by Anh Tran
I am Anh Tran - an Interior Design student at Toronto MetropolitanUniversity.Ivalueintentionsbehinddesigns and believe thoughtful design begins with a clear intention and is shaped by meaningful narratives that support human and social well-being. This perspective has guided my academic work, and I hope to continue developing it further as I grow and contribute as a professional interior designer.
FORTRESS HOTEL nomad
PLAN (after)
Location: Ault Park, 16361 Fran Laflamme Dr, Long Sault, Canada
History is often shaped by those in power, leaving many voices unheard. The Lost Villages Museum presents a curated version of the past, but history is layered, fragmented and shaped by perspective. Thus, instead of a fixed narrative, our goal is not simply retelling the past, but to allow visitors to engage with history on their own terms. By entering di erent spaces and participating in layered experiences, they confront the past without being told what to think. Through art exhibitions and intereactive spaces, they are encouraged to question, reflect, and form their own understanding, revealing that history is not something to be passively received but actively explored.
Sandtown Church
The Sandtown Advent Christian Church did not come from a “lost village”, but instead came from the Township of Osnabruck. The lower, interior walls were cladded with vertical butternut wood (board and batten style). The original lathe and plaster walls were replaced with plasterboard prior to its move to the museum site.
The original Sandtown Church is cut horizontally at 1500mm above ground since the top part of the church was renovated, the original materiality is only preserved on the bottom part.
The bottom part is then casted in concrete
Glass panels and steel beams are constructed on top of the concrete base, echoing the shape of the Sandtown Church.
The new areas extends from the two sides of the glass house, making the cast and the glass house become the courtyard of the Cafe.
The process of planning the Found Bistro started with the central casted church. The zoning and circulation mustbeconsidered inaway tohighlightthecourtyard. The thresholds were also an important element to consider, especially the one from the courtyard to the two sides of the restaurant.
The main circulation of the and extended to the newer casual to formal along the with the more casual area threshold between the zone condition established by the arecarefully curatedsothat the atmospherical change, and appreciate the history
Sandtown Church is kept areas. The zones go from the length of the building, facing the main road. The ones and the change in wall the cast and the glass frame thevisitorscanexperience at the same time, confront of the Sandtown Church.
The Found Bistro reimagines the Sandtown Church from the Township of Osnabruck. Both cafés and churches are communal yet contrasting spaces - one sacred, the other casual. A cast of the church forms the café’s light-filled, ethereal center, enclosed in glass and steel and flanked by two new extensions. The street-facing wing houses the kitchen and pick-up counter, while the opposite side o ers quieter dining. Visitors move through layers of old and new, where shifting light and materials evoke the spirit of the original church within a contemporary setting.
B-B
A-A
Individual Project
PLAN + FLOOR PLAN
Location: Du erin King Parkette, 256 Du erin St, Toronto, ON, Canada
The Crescent Washroom celebrates human hygiene and the act of caring for it is a ritual and a symbol of renewal. The space, follows the shape of the site, creates almost a half-circle, which also shapes the main circulation. The half-circle symbolizes the continuous cycle of cleansing and restoration that we all share. The use of warm red, pink and natural wood tones represents the warmth and liveliness of the human body, evoking a sense of coziness and comfort.
A sense of openess and connection to nature is brough into the space while still ensuring privacy for hygenic activities. The circulation is designed to allow for interactions at multiple meeting points . While nesting the private washroom stalls in the center, the washroom still speaks to the surroundings with the long curved glass facade following the path of travel and the sinks for outside users.
SECTION B-B
Group & Individual Project
“Beneath the Earth” Design Competition
SIGNAL HILL
Location: St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
The design concept for the Fortress Hotel at Signal Hill is embedded through the exploration of the duality between military and domestic, highlighting the significance of its site. Drawing on Signal Hill’s rich history of a landscape that represents both defense and surveillance, the project reinterprets the bunkers not as an object of conflict, but as a spatial archetype that emphasizes the domestic languages of care, rest, and emotional resonance. Exported from the bunker’s languages of thick walls, moments of compression, and controlled apertures, we translated this military infrastructure into a warm, domestic environment that transforms these spaces into places of dwelling.
Bunkers at the Signal Hill were historically used by the army for coastal surveillance and protection. While military in purpose, they also functioned as spaced of refuge - temporary homes for sodiers during times of war. As such, the bunker embodies a compelling duality between military defense and domestic shelter. The hotel draws on this powerful image, interpreting bunker architecturethroughoutitsspaces.Thenarrowsslitsofbunkersaretransformed into framed openings that allow guests to experience panoramic views of the sea and the city, merging protection with openness and observation.
Bunkers at Signal Hill
(Object of Conviviality)
Group Project
Adaptability, movement, connection. This object of conviviality acts as a flexible gathering space designed for remote workers and shift workers. Nomadism is seen in the movable partitions that allow the space to be opened or closed, depending on the users’ needs.
Washi Fabric Curtain
100x100mm Hard Maple Wood Beam
16x70mm Aluminum Mounting Bracket
10x55mm Steel Guide Rail
Steel Ball Bearing Track
16x90mm Aluminum Inner Carriage
50x60mm Hard Maple Wood Slat
Socket
End Bracket
Aluminum Curtain Rod
Washi Fabric Curtain
50x60mm Hard Maple Wood Slats
8mm thick Steel Angle Frame
50x500mm Hard Maple Wood Board
The IGNora lamp is a decorative luminaire piece crafted from the simplest, thinnest, and often considered fragile materials. When switched o , it resembles a withering flower—its delicate, crinkled petals evoking a quiet stillness. But the moment it’s lit, the fragile bloom transforms into a radiant flame, exuding warmth and life. This transformation symbolizes the hidden strength and vitality that exist within things we often overlook or deem lifeless. Whether that life is seen and cherished is on us to find, notice and feel.
