'design comes alive when it touches people': studio empathy's iF DESIGN AWARD library

VISITORS AS PROTAGONISTS OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

The iF DESIGN AWARD celebrates design that goes beyond aesthetics to solve problems and enrich human experience. In its Architecture discipline, the 2025 award recognized Studio Empathy, a New York-based firm, for the Assembled Void, Library at New York Korea Center. This project powerfully exemplifies architecture designed not just for function, but for feeling, showcasing a commitment to sensory engagement and cross-cultural dialogue.

designboom talks to Studio Empathy to explore their unique philosophy: how they design spaces that deliberately engage the senses, how visitors are cast as protagonists in their award-winning project, and what winning the iF DESIGN AWARD means for their mission to transform everyday life into something extraordinary.

Studio Empathy’s Assembled Void, Library won an iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 in the Architecture discipline

image © Michael Moran, courtesy of Studio Empathy (main image too)

iF DESIGN AWARD-WINNER STUDIO EMPATHY

Founded in 2022 by Changhaak Choi, Studio Empathy is driven by a desire to reconnect people, environments, and cultures. This philosophy is evident in the studio’s name and its core mission. Choi explains his interest lies in how man-made objects become meaningful and sustained through a network of emotions. He asserts that design isn’t a unilateral expression or an exact science, but that a space only truly comes alive when its design touches people. This focus on emotional connection is the foundation of their practice.

‘As a designer, while shaping environments where we live, I have always been interested in how man-made ordinary objects become meaningful and sustained, remaining as heirlooms. I think this is enabled by certain networks of emotion among people, environments, and cultures,’ begins Changhaak Choi, founder of Studio Empathy, to designboom. ‘Design is to create an identity for a space, building, and city, but eventually the real identity is achieved by the people who visit and live there. It becomes a place once it touches people. Design is neither math nor art. There is no clear answer and it is not working by one-way expression.’

the studio engages users with the design through overlapping functions, circulation, and unexpected sequences

image © Michael Moran, courtesy of Studio Empathy

This philosophy manifests in the core concept of Reciprocal Consequence. The notion is rooted in the belief that everything is constantly evolving and improving through mutual interaction. Choi’s design inspiration often comes from observations of this principle in the real world. He uses a methodology called Indexing, which involves analyzing and reinterpreting cultural clues or architectural archetypes into new, contemporary prototypes. By practicing across architecture, interiors, and furniture, the studio ensures a high level of consistency across all scales, allowing every detail to contribute to a unified, holistic environment.

‘The notion of reciprocity in my design starts from my recognition that everything is already everywhere and could be evolved more when interacting with each other. This is in respect to human achievements, and it is why I am interested in reinterpreting phenomena and archetypes into design ideas.’ The designer continues to add, ‘The idea of indexing during the design process, and working in an interdisciplinary way, originates from this notion. Even though there are more complex and programmatic approaches to designing a project, indexing allows us to create a unique as well as intimate, form-adaptable space that resonates more closely to inhabitants and users.’

the heart of the library adds a biophilic connection to visitors, much like a traditional Korean courtyard

image © Changhaak Choi, courtesy of Studio Empathy

When it comes to the user experience, Studio Empathy views visitors as protagonists. Choi notes that as individuals are now ‘socio-cultural protagonists’ in the age of digital technology, designers must respond by infusing more freedom into a space. This active engagement is achieved through strategic architectural planning, such as overlapping functions, continuous circulation, and unexpected sequences. Crucially, natural light is treated as a dynamic artistic element that reacts with the forms and shapes of the space.

‘These days, people are already socio-cultural protagonists, and designers need to respond to them. Previously, designers tried to control people in a space by way of programmatic planning defined by conventional rules. Providing more freedom in a space is important to promote people’s engagement. I focus on mingling spaces beyond their functions, planning flows of continuous circulation and setting up a series of unexpected sequences people can encounter while exploring,’ adds Choi. ‘From these adjustments, people can find their favorite spot to enjoy and find out what to do as a protagonist of the space.’

the library’s design references a Han-Ok, a traditional Korean housing type, for its archetype

image © Changhaak Choi, courtesy of Studio Empathy

AWARD-WINNING ASSEMBLED VOID LIBRARY

The Assembled Void, Library at New York Korea Center demonstrates how Studio Empathy successfully applied its philosophy to create a culture-bridging space in Midtown Manhattan. Tasked with designing a Korean cultural venue, the team looked to the Han-Ok, a traditional Korean housing type, for its archetype.

‘The design was inspired by a traditional Korean housing type, called Han-Ok,’ explains Changhaak Choi. ‘The Han-Ok’s enclosed courtyard acts as a multipurpose communal space in the middle surrounded by functional rooms. The composition of rooms are layered in parallel and wrapped around with aisles providing continuous circulation. Because the boundary between in and out is very flexible, the spaces can easily be expanded and overlapped with each other while using. We tried to realize those spatial advantages for the library in order to make a place with more flexible interaction among its functions, spaces, and visitors.’

the wooden shelving units are arranged in a single rectangular loop to create a void in the middle

image © Changhaak Choi, courtesy of Studio Empathy

They specifically referenced the spatial principles of the Han-Ok’s enclosed courtyard and flexible circulation into the design. By arranging the wooden shelving units in a single rectangular loop, a void in the middle is created. This space, together with an adjacent terrace garden, functions as the inclusive heart of the library, much like a traditional Korean courtyard. This layout ensures visitors have both visual and physical connection to greenery. This strong biophilic connection sets up a unique sensory experience.

‘The reading zone, unlike conventional libraries, is integrated into the middle of the wooden shelving loop, forming a void that serves as the heart of the library together with the terrace.’ The designer continues to say, ‘Surrounded by book stacks, the terrace is covered with stone panels and designed to be an inclusive space hosting multiple functions, including reading, gathering, and occasional events. Wooden stools, designed in a cubic module, and herb planters enhance the communal and comfortable atmosphere. Scattered throughout the courtyard, it facilitates and drives diverse group or individual activities.’

the layout ensures visitors have both visual and physical connection to greenery

image © Michael Moran, courtesy of Studio Empathy

Winning the iF DESIGN AWARD proved to be a transformative moment for the young studio. This library was Changhaak Choi’s first experimental design under his own practice and first public project in metropolitan New York. The award provides a lasting validation and places the new firm on a global stage alongside luminaries like Foster + Partners.

‘It means a lot to me, as my practice’s first project. It is also fascinating that the award was given to a public space. This enables the library to amplify its own powerful cultural message to the community. It accelerates the role of this institution to the city of New York,’ confirms Choi. ‘The iF DESIGN AWARD plaque, engraved with the team and my name, is proudly on display at the library’s entrance.’

Studio Empathy plans for a furniture product line based on the library’s successful storage system

image © Changhaak Choi, courtesy of Studio Empathy

Choi notes that the award empowers the library’s own story, communicating and building an even more powerful cultural message. The international recognition has also helped prove the studio’s design methodology and approach. He encourages other emerging designers to challenge themselves, use the award platform as a peer assessment, and guide them into the future.

‘The iF DESIGN AWARD lets studios see where they are and where they are heading. It made me confident in my approach to design and has pushed me to continue exploring design methodologies and language,’ explains the designer. ‘It also provides access to colleagues in the design industry, to not only promote your work but also contribute and connect with the creative world. Our studio, as well as a relatively low-budget project, has been picked up by the media now, including designboom.’

the shelving displays the books to visitors inside and outside its courtyard

image © Changhaak Choi, courtesy of Studio Empathy

Looking ahead, Studio Empathy is preparing to extend its practice, with plans for a furniture product line based on the library’s successful storage system and pursuing new projects in New York and Seoul. Their core mission remains constant: to use design as an agent of empathy to create spaces that improve our everyday lives and transform them into something extraordinary.

‘I am preparing to extend my practice beyond field and country, as we have diverse projects ongoing in both NYC and Seoul.’ Choi concludes, ‘We will keep looking into past archetypes to reinvent and customize homes, forms, and spaces that contain people’s life, because I believe that we are very good at empathy-ing.’