Jihye Son
Five years ago, when I changed my major from accounting to architecture, everyone questioned and doubted my decision. “You are too old.” “You have to do what you can do, not what you want to do.” “You will give up.” Even I doubted myself. Comparing myself to others, there was a time when I fell, stumbled down, and wanted to give up but I kept trying and pushing myself to show myself that I was not wrong. I would have never made this far without supportive critiques, professors, family, and most importantly my studio mates who have been my great supporters, motivators, and competitors. Since my love and hate relationship with the studio is over, I will sometimes miss being in the studio, spending hours and hours finishing up the works with cans of red bull, cups of coffee, bowls of chicken over rice, and noisy studio mates. HCAD not only helped me grow as a designer, but also as a confident, positive, and stronger individual. Peace out! LinkedIn, Instagram
#Our Museum
#Our Museum is a proposal for transforming a three story 1st police precinct, the epicenter of the 1967 Newark Rebellion into an institution that preserves the collective memory of the community and creates a place for healing. Design concept was driven by historical research, site analysis, and most importantly community engagement meeting with Newark residents and Newark Museum Advisory Committee. Based on site analysis, my goal was to create a connection to surrounding community amenities such as public school programs, community centers, and churches to promote a cohesive system to foster community development and ownership to the residents in such an urban context. Extension of the building becomes fully lighted with timber structure and curtain wall system which emphasize the symbol of “transparency” in police-community relationship. The overlapping area of the old and new façade becomes the “heart” of the building by creating continuous architectural stairs and programs that can be shared by both museum visitors and residents who visit non-violence prevention center for healing.
