David Kim

David Kim studied architecture at California State Polytechnic University Pomona, where he gained multiple awards in recognition of design excellence. During this time, he spent a year abroad in Florence, Italy, studying architecture and art history. The year abroad, immersed in the fabric and textures of this extraordinary city, had a direct, intense impact on him and led to a year-long stint with architect / modelmaker Franco Gizdulich, whose studio was a stone’s throw away from Brunelleschi’s Dome. This experience reinforced an appreciation for craft and details, and created in him a desire to balance purely theoretical pursuits with processes more material and tangible.

After returning to Los Angeles, he worked at the firms Judith Sheine Architect and CorsiniStark Architects, before beginning a lengthy tenure at PleskowRael Architects (now Pleskow Architects and Rael Architectures) eventually becoming an Associate and Senior Project Designer, working on projects such as the Sunshine Theatre in New York, Landmark Theatres Westside Pavilion, Look Cinemas in Dallas, Texas, and many other commercial, residential, and public projects.

He received his M.Arch from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, graduating with distinction and being awarded “Excellence in Architectural Design.” This honor led to an AICAD Teaching Fellowship in the Department of Undergraduate Architecture at the Pratt Institute, where he is now an Adjunct Assistant Professor and Acting Assistant Chairperson. His research explores the blurring of boundaries, both geographical, in the case of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, and interdisciplinary, in spatial narratives combining architecture, books, and film.