A New York-based architectural firm has received international recognition for creating a library that transforms visitors into protagonists of their own spatial experience. Studio Empathy won the 2025 iF DESIGN AWARD in the Architecture discipline for their Assembled Void, Library at New York Korea Center, a project that exemplifies how architecture can go beyond mere function to create deep emotional connections between people, spaces, and cultures.
Founded in 2022 by Changhaak Choi, Studio Empathy operates on a philosophy that design only truly comes alive when it touches people. "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," Choi explained. "I think this is enabled by certain networks of emotion among people, environments, and cultures. 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."
The studio's approach centers on what Choi calls "Reciprocal Consequence," a belief that everything constantly evolves and improves through mutual interaction. This philosophy manifests through a methodology called "Indexing," which involves analyzing and reinterpreting cultural clues or architectural archetypes into new, contemporary prototypes. "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," Choi said. "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."
Studio Empathy deliberately positions visitors as protagonists in their spaces, responding to how people have become socio-cultural protagonists in the digital age. "Previously, designers tried to control people in a space by way of programmatic planning defined by conventional rules," Choi noted. "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." This approach is achieved through strategic architectural planning that includes overlapping functions, continuous circulation patterns, and unexpected spatial sequences, with natural light treated as a dynamic artistic element.
The award-winning Assembled Void, Library at New York Korea Center demonstrates this philosophy in practice, creating a culture-bridging space in Midtown Manhattan. The design draws inspiration from the Han-Ok, a traditional Korean housing type, specifically referencing its enclosed courtyard and flexible circulation principles. "The Han-Ok's enclosed courtyard acts as a multipurpose communal space in the middle surrounded by functional rooms," Choi explained. "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."
The library's innovative design arranges wooden shelving units in a single rectangular loop, creating a central void that serves as the heart of the space. This central area, combined with an adjacent terrace garden, functions much like a traditional Korean courtyard, ensuring visitors maintain both visual and physical connections to greenery. "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," Choi said. "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."
The terrace features wooden stools designed in cubic modules and herb planters that enhance the communal atmosphere. These elements are scattered throughout the courtyard space to facilitate diverse group and individual activities. The shelving system displays books to visitors both inside and outside the courtyard, creating multiple layers of engagement with the collection and the space itself.
Winning the iF DESIGN AWARD has proven transformative for the young studio, providing validation and placing the firm on a global stage alongside established practices like Foster + Partners. "It means a lot to me, as my practice's first project," Choi confirmed. "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." The iF DESIGN AWARD plaque, engraved with the team and Choi's name, is proudly displayed at the library's entrance.
The international recognition has helped validate Studio Empathy's design methodology and approach, while providing access to a broader network of design professionals. Choi encourages other emerging designers to use award platforms as peer assessment tools. "The iF DESIGN AWARD lets studios see where they are and where they are heading," he explained. "It made me confident in my approach to design and has pushed me to continue exploring design methodologies and language. 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."
Looking ahead, Studio Empathy is expanding its practice with plans for a furniture product line based on the library's successful storage system. The studio is also pursuing new projects in both New York and Seoul, maintaining its core mission to use design as an agent of empathy. "I am preparing to extend my practice beyond field and country, as we have diverse projects ongoing in both NYC and Seoul," Choi concluded. "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."
