Myongji University Architecture Studio Named Best at Italy's IUAV International Workshop

Myongji University's School of Architecture (CAMU) has earned top honors at the prestigious "WAVe 2026" international summer architecture workshop, hosted by Italy's IUAV (Venice University of Architecture). Out of 16 participating studios, Myongji University's was selected as the best, marking a significant achievement for the institution and its students.

The "WAVe" workshop, a cornerstone of IUAV's curriculum for two decades, brings together renowned architects and faculty from around the globe. The 2026 edition, coinciding with IUAV's centenary, focused on the theme "BALANCE," exploring the intersections of stability and change, memory and innovation, and nature and the artificial. Myongji University's studio garnered the most votes from approximately 2,000 students and faculty members.

Led by Professor Lee Kyung-jae, the Myongji University studio presented "Counterweight: A Salvage Scenario for the Empathetic City," with a project titled "Torre Galleggiante (Floating Apartment)." Their proposal challenged conventional urban housing by juxtaposing the vertical density typology of Korean apartment complexes with the horizontal waterfront urbanism of Venice, a city experiencing a decline in permanent residents due to tourism. They offered an alternative vision, reimagining the typically isolating tower-style architecture as a device for fostering connection.

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We confirmed the outstanding potential of Korean students to communicate and contribute deeply on the international stage.

The studio comprised 60 participants, including IUAV students and international attendees. Eleven students from Myongji University's Architecture program served as "Korean Context Leads," presenting the characteristics of Korean residential architecture and providing analytical foundations for various project teams. These students actively led the entire collaborative process, from field research to the final exhibition.

This success is a testament to the enduring relationship between Myongji University and IUAV, which has spanned over 20 years. Since the mid-2000s, collaborations involving professors like Jeong Young-soo and Nam Soo-hyun have been ongoing. IUAV officially recognized this achievement, highlighting it as a key success of the PNRR TNE 'LEGO (Italy–East Asia Cooperation)' project. Professor Lee Kyung-jae emphasized the confirmation of Korean students' exceptional potential to communicate and contribute meaningfully on a global stage, calling the event a "meaningful turning point" that elevates the significance of the two universities' long-standing exchange.

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This is a meaningful turning point that elevates the significance of the exchange between our two universities, which has continued for over 20 years.