Nahyun Hwang is a licensed architect, educator, and founding principal of N H D M, an NYC-based practice for design and research at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, and territory. The studio operates across geographies and disciplinary borders and in a wide range of scales and modes of output, often in a direct dialogue with the cultural, political, and ecological complexities of the contemporary built environment. The work of N H D M has been recognized through numerous supports and awards, including the 2023 Architectural League Emerging Voices award, the 2023 and 2019 Graham Foundation Grants, the 2020 Architectural Record Design Vanguard Award, the 2019 DOMUS’ 100+ best architecture firms, the 2018 AIANY New Practices New York award, and multiple AIANY Design Awards. The firm’s work has been presented at global venues, including the 14th and the 17th Architectural Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, the 5th and 6th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam, and Storefront for Art and Architecture, among others. The firm’s most recent work includes “Migrating Futures” commissioned by the 2023 Venice Biennale, Korean Pavilion, and “Now You Belong Here: Small Island Disappearing States,” the publication on the neo-colonial and other environmental injustices in the context of climate change is forthcoming in 2024.
Until founding N H D M, Hwang practiced as a Senior Associate at Field Operations and as the Lead Designer (2004-2006) and the Design Team Lead (2007-2010) for the High Line Sections 1 and 2, heading a multidisciplinary team of architects, landscape architects, and others. Prior to FO, she practiced at Stan Allen Architects; Herzog & de Meuron; OMA; and the studio of Rafael Moneo.
Hwang is currently an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, and has taught at Cornell University, Syracuse University, and the University of Michigan. Hwang holds a master’s degree in Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea. Hwang is a recipient of the Muschenheim fellowship.
