JOHO Architecture

JOHO Architects is a Seoul-based architecture and design lab specializing in the conceptualizing of innovative design work that challenges the boundaries of traditional architecture. Established by founder and principal architect Jeonghoon Lee in 2009, JOHO Architects is at the forefront of forward-thinking design work.

The firm is the name behind some of the leading architectural work in South Korea, with Lee known for his pursuit of new Korean topographical features and architectural identity based on form and façade that harmonize with the site’s context. In 2010, Lee was awarded the coveted Korea Young Architect Awards title by the then Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the government of Korea for his representative work, entitled Herma Parking Building. Since then, Lee and JOHO Architects have won several other awards, including in Austria, the UK, the USA, Germany, Italy, and elsewhere.

JOHO Architects is adept at reviving traditional Korean spaces through the use of patterns and repetitive units composed of easily affordable raw materials that can be sourced locally. With respect to EL 16.52, Lee explains that “the task of engaging the concept of strata as accumulated layers of time as part of the architectural context necessitated that the circulation of the upper and lower levels of the strata be materialized through an illustrative emblem, which could be systematically applied as a pattern. This insightful approach to design is precisely why Lee and the JOHO Architects were awarded the title Best Luxury Commercial Architecture for EL16.52 in South Korea.