Seoul National University's College of Engineering (Dean Byoungho Lee) announced on December 9 (Thursday) that Professor John Hong of the Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering received the 'International Region 2021 Design Award,' awarded by the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
 
The AIA IR (International Region) consists of 2,400 architects working in more than 100 countries, of which the architects who showed the most innovative ideas and excellent designs during the year are awarded.
So far, there have been a total of five architects working in Korea who have achieved this award out of which Professor Hong has received three, including this year's award.

 
The work that won Professor Hong the honor of receiving this year’s award is ‘Inquiry Hub’, a library at Dulwich College Seoul located in Seocho-gu, Seoul. ‘Project Architecture’, a design lab led by Professor John Hong, has transformed an aging children’s library into a space for creative learning and play. Breaking away from the existing low and horizontal space utilization, it is designed so that children can freely learn and get inspiration in spaces of various heights.
 
Professor John Hong graduated from the Department of Architecture at the University of Virginia in the United States, completed his master's degree at Harvard University, served as an associate professor at Harvard University, and served as a guest professor at major universities in the United States, including the University of Pennsylvania. Since the establishment of SsD, an architectural design company in New York, he has won a number of awards and has been a professor at Seoul National University's Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering since 2015.
 
Professor John Hong's main designs include the Seoul Foreign School Library, Songpa Micro Housing, and Paju Heyri Art Center White Block.
 
◈ Related Interview Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtirktB8ykM
(Professor John Hong, Jane Smith – Head of Primary at Dulwich College Seoul)