Julia Koerner. Image © Ger Ger

From the runway to the big screen, and now the red carpet, Austrian architect Julia Koerner has set herself apart as a designer due to her relentless quest for 3D fabrication mastery. Quickly becoming a household name, Koerner splits her time running her practice JK Design GmbH and her role as a faculty member at UCLA's Architecture and Urban Design department. Her architecture background is nothing short of impressive, attending the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and the Architectural Association in London. During her studies, she was surrounded and influenced by the minds of Zaha Hadid, Wolf Prix, and Greg Lynn. 

Koerner's prowess in digital computation transformed her into one of the industry's leading 3D fabrication designers. Archinect spent some time with Koerner for an in-depth interview discussing her start as a designer, working in fashion, teaching, and what it was like working on the Oscar-winning film, Black Panther. 

What originally motivated you to study architecture? 

I wanted to study fashion design, but architecture was something I was always interested in. When I applied for fashion design school, I actually didn’t get into the program. So then I decided I’m going to study architecture. I had also been traveling with my parents a lot throughout Europe and was fascinated by all the buildings I would see on our travels.

Did you have any architecture role models growing up?

I always admired Le Corbusier's Ronchamp. I was always looking into volumetric and organic forms. When I started studying architecture, it was at the University of Technology first, and then I became interested in the design side of architecture. I fell in love with the work of Greg Lynn who happened to teach at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna at the time. I saw one of his works in Switzerland, the Embryological House. He was exhibiting there, and I was really touched by his approach to working with new technologies and working with organic design language.  

I studied with him at the Angewandte which was a really interesting time because Zaha Hadid was teaching there as well and Wolf Prix. It was such an exciting time for the University because we would always have reviews with those people, and I think it really shaped the studio. It's kind of like a vertical studio, so you study for 5 years with the same professor which really allows you to specialize.

That's really exciting to know you were in a building that had these amazing architects seeing your work and providing critique. You could literally create conversations with them and get feedback.

Yes! The other unique thing was, because it's an arts university, we were sandwiched between fashion and product design. There were all these amazing people teaching in different fields, so there was a lot of exchange between all of the students. I would say already during my studies in Vienna, there was a lot of exchange between these different disciplines, and I started to see how an architect can collaborate with someone else who has a different speciality.

Is this where you gained your first encounter with 3D printing?

Well, that was the interesting thing because the university got its first 3D printer when I was there. This was around the time when universities started to acquire 3D printers to make prototypes. It was also the time we started to work with the computers and different forms and methods, which at the time was difficult to do if we used other methods than digital fabrication. No one knew how to use the 3D printer, and I was so excited to use this new tool. To have the ability to explore and print at school, it was great. Most of my studies, I was covered in this white powder from the printer because I was spending so much time in the print room. I was exploring this fascination of the immediate output of 3D geometry and then learning from every print out. Making digital edits and going back to printing a new prototype.

Did you work with other firms first before starting your own?

Yes, I did an internship with Mark Foster Gage, then with Ross Lovegrove for a longer period of time in London. What I really liked at Ross’ office was this approach of bringing architecture design processes into product design. Using the 3D printer not only to prototype but also to manufacture. This started to help me with the idea of starting my own practice. Around that time, I became well connected with 3D printing companies and made strong connections with them. 

What was the turning point where you knew you wanted to start your own practice? 

In 2015, there was a really big project coming from one of the biggest fashion houses in Paris. I was so fascinated by the approach to the project that helped me decide, "OK, I want to found a company. I want to do this professionally." What I wanted to do was really explore this more, and with my own company, I could do both. I collaborate with several people, but I also do a lot of research defining what material performances are, and what they can actually do. 

Is this when fashion entered into your architectural work?

My first engagement with fashion was when Iris van Herpen was looking for someone to realize her ideas on the computer. I was actually still a student at the Architecture Association in London when it happened. Materialise recognized me for me expertise in 3D design and connected me with her. That’s how my first designs for haute couture started. 

I had done a few fashion projects before that, but they were more theoretical. My thesis, for example, was all about super human enhancement, looking at body parts and biometronic research. I wanted to understand the paradigm change of prosthetics, not necessarily needing to just "travel" with a human being but enhancing that person or giving them new abilities. Even in my early studies at the Angewandte, I was really fascinated with body parts. I think there was always a fascination with biology and anatomy which I carried on years after. When the opportunity came to collaborate with Iris on her first 3D print dresses, it was natural for me to want to work with her.

Your work with Iris has a very symbiotic approach to design. Do many people know biology had such an influence on you?

I talk about this a lot during my lectures, but this passion really stemmed from my upbringing. My mother is a biologist, and my father is a university professor in arts and crafts. This symbiosis of craftsmanship and the study of nature was something I was fascinated with when I was really young. It is a very natural process for me to refer back to in my designs. 

What I like about UCLA is that I have the freedom to teach students within the framework of architecture, but there is always room to make them look beyond what's in front of them [...] I want to challenge their thoughts and designs beyond architecture. 

In comparison to your own architecture education, do you see a difference with how students are learning the profession and how they’re trying to learn their design aesthetic?

I’m not sure if there’s a generational difference, but I feel there is a continental difference. The school systems between the U.S. and Europe are different. What I like about UCLA is that I have the freedom to teach students within the framework of architecture, but there is always room to make them look beyond what's in front of them. There’s a saying in Austria that you have to look beyond the edge of the plate, or think outside of the box. I want to challenge their thoughts and designs beyond architecture. 

What do you teach at UCLA, and how would you describe your teaching methods?

In the beginning, I taught the M.Arch II SUPRASTUDIO for 4 years with Greg Lynn. Since 2016, I've taught design studios where students are introduced to computational design and digital fabrication. I also teach advance building construction classes where I take students out on site visits teaching them new technologies

I think what I try in my teaching is to not only make sure they know the basics but to think beyond what's there. In each student, I try to find their unique interests. I want to help find their way rather than implying my own strategy or thought process onto them. Educational models differ. Some instructors have a strong design language, and all their students' work looks that way because it's superimposed on them. My approach is to try and see what they are up to. To tickle out what they are interested in specifically and help them grow from that.

This reminds me of the South Korean museum being built and led by a team of robots. What do you think architectural construction will look like like in 5 years? 

It's funny you bring up that project. It’s actually a friend of mine who won that competition. I think that these speculative projects are really important for conversations for us as architects to speak to. The building industry is evolving, and introducing novel technology is always really interesting for clients. They always want a new building made in a new way. So it's a very relevant topic to have a conversation about. Whether it’s already doable, is another question. 

What's your take on entire buildings constructed using a 3D printer?

I find it very interesting, 3D printing in building scale. The projects that are being 3D printed today lack a kind of complexity in the detail. The project can't be fully seen using the capacity of what a 3D printer can do compared to smaller-scale prints. However, as tech advances in the future, what we can do now on smaller scales, will only take a few more years until we can do it on a larger scale. The conversations about why it's interesting to use this technology at this scale, the speculation, that's what interests me.

For me every single project was another step towards learning more about the technology and the process. Each prototype model leads to another step that helped me learn.

Do you have a favorite project? Completed or in progress?

I've been thinking about this question a lot. There have been so many projects I've done in the fashion industry, it made me think of my early projects. Starting off, I had to face many challenges on the digital side. How do I send these big files, and how do I meet the fast-paced demand of fashion. Digital craftsmanship takes a really long time to create, and in fashion, everything works so fast. 

For me, every single project was another step towards learning more about the technology and the process. Each prototype model leads to another step that helped me learn. Working through these collections of projects, I gained all this knowledge which brought me to the point where I am now. 

Black Panther, where do we begin? How did Ruth Carter and the studio find you?

This was a turning point where I thought, "Wow, this is actually a new future of fashion," and obviously Black Panther changed my life entirely. That was a project I didn’t even know what I was working on when I was working on it. 

When Ryan Coogler and Ruth Carter were talking about the film and developing the costumes, they thought the regal attire of Queen Ramonda should relate to this advanced technological city of Wakanda. Her look needed to be inherent of this advancement in technology. Then, through one of the illustrators working on the film, who knew me from another project, contacted me, got me connected, and then brought me into the studio in Hollywood. When we met, they said, "There's a movie we’re working on. It’s about Africa and technology, we can’t tell you more." So I thought, okay, Africa, technology, interesting! Immediately, I looked up traditional Zulu patterns and started three-dimensionalizing those patterns not knowing which direction it would go.  

Wow, so you were essentially designing blindly at this point?

Yes. I was developing all the digital files not knowing any measurements because they hadn’t cast the actors yet. Once they cast the actors, the 3D code for computation design really came in handy because I could easily adapt the file to fit that person. When I learned who the actress was as the film was being promoted, I started to connect the dots. But, I still didn’t know what this project with Marvel really meant until 2 months leading up to the film, and seeing all the pre-sale tickets sell out. Then it hit me. At the time, I didn’t know how much of the project they were actually going to show in the movie. It wasn’t until that night, when I was sitting in the cinema, that I saw how the costumes were shown. It was really interesting to see Hollywood's whole procedure. As an architect, we have very different ways of approaching a project. Either we already know what we're working on at the beginning, and we're not supposed to talk about it, or we can. So for 2 years, I wasn't talking about it until it was in the cinema. 

How did you feel when you finally saw the film?

I was kind of exploding when it finally came out. When Ruth mentioned me in the New York Times, that was really something I didn't expect. It was an amazing experience because oftentimes, recognition for work can be very, very different. Sometimes, people don’t want me to say that I worked on something. It was really nice to see how open the movie world is to all the participants who worked on it. The costume design team consisted of 60 people, and Ruth mentioning me was something I’m so grateful for. The whole experience really taught me to learn that things can have unexpectancies. Everything is relevant, every single project is relevant, and you never know what comes with it. In Black Panther's case, the turnout was that it won the Oscar. It was just amazing. Knowing that I made a contribution to help the movie win an Oscar was one of the biggest honors I could receive. 

Do you see yourself working on more film productions? Have people been contacting you to collaborate? 

Yeah, there are a couple of new projects which I can’t talk about yet. (Julia laughs) But it’s awesome because I know what questions to ask. I approach these projects differently now, but at the same time, I also want to do more of my own work. When Ruth asked me to create a custom piece for her to wear at the Oscars, that was a project I was waiting to do for a long time. It was a custom-made piece, so I 3D scanned her body and designed it in less than 3 weeks. I had complete freedom. I didn't have anyone saying it has to look a certain way. I like these kind of projects where there’s more freedom in the creation. 

It’s amazing to see everything come full circle. Are there any new projects you're working on that we’re allowed to know about?

I think there is an interesting project coming up in the fall in a museum on the east coast, but I can’t say more about that either. I'm also working on developing some products for my personal line. They’re monolithic objects that were originally created for a different collection, but now I’m focusing on them being 3D printed as a whole. I’m developing them, so they can be produced at a larger quantity where production takes place locally rather than producing a fashion piece in one country and shipping it globally. This is something I’ve been trying to do for a long time, to see how I can get these projects out of the museums, off the catwalk, out of the movies, and make them available for people. The goal is to focus on manufacturing rather than focusing on single one-off prototypes.

Julia, if you were to describe your work, your practice in three words, what would they be?

Passion. Innovation. Transcending.