Architecture Competition SKYHIVE 2019 Skyscraper Challenge Green award winners - San Yoon and Minjae Koo

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Green Award winners of our “SKYHIVE 2019 Skyscraper Challenge” competition - San Yoon and Minjae Koo from Korea!

San Yoon and Minjae Koo from Korea

We both attended the Korea National University of Arts studying a Bachelor’s in Architecture and graduated in the same class of 2017. San is moving to NY this fall to attend Cornell University for his Master’s degree, and Minjae is currently working at an architectural studio.

We used to work in the same studio (Minjae is still working there) after graduation that focuses on designing small-scale housing. While in that studio, we often took a part as coordinators of districts nearby the studio to make the physical conditions of the town suitable for daily base users.

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

Architects in Korea have limited roles in society due to the regulations and unfamiliarity of this job by the public. Even though the life of an architect in Korea is not so pleasant and the job is not quite respected, we pursue our career in architecture to change today's circumstances and make tomorrow better. We contribute by depicting unconventional architectures that break into the daily life of people and arouse questions. So we can say the meaning of architecture is in an 'experiment' for us.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

We believe that this kind of gesture makes reality better. Architects who work in the field have limited time to think about diverse ideas. Participating in architecture vision competitions does have a lot of value in terms of studying and learning different perspectives, getting away from the frame of reality, and also providing examples for others.

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

We’d say not to struggle. Architecture vision competitions sometimes might not seem as important as the buildings that are actually being built. But there are many different values and paths in architecture. By putting your effort into something like this can let you do more than what most people are used to. This might be the only thing that won’t be controlled or limited because it doesn’t require professors, employers or clients. We believe this action is beneficial for an individual in any way even though one might not win.