Phong Phu Gian

Thank you for visiting the display of my Capstone project. To me, this is not only the final requirement of my Interior Architecture Design (Honours) degree but also a milestone that reflects years of learning, effort, and personal growth on my journey to becoming a professional designer. My early years at the University of Architecture in Saigon provided a meaningful foundation. From a student who loved drawing and beautiful spaces, I gradually learned to see design as a way to communicate, to heal, and to create emotional moments for people. When I continued my studies at Swinburne, my perspective expanded even further, allowing me to refine my thinking and develop a clearer approach to creating thoughtful, meaningful, and comforting spaces.

I believe that no matter how busy or chaotic life becomes, everyone needs a place to pause, breathe, and recharge. That is the intention I hope to bring into my work — creating spaces that offer calm, clarity, and a sense of belonging. I am grateful to Swinburne and the dedicated lecturers who have guided, supported, and inspired me throughout this journey.

Ma Fusion — Exterior Render

A multi-sensory East-Asian dining and retreat concept grounded in the philosophy of Ma—the space between things—seamlessly connecting vegetarian food, herbal wellness, and Zen-inspired living into one continuous experiential journey.

Ma Fusion — Dining Interior

A sculpted dining space shaped by a sweeping curved copper ceiling, creating a refined Zen atmosphere where light, texture, and movement form the core of the sensory experience.

Ma Fusion — Vegan Skincare Retail Space

A nature-connected retail space that showcases East-Asian herbs and botanical ingredients, introducing guests to the healing relationship between plants, skincare, and mindful living.

Ma Fusion — The Zen Garden

A contemplative Zen garden defined by soft lighting, natural materials, and gentle spatial rhythms, offering a moment of pause within the continuous Ma Fusion journey.

Ma Fusion — Zen Retreat Hotel Room

A quiet retreat room wrapped in natural textures and warm, earthy tones, offering guests a moment to slow down and reconnect with a sense of calm.

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.