John Hong completed his undergraduate studies at the Department of Architecture at the University of Virginia before completing his master’s degree at Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is very accomplished in his field and has gone on to win multiple international awards and recognitions for his work including 17 American Institute of Architecture(AIA) awards, Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard, a Holcomb Foundation for Sustainable Construction Award, and more. He served as Associate Professor in Practice at Harvard GSD as well as other major universities and is currently serving as a Professor at Seoul National University Department of Architecture. 

Prof. Hong is also the Director of the design lab, Project : Architecture where his work acts as a bridge between scales of architecture and urbanism and converges the mediums of materials, drawings, theory, and computation. 

 

“Belying its seemingly generic status, the word ‘project’ has two important definitions: As a noun it describes a collaborative enterprise, an umbrella under which shared goals converge into concrete realization.  As a verb, ‘project’ is an emboldened look into the future. With the urgent state of climate change and the environmental and social challenges that follow, the role of architecture will become even more central in creating resilient environments.”

Before making my decision to come to SNU, I had briefly looked through the faculty of the College of Architecture and Architectural Engineering. Prof. Hong had immediately caught my attention as many of his projects resonated with me, but one project in particular that resonated with me was the Contemporary Jeongja. This project reimagines the historical ‘Jeongja’, a minimal pavilion that makes use of its surrounding landscape. The design captures the surrounding nature to create ‘scenes’ or’ moments’ through the structure. It is designed not just to make use of the surrounding environment but also with respect to the environment. The concept is very similar to one of my own studio projects I had worked on so it was very nice to see a similar project executed on such a professional scale. I was able to not just compare but also get inspiration from this project and allowed me to think more critically about my own design and consider ways I could further develop it. 

 

It was for that reason I wanted to interview Prof. Hong. He is a very busy man so it wasn’t easy to get a moment to chat with him but I was eventually able to get a couple of my questions answered before the semester ended. 

 

Can you tell me about how you got started in architecture, what inspired you to pursue this field?

 

Prof. Hong actually said that his original dream was to pursue music, but at the recommendation of his parents decided to pursue something different. He applied to the University of Virginia without knowing that it has one of the best undergraduate architecture programs in the U.S. and once he got there, he found out that architecture was actually a really good match for him. According to him, there is no ‘right or wrong’ answer in architecture and it is all about how strongly you can represent something or craft an argument. 

 

It’s almost comical how similar our stories are. Architecture definitely wasn’t my first choice but for some reason it was something my mother was very determined on. Although I had other plans, I kept an open mind just to please my mother without knowing just how much I would love the study of architecture. It definitely hasn’t been a clear path to get here, but what kept drawing me to architecture is how open ended it is. Architecture is a culmination of many different things, there are an infinite amount of ways to approach a design problem and they often draw from different fields and studies. 

 

What has been the most rewarding project to date and why? Is there a project you believe best represents you?

 

Prof. Hong gave probably the most realistic answer, saying that like most architects, we can’t single out a single favorite project, citing the age-old problem for all designers. Sometimes we love our projects, and sometimes we absolutely hate them. He goes on to say that there is only one ‘project’, or vision, that he hopes to be represented across different constructions.(Did you pick up on the Studio : Project reference?) He also mentions that architects tend to have phases in their careers, right now he’s currently focused on social and cultural sustainability while working on projects with converging topics such as libraries, children’s spaces, art spaces, and even issues related to climate change. 

 

“I have come to realize that architecture is first and foremost a language. This is not just about a one-way communication of ideas – formed sentences that dictate. In the best case, architecture should be the words and phrases from which dialogue between people and the environment can continue to creatively emerge.”

 

Before architecture, I came to Korea first and foremost to study the Korean language. When it comes to learning a language, it is not just about learning grammar and picking up new vocabulary, it is also about the study of people and their relationships. In order to understand the structure of the language I first have to understand the cultural nuances that affect and shape people’s speech, only then can I effectively learn and execute the language. So throughout my language learning journey, I have had a deep desire to learn and understand the language of communication, so it was interesting to see almost the same logic be applied to the study of architecture in this way. Most people are confused when I tell them that I study Architecture and Korean since they don’t see the connection between the two. I have always felt that my passion was always the same but now I feel like I can finally put it into words. My interest in Korean and architecture both feed my innate desire to both understand and serve those around me. 

 

What are some challenges you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome them? 

 

Prof. Hong mentions misalignments of values with clients as one of the biggest challenges while working in this field. And more specifically when it comes to issues regarding the clients goals for profit vs sustainability. In school there is a greater focus on designing in sustainable, environmentally friendly ways, but more often than not, those methods clash with the clients budget or profit goals creating not just friction, but 

 

Prof. Hong mentioned that as you develop in your career, these issues come up less often, but even as a freshly new architect he would still establish his own boundaries, what lines he was not willing to cross, and for him it was safety. It first started out as safety for others, are the decisions they’re making causing harm to others? And then as he develops in his career, he gets to further expand onto that, are the decisions they make causing harm to the environment?

 

Are there any specific skills or knowledge you believe to be essential for success in architecture?

 

To be completely honest, I expected an answer aligning more with software or emerging interest in computational skills, but Prof. Hong’s answer was better than what I would have expected. Prof. Hong lists empathy as an essential skill for success in this field. Back to our earlier conversation about how architecture is almost a language of its own, 

 

What emerging trends or technologies do you think will have the biggest impact on the future of architecture? 

 

The elephant in the room being AI, Prof. Hong mentions that we still don’t really know exactly what impact AI will have on the field considering it’s still an emerging topic. He did note however, that we should be able to incorporate the humanities with the use of AI in order to have a bigger and better impact. He quotes Spiro Kostoff saying that one of the essential aspects of a city is social inequality. He says that we often forget our history, and more often than not create technology that further deepens issues of inequality in our cities rather than fight against them. 

 

What are the common misconceptions people have about being an architect?

 

The pursuit of architecture shouldn’t come with the sole expectation of making money, but should rather be driven by our dedication to becoming ‘cultural emissaries’. Prof. Hong mentions that people tend to focus on how much ‘capitol’ architects work with, which really dilutes what being an architect should be about. Rather than working on projects with big budgets or fancy firms, we should be thinking about how our work and projects are contributing to society and their effect on the environment. 

 

Finally, do you have any advice for aspiring architects such as myself, especially those who have an interest in pursuing teaching in architecture?

 

Prof. Hong emphasized the importance of not just planning for the future, but also actively enjoying the present. He describes opportunities and relationships as something like jazz, there is a main theme but the musician improvises on the way allowing the melody to evolve in relation to time and space. I grew up very familiar with change, there was never anything stationary in my life, so growing up I found it very difficult to imagine a clear future for myself. How could I see myself five years into the future when realistically, I didn’t even know what tomorrow would bring. This used to be a main source of stress for me because it felt like I was living, stuck in place, with no future or goal to work towards. Only recently have I started to become more comfortable with leaving my life open-ended, and maybe now I can even embrace it. I will try to approach my life as a jazz musician and keep myself open and willing to any opportunity that comes my way!

 

I was very grateful for the time and consideration Prof. Hong put into his answers. It is both a humbling and fulfilling experience to be able to hear the thoughts behind the great architects. From Prof. Hong responses alone I could tell just how much he cherishes and respects architecture. There were more than a couple responses I didn’t expect. I had to take some time not just to digest the response themselves, but also to understand why I had initially approached the question the way that I did. I absolutely love being challenged for the way I think because it allows me to not just develop as a person, but also as a means of justification to myself that I believe in something for a reason rather than it just being the easiest answer. I can walk away from this interview knowing that I grew as a person and a little bit more excited for what architecture has to offer! 

 

Until next time!