Duc Gia Linh Nguyen

Email Address

Thank you for taking the time to view my folio. I appreciate the opportunity to share my work, ideas, and the journey that has shaped me as a designer.

As an Interior Architecture student, I believe that space has the ability to tell stories — where functionality, aesthetics, and emotion intertwine to create meaningful human experiences. This belief has led me to explore how sensory elements, atmosphere, materials, and lighting influence perception, wellbeing, and the way people connect within a space.

Studying in two different cultural environments — 2 years in Vietnam and 2 years in Australia — has broadened my perspective in many ways. In Southeast Asia, I was encouraged to experiment and draw from cultural depth, where traditional values, natural materials, and local rhythms continuously inspire design thinking. Meanwhile in Australia, I developed a practical, human-centred approach with a strong emphasis on sustainability and community inclusion. Together, these experiences shaped a design philosophy that balances emotion and function, cultural narrative and usability.

My goal is to create spaces that people remember not only for their form, but for the feelings, connections, and cultural resonance they evoke.

Now that I have graduated, I’m excited to continue exploring new ideas and contribute to designing sustainable, meaningful, and culturally rooted environments across commercial, community, public, and residential settings.

BEYOND THE SENSES - RECEPTION VIEW

The reception space introduces visitors to the calming essence of Beyond the Sense, where nature, light, and architecture come together as a gentle threshold. The circular skylight opens the space to the sky above, allowing natural light to illuminate the central tree and reflective water. This serene atmosphere invites guests to pause, breathe, and ease into the sensory journey ahead.

MUSEUM OF THE HANDMADE - POTTERY WORKSHOP

This pottery workshop celebrates the beauty of handmade craft through warm materials, soft light, and a calm, tactile atmosphere. The perforated brick façade filters natural light to create shifting shadows, highlighting the authenticity of clay and craftsmanship. It is a space for slowing down, creating with intention, and connecting with the cultural roots of traditional pottery.

BEYOND THE SENSE - TASTE EXHIBITION

The Taste Exhibition immerses visitors in a warm, sensorial dining environment where water, light, and materiality create a soothing rhythm. Soft circular forms and glowing rings of light frame the central tasting area, inviting people to slow down and savour each moment. This space celebrates the emotional side of taste — connection, comfort, and the gentle pleasure of sharing food.

COMMUNITY CENTER - STUDY ROOM

The Study Room is designed as a bright, open environment that encourages focus and quiet collaboration. A central green courtyard brings natural light and freshness into the space, softening the concrete structure with pockets of nature. Clean lines, communal seating, and gentle daylight create a calm atmosphere where users can work, read, and connect with ease.

BEYOND THE SENSE - COFFEE SEATING AREA

The Coffee Seating Area offers a calm, grounding pause within the sensory journey, where soft filtered light and natural textures create a soothing atmosphere. Curved seating, floating mesh forms, and pockets of greenery encourage slow conversations and quiet rest. This space invites visitors to settle in, breathe deeply, and reconnect through simple, mindful moments.

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.