Architectures

2022 - 2024

This project began with Prof. Kim's idea, with his student J. Cho taking charge of planning and organization as his research topic, and Architect Y. Soh handling the detailed construction planning. Another of his students, M. Jeon, then took over and completed the project. We would like to express our gratitude to the Siheung Campus for providing the space and to Prof. K. Kim for their support.

2018 - 2024

In the summer of 2018, Prof. Kim proposed constructing a new building on the large open parking lot in front of Building 301 at Seoul National University's College of Engineering. He was inspired by the Ray and Maria Stata Center (former Building 20) at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL), where the renowned linguist Prof. Noam Chomsky is based and during Prof. Kim’s time at MIT, envisioned a building that would serve as a safe haven for those who might seem unusual or eccentric.

• S. Kim, "The Strange Fellows, the Space Cargo Controller, and Chomsky," Community Magazine of College of Engineering Seoul National University, No. 110, pp 64-67, Autumn 2018 [pdf]

The proposal was featured on the cover of the first issue of the year in a major daily newspaper [article, Jan. 1, 2019], and with the support of Chairman Kim of the Haedong Science Foundation, who also sponsored the Idea Factory three years earlier, construction was able to commence [article, Feb. 18, 2019]. The building was later opened in 2024 under the name Haedong Advanced Engineering Center.

2018 - 2020

Seoul National University called for proposals for the construction of research facilities at the Siheung Campus, winter 2017/2018. Prof. Kim submitted a plan that focused on constructing two distinct buildings, as depicted in the image on the right. The first building was designed with a high ceiling on the ground floor, creating an ideal space for manufacturing and experimentation. This building was proposed to be located by the seaside to ensure optimal ventilation, drawing on insights from the experience with the makerspace, Idea Factory. The second, taller building was planned to be situated away from the makerspace, providing a contrast by consolidating research and administrative facilities. The first site and building were ultimately completed as the Intelligent Unmanned Vehicle Research Building, while the second site and building were completed as the Future Mobility Building, Oct. 2020.

2015 - 2017

Under the leadership of Dean K. Lee of Seoul National University's College of Engineering in 2015, the book The Time of Accumulation (authored by Prof. J. Lee), which introduced the concept of the "First-mover" through interviews with 26 professors from the College of Engineering, SNU, was published and resonated with society. Concurrently, as a result of a policy project initiated by student proposals for the planning of creative spaces within the College of Engineering, the Idea Factory was conceived.

With support from the Haedong Science Foundation and government funding, the project began in the fall of 2015. Thanks to the leadership of Prof. J. Kim, the head of the project, and Prof. S. Seo, the vice-head at the time, the facility was able to open in the spring of 2016. Here, starting with participation in the students' policy project, Prof. Kim took on practical responsibilities and was in charge of space planning, coordinating with construction companies, developing operational strategies, and setting up courses from the fall of 2015 to the summer of 2017. [pdf]

• J. Lee, and S.-W. Kim "SNU Idea Factory with Integrative Approaches: From Physical Space, Education, to Culture," 1st International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces, Nov. 2016, Cambridge, MA. [pdf]