Austin Kahn

selected works, 2015-2019

 Intent
Hello,
With this application and portfolio, I would like to express my strong interest in working with
Gensler as a technical designer. Being a passionate designer with a background working
in both analog and digital fabrication settings, material research, as well as on an individual-
basis working as a furniture-maker and visual artist, I believe that I can bring a unique
perspective to the table. Having extensive work in these fabrication-heavy environments,
I have come to understand a number of materialities and construction methodologies,
specifically what it takes to bring a project into the physical realm, as a completed piece. I
believe that, no matter the scale, each and every project requires a fine level of craft and
attentiveness. Whether working in a physical or digital sense, I always strive to be as detail-
oriented and precise as possible to ensure the best possible result. Through an unwavering
diligence and deliberation, I believe that no design problems are unsolvable.
I have always been very passionate for design, for the statements objects can make and
the nuanced details which make a project truly come together. I am fasciated by the how
and why things are built, with every object having the capacity to tell a story of the diverse
processes of exploration and experimentation which go into the creation of any given
project. I believe good design transcends scale; even in the largest objects, it is the smallest
of details that come together to form the foundation for which the entire design rests; and,
as such, the more beautiful, sophisticated designs are dependent on the naturalism of their
components, a moment achieved when every element comes together in harmony to create
a moment of total logical order.
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I have long used furniture as a platform for exploring larger architectonic ideas, those which
I am unable to carry out on my own due to scale and producibility as a young designer. As
with any object, the design process remains in a sense, similar, as a process of deliberation,
action, and reflection. As a designer and as an artist, I allow my designs to inform my art
practice and vice versa, creating an architecture focused on experience and tectonics,
which expresses the nuances of the process required to bring the idea into fruition. As
an architectural designer I am a very focused model-maker and draftsman, working in an
organized systematic fashion to try to ensure efficiency in my workflow as well as a level of
quality to my work. With my understanding of the digital and analog means of construction,
I work to try to incorporate digital devices into more unconventional, traditional workflows to
create a much more efficient fabrication process, and as a builder, I am comfortable in both
the wood, metal, and masonry shop environment from the level of model-making to full-
scale architectural work.
I have always been a hard worker, and as new arrival in Los Angeles, I am excited to hit the
ground running and find somewhere where I can contribute and broaden my architectural
scope. Either in a group setting or on my own, you can trust me to put in the effort to
get the job done. Through the projects which lay ahead, as well as from my prior work
experiences and references, I hope I can prove that I will be a valuable asset to Gensler.
Thank you for the opportunity and I hope to hear back from you soon.
Sincerely,
Austin Kahn
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 Austin Kahn Table of Contents
(480) 278-6944
austinkahn@ymail.com

Work Experience. Volunteer Experience.

Fabricator, Bayly Art.
[Oct 2018- Sep 2019] San Luis Obispo, California.
Worked in small, two-person, fabrication company which produced high-quality custom
furniture and commissioned retail installations. Due to the small size of the firm, was
involved with all aspects of fabrication, from parts-prep, fitting, and welding stages
through to final finish. Worked primarily in steel, aluminum, and wood, and personally
oversaw one project from the generation of the shop drawings all the way to installation.
Digital Fabrication Technician, California Polytechnic State University San Luis
Obispo.
[Apr 2015- Jun 2016] San Luis Obispo, California.
Maintained and operated Universal Laser Cutters, Haas 3-axis CNC Mill, and uPrint 3D
printers to run student files. Explored some experimental fabrication techniques in laser
cutting with shop access and assisted other students in any questions they might have
had regarding digital fabrication.
Nepal Earthquake Response, Nuwakot District, Nepal. Rockpoint Modular Cubicles 06
[Aug 2016- Sep 2016] Aided in post-earthquake recovery
[Professional Work_01,
by aiding in the construction of two schools, helping oversee
Oct 2018]
construction of formwork for the foundation of a two-story
school in Trishuli, along with aiding in the finishing of another
school in the remote village of Jalpa.
Selections from Eight Consecutive Sculptures 09
[Personal Work_01,
Proficiencies. Oct 2019]
Digital
os Widows/ Mac office Word/ Powerpoint drafting/ modeling Burnette Outdoor Set 13
Rhinoceros/ AutoCAD/ Sketchup/ Basic Grasshopper [Professional Work_02,
image/ graphic Photoshop/ InDesign/ Illustrator digital In the Works, 2019]
fabrication Laser Cutting/ CNC Milling/ 3D Printing

Research Assistant, NSF Research Grant (conducted by Professor Dale Clifford). The Life and Death of a System 17
[Jan 2016- Jun 2016] San Luis Obispo, California.
Physical
metalworking MIG/TIG Welding/ Part Prep/ Fitting/ Finishing [Academic Work_01,
Assisted in the preliminary stages of research on shape memory polymer performance in June 2018]
woodworking Machine/ Hand Joinery/ Finishing/ Trim +
conjunction with The National Science Fund and California Polytechnic State University.
Plunge Routing/ Part Prep masonry Formworking/ Casting
Developed the foundational testing equipment + procedures for casting the shape
electrical Lamp+ Bulb Wiring misc. Digital + Analog Model
memory polymers.
Making/ Sketching/ Watercoloring/ Manual Drafting/ Modular Housing Unit 23
Intern, Deutsch Architecture Group. Photography/ Crating + Handling/ Paint+ Laqeuer Working [Academic Work_02,
[Sep 2013- Dec 2013] Phoenix, Arizona. Mar 2015]
Assisted in the post-processing for their schematic design work as well as helped build a
new office website. References.
Nothing Wasted 27
Tom Di Santo, Thesis Professor at California Polytechnic [Personal Work_02,
Education. State University, San Luis Obispo. In the Works, 2019]
[805-234-1727] tdisanto7@gmail.com.
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, San Luis
Obispo, California. Michael Bayly, Former Employer at Bayly Art. Crocevia 33
[Sep 2012- Jun 2013, Sep 2014- Jun 2018] b. arch. [805-234-5791] baylyart@gmail.com. [Academic Work_03,
Aug 2017]
Cal Poly Global Programs:
Architecture in Mexico, based out of San Miguel de Allende. [Jun 2016- Aug 2016]
Dale Clifford, Professor at California Polytechnic State
University and head of NSF Grant, San Luis Obispo.
Architecture in Japan, based out of Tokyo. [Sep 2016- Dec 2016]
[805-756-5207] dtcliffo@calpoly.edu.
Architecture in Switzerland, based out of Ticino. [Jun 2017- Aug 2017]

03 04
Professional Work_01

Rockpoint Modular Office Cubicles

[Oct 2018]

Design: Rapt Studio.

Fabrication: Austin Kahn, Michael Bayly, Gabe Martin.

A series of deployable, interlocking steel tube structures which would act as a temporary sales office/ showroom
for a real estate developer as they sought after renters for a floor of a high-rise off Wilshire Blvd. Consisted of four
cubicles: a library, a conference room, an office, and a swing.

Produced shop drawings, laid out connection details, oversaw and was involved with all facets of fabrication, and
assisted in installation on-site during employment with Bayly Art.

05 06
Professional Work_01

The fabrication of these cubicles was fairly straight-forward; however,

due to the sheer number of connection joints, the CNC’s drilling function
was utilized to mass-drill the tubes, then the holes in each inner sleeves
were hand-tapped and plug-welded to the outer tube to ensure structural
integrity. The resulting connection joints, tubes, and panels, were then
assembled on-site to create the four office environments

07 08
Personal Work_01

Selections from Eight Consecutive Sculptures

[Oct 2019]

What lays ahead is an exploration in intuitive design and language building, in which an aesthetic vocabulary is being
explored and developed through a daily, consecutive, sculptural approach undergone over the course of eight days in
mid-October. These sculptural forms are being considered for a variety of uses across a number of scales, from the
figurative exploration of sculpture work to the utilitarian applications of furniture and architectural interventions.

These works are characterized by their sketching-in-space style, in which linear systems are employed to enclose
and define spaces within an underlying structural system. Drawing samples from master shop sets showing
the overall forms and assembly of parts.

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Personal Work_01

From the left as follows:

Untitled 1. an initial proof-of-concept
established in conjunction with a potential
commission for a pop-up clothing boutique.
Untitled 2. to establish a verticality and
tension between elements.
Untitled 4. to create an enclosure through
two planar elements.
Untitled 5. to balance one planar element
Untitled 6. to create a two-tiered space.
Untitled 8. to create two enclosing canopies.

Directly left is Untitled 2 in communication

with Untitled 4.

Originally conceived as a dynamic structural system for a temporary clothing retail space, with planar members
implied by the slimmer struts being utilized as everything from the clothing racks used to display the garments to
more interactive elements, such as seating and table-spaces. The continuation of the series beyond the initial
trial seeks to further understand the manners in which these planar aspects can be utilized to interpolate and
reinterpret the spaces between the meandering primary structures. These thinner members instill a planar utility
to the systems which allow for the inclusion of functional, interactive elements such as seat and seat-backs, to
the vaster irregular systems.

11 12
Professional Work_02

Burnette Outdoor Set

[In the Works, 2019]

Design: Michael Bayly.

Fabrication: Michael Bayly, Austin Kahn.

An outdoor set consisting of two small lounge chairs, two large, sweeping lounge chairs, a
fire pit, side tables, and more, all constructed out of aluminum which has been CNC milled
from sheet stock and subsequently bent, welded, and metal finished to form a seamless
construction. Above is Stage 1 of the Outdoor Set,
a set of two small lounge chairs.

Assisted in all aspects of fabrication during employment with Bayly Art.

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Professional Work_02

Below is Stage 2 of the outdoor set, a faceted aluminum fire pit seam-
welded and metal finished to create the impression of solidity, out of sheet
stock.

To the left is Stage 3 of the outdoor set, one of two curved, large aluminum
benches. Constructed out of sheet stock and rolled and spliced tubes, the
benches are about 9’ long, with approximately 100 linear feet of welding
and metal finishing per bench.

Both pieces are in final sanding stage,

awaiting powder coating as of early September, 2019.

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Academic Work_01

The Life and Death of a System Above depicts the preliminary slides from a
three-dimensional digital anaglyph animation
[June 2018]
exploring the growth of a system over time.
Cal Poly Architecture Thesis.

Investigations into the symbiotic relationship between dweller and dwelling, in the interaction between subject and
object, to create a built environment focused on the physical evolution of architecture over time to allow one total
agency over place. How can architecture meet the ever-changing spatial needs of the inhabitant, and how might
these needs change over time, or when the space is passed between ownerships?

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Academic Work_01

A structure can, and will, outlive its inhabitants; and, while one inhabits a home their spatial needs change as they
undergo the differing stages of life and parenthood, and ultimately, those that proceed will have totally different
spatial needs as those that came before. What yielded, was the focus on three-dimensional arraying of habitations
that helps facilitate a community constantly in flux, both on a household and an over-arching spatial level.

Structural investigations were conducted across a variety of media, exploring differing tectonic connections as
governed by each medium, and which could create inhabitable spaces within the voids, in which one can live thier
life as they require and the community can exist in a constant state of evolution.

Above and across are samples from the gridded array investigations, in which wooden
structures are designed to be flatpack-delivered and rapidly assembled on site. These
structures can be deployed on the grand-scale as the primary-structural basis for the
communities or on the smaller scales of interior structure and barrier support to furniture
and built-in cabinetries. The model directly above showcases a joinery technique in which
each linear element remains intact to heighten strength and ease of construction, with each
element slotting into the others based off the joinery found in a burr puzzle.

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Academic Work_01

The second phase constituted the development of a modular spatial/structural system

that would act as the foundation for the ever-changing community. This system
incorporated a primary structure constructed from steel tubing which acts as the main
spatial volumes within the homes, while the secondary and tertiary structures facilitate
add-ons and apertures.

These structures can be deconstructed and rearranged to allow for dynamic

spatial environments between the units, where solid and void intermix
to allow for dynamic floor-planes and variable height-levels.

Above is a housing module assembly detail with steel

frame pieces being mechanically fixed together to
allow for change in assembly over time.

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Academic Work_02

Modular Housing Unit

[March 2015]

Cal Poly Architecture studio project.

An exercize in modular design utilizing shipping containers to create a rapidly-assemblable, prefabricated

Above and opposite are photos of
home on a nondescript trailer park lot. Six containers are stacked, spliced, and arranged to create a the hand-cut final model.
three-story structure complete with an interior atrium space and exterior balconies. The design process
was guided by iterative, explorative models, ranging in scale and variety, as seen on the following pages.

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Academic Work_02

The linear design process is as follows:

1. A small-scale exploration in the configurations of the shipping container module. 2. A slightly-
larger exploration of assemblies, with both containers and walls. 3. Approaching a formal
language for the final form, with two stacks connected via a central element. 4. A conceptual
design model, intended for delineation of spaces and working notes leading towards the
finalization of the design. 5. Approaching a final form. 6. Final form achieved. 7. Sectional model
showcasing the interior experiences of the final form.

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6. 7.

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Personal Work_02

Nothing Wasted
[In the Works]

During the design of any object or structure, pieces of process, whether they are structures, jigs, regulatory models,
etc., are almost invariably doomed to the fate of being tossed aside as a mere byproduct of the initially intentioned
object. Is this a necessary side-effect of design? Or can these elements have life beyond their intended, and more
importantly, completed, tasks? Can they themselves become objects of function or aesthetic value?

What follows explores the process for designing an uncharacteristically-comfortable steel chair and the adaptation of
the structures fabricated for the design process into chairs in and of themselves.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Process:
1. Steel frame is constructed to facilitate chair’s main geometry. 2. Foam blocks are fixed to frame. 3. Foam blocks are sanded down to conform
to average human ergonomics (sculpted alongside constant feedback between roughly twenty test subjects). 4. Curvatures from foam pieces are
mapped and modeled in Rhino. 5. Final form for compound-curved steel chair obtained.

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Personal Work_02

Below: The spring mechanisms merely

clamp the steel frame, allowing minimal
alteration to the frame to reach the point
of usable objecture. To further secure the
acrylic to the spring assemblages, and
to trick the eye of the viewer, the acrylic
plates were milled with 3/8” pockets to
recess the steel pieces in the acrylic,
distorting the perception of depth when
viewed from above.

The steel frame which supported the sculpted foam molds was reconstituted into a
functional piece of furniture. Furthering the idea of creating a comfortable chair out of a
material not commonly associated with comfort, acrylic was selected as it is by-nature stiff
and rigid to the touch. To embolden the steel frame, a transparent acrylic was suspended
upon custom-fabricated spring assemblages which, as they compress, allows the hard
plastic to move with the shifting body of the inhabitant, and with the differing resistance of
the front and rear springs, allows the angle to open up the body posture and the user to
breathe rather than to uniformly shrink and compress the user’s body.

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Personal Work_02

To the left are steel rods which have been

bent and are ready for welding. Once the
rods are tacked together, edges will be
trimmed and resulting steel “plate” will be
welded to steel frame before final welding
and metal finishing.

Below is a steel frame welded together,

ready to receive steel plates.

To the right are initial samples of front

(above) and rear (below) metal finishes.
The rear faces will be left raw, creating an
almost burnt-out cast object, while the top
will be ground level and to mirror-finish.

The initial design for this chair explored the idea of creating compound-curved steel plates
through the process of infilling welds between bent rods. The geometry acquired in the
preliminary design phase facilitated the construction of two compound-curved planes,
which act as seat and seat-back for the chair to allow a material like steel that, traditionally,
is thought of as being rigid and uncomfortable, to conform to the human body and maintain
a comfortable, ergonomic, posture through the curvaceous nature of the steel panels.

This chair is now entering preliminary welding stages... stay tuned.

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Academic Work_03

Crocevia Was personally responsible for the section drawings for

[Aug 2017]
this project along with a major role in the design and
conceptualization.
Cal Poly Architecture study abroad studio project, with Abby Dorrel, Troy Shafranek, and Linnea Enebo.

The Crocevia Art Foundation, located in Palazzolo Acreide, Sicily, is designed to engage the four corners of a long forgotten
thoroughfare between the ancient Sicilian quarter and the more recent residential district. The Foundation contains permanent
subterranean galleries, spaces for temporary exhibitions and sculpture gardens, as well as a number of artists studios and a
makerspace in the tower. The four corners at the crossroads (crocevia in Italian) contain the temporary exhibition spaces, and
are only accessible via the subterranean levels, with openings in the corners allowing passerby’s to peek into the exhibitions;
however, they must first engage with the subterranean galleries in order to witness the temporary exhibitions firsthand.

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