Founded in New York City in 2010 by Nahyun Hwang (Seoul, 1973) and David Eugin Moon (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1974), NHDM approach the design of architecture by looking first at its use, before considering its characteristics in terms of form or construction: a quality that in itself demonstrates the intertwining of the two young architects’ research and teaching activities with the practice of the studio.

Human actions like sharing, interpreting, lingering or exchanging are thus seen as opportunities to test out new approaches to buildings and spaces, allowing them to be appropriated in an unconventional manner and to activate more flexible modes of use, open to individual and collective transformation and interpretation.

As such, the design of the Library in the Nam June Paik Art Center at Yong-In (South Korea, 2011) takes inspiration from the processes of the Korean artist Nam June Paik to define a multifunctional spatial device that redefines the relationship between users and access to information. In contrast with the conventional typology of the library, characterised by the centralised, unidirectional and static placement of the contents, the programme developed by NHDM offers non-linear and dynamic access to information, transforming a visit to the library into a multi-directional and reciprocal experience.

In a way that is even more pervasive, the design of the social building Wolgok Youth Platform in Seoul responds in particular to the difficult economic and living conditions experienced by many of the inhabitants of the Korean capital aged between 20 and 35 years. The design thus exploits the opportunity offered by the collaboration etween a non-profit organisation and local government for developing a new alternative housing prototype for young people, proposing flexible living units, integrated with spaces where long-term programmes for learning and working can be developed.