What is the common value of architecture? The first description that come to mind is: somethingnormal, ordinary, or rational.
These keywords are pointing toward the opposite of newness. A brave jump of logic would make out that architecture does not need to call for newness. On the contrary, one must admit that other fields of design and art in fact need to be attracted to newness and the endeavors themselves are meaningful. But architecture has always been unique because it does not exclusively belong to either art or technology because requires enormous amounts of coordination with various consultants to make one building work in addition to what we call “design.” This unique character of architecture demands commonness rather than newness.
Born into a family of architects, Sunwoo Kim earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Seoul and a Master's from the Yale School of Architecture, where he was profoundly influenced by Peter Eisenmans pedagogy. His professional journey has taken him from Soltozibin Architects in Seoul to SOM in Chicago, and now to his current role as a project manager at Butler Armsden Architects in San Francisco. Through these experiences, he has developed a conviction that architects must go beyond simply constructing beautifully designed structures; but must also engage in building a value system around architecture to foster more meaningful and constructive discussions within the field.
