Strategy Consulting | Planning | Design
Prior to starting his own practice based in Los Angeles, Steven Song was the Associate Partner for MADA s.p.a.m. based in Shanghai, China. He has also previously worked for reputable architecture firms in New York City including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Arquitectonica and Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates. During this time, Mr. Song lead the designs of many successful mixed-use projects for respected international clients including American International Group, Extell, Revel Entertainment Group, AJU Group, Serim Corporation, Luneng and China Construction America.
Serving also as the CEO of Axle Companies, a real estate investment company, Mr. Song has invested in and successfully repositioned hospitality properties through operational improvements as well as renovations.
Mr. Song is also a member of the board of the Hammer Museum, the board of the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and the Executive Council of the Clinton Foundation Health Access Initiative.
Mr. Song holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
Yeon Jung Choi is an architect and urban real estate researcher based in Seoul, South Korea, with over 15 years of professional experience. Her work spans residential, hospitality, and public architecture, encompassing architectural design, development, and advisory roles in both domestic and international contexts.
Her practice integrates architectural and real estate perspectives, with a focus on the relationship between people, architecture, and land. She adopts a life-cycle-based design approach that considers feasibility, operation, and long-term sustainability.
In parallel with practice, Ms. Choi conducts academic research on housing policy and residential choice in response to demographic change, and has contributed to improving housing and community facilities for socially vulnerable groups through collaborations with public institutions.
She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Seoul National University of Science & Technology and a Master’s degree in Real Estate from Konkuk University, is currently pursuing a doctoral degree, and is a licensed architect in South Korea serving as a Public Architect for the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Young Hwan Choi leads the design studio at SCAAA. His enthusiastic approach to design is based on careful understanding of the unique challenges and interrelationships posed by each client’s program, site and aspirations. Mr. Choi has led SCAAA’s design teams on an array of complex projects in South Korea, the Philippines, the Caribbean and the United States.
He is known in the design community for Urban Umbrella, his winning entry in the UrbanSHED international design competition. Launched by New York City in 2009, the competition challenged entrants to create a new, higher standard for the ubiquitous sidewalk construction shed and to develop a prototype worthy of a progressive New York City. In December 2011, the first prototype of Urban Umbrella was installed at 100 Broadway. Urban Umbrella has since been realized in Toronto, Canada and at other construction sites.
Mr. Choi graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master of Architecture and Korea University with a Bachelor of Architecture.
