Thu_Le_2026_Portfolio_Chicago by Thu Le

THU LE.

JUNIOR @let711@newschool.edu

Parsons School of Design, NY

BFA Interior Design

Aug 2023 - Present

X5 Dean’s List of Scholars 3.97/4.00 GPA

TECHNICAL COMPETENCY EXPERIENCE

3D MODELING

Revit

Rhino

SketchUp

RENDERING

Enscape

GRAPHICS

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Indesign

PRODUCTIVITY

Microsoft Suite

Google Suite

SOFT SKILL & STRENGTHS

Organization

Punctual and Disciplined

Communication

Proactive and Adaptable

Collaboration

Creative and Risk-taking

Detail-oriented

Attentive and Precise

LANGUAGES

English - Native/Bilingual

Vietnamese - Native/Bilingual

Mandarin - Proficient

IDSO | Interior Design Student Organization

Event & Programming Team Leader

Oct 2025 - Present

- Organized and coordinated firm tours with Perkins & Will, SOM, Vitra, IIDA, and AvroKO

- Selected as the only junior among 150+ applicants to serve on the Core Team

Uniiik Saigon | Dual Internship

3D Concept Developer | Research Intern

Summer 2024 | Summer 2025

- Assisted designers on drafting concept boards and architectural drawings for two projects

- Designed final DJ Booth for V88 Club, assisted 3D visuals for ChanChan and Mosaic Bar & Coffee

VOLUNTEER

Tiny Hearts of Hope l Charity

Social Media Writer | Treasurer

Aug 2020 - Aug 2021

- Raised $2,500 for holiday gift programs and led weekly English lessons for orphans

- Assisted renovation of local orphanage bathroom as concept developer through fundraising

+1 (908) 560 0175

TSA | Student Organization

Board Member | Treasurer | Designer

Aug 2024 - May 2025

- Led event planning, budgeting, and logistics for social and cultural programs

- Designed visual materials and coordinated events engaging 150+ attendees

WJM Furniture | Dual Internship

Admin | Research Intern

Summer 2024 | Summer 2025

- Coordinated supplier meetings and documented site visits with Revit, AutoCAD, and live-sketch

- Assisted quality assurance for CNC production, research and material sourcing workflows

Parcels of Hope l Charity

Social Media Writer | Treasurer

Aug 2020 - Aug 2021

- Raised $8,000 in a week, and coordinated food and necessities for 236+ families

- Led media campaigns that increased community awareness and donations on Facebook, Instagram

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gD6RZxjbvwRupGsVDj3ZZ_SIRIBJISu2?usp=sharing ABOUT URL

Human-centered interior design undergraduate with strong 3D visualization with commercial and hospitality design internship experiences.

POSTCARDS

2023-2025

Selected Works

Community Center Design

Immersive Living Instrument

2023-2025

Selected Works

Pre-Fab Residential Design HIVE-HOME

2023-2025

Selected Works

Community Center Design INTERWOVEN

2023-2025

Selected Works

Residential Design Canopy of U-nity

“An Immersive Living Instrument”

Fall 2025 | Rhino | Enscape | AutoCAD | Illustrator

Concept:

It’s undeniable whether beneath subway platforms, along streets of Union Square, or even on the steps of your apartment complex—you’ve come across artists, dancers, and musicians attempting to showcase their talents in return for monetary reward, BUT: Why do we so often walk past them without stopping—without truly recognizing and appreciating them?

This project is designed as a launchpad, open-stage, and network hub where emerging musicians can rehearse, collabore, perform, and most importantly, be seen. The space is meant to amplify voices that are too often drowned out by the noise of the city.

Moodboard: Materiality:

Rendering:

An Immersive Living Instrument Scale: NTS

Rhino, Enscape and Photoshop

User-Profile: Under-recognized Musicians RESEARCH

DEMOGRAPHIC

AGE young to middle varied range

DIVERSE cultures occupation

INDEPENDENT student musicians

NEEDS&WANTS PSYCHOGRAPHIC

Motivated by growth, visibility, and cultural impact, the targeted musicians are seeking performance opportunities, creative expression, as well as community engagement in a high exposure community center.

SPACE opportunity community EXHIBITION money cultural GROWTH future career

Floor Plan: An Immersive Living Instrument Scale: NTS AutoCAD and Illustrator

RCP: An Immersive Living Instrument Scale: NTS AutoCAD and Illustrator Lighting Fixtures:

PROJECT 01. CONTINUED “SOCIAL-STAIRS”

Fall 2025 | Rhino | Enscape | Illustrator

Concept:

The proposed staircase design for the community center intends to explore two potential applications: a low, curvature staircase that functions as socializing and circulation, or a simple, linear staircase for the purpose of entry and exit, balancing sound reflectivity from the primary glass interiors with sound absorption from the incorporation of cork.

The selected materials—steel with great structural integrity, strength-to-weight ratio, and durability alongside cork with excellent sound absorption and insulating qualities—aims to reflect the notions of industrial-modernism, sustainability, and comfortability within a community center where longevity and accessibility are valued.

1. BOLT

1. BOLT Pre-drill through all

Pre-drill through all layers and use a 2" round-head countersunk bolt from the top, then flush with the cork.

2. WELD

Weld the diamond-plated steel directly to the steel bars using fillet welds along the edges, ensuring load-bearing quality.

load-bearing quality.

3. WELD

Cold-roll or brake-press the steel into organic curve and use a fillet weld along the seam where the curve meets the bar.

brake-press the steel into organic curve and use a fillet weld along the seam where the curve meets the bar.

tread layer, offering high friction resistance and structural resilience under high foot traffic, maintaining saftety alongside circulation.

B GALVANIZED STEEL THICKNESS = 3/16"

System Detail Drawing: SOCIAL-STAIRS

Scale: NTS

Rhino, Enscape and Illustrator

Rendering: An Immersive Living Instrument Scale: NTS Rhino, Enscape and Photoshop

Physical Model:

Concept:

This project investigates modular student housing through a pentagonal geometry that challenges conventional orthogonal prefabrication. Using a modular pentagonal unit, the system explores how non-rectangle modules can create varied spatial conditions and communal spaces, maintaining efficiency in pre-fabrication and assembly.

With the utilization of intentional partitioning, each defined space will have its purpose within the modular home, allowing residents to effectively engage in their everyday activities productively whilst maintaining focus and comfort. This will further be achieved through the use of wood for natural warmth.

TRANSFORMATIVE FURNITURE STANDARDIZED

COZY EFFICIENT PORTABLE

COST

AFFORDABILITY ADAPTABLE WEATHER-RESPONSIVE COMFORT PRODUCTIVITY

LIGHT-WEIGHT MATERIALS WARM ENERGY-EFFICIENT

FUNCTIONAL SPACIOUS INTENTIONAL SUSTAINABLE BIFOLD MURPHY BED FLEXIBILITY & ADAPTABILITY RETRACTABLE

Rendering:

Pre-Fab Student Housing Scale: NTS Rhino, Enscape and Photoshop

Floor Plan:

Perspective Collage:

Pre-Fab Student Housing

Scale: NTS

Rhino | Enscape | Photoshop

HO Home Office (Public - Shared)

Galvanized Steel

Painted Concrete

Cold Formed Steel

Hardwood (Oak)

T Toilet (Public - Shared)

BR1 Bedroom 1 (Private)

BR2 Bedroom 2 (Private)

Design

Floor Plan:

Pre-Fab Student Housing (3-BR)

Scale: 1/8” = 1’ - 0”

Hand-sketch and Illustrator

1B Graduate Student

Design

1B Graduate Student

Floor Plan:

Pre-Fab Student Housing (1-BR)

Scale: 1/8” = 1’ - 0”

Hand-sketch and Illustrator

RCP:

Pre-Fab Student Housing (3-BR)

Scale: 1/8” = 1’ - 0”

Hand-sketch and Illustrator

User-Profile: Off-Campus-seeking College Students DESIGN

DEMOGRAPHIC NEEDS&WANTS PRE-FAB

AGE 18-24 varied range DIVERSE cultures background INDEPENDENT student interns

The design of a prefab (modular) accomodation intends to reach students of lower-middle incomes due to affordability, fast-construction, modernity, and energy efficiency, addressing problems with dorms. SPACE shared workplace communal cooking PRIVACY separate bedrooms specific zones

UNITY collectiveness inclusive layout

PROJECT 03.

Fall 2025 | Rhino | Enscape | Illustrator | Photoshop

Concept:

This project reimagining the existing 277 Canal Street building in Chinatown proposes a residency and cultural hub for beauty workers and existing artisans to gather, educate, exhibit, and learn from each others’ different skilled specializations wihtin the beauty industry that is often operated ‘behind closed doors’.

The design celebrates cultural continuity and mutual support, connecting local artisans, immigrant labor networks, and intergenerational expertise to invigorate beauty as labor, identity, and community; fostering a space where making is visible, knowledge is collaborated, and craftsmanship thrives.

Zoning: Moodboard:

SA - SA’ (Section Perspective): Residency & Cultural Hub Scale: NTS Rhino, Enscape and Photoshop

Continuity in Intersection

Collaboration and exchanges of existing beauty artisans regarding knowledge and labor may bridge Chinatown’s cultural continuity through invisible care.

Feminism through Circularity

With curves and circles being representative of female biology, using it within a grid reflects strength through care and labor, addressing wig stimatization

Inclusivity & Togetherness

Organic forms serve as implied guidelines leading visitors to a shared meeting point, elicited through grid intersections created by circles and squares.

Diagram (Exploded Isometric):

Residency & Cultural Hub

Scale: NTS

Rhino, Illustrator and Photoshop

Physical Model: Interwoven

Scale: 1/8” = 1’ - 0”

Cardstock, leather, paper, 3D-printed PLA, foamboard

PROJECT 04. “Canopy of U-nity”

Concept:

This Post-Graduate Housing on 12F serves as a microcosm of a treehouse which intends to foster interconnectedness through organic forms, layered textures, and dynamic spaces; all of which primarily inspired by the fragile, yet structural forms of shaved tree barks.

Inspired by the resilience and life cycle of the ubiquity of trees in New York City, the concept integrates structure with fluidity, fostering an adaptive and inclusive environment that enhances productivity for graduate students whilst maintaining comfort and warmth through selected materials and lighting.

Moodboard:

Rendering:

Post-Graduate Housing (12F)

Scale: NTS

Rhino, Enscape and Photoshop

User-Profile: Post-Graduate Students MAJORS

STRATEGIC INTERIORS COMMUNICATION

“We will really benefit from dynamic and shared work zones where our creativity and productivity are enhanced through shared discussions, group projects and also team-driven activities.”

“We hope to be provided with desktop areas where printing services are within close proximity to us, bettering work progresses alongside efficiency, productivity, and also comfortability.”

“As someone whose creativity is stimulated by dynamic, yet functional interiors, I hope to see varied furniture, seatings, and ceiling designs in different zones and workplaces.”

Floor Plan:

Post-Graduate Housing (12F)

Scale: 1/16” = 1’ - 0”

AutoCAD and Illustrator

Rendering:

Post-Graduate Housing (12F)

Scale: NTS

Rhino, Enscape and Photoshop