Office Profile
Fish Design and Architecture is a Boston based architectural design practice established in 2011 by Myoungkeun Kim, and Hyeonjoo Park.
The rapid growth our portfolio from residential renovation projects to institutional projects reflects our willingness and commitment to explore new territories and our agility to manage projects with new challenges. We constantly reposition ourselves in the context of current building industry to achieve ever-changing project goals using the minimum resources available.
Our project experience uniquely ranges from the nation’s top general contractors such as Turner Construction, Moriarty to self-educated, carpenters turned local contractors and those projects take place simultaneously.
Our ultimate goal lies in “tweaking” our everyday practice, particularly in single- and two-family residential buildings. We strongly believe that even small changes in this typology can lead to quicker and more impactful results, given its share of the current building inventory. For this reason, these seemingly mundane residential structures often serve as the starting point of our projects. We learn from the cookie-cutter projects and they adapt them to meet new goals and needs. This is what we call Wild Architecture - like wild plants that grow and sustain themselves organically.
As a full architecture and interior design practice, we have been fortunate to build commercial and residential portfolios with design enthusiast home owners, established local businesses, ambitious developers, and local housing authorities.
Fish Design and Architecture is a Massachusetts certified Minority Owned Enterprise since 2013.
What we want to do
Wild architecture is a made up term by us to indicate modern vernacular architecture - a built environment achieved by common materials and techniques. Sometimes we call it a “spec” buildings or conventional approaches. While the word often hints at the negative side of projects, it indicates conventional methods that are once successful responses to new challenges back then. Further they are critical as they are the most widely accepted means to build, therefore their impact on the environment is arguably the largest. Lofty sustainability goals Architectural statements may prove to be more are powerful when they are married with common techniques and materials. While only selective projects can achieve credentials such as LEED or ‘Passive House’ credentials, small ideas that are affordable, easily applicable, and widely acceptable easy to be accommodated can be far more effective in decarbonization. Simply, the common Average carpenter- built homes are wild architecture. Like wild plants, wild architecture is more resilient. Therefore, studying common building techniques and materials is the beginning of our process and meaningful to us.
The name FISH serves as a reminder of the core goals of our design process: Fun, Inclusive, Simple, and Healthy. We aim to create spaces—or elements of the built environment—that embody these principles. We are passionate about learning, studying, and uncovering possibilities that may not have been immediately apparent.
Establishing design parameters and generating design options based on the parameters are the key in our design process. Whether successful or less successful, exploring the design options reveals something that did not exist before and guides us to move forward.
Awards
2013 Boston Society of Architects Biennial Exhibition Finalist
2011 MD AIA Design Award with Machado & Silvetti Associates
2011 NEAIA Design Award with Machado & Silvetti Associates
2011 Shift Boston Barge Design Competition Finalist
2011 Architizer Competition 2011 Honorable Mention
2008 BSA Future of Design Competition First Prize
Team
Hyeonjoo Park
Hyeonjoo Park is a partner at the firm with over 25 years of experience in both domestic and international projects. She is a registered architect in Massachusetts, Arizona, and Rhode Island. Her expertise spans a wide range of project types, from retail development to complex institutional projects in the healthcare and higher education sectors.
With a meticulous approach to design and problem-solving, Hyeonjoo enhances our process and ensures the success of each project she leads. As a managing principal, she oversees quality control and contract management for all projects and spearheads research efforts on specific design challenges as they arise.
She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering in Architecture from Korea University and a Master of Architecture from Georgia Tech. Her thesis, Movement in Time, was recognized with the prestigious SGF Prize.
Myoung (Keun) Kim
Myoung (Keun) Kim is a partner, registered architect, Passive House consultant, educator, and licensed builder with over 25 years of experience. In 2024, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the Cummings School of Architecture at Roger Williams University, where he has been teaching design studios for over a decade.
Prior to founding Fish Design and Architecture in 2011, he worked with renowned architectural firms, including Goody Clancy, Gensler, Kyu Sung Woo Architects, and Machado Silvetti Architects, in various capacities. While at Kyu Sung Woo Architects, he served as one of the project architects for the Asian Cultural Complex, the winning entry of a UIA international competition. At Machado Silvetti Architects, he was Vice President and Project Manager for the award-winning Civic Building at Veterans Plaza in Silver Spring, MD.
In academia, Myoung explores the hidden places within our cities and towns—spaces that often go unnoticed or are simply passed by. Through his Hidden Place studio, he has led research on urban infrastructure, including water distribution systems, waste treatment facilities, tank terminals, and transitional housing. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering in Architecture from Korea University and a Master of Architecture from MIT.
Aidan Donaghey
Aidan Donaghey is a project manager and an architectural designer driven by a passion for helping communities and those seeking to improve the built environment. With an insatiable curiosity for the art and science of making, he is a dedicated researcher and collector of technical, regulatory, and building-related knowledge.
Aidan is currently a Master of Architecture candidate (Class of 2025) and holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the Cummings School of Architecture at Roger Williams University. While at Roger Williams University, he received two Student Academic Showcase and Honors (SASH) awards, a prestigious distinction granted to students with outstanding achievements.
Our Process
The site
Sites will tell us everything. How big, small, or how tall the building should be. What materials will look nice and if they get along with other buildings. Where the building wants to sit. When the building is built, it will develop its own characters. Each wall and surface reflects light differently creating its own shade. No surface is the same. They will age differently collecting trace of time and creating millions of stories.
Program/Requirements
A program is a set of requirements provided by the client, outlining what should be explored during the design phase and the expected final outcome. Initially, it includes the intended use, dimensions, constraints, and other critical factors. However, the program is rarely complete at the outset. Through a collaborative, and repetitive process of discussions, sketches, models, and research, the program is refined and polished into clear project goals. This iterative back-and-forth is essential to ensuring the project aligns with needs and aspirations.
Perspectives
Some renderings are carefully crafted for presentations, but most are part of the planning process, as we now work with plans built in three dimensions. These renderings don’t just show how the structure will look—they also help us spot potential issues early. While they complement physical models, digital models enable further exploration, incorporating details like fixtures and fine textures. As the project progresses, these renderings naturally evolve into drawings used for construction and fabrication.
Mock-Ups
Making mock-ups in-house is how we learn about materials and how things come together. These models help us figure out the best ways to build and become the foundation for accurate documentation. They’re also great tools for communication during construction, helping everyone understand the design and how it all fits together.
Building Science
Building designs evolve through a series of thoughtful decisions tailored to the unique needs and requirements of each project. How a building stands, why it moves, when moisture in the air becomes an issue, why making a building airtight matters, what the risks are, how to design a structure that integrates seamlessly with its mechanical system, and how to calculate its carbon footprint are all critical considerations. Architects collaborate closely with engineers to ask the right questions and develop solutions that work best for the project.
Construction
The entire process is about building and making. It is the most revealing moment of the project because this is when spaces emerge, casting their first shadows. The drawings are brought to life by carpenters and tradespeople, whose hands translate concepts into reality. Architects and engineers remain an integral part of this process, serving as translators between vision and craftsmanship.
Our Office
1766 Centre St
Boston, MA 02132
info@fishdesignlab.com
(617)501-2587