Architecture Competition Office 2021 Design Challenge Honorable mention - Yeonghwa Choe and Hakyeong Jeon

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Office 2021 Design Challenge" competition – Yeonghwa Choe and Hakyeong Jeon from South Korea!

Honorable mention winners from South Korea

YHK is a design practice based in Rotterdam and Seoul. The office has been working on various projects in Europe since 2021, after being selected as an outstanding Korean design practice for the Architectural Design Human Resource Development Project organized by Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA).

After graduating with B.Arch from Soongsil University in 2016, they have experienced various companies of different scales and cultures, ranging from Magicarch (Madrid), Mecanoo (Delft), Lifethings, Society of Architecture, 5PA, Haeahn to Doseerock (Seoul). Yeonghwa Choe is currently an MSc Architecture candidate in TU Delft and Hakyeong Jeon is working as a junior architect at Groosman Architecture.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been involved?

Starting with the proposal of a community home in Portugal and a new prototype of office space in the Netherlands last year, the company recently proposed and carried out a project to design a crematorium in the Alderney area within Channel Island.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

Architects are in a position to continuously provide a new environment in the existing society. If so, it is necessary to think deeply about what character the space should have. Currently, our city faces two major problems: environmental problems and polarization. Architects will need hybrid thinking about these problems. At the same time, such a space should serve as an archipelago that can maintain dialectical tension in contrast to the existing city. There will be new relationships and atmosphere in the space. Ultimately, the priority is to identify architecture that resists invisible forces and to create the design for all the ‘otherized’ things which exist in the city.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

As explained earlier, as an architect, we have been interested in otherized and capitalized spaces. In particular, our team thought that the existing way of working and domestic space intensifies the problems of the current capitalist society. We participated in this competition to think about how our society should change beyond how the relationship between two programs should change in the future.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

We think there is a difference in the mindset between the project conducted through the competition and the request of the client. The latter is a passive way for projects to proceed according to a set process, schedule and capital, while the former will be an active opportunity to freely propose ideas as architects by their own will. Is architecture the only building that's built? Although it may end with suggestions of ideas, these active thinking opportunities and suggestions will enrich society.

Open architecture competitions

  • Closest Deadline first
  • Project competitions first
    Selected winning projects have the potential to be constructed
  • Ideas competitions first
    Experimental competitions with the focus on pushing the boundaries of creativity
ideas COMPETITION
The Architect's Chair
Edition #1

Take a seat and make a statement!

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 06
Sep 06
Nov 01
ideas COMPETITION
Beyond Isolation: Senior Housing
Senior living. Edition#2

Reimagine senior living spaces

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 08
Sep 08
Nov 02
project COMPETITION
The Legendary Highway 14 Tower

Design an iconic tower for De Smet, South Dakota, USA

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + CONSTRUCTION
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 09
Sep 12
Nov 03
project COMPETITION
Iceland Beer Spa

Design a beer spa in Iceland's captivating landscape

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + CONSTRUCTION
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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Jun 14
Sep 14
Nov 08

Reccuring architecture competitions

ideas COMPETITION
MICROHOME
Small living, huge impact! Edition #6

Design a new concept of small-scale home

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + PUBLICATION IN MAGAZINE
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Feb 16
Apr 18
Jun 16
ideas COMPETITION
Silent contest
For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial
Edition #3

Design a memorial that speaks to the cause of ending all nuclear weapons programs

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 26
Sep 03
Nov 05
ideas COMPETITION
Silent contest
For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
Museum of Emotions
Edition #3

Use architecture to create different emotional states

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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Mar 17
May 19
Jul 21
Run repeatedly
Los Angeles Affordable Housing Challenge
Affordable Housing Series #16

Design affordable housing solutions in Los Angeles

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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Jun 07
Sep 07
Nov 01
Register now
Run repeatedly
Virtual Home
Edition #2

Shape the future of digital living environments

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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May 02
Jul 04
Sep 06
Register now
Run repeatedly
Pavilion Of Humanity: First Contact
Edition #2

How would you represent the best that humanity has to offer through architecture?

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Mar 27
May 25
Jul 24
Register now
Run repeatedly
Silent contest
For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
Architectural Visualization Award
Edition #2

Present your best work and submit your favorite architectural visualization

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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Mar 23
May 25
Jul 27
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Creativity gym Short term competitions for you to exercise your creativity

T-SHIRT DRAWING COMPETITION
The Architect's T-shirt
Edition #19

Design THE architect's t-shirt!

Prize: 3,000 €
Eligibility: open to all

registration deadlines

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May 31
Jun 30
Jul 31
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ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO COMPETITION
THE BUILDNER'S ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO COMPETITION
Edition #4

Submit your online portfolio!

Prize: 5,000 €
Eligibility: open to all

registration deadlines

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Jun 30
Jul 31
Aug 31
Register now

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Competition results

Hong Kong 
Pixel Homes

Hong Kong Pixel Homes

Affordable Housing Series #2
MICROHOME

MICROHOME

Small living, huge impact! Edition #4

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