Dwight School Seoul Wins 2024 SARA Design Award

The Dwight Spark of Genius Center was honored with a 2024 Design Award of Excellence from the Society of Registered Architects (SARA) New York Chapter. The project merges elementary, middle, and high school libraries into a unified, collaborative space that celebrates diversity across ages, disciplines, and individuality. At its core is a “growing bookshelf,” a symbolic design element that adapts to the needs of each age group. Organized around this main feature are playful, accessible areas for younger children, treehouse-like spaces for middle schoolers, and focused study nooks for high school students. Shared zones, including a double-height book tower and a multi-functional learning space, encourage interaction and solidarity among students of all levels.

The jury for this year’s awards included esteemed architects and educators: Elizabeth Whittaker (Merge), Alysen Fiore (REX), David Polk (GSA), Jonathan Moody (Moody & Nolan), David Rubin (DAVID RUBIN Land Collective), Shreejit Modak (CGA/SARA NY), and Lia Dikigoropoulou (City Tech – CUNY/SARA NY).

Congratulations to the P:A design team, led by John Hong, AIA, LEED AP (Principal in Charge), with team leaders Yeongshin Sim and Eunseop Suh, and design team members Hoseung Lee, Dongeun Yoo, Jeongsoo Lee, Jinyeong Yang, and Euncho Kim. Additional recognition goes to Kwangyup Jang of Dyne Architects and Planner (Architect of Record) and Din Construction (Contractor).

Special thanks to Jason Hayter, former Head of School, for his vision and dedication, as well as the Dwight School Seoul team, including Donna Kang (Executive Assistant to the Head of School) and Anne Choe (Director of Public Relations and Communications).

>>Learn more about the Dwight School Seoul Spark of Genius Center>>