stpmj is an idea-driven design practice based in New York. In 2009 Seung Teak Lee and Mi Jung Lim founded the office with the belief that our work explores a new perspective built from careful observations of material, structure and program expanding to the social, cultural, political, environmental, and economic phenomena of our time. The belief allows us to provide distinctive and creative solutions to develop designs at different scales; ranging from architecture to urban strategies, tangible practices and utopian ideas with unforeseen manners. The office approaches projects with an intellect of thoughts and questions, yet a strong commitment to realize these ideas in the world.
Our solution is process, not just product. We see the unprecedented in architecture and the environment as the result of continually embracing new parameters.
stpmj aims for provocative realism. We design iconic architecture that stands out, not apart; that is visionary, not fantastical.
Seung Teak Lee / Principal
Seung Teak Lee was born in Seoul, Korea. After graduating with B.E and M.E from Korea University, he received his M.Arch from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He was the recipient of the Architectural Department Faculty Design Award from Harvard and was also a finalist for the SOM architecture and urban traveling fellowship 2009. He has won awards in several international design competitions and exhibitions due to his capacity to integrate social, cultural and environmental discourses into architectural design with distinctive solutions. He was also the project leader of the Harvard KGSD team invited to produce a ‘REST BOX’ for the Gwangju Design Biennale 2009. As a principal at stpmj, he was recently selected as the winner for Young Architects + Designers Prize by Architectural League of New York 2012. Prior to co-founding stpmj in 2009, he trained at nARCHITECTS and LEVENBETTS in New York, Herzog & de Meuron in Basel and nSYSTEMLAB in Seoul.
Mi Jung Lim , AIA / Principal
Mi Jung Lim was born in Seoul, Korea. After graduating with B.S from Yonsei University, she received her B.Arch from Rhode Island School of Design and M.Arch from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She has won awards in several design competitions and was the project manager of the Harvard KGSD team invited to produce a ‘REST BOX’ for the Gwangju Design Biennale 2009. As a principal at stpmj, she was selected as the winner for Young Architects + Designers Prize by Architectural League of New York 2012. Prior to co-founding stpmj in 2009, she trained at office DA in Boston and Andrew Berman Architect in New York.