The letter summarizes Wren's experience and abilities as a student of architecture. Over three years of studio courses, Wren has consistently taken risks to explore design possibilities and develop ambitious urban infrastructure projects driven by program. He led a design team that developed a coherent proposal for the annual four-day Charrette competition among 120 students. The letter concludes by recommending Wren as a valuable asset for architectural design teams based on his big-scale thinking, ability to communicate through drawing, and team-building skills.

1. School of Architecture | 601 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 | 415 618 3597 | www.academyart.edu
May 31, 2015
To whom it may concern,
I have had the pleasure of teaching Wren in two upper‐division design studios at Academy of Art
University where I am the undergraduate assistant director. Prior to teaching, I was an architect
with Skidmore Owings and Merrill in New York and in San Francisco for about 9 years.
Wren has an ambition that drives him to sustain a focus. Over the past three years, I have
closely followed Wren’s growth as a designer. He has consistently shown that he is willing to
take big risks to explore the “what if” questions, and to uncover the latent possibilities in
architectural proposals. He brings to the table his own polemic defined through program‐driven
form at the scale of urban infrastructure. Once he identifies a trajectory, he develops his project
with unparalleled passion, seldom seen among his peers, to convince us of his vision.
He has been awarded multiple opportunities to lead design teams. One such occasion was the
annual Charrette hosted by the Architecture department. The Charrette is a four‐day high‐
intensity design competition among about 120 students in undergraduate and graduate
architecture departments at AAU. Based on the strength of his submission, he was one of six
selected to lead a team. He upheld his design idea so that a team of 12 students could develop a
coherent architectural proposal. As the team leader, he presented and defended the project at
the public presentation.
In conclusion, I am confident that Wren will be a valuable asset to an architectural design team,
especially where big‐scale thinking is encouraged. Wren’s ability to engage in the issues vital to
architecture, his ability to think and communicate through drawing and making, and his team‐
building skills promise a successful career in architecture. I offer his application my full support.
Yours Sincerely,
Karen Seong
Assistant Director, Undergraduate Department of Architecture
kseong@academyart.edu