Looking Outwards : 08

Meejin Yoon is an architect and designer, and has been recently appointed as the Dean of Architecture at Cornell University. She graduated from the same with a Bachelor in Architecture, and then completed her graduate studies at Harvard’s GSD. Her work focuses on the intersection between space, technology, and materiality, and is most often acclaimed for its innovative and engaging characteristics.

Yoon’s consideration towards public engagement in her projects, makes them more interactive as she prioritizes human engagement within different spatial qualities of architecture. Working at the intersection of architecture, art, landscape and technology, Yoon’s innovative and interactive light and sound installations across the United States for public spaces often incorporate alternative energy sources, therefore, putting them at the forefront of each of these fields. 

During her talk at the Eyeo Festival, she focuses on her projects regarding interactive public spaces– especially topics such as responsive and interactive technology, smart materials, and the public engagement process. As an Architecture student myself, I found her talk interesting as she began to break down these vast topics into simpler bits, focusing primarily on projects which utilize technology in depth.  Examples of her own work and the process she used as well as the iterations made, helped clearly explain her design objectives.