public levels and bridge systems of
the nearby hospitals, the proposed interchange structure extends the public realm through a walk-able landscape of eateries, hawker stalls and shops. This commercial program will
provide amenities to patients, families and hospital staff, in addition to the positive
psychological impact of integrated ecological systems. The interchange further integrates
water, natural lighting and greenery into a series of contemplative spaces as catalysts for
stress relief.
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At the center, below, sits a large reservoir, capturing excess rainfall runoff which is diverted from the 200ML underground water storage at Lincoln Square and the highly flood prone, Elizabeth Street. The reservoir provides a wetland habitat for mangrove trees and acts as a renewable water source for the climbing vegetation that covers the entire structure.
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Visualization images is done for the Melbourne Design Week Exhibition.