S Univ. Dormitory

Living Manifold: A Residential Structure Weaving Preservation and Coexistence

Living Manifold proposes a new identity for the extension of the University of Seoul International House, where preservation and coexistence are organized into a multilayered residential structure. Located between the existing residence halls, Haneul Pond, and Baebongsan Mountain, the site is not only a place for additional dormitory rooms but also a critical point where nature, campus life, and residential community overlap.

The project responds to this condition by arranging a T-shaped residential tower and a low-rise communal base around a sequence of open spaces. The upper residential volume is set back to secure privacy, daylight, and views, while the lower communal area extends the existing dormitory programs and creates a shared platform for students. Public and semi-public programs are placed at the lower levels with separated access routes, allowing local community use without disturbing the security of the student residential zone.

The shared spaces are organized as an expanded living room system: the urban living room at the lower level, the community living room at the first floor, and the everyday living rooms distributed across the residential floors. These spaces support different scales of interaction, from public events and RC programs to small study, rest, and casual encounters between residents.

Landscape is also treated as an active framework rather than a background. The front yard, courtyard, rear garden, and rooftop garden form a gradual transition from campus openness to residential privacy and the ecological edge of Baebongsan. Through this layered arrangement, Living Manifold redefines the dormitory extension as a living network that connects nature and campus, individual privacy and collective life, students and the wider community.

Year: 2026

Location : Seoul, Korea

Size : 6,796.86 m²

Status : Competition Entry

Type : Domitory

Principal in Charge :

Seojoo Lee, Hyojung Kim (I.f), Dongil Kim, (I.f CDL)

Design Team :

Seungil Kim, Gwangeun Hwang, Suyeon Seo (I.f)

Lamp Shade Series

Soft Tectonics is a research initiative exploring Bending-Active structural systems that generate form through the active elasticity of materials. By controlling internal stress distribution and bending radii without external mechanical or thermal stimuli, the research experimentally extends the principle that "form originates from the physical potential of the material." This approach aims for an integrated concept of Material = Structure = Form.

Utilizing polymer-based flexible materials and fiber-reinforced composites, the system activates bending elasticity to create self-supporting structures. The core feature of this research is curvature-based stiffness, which ensures structural integrity even within thin cross-sections.

The methodology bridges the digital and physical through elastic deformation simulations, custom profile-extraction software, and error-correction processes. Parametric algorithms derive multiple structural possibilities from a single design, while over 200 prototype experiments optimize the balance between structure and self-weight. This Micro-to-Macro / Macro-to-Micro strategy connects object-scale experimentation to architectural-scale implementation.

Year : 2026

Location : Seoul, Korea

Project Director :

Dongil Kim (Kyung Hee University / I.f CDL)

Principal Researcher :

Gwangeun Hwang (I.f)

Supported by : I.f Architecture & Research

K:ink Tower

K:INK Tower is a bending-active composite experiment that explores the moment when softness transforms into structure. Using large-scale, ultra-light composite fibers developed by AXIA Materials, the project investigates how flexible materials can discover form and stability through the natural flow of tension.

Standing 4.2 meters tall, the tower consists of eleven concave panels that interlock through a calibrated balance of bending and stress, embodying the Soft Tectonic philosophy — an architecture that stands through tension rather than rigidity.

K:INK Tower captures the precise instant when continuous surfaces bend and resist, revealing a vertical gesture where material energy crystallizes into form and structure emerges from its own tension.

Related Research

Year : 2025

Location : Seoul, Korea

Size : 1m radius, 4.2m height

Project Director :

Dongil Kim (Kyung Hee University / I.f CDL)

Principal Researcher :

Seungil Kim, Gwangeun Hwang (I.f CDL)

Project Assistant :

Isaac Kang, Bugeon Kim, Chaewon Go, Juyoung Lee (I.f CDL)

Supported by : Kyung Hee Univ., I.f Convergence Design Lab, Axia Materials, Kolon Global, I.f Architecture & Research

K Univ. Facade and Spatial Renewal - 03

Cross Louvers

Screen Louvers

Horizontal Ribbon

Spatial Renovation

This study proposes a façade and interior renewal plan, with a focus on accessibility, courtyard connectivity, and environmental performance. The building suffers from deteriorated exterior tiles, exposed equipment, outdated public areas, and level differences that weaken the connection between indoor spaces and the courtyard.

The façade alternatives — Cross Louvers, Screen Louvers, and Horizontal Ribbon — respond to the school’s identity by expressing convergence and exchange while also improving shading performance and concealing exterior equipment. The interior strategy is distinguished by the addition of ramps and elevators for barrier-free access, the restructuring of low-level public spaces, the overcoming of courtyard level differences, and the conversion of underused upper-level space into an open rooftop garden.

Year: 2025

Location : Yongin, Korea

Status : Design Proposal

Type : Institution, Renovation

Principal in Charge :

Seojoo Lee, Hyojung Kim (I.f), Dongil Kim (I.f CDL)

Design Team : Bugun Kim (I.f CDL)

K Univ. Facade and Spatial Renewal - 02

DNA Sequencing

Monolithic

Wrinkled Strips

Spatial Renovation

This study proposes a renewal strategy, focusing on resolving the visual and spatial complexity caused by multiple building extensions. The existing building shows façade deterioration, polluted tile surfaces, exposed mechanical equipment, and fragmented entrances and common spaces.

The façade alternatives — DNA Sequencing, Monolithic Layering, and Wrinkled Stripes — are developed from the identity and the building’s accumulated layers of expansion. This proposal emphasizes symbolic façade expression based on biological imagery, the reorganization of scattered entrances, the reconnection of pedestrian routes, and the transformation of inefficient shared areas into lounges, open labs, and a rooftop garden for rest and exchange.

Year: 2025

Location : Yongin, Korea

Status : Design Proposal

Type : Institution, Renovation

Principal in Charge :

Seojoo Lee, Hyojung Kim (I.f), Dongil Kim (I.f CDL)

Design Team : Isaac Kang (I.f CDL)

S:PROUT Pavilion Prototype

Since 2023, the Kyung Hee University Convergence Design Lab, I.f Architecture Lab, and AXIA Materials have been researching the architectural applications of continuous fiber composite materials through an industry-academia collaboration.

Project S:PROUT, the first physical outcome of this partnership, was created through the convergence of the superior elastic strength and innovative material technology of AXIA Materials’ high-performance continuous glass fiber reinforced composite, LiteTex®, with the shape-deformation tracking technology for active elastic surfaces, digital design tools, and structural simulations developed by I.f Architecture Lab and the Kyung Hee University research lab.

Applied as a pavilion within a residential complex, this project demonstrates the potential of the fiber industry to expand into architectural design and advanced materials.

As a pioneering example that establishes a new paradigm for the utilization of new architectural materials, Project S:PROUT is expected to hold a significant position in the architecture industry through various future research and development endeavors.

Year : 2025

Location : Gumi, Korea

Status : Design Proposal

Type : Pavilion

Project Director :

Dongil Kim (I.f CDL)

Principal Researcher :

Seungil Kim, Gwangeun Hwang (I.f CDL)

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S:PROUT

Architecture with Flexible Materials: Discovering New Possibilities

Flexible materials stimulate architectural creativity through their inherent physical properties and capacity for transformation. In traditional vernacular architecture, materials such as bamboo and earth have been utilized to create adaptive, flexible structures that respond to local environmental conditions and needs. Contemporary architecture reinterprets this flexibility by experimenting with high-performance composite materials. LiteTex, the material used in this project, is a continuous fiber composite that begins as a flat sheet and holds potential for transformation into three-dimensional forms. This material simultaneously offers elasticity and rigidity, maximizing portability and storage while enabling the creation of complex structures on-site. By applying two-dimensional patterning techniques from the garment industry, this approach enables the transformation of flexible, flat materials into three-dimensional forms, simplifying the fabrication process and ensuring cost-effectiveness. LiteTex represents more than a material experiment; it expands the possibilities of architectural design. This material is not only suitable for spatial requirements such as movable structures, temporary buildings, and pavilions, but it is also recognized for its environmental sustainability.

Designing Change: Process-Oriented Design and Fabrication

Designing change involves more than the creation of a final product; it requires the integration of the entire process by which that product is realized. This project focuses on the research of the design and fabrication process, investigating the physical properties and limitations of flexible materials through the integration of digital technologies and physical experimentation. The design process is divided into three distinct phases. The first phase involves basic form experiments using scale models to analyze the relationships between the material’s physical properties and the design variables. The second phase combines digital simulations with physical testing to assess the material’s behavior in real-world conditions. Finally, full-scale mock-ups are constructed to identify potential issues in the assembly process and derive solutions. By considering factors such as the material’s bending radius, self-weight, and assembly sequence from the early design stages, it is possible to achieve not only three-dimensional forms but also structural stability and spatial efficiency. This approach enhances the overall quality of the final product while minimizing errors during fabrication.

Integration with Digital Technology: Employing New Design Tools

Digital technology plays an essential role in effectively integrating the design and fabrication processes. In this project, a digital twin was constructed to measure the gap between the virtual model and physical reality, allowing for simulations of changes throughout the entire design and fabrication phases. Digital simulations were utilized as a tool to validate the design’s efficiency before creating physical mockups. Factors such as bending strength and deformation limits were analyzed in advance, enabling the identification of potential errors prior to fabrication. These simulations facilitated collaboration among architects, engineers, and material specialists, and helped integrate data from multiple disciplines. Physical experiments served to verify the outcomes of digital designs and test the performance and assembly feasibility of the materials. The complementary relationship between digital simulations and physical testing improved the reliability of the design and further extended the potential of new materials and technologies.

Year : 2024

Location : Yongin, Korea

Status : Installation

Size : 0.957 ㎡

Height : 2.87m

Material : LiteTex 5ply (AXIA Materials), Plywood

Structure : Bending-Active Composite Structure

Project Team : I.f Convergence Design Lab + Center for Ai & Architecture (Ai+A) (Prof. Dongil Kim)

Principal Researcher : Seungil Kim, Gwangeun Hwang

Project Assistant : Dongheon Lee, Jinsan Ryu, Isaac Kang, Yeonhee Kim, Hyeongtai Kim, Ro-un Yi (DAKHU)

With the Support of : Seojoo Lee, Hyojung Kim (I.f)

Collaboration : I.f Architecture & Research, AXIA Materials, Kolon Global, EFFECTOR, V.P.Lab

Photography : Kyung Roh

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