SO-IL facts for kids

SO – IL is a cool architecture company based in Brooklyn, New York City. It was started in 2008 by two talented architects, Florian Idenburg from the Netherlands and Jing Liu from China. For a few years, from 2013 to 2018, they also had a third partner named Ilias Papageorgiou.

How SO-IL Started

Jing Liu and Florian Idenburg first met in 2000 in Japan. They were both working at a famous architecture studio called SANAA. Jing was an intern, learning the ropes, while Florian was an associate, working closely with award-winning architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.

They met again in 2002 in New York City. Florian was busy working on the New Museum project, and Jing was working for another architect, Thomas Leeser. Six years later, in 2008, they decided to team up and create their own company, SO-IL.

Creative Buildings and Designs

SO-IL quickly became known for its fresh and innovative ideas. In 2010, they won a special competition called the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program. For this, they created a fun and interactive art piece called Pole Dance. It was a playful installation that people could interact with.

They went on to design many interesting projects. They created a home for designer Ivan Chermayeff in upstate New York and designed the first-ever space for the Frieze art fair in New York City. They also designed the award-winning Kukje Gallery in Seoul, South Korea.

Smart Use of Materials

SO-IL is famous for using building materials in new and exciting ways. For the Kukje Gallery, they used a special outer layer made of stainless steel chainmail mesh. Imagine a building wearing a shiny, flexible metal curtain! For the Frieze art fair tent, they had to be super creative because they were using a rented tent. They made the straight tent bend into a winding, curvy shape. This made the temporary structure look unique and iconic along the waterfront. They also used tall, clear glass tubes for the CTF Museum in Hong Kong, making it look very modern.

The Manetti Shrem Museum

In 2013, SO-IL won a competition to design the new Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California, Davis. This was a big and exciting project!

A Special Roof Design

The museum has a very unique roof called the "Grand Canopy." This roof is huge, covering about 50,000 square feet, and it's designed to let light and air through. It blurs the lines between the inside and outside of the building, creating a cool, open space where different activities can happen. The building was finished in 2016 and is considered very eco-friendly, earning a special "LEED Platinum" certification.

Images for kids

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  SO-IL Viewing China Exhibition 2019, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia