한국국제교류재단

Soo-in Yang, founder of LIFETHINGS, describes architects as problemsolvers. Rather than pursuing a fixed style, he responds to each site’s unique conditions to shape the relationship between architecture and everyday life..
© Lee Min-hee

Yang’s career reached a major turning point in 2017, when he was selected for the Young Architects Program, co-organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and Hyundai Card. The recognition generated by his installation Centreefugal Park significantly elevated his public profile. Prior to this milestone, he had already participated in several public art projects, including Living Light and Itjanayo, an installation at Cheonggye Plaza co-hosted by the MMCA, ARKO Art Center, and SOMA Museum of Art. However, Centreefugal Park, installed in the spacious courtyard of the MMCA Seoul directly across from Gyeongbok Palace, attracted particularly widespread attention.

The project distilled Yang’s long-standing exploration of “light architecture,” a concept he has pursued as a core design methodology. Rather than relying on heavy structural elements, Centreefugal Park experimented with the creation of shade through lightweight kinetic devices. While conventional roofs typically require structural supports and foundations, this project employed wind and rotational energy — namely, centrifugal force — to generate canopies that hovered above the courtyard. Each device, composed of fabric, a motor, and plastic blades, rotated and expanded upward, collectively forming a dynamic canopy-like shelter. The mechanical sounds produced during this process were intentionally incorporated into the installation’s sensory experience. Resembling green clouds or giant mushrooms, the structures introduced a playful counterpoint to the museum’s strict, grid-based architecture.

Cultureland’s headquarters in Seoul’s Daechi-dong. Glass louvers, terraces, and a rooftop garden maximize daylight while connecting interior workspaces with the surrounding landscape.
© Kyungsub Shin

Beyond his interest in light architecture, Yang has consistently explored the field of renovation. For him, renovation is not merely a matter of preserving existing structures; it begins with confronting the economic realities and practical limitations surrounding older buildings. He believes that new construction will become increasingly difficult in the face of the climate crisis and rising inflation. Under such circumstances, renovation is no longer optional but emerging as an inevitable socioeconomic solution. Furthermore, in Korea, buildings are often realized within a gray zone between digital systems and highly improvised onsite construction practices. From the perspective of production, Yang views this tension positively, as renovation allows greater flexibility between design and construction. This is why he borrows the medical term “invasive surgery” to describe his approach to renovation — an act of intervening deeply within an existing structure.This method is clearly demonstrated at Cosmo 40 in Incheon, where a former chemical plant was transformed into a cultural venue. Throughout that carefully balances traces of the past with contemporary intervention.

Cosmo 40, a former chemical factory in Incheon, now a cultural venue. Preserving the original industrial framework while adding new spaces, the project is a notable example of adaptive reuse.
© Kyungsub Shin

Providing a clear, irrefutable solution within given constraints lies at the center of Yang’s design philosophy, which is particularly evident in his office building projects. On expensive urban sites, he must constantly negotiate between a client’s budget, spatial efficiency, and architectural creativity. Although such projects are shaped by numerous limitations and regulations, Yang is deeply drawn to the process of problem-solving itself. In this respect, corporate commissions align naturally with his strengths.

The Cultureland Office project offers a compelling example of this approach. As a mixed-use development combining office space, cultural facilities, and retail units, its form and layout were shaped directly by local conditions. Because an adjacent building stood close to the southern edge of the site, the core and parking facilities were positioned to the south. Workspaces were then opened toward the east, west, and north to maximize natural light and ventilation. On the lower floors, a long performance hall stretches from east to west, while the upper floors contain elevated sky offices designed to capture broader views. Terraces and rooftop gardens are distributed throughout the building, allowing users to remain continually connected to the outdoors. A glass louver system wraps the exterior, filtering harsh western sunlight while altering the building’s appearance from day to night. The project emerged from a careful reading of its surroundings, resolving questions of light, views, and spatial organization through a single coherent logic. For Yang, the process resembled solving a mathematical equation.

Inside Cosmo 40. A new glass-and-steel structure inserted into the original industrial building brings together old and new.
© Kyungsub Shin

Yang’s latest fascination is artificial intelligence (AI), which he doesn’t regard as a passing trend. For him, AI is fundamentally a tool. At a seminar hosted by LIFETHINGS in August 2025, titled “Talk(-ing) Architect,” he presented an experiment in which AI was used to produce an actual design competition proposal. The presentation drew significant attention from fellow architects because it suggested a major shift in the design interface, from the computer mouse to spoken and written language. In this process, AI doesn’t function as a fixed program but operates more like temporary software — generated, modified, and discarded in real time depending on situational needs. This marks a departure from conventional forms of automated design. Rather than repeatedly optimizing within a predetermined framework, the system creates new tools on demand. The architect’s role, in turn, becomes one of directing and coordinating this process. Through this experiment, Yang demonstrated that AI is not a replacement for architects but rather a medium capable of translating verbal concepts into executable tools.

Hwarangdae WonBuddhist Temple at the Korea Military Academy serves Won Buddhist practitioners and military personnel. A glassenclosed central staircase reinforces the building’s sense of spiritual transition. .
© Kyungsub Shin

OSULLOC Tea House Haeundae in Busan was completed in fewer than 100 days using prefabricated building components manufactured off-site and assembled on location, demonstrating an alternative approach to construction.
© Choi Yongjoon

Born in 1975, Soo-in Yang came of age in the 1990s, a decade when Korea fully entered the global contemporary era following a prolonged period of rapid economic development. As a member of Generation X, he was part of the first generation to experience the abundance of contemporary Korean culture firsthand. Having studied and worked in the US, where he was exposed to a more advanced professional environment, he approached his career with an unburdened sense of confidence. His motto is simple: grow the firm, maintain a healthy work–life balance, and enjoy the process of creation. While he values efficiency and speed, the time he saves is often redirected toward new and unexpected pursuits. After relocating his office in 2024 to the Thila Building — a project he both designed and co-invested in — he launched the publication Bolthings and began hosting forums that bring together people from diverse fields. His energy is not confined to architecture alone; it extends into broader cultural and social spheres.

This mindset enables him to engage proactively with the systems that shape Seoul, a hyper-dense metropolis. Ultimately, Yang’s architecture eschews fixed styles or rigid concepts in favor of flexible responses to changing conditions. He advocates for light and agile design over heaviness and inertia, an approach that feels particularly relevant today. Korea’s unique urban environment may well have served as the ideal testing ground, helping him develop the instincts and resilience required to work anywhere. The maverick who once questioned architecture’s established assumptions has evolved into a seasoned architect capable of addressing real-world problems.