Seoul National University of Science and Technology (Seoul Tech) students Lee Ha-neul, Kim Ji-yeong, and Jeong Ju-yong from the Architectural Engineering Program, School of Architecture (led by Professor Kim Changsoo) earned the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport’s Award, the competition’s highest honor, at the 20th Architectural Structure Competition. Another team comprising Kim Jeong-wuk, Lee Do-hyeon, and Park Myeong-hun, also led by Professor Kim Changsoo, received the Korea Society of Steel Construction President’s Award.
 

▲ Group photo of the 20th Architectural Structure Competition
 

The Architectural Structure Competition, organized by the Korean Structural Engineers Association (President Kim Yong-min), has been held since 2005 to foster innovation in building structure technology and cultivate future structural experts.
 
The society selected the final winners through preliminary reviews, exhibitions, project announcements, and main uations. This year’s competition welcomed 42 teams, with 17 advancing to the final round. Participants presented their projects in five-minute sessions covering structural concepts, plans, and project creativity, followed by a three-minute Q&A.
 
Judging criteria included creativity and originality fit for participating students, feasibility and rationality of structural and material concepts, presentation effectiveness, and overall project completeness. As a result, Seoul Tech garnered the glory of winning the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport’s Award by Lee Ha-neul, Kim Ji-yeong, and Jeong Ju-yong, and the Korea Society of Steel Construction President’s Award by Kim Jeong-wuk, Lee Do-hyeon, and Park Myeong-hun.
 

▲ Photo of Dream for Mutual Zone
 

The Dream for Mutual Zone team (Lee Ha-neul, Kim Ji-yeong, Jeong Ju-yong) proposed a building that minimizes environmental impact and embodies reconciliation and coexistence in the DMZ, the symbol of the separation in the Korean Peninsula, to support wildlife conservation, rescue, and ecological research.
The Haenyeo’s team (Kim Jeong-wuk, Lee Do-hyeon, Park Myeong-hun) applied emerging architectural paradigms influenced by AI advancements, presenting a modular support facility for Jeju’s haenyeo (female divers). The model drew inspiration from Jeju-do’s ed platy joints and the floating device taewak, a floating bowl used by the female divers.
 

▲ Photo of Haenyeo’s