Designer, educator, and 3D printing expert Julia Koerner is awarded the Charles Moore Traveling Studio Award

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design announced award-winning Austrian designer Julia Koerner as the winner of the Charles Moore Traveling Studio award. The program was first established in 2004 to honor architect Charles Moore for his "exemplary commitment to teaching and to honor his belief in the unique importance of the study of place to the practice of architecture." 

Koerner is no stranger to innovation, and her work connects the worlds of 3D printing, fabrication, fashion design, architecture, and academia. In 2019 Archinect connected with her for an in-depth interview to learn more about her design practice, JK Design GmbH, her path to architecture, and expertise in 3D printing applications. As an assistant adjunct professor at UCLA's AUD program, she also leads the school's AUD Summer programs as the director.

For this award, Koerner was selected for her research studio, "Fit for the Future: 3D Printed Sustainable Building Skins." The studio investigates the future applications of architecture through fashion and building skins which "act as multi-functional and performative 3D printed materials." 

The studio aims to reimagine design retrofits through the use of wearable skins for buildings. The research hopes to focus on "disenfranchised communities, which are often the most impacted by extreme weather and climate. The studio invokes the United Nations Environment Program and the UN’s belief that a sustainable future requires a transition from the current linear, extractive, toxic construction practices and towards circular, bio-based, renewable materials and methods."

Through the award, Koerner and her students will continue their AUD research by traveling to Vienna during the Winter of 2023. While abroad, students will visit various historic buildings and digital fabrication sites. This also includes connecting with 3D printing specialists who work with concrete and other sustainable building materials.

"The scale of wearable skins allows us to explore geometries, innovative materials, and emergent technologies and to create applied research on a micro-scale," shared Koerner. "In many ways, I see the opportunity that this research can be applied on a larger scale."

In a 2021 interview with Archinect, Koerner shared her thoughts on teaching at UCLA and interacting with students. "What I like about UCLA is that I have the freedom to teach students within the framework of architecture, but there is always room to make them look beyond what's in front of them [...] I want to challenge their thoughts and designs beyond architecture."

Koerner attended the University of Applied Arts in Vienna (Angewandte) and the Architectural Association where she holds a Master of Architecture degree and an MSC degree in Emergent Technologies and Design. In addition to her work within academia, Koerner's work has been showcased at The Met, Arts Institute of Chicago, High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, and Museum of Applied Arts MAK Vienna, to name a few.

She's worked with academics and designers such as Greg Lynn, Mark Foster Gage, and Ross Lovegrove. Koerner also collaborated with several leading fashion designers, such as haute couture designer Iris van Herpen and was part of the Academy Award-winning costume design team for Black Panther, led by Hollywood costume designer Ruth Carter.

Learn more about Koerner and her work at UCLA here.