Tongyu Meng

Interior Architecture

I am an Interior Architecture student who is about to graduate from university. My time at Swinburne University has provided extensive knowledge on hand-drawn planning, software architectural planning, detailed construction, model making and rendering through Revit. I am relatively proficient in making manual models. I like to do some small handicrafts myself and hope to improve my skills while doing handicrafts. I have some advantages in language. I can speak English and Mandarin fluently. At the same time, I can also talk some simple Japanese, so there is no problem in daily communication. I am a person with strong empathy, and I am very suitable to be a listener. At the same time, I have better creativity. I can help the company develop new ideas. I am looking for opportunities to be an interior designer to improve my software and communication with clients. I can use my creativity, independence and sincere desire to connect with others and help others shine in work and find satisfaction. With a passion for designing for human well-being, Swinburne has provided the opportunity in strengthening and progress my knowledge towards this sector. I am hoping to develop these skills in future employment.

Hall

Reception

Cafe

Studio

Rest Area

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.