Early research sketch and experimentation for Air Forest
Cho's temporary pavilion, Air Forest, has its premier at Dialog:City in Denver, Colorado 2008. The temporary architectural pavilion is a dynamic model leveraging design to create a public square. Air Forest will serve as a platform for public conversation, activating the space through events and planned performance, on the occasion of the Democratic National Convention. As a levitating structure this pneumatic design pushes the form of architecture as a construction of air. This 10,000 square foot pavilion will be located at City Park along the lake.
Cho founded MASS Studies, an architectural firm based in Seoul, South Korea in 2003. The firm examines mass culture from a critical distance, recognizing it as a subject of limitless possibility. The firms understanding of mass culture informs their approach when working with public space. This is evident in Air Forest, and Cho's previous platform for performance, Ring Dome. Ring Dome was commissioned by the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York, NY, and was constructed of thousands of Hula Hoops. Through active audience participation, Cho's imaginative structures allow for the "discovery of new social/cultural potential".
Cho graduated from the Architectural Engineering Department of Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea; and received his Masters degree from the Graduate School of Architecture at Columbia University, New York, NY. Cho has received numerous awards, including first prize from Shinkenchiku International Residential Architecture for New Dwelling Design (1994), and from The Architectural League of New York's Young Architects for his work at Cho Slade Architecture (2000).
