ABOUT
judy choi
For years I have considered the utilitarian shelving known to many college kids—the concrete block and board—and knew there was a better solution, and started sketching designs. Similarly, on New York City sidewalks it’s easy to notice the weekly discard of furniture—discarded because it no longer fulfilled a function or was just too cheaply made. The materials, often laced with formaldehyde, usually end up as landfill.
My solution is to design furniture—using materials either recyclable or biodegradable—flexible enough to change with the users’ needs.
The Mushroom Block Shelf design addresses these issues. The design is based on one of my early concrete block sketches, but the product is made with a material developed by Ecovate from upstate New York, made from mushroom roots, cornstalk, and hemp.
A living product, Ecovate mash grows in metal pan forms of my design which are baked then pressed under high pressure to strengthen. This modular, affordable stacking shelf system is 100% biodegradable.
The Bamboo Block Shelf is an heirloom version of this design, made from a rapidly renewable material and is CNC cut to reduce waste.
The IronMan shelf end is made of steel. The prototype is welded, and other options to increase manufacturing speed and efficiency—such as 3D printing or cast metal—are being explored.
The BraidShelf is the poetic, sculptural shelving system manufactured via 3D printing.
Design Influences
Grandfather was a geologist who taught me the geomantic principles of pungsu-jiri seol (풍수지리설, Wind, Water, Earth, Theory, the Korean version of Feng Shui). From him I learned of the many forces, seen and unseen, that need to be balanced to find harmony.
The original launchpad
My late father, a scientist who helped launch Korea’s first satellite program and was awarded Korea’s medal of honor for his work, encouraged me to start this company ten days before his passing. His memory inspired the company name.
Education
- BA in Architecture, University of California Berkeley
- MA Architecture, Columbia University
- Member, American Institute of Architects
- Principal, A.I.R. Architecture
It is my daily practice to take up the design challenges I see around me, and to do so mindful that I am a co-equal partner with the health and well-being of our environment.
At my creative core is my love and passion for crafting elegant and sustainable design solutions—qualities my dad both nurtured and inspired —sky's the limit, so to speak!
We are earthbound, they are with the stars,
we send our dreams from Earth to Heaven.
Choi Soon-dal, 1931–2014
My father created KAIST Satellite Technology Research Center and lead a successful collaboration to engineer the first Korean satellite, KITSAT-1, also named OurStar. The satellite was successfully launched from Guiana Space Centre in 1992.
Dad died on October 18, 2014 at the age of 83 and was posthumously awarded a national medal of honor for his contribution to science and technology on October 21, 2014.