Ye Sul E. Cho

Visiting researcher - RESPIRE project


Ye Sul E. Cho is a designer and researcher working at the intersection of material innovation, human experience, and environmental adaptation. She is currently a visiting researcher at the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE), where she collaborates on RESPIRE, a Leverhulme Trust–funded project developing woven hygroscopic systems that responds to it's surrounding climate.

Her practice asks: how can materials become intelligent collaborators—sensing, responding, and reshaping the way we live? From rethinking the role of clay in digital fabrication to inventing climate-responsive building skins, she uses design as a bridge between craft, science, and social impact.

Her projects span from creating low-tech environmental sensors for children (commissioned by ANZ Bank) to developing smart material systems for aging-in-place during her Autodesk Residency, as well as designing a parametric 3D-printed masonry wall system (commissioned by IMCO, sponsorship by Masonry Worx).

Her work has been exhibited internationally at the São Paulo Architecture Biennale, Lake Como Design Festival, Nuit Blanche Toronto,and iLight Singapore. She has presented research at eCAADe, SIGraDi , Autodesk Technology Lab, University of Oregon, and the University of Waterloo. Ye Sul’s contributions have been recognized with the British Design & Art Direction (D&AD) Award, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Honour Roll Award for her thesis Smart Aging, and the Designers Institute of NZ, Best Design Awards. She has also worked with internationally renowned design practices including Höweler + Yoon, OMA, Bjarke Ingels Group, Alison Brooks Architects, and WXY Architecture.