SPACE November 2026 (No. 708)
Namhae Local Food Market (2025) by Na Jongwon ©Choi Yongjoon
Public Vessel Office of Daecheonhang Port (2023) by Kim Minho ©Jang Wonjun
Yeongju Ieum Center (2026) by Shin Sungjin, Son Kyungmin ©texture on texture
Three teams: Na Jongwon (Co-Principal, Of Architecture), Kim Minho (Principal, KODE Architects), Shin Sungjin, Son Kyungmin (Co-Principals, bold architects) have been selected as the winners of 2026 Korea Young Architect Award. The award is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organised by Korea Architects Institute, Korean Institute of Architects, and Korean Institute of Female Architects. This year, 42 teams entered the open call. After the first-round review, seven teams were shortlisted and invited to the second-round public review, held on Aug. 26 at Junglim Architecture’s Kim Jungchul Hall. The jury committee including, jury chair, Kim Yongmi (Co-Principal, G.S Architects & Associates), Woo Daeseung (Principal, Woo-projects Architects), Oh Sinwook (Principal, Architects Group RAUM), Min Wusik (Principal, Min Workshop) and Lim Jinyoung (Principal, OPENHOUSE Seoul) conducted a comprehensive, multi-layered assessment covering the fundamentals and attitudes of the candidates, their thinking processes, their understanding of society and the city, and their awareness of architecture’s public role. Beyond the quality of their work and other evaluation criteria, the jury particularly emphasised the candidates’ commitment to and contribution to society.
One notable shared characteristic among this year’s winners is that all of them have distinguished themselves through their public projects. This phenomenon points to the current downturn in private development, while at the same time highlighting the qualitative improvement in public architecture. Na Jongwon seeks new possibilities for public architecture through works such as Yeonsu Youth Center (2026, covered in SPACE No. 705) and Namhae Local Food Market (2025, covered in SPACE No. 694). His design strategy, creating spatial potential through unfixed programmes and polyvalent structures, can be seen in both projects. His works have received favorable reviews for achieving a high level of architectural quality despite the various constraints of public projects, including the complexities of the bidding process.
Kim Minho, on the other hand, calmly negotiates the relationship between architecture and local context by reconsidering conventional solutions. Both Public Vessel Office of Daecheonhang Port (2023, covered in SPACE No. 681) and Jeongdongjin Station (under construction) establish shared territories to blend into their local contexts. Boryeong Youth Platform (2026), an adaptive reuse project that transforms an old wedding hall into a public space for young people, takes a different approach. Based on his observation of the original façade, he adopts the existing decorative arches as his architectural language and reinterprets them as the main entrance. This effort successfully introduces a new outdoor street along the lower levels and reconnects the building to the city. The jury particularly valued his attitude and approach, which are grounded in the essence of architecture.
Unlike the other two, Shin Sungjin and Son Kyungmin have developed their own solutions based on urban analysis and refined them into designs at a relatively small building scale. In the Yeongju Ieum Center (2026) project, they elevated the parking area and preserved the existing alleyways, demonstrating their respect for the old urban fabric and townscape. At Munsan-eup Community Center (2021, covered in SPACE No. 657), they chose NLT (naillaminated timber) as the primary building element, using it for the structure, walls, and roof. The project successfully demonstrates how material properties, structural logic, and spatial character can be closely aligned. The jury particularly praised the consistent quality of their work, from the design phase through construction.
The award ceremony took place in Oct. as part of Korea International Architecture Festival 2026, where an exhibition will presented the winners’ projects and architectural achievements.
