Archinect
Sung Su Kim

Sung Su Kim

Los Angeles, CA, US

 
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About 

My design approach is well simplified in my methodology of value-finding. Workflow of the design is driven by both aesthetics and ethics, which are the key to my successful designs. I usually put emphasis on ethics when the design requires an understanding of the project value, and aesthetical value is managed if there are any experiments within design associated with a visual need. Also, the architectural studies at the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have contributed to my solid educational background in the fundamentals and BIM skills.

Aside from the institutional progressions, past experiences provided different aspects of what professional architect ought to be. I gained an entry-level understanding of the project production, such as the use of BIM software in different phases of the design, during the first two internships at Eunmin R&D and Changjo Architects. When working with Createur Studio, a start-up architectural firm, I could explore further into project management. I was also involved in a design delivery, construction drawings, and renderings. These works were done for various size of the developer owned projects, such as remodeling retail store, residential renovation, and historic architecture preservation. As a result, I investigated more in details of how the actual project management proceeds within a schedule. Feburary, 2018, I obtained an opportunity to join your office, Marmol Radziner, for a week. It was a critical opportunity to learn about how professional architects work with the consultants and contractors in order to push the boundary of the design. Many site visits also helped me understand procedures of construction and importance of the supervision of the architect on the site. I could push my knowledge upon professional architectural practice forward as a result of these varieties of experiences provided. My hope is to deliver a successful means of values and representation through the skills that I have obtained through this experiences. And, craft these values to prove that living spaces can be optimally inherit the intention of the design to connect to the user and clients needs.

To recount my experiences with my skills, my design skill sets lie on many different BIM software like Revit, Rhinoceros, SketchUp, 3ds Max, and Maya. The representation of the project is finessed through the Adobe software and the rendering toolsets plug-ins within the BIM software. I do experiment with the computing languages such as processing and C# in the game engine called Unity when I try to develop either the schematic level of the design drawings or visual references for ideas. My proficiency of skill sets is diagrammed in the resume for reference. 

Employment 

Wolcott Architecture Interiors, Culver City, CA, US, Intermediate Designer

Apr 2020 - current
 

Menemsha Solutions, Torrance, CA, US, Job Captain 2

Feb 2020 - Apr 2020
 

M-Rad Inc., Los Angeles, CA, US, Project Designer

Jun 2018 - Jan 2020
 

Marmol Radziner, Los Angeles, CA, US, Extern

Learning experience to understand different stages of the architectural practices. Including site visits, plan checks, meetings with contractors and consultants, and SD phase assistance

Feb 2018 - Mar 2018
 

Createur Studio, Ann Arbor, MI, US, Architectural Designer

Assisted in designing commercial, historic preservation and residential remodeling projects ranging from small to mid-scale structures. Design decisions were made based on the research of the project site locations and client’s needs.

May 2017 - Sep 2017
 

Changjo Architects Inc., Seoul, Design Assistant

• Experimented with an idea of a moving wall for the Vietnam LG-Display Factory to make efficient use of space for phone manufacturing lines
• Assisted in Magok Business District Hotel Project by reassembling the design fundamentals, principles and concepts of each case-studies relevant to hotels around the world
• Redesigned Hùizhōu Industrial Worker’s Housing for KH VATEC to create environmental friendly and free space for the workers to gain privacy from each other
• Resized the Paju Learning Center by creating new design to emphasize friendly corporation image for new employees and public
• Developed strong interpersonal skills by communicating current events, and organizational goals during daily meeting, thus evaluating co-workers’ understanding and progress on a regular basis

May 2014 - Sep 2014
 

Eunmin R&D, Seoul, Design Assistant

• Introduced materials for interior finishes in the GS Construction’s apartment complex brand Xi_ to provide finest interior experience to residents
• Proposed a diagrammatic program planning to help users experience more commercial composition of the DDP Center by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Designed alternate exterior expressions for the Xi_ 1:1 scale unit gallery to create the marketing and advertising value of this building
• Built the main entrance gate of the Lct Sales-Center by incorporating the design of the Sales-Center building using Autodesk Applications

May 2013 - Sep 2013
 

Education 

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, US, MArch, Architecture

The current concentration is on the urbanism and design. Incorporating the urban theories to the design allows the one to engage the analytics of research with the overall environment of the context.

Sep 2016 - May 2018
 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, US, Bachelors, Architectural Studies

My education at architecture school exposed me to the deeper dimensions of social responsibility and structural technology. In the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I conducted experiments and projects that further reinforced my ideology related to social responsibility. Design studios and theory classes showed me myriad ways to develop useful models for creating a compelling solution for both the client and the users. Thus, I am eager to discover other innovative solutions, with the goal of achieving a successful project on social responsibility. My structure professors provided solutions to professional procedural issues such as calculating structural members and managing building system operations. As a result, I can articulate the sustainable uses of energy such as lighting and HVAC systems and calculate and design structural details in steel, timber, and concrete construction in complex applications. These applications, when used efficiently, generate better use of materials and resolve environmental issues. At last, I believe that all I have learned in school will be an important foundation for my studies on social responsibility and urbanism in a professional setting.

Aug 2011 - May 2015
 

Awards 

Architect Magazine: Studio Prize, Award

Ensemble Adorné: Finite Boundary and Infinite Patterns

Sung-Su Kim, Yongjoon Kim, and Nathan Wesseldyk looked to pattern as a means of understanding and conveying how multiple complex systems can be overlaid to find moments of interaction. But that analysis of pattern resulted in more than just the decorative scheme that adorns their center. It also serves as the basis for an organizational logic: that the growth of a pattern in plan over time—both at an urban and building scale—can respond to the spatial needs of CERN while maintaining a sense of continuity through the campus.

2019
 

Alumni Board of Governors Awards, Honorable Mention

The alumni board is a diverse group of professionals from different geographies, widely varied types of practices and sizes of firms, and represent a spectrum of gender, age, and ethnic diversity. The Alumni Board Awards come with cash prizes.

2018
 

Earl Prize, Nomination

Each semester, the Illinois School of Architecture awards Earl Prizes in Design (undergraduate) and the Graduate Awards for Design Excellence (graduate). These awards recognize the outstanding student work completed in design studio courses at all levels of the curriculum.

2014
 

KAN-WIN Art Contest, 1st Place

2010
 

Areas of Specialization 

Skills