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C.W. Kim

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki


C.W. Kim (born Chong Wan on August 3, 1938, in Namwon, South Korea)[1] is an American architect and urban planner, who worked for firms in Washington, San Francisco, and San Diego before founding his own firm in 1984 in San Diego, California.[2]  In addition to planning and designing projects throughout the world, Kim was responsible for many buildings and spaces in his chosen home-town of San Diego, making him one of its most recognized architects.[3][4][5] With his largest projects, Kim blended his vision, training, and cultural heritage to create noteworthy landmarks.[5][6][7][8][9]

Biography

Early Life

C.W. Kim, whose given name is Chong Wan Kim, was born in Namwon, Chung Buk Province, South Korea.  Kim's childhood was difficult. He was born when Japan had annexed Korea and conscripted its resources for World War II. Then, Kim was separated from his father and siblings throughout the Korean War.[1]  Nonetheless, young Kim won top prizes in District school painting competitions.  His early aptitude in art and math, together with encouragement from his teachers and older brother, inspired Kim to pursue architecture at the age of 14.[6]

Education and Licensing

Kim was admitted into the five-year undergraduate degree program in architecture at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.[6]   After graduating in 1965, Kim began work as a draftsman for only $2.50 an hour.  He continued designing in Washington until 1971, when he was 1 of 2 students selected from more than 200 for a Mellon Fellowship that covered his tuition and room for a 3-year, double master's program in architecture and city planning at the University of California, Berkeley.[1][5]  He studied during the tenure of architect and urban design theorist Christopher Alexander and the movement of New Urbanism.  Kim earned his American Institute of Architects (AIA) certification in Washington state in 1971,[10] in California in 1976,[11] and in Georgia in 1996.[12]  He earned his certification from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) in 1975.

Career

Beginning in 1971, although a full-time graduate student, Kim worked as an architect and urban planner at San Francisco firms, including the SWA Group.  In 1978, Kim moved to San Diego because the City was not yet developed and he wanted to have an impact on it's skyline and landscape.[6] He joined San Diego's oldest and largest firm, Hope Consulting Group, founded by Frank L. Hope, AIA.[5][13]  With the Hope firm, Kim first went to Saudi Arabia to design a variety of schools and commercial projects.  In 1980, he began working on the San Diego skyline as Hope's Director of Design for the First National Bank Building[4] and the Intercontinental Hotel,[2][5] while also master planning the new location for the San Diego Convention Center.[4]  Kim became Senior Vice-President and Head Director of Hope in 1983.[6]  In 1984, Kim opened his own firm, C.W. Kim AIA, Architects & Planners, Inc.,[2] where he was undertook design, master planning, and management of a wide range of projects spanning commercial, educational, medical, institutional, transportation, and residential projects throughout the world, including in Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Central America and the United States.[4][6]

Over Kim's years in San Diego, he was responsible for many San Diego landmarks and approved designs.[4]  Among them are the stair-stepped First National Bank Building[4]; the twin-towered, marquis-shaped Hotel Intercontinental;[2][4] the master plan for the San Diego Convention Center district;[4] the crystal-shaped Emerald Center;[8] the sail-shaped Spinnaker Building;[4] the nautical-themed Loews Coronado Bay Resort and Marina;[14][15] the Scripps Clinic and La Jolla Research Laboratory;[4] and, the 100-acre Daley Center.[6]  Kim is credited for having defined San Diego's skyline and has been recognized for his achievements in the United States and abroad.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][13][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

Designs and Planning

The projects for which C.W. Kim is most well-known in the United States are listed in chronological order in this section:

1982: First National Bank Building, San Diego, CA., now known as 1 Columbia Place.[4]  This building is Kim's first downtown San Diego high-rise, a 27-story, 600,000 square foot complex with 3 stories of subterranean parking spanning an entire City block. It departed from the few then existing high-rises, all of which were box-shaped, zoned for single-use office space, and lower. To integrated the proposed high-rise with the then surrounding low-profile neighborhood, Kim used a series of landscaped terraces to scale down the building mass at its base, and symmetrical stair-stepped floors on diagonal planes at the top and bottom of the building, creating an dramatic yet functional design, sensitive to the building's urban context.[23]  Kim's design for a structure linking this building to the then proposed San Diego Convention Center never materialized because the then proposed site was moved,[13] so Kim felt this building was missing its brother, and consequently did not count it among his favorite.[6]

Intercontinental Hotel (first tower)

1984: San Diego Convention Center Master Plan, Intercontinental Hotel, and Marina, San Diego, CA., now known as the Marina District and Marriott Marquis, respectively. This project is the master plan of the 150-acre harborside for the then proposed San Diego Convention Center,[4][24] which includes the Intercontinental Hotel and Marina.[2][4][5]  Kim expressed the national competition design theme, "Pacific Gateway", with two separated, monolithic, and matching, marquis-shaped, 25-story towers angled to form the pillars of a massive gate on the harbor, open to the city beyond.  The first tower was built as Kim conceived the entire project, but subsequently the developer changed architectural firms and the design of the second tower, altering Kim's award-winning design.[7][13][16]  The Hotel includes two 600,000 square foot high rises, both containing 682 guest rooms, specialty restaurants, coffee shops, lobbies, lounges, a ballroom, meeting rooms, and retail shops, plus 1300 parking spaces and a 450-slip marina.[7] The accompanying image is C.W. Kim's award-winning[13][16] first tower.[25]

Emerald Plaza

1988 - 1993: Emerald Center, San Diego, CA., now known as Emerald Plaza.[26] This structure is considered by many to be San Diego's most iconic building.[1][5][8][9] It resembles a cluster of emerald crystals.  Although the project appears as eight separate towers because their heights vary from 18 to 30 stories, it is actually two buildings joined by 2 daylighted 8-story glass atriums, that entailed the difficulty of desiging 10 separate building at once.[5]  The unique octogonal design with its 33-degree angled roofs provided more usable interior space, satisfied the then 400-foot height limitation for the airport, and included state-of-the-art systems to serve the mixed-use 375,000 square foot office tower and 435-room hotel tower, which shared convention facilities, restaurants, health club, banks, and parking.[20][18] Kim is credited for the planning, design, and architecture of this complex project.[2][3][4][5][19][27][21]

1989 - 1991: Loews Coronado Bay Resort and Conference Center, Coronado, CA.  This is a mixed-use development designed as a community, connected together with a five-fingered nautilus design to address the  geographically unique challenges of the 15-acre private peninsula, while echoing the canals and docks of the neighboring homes.  Although it is a 450-room resort hotel with 2 ballrooms, restaurants, 5,000 sqaure foot health club, 5 tennis courts, 25,000 square foot convention facility, and 97-slip marina, it blends with the surrounding community in scale and appearance, provides view corridors, and includes services for neighbors that would otherwise require a 5-mile drive.[14][15][21] Kim designed an expansion for this project in 2000.[4]

1996 - 2000: SKC International Headquarters and ABC Project, Covington, GA.[4] Kim was the designer and Project Architect for the Headquarters of this manufacturing subsidiary of SK Group in the United States.  Kim's master plan includes 4.2 million square feet of industrial space on 380 acres of wooded rural land, with the buildings designed to be built in six phases. It integrates large but low-rise buildings within the framework of the natural setting, and the shapes and locations of the buildings reflect the expected growth pattern for the development and the topography of the site. The Headquarters' office building was completed in the first phase of Kim's commission.[28][29][30]

Timeline of Works

Many of C.W. Kim's projects are listed in chronological order in this section, with all single years indicating the date the project commenced and asterisks indicating projects not built to date:

1978 - 1979: School of Logistic and Transportation, Taif, Saudi Arabia.[4]

1978 - 1982: Votracan Campuses, Saudi Arabia.[4]

1980: Scripps Clinic and Research Laboratory, La Jolla, CA.[4]

1981:  Mercy Hospital Expansion, San Diego, CA.[4]

1982: First National Bank Building, San Diego, CA.  See the discussion in the Designs and Planning section above.

1984: San Diego Convention Center Neighborhood Master Plan, Intercontinental Hotel and Marina, San Diego, CA.  See the discussion in the Designs and Planning section above.

1985 - 1989: Murphy Canyon Retail Center now known as Daley Center, San Diego, CA.[6][20][22]

1986: Murphy Canyon Commercial Complex, San Diego, CA.*[20][22]

1986: Sorrento Gateway, San Diego, CA.*[20][22]

2001: The Pacific Trade Center, Los Angeles, CA.*[5][6]

1988 - 1993: Emerald Center, San Diego, CA.  See the discussion in the Designs and Planning section above.

1989 - 1991: Loews Coronado Bay Resort and Conference Center, Coronado, CA.  See the discussion in the Designs and Planning section above.

1990 - 1993: The Sun Dial House, La Jolla, CA.  This was C.W. Kim's residence. He described this project as his most personal work of art. It reflects Kim's cultural heritage, emphasizing nature, elegance, harmony, and beauty, in a "sequences of surprises".[21][31]

1992:  Shapery Penthouse at Emerald Plaza, San Diego, CA.

1993:  Urey Hall Office Annex, University of California, San Diego, CA.

1995:  Wal-Chool Mountain National Park Resort, South Korea.*[4][22]

1995 - 2002: Whang's OB-GYN Private Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.[4] This structure is C.W. Kim's architectural interpretation of Henry Moore's sculpture "Mother & Child: Hood".[22]

1998-2001: Commuter Rail Transportation Facilities and Infrastructure, San Diego, CA.

1998 - 2002: SKC International Headquarters and ABC Project, Covington, GA.  See the discussion in the Designs and Planning section above.

2000: The Spinnaker Building, San Diego, CA.*[4][22]

2000: Citron Residence, San Diego, CA.

2000: Metropolis, San Diego, CA.*[4]

2003: Tae Kwal-Lyong Resort, South Korea.*[4]

2004: Center City Tower and Palace Site Hotel, Libya.*

2004 - 2010: Oceanside Hotel, Oceanside, CA.[32]

2006 - 2008: Mixed Resort Development, Panama.*[4]

2008: Columbia Tower, San Diego, CA.*

2021:  Avatar, San Diego.*

Awards, Honors, and Civic Activities

1983:  The NewSchool of Architecture, San Diego, CA., Founding Instructor[33]

1992:  The University of San Diego, CA., Trustee[1]

1993: Building Owner's & Manager's Association[19]

1995:  Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA., Trustee[1]

2008:  GoldSea, "The 100 Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All Time, #82 C.W. Kim".[1]

Personal Life

In 1966, C.W. Kim married Dong Jin Kim (from another Kim clan), and thereafter they devoted their lives to his career.[1] Kim continued oil painting throughout his life, and also sculpted, and designed furniture.[6][34]

Legacy

C.W. Kim drew upon his cultural heritage, education, and vision to create functional spaces and noteworthy structures. He worked on a wide range of projects throughout the world, including the San Diego skyline, to show that beauty and harmony can exist between natural and man-made structures.[1][3][4][5][6][13]

Gallery

  • Emerald Center Exterior Rendering
    Emerald Center Exterior Rendering

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 "Architect C. W. Kim 1/2 | Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All Time | Asian American Personalities | GOLDSEA". goldsea.com. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Spaulding, Richard (April 19, 1991). "Emerald City - Architect's Art, Builder's Dream Redefine Skyline". San Diego Evening Tribune.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Showley, Roger M. (September 2, 1990). "Hexagonal Towers Emerge Downtown". The San Diego Union.
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 Biberman, Thor Kamban (November 13, 2000). "Kim's Influence Seen in San Diego's Skyline". San Diego Daily Transcript.
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Novarro, Leonard (September 1993). "Nature's Way: With Ideas Borrowed From The Great Outdoors, A Korean-Born Architect Is Transforming The Face Of San Diego." Asia, Inc. p.72
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 Omundson, Paul (April 21, 1986). "Korean Heritage Influences Architect's Work". Los Angeles Times. pp. Entertainment & Arts.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Parry, Bill (February 15, 1981). "Twin Towers: 'The Pacific Gateway'". The San Diego Union.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "San Diego: An "Emerald City" for a Growing Skyline: Eight Green Towers in a Hotel-Office Center". The New York Times. May 15, 1988.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Ground Breaking Slated For Emerald-Shapery Center". Los Angeles Times. August 16, 1987.
  10. ↑ Washington State Department of Licensing. https://professions.dol.wa.gov/s/license-lookup. Ret'd March 3, 2026.
  11. ↑ "DCA - Search Details". search.dca.ca.gov. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  12. ↑ "Georgia One Stop". goals.sos.ga.gov. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Kaiser, Kay (January 20, 1985). "C.W. Kim and His Designs on the City." The San Diego Union.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lawrence, Herb (February 22, 1991). "A Crown Jewel". San Diego Evening Tribune.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Rider, Alan (September 29, 1991). "Loews' Crowning Touches". San Diego Union Tribune.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Kaiser, Kay (February 10, 1985). "The Hotel Tower's Ungraceful Twin." The San Diego Union.
  17. ↑ Rodie, Robin(Jul/Aug 1991). "Emerald Shapery Center Crystallizes Downtown San Diego". Commercial Leasing Update, p.8.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "The Right Mix" and "A Smart Building." San Diego Metropolitan Magazine. April 1991, pp 33-36.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Showley, Roger M. (September 19, 1993) "Local Office Buildings Award". The San Diego Union, pp H-27.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 "Korean Architects In The United States: Chong Wan Kim." (February 1986). Architectural Culture, Special Issue, pp 10-11, 28-33. (South Korea)
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 "Three Foreign Architectures of Chong Wan Kim." (September 1993) Architectural Culture, pp 148-161. (South Korea)
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 "C.W. Kim." Architectural Culture. June 1995, pp.256-265 (South Korea)
  23. ↑ Parry, Bill (June 8, 1990). "Skyline Will Soon Soar to New Heights." The San Diego Union.
  24. ↑ The master planned area was originally named the Embarcadero but is now designated as the Marina district.  Many substantial structures were subsequently constructed on Kim's master planned area, including the 1 million square foot San Diego Convention Center, two 600-room Hyatt Hotel buildings, and a 1300-room Hilton Hotel. See, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina,_San_Diego)
  25. ↑ Nehrams2020 (25 April 2009). "MarriottHotelTower1SanDiegoApr09". Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved March 26, 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  26. ↑ Nehrams2020 (25 April 2009). "EmeraldPlazaSanDiegoApr09.jpg". Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved March 26, 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  27. ↑ Jarmusch, Ann (September 26, 1990). "His Dream Crystallizes." The San Diego Evening Tribune.
  28. ↑ Mills, Tamela S. (October 30, 1999). "A Korean Success Story in Covington." The Covington News.
  29. ↑ SKC International Headquarters' website, which includes details about this project, is: http://www.skci.com/eng/Conmmunication/news/newsDetail.do?menuCd=003002&seq=307
  30. ↑ History of SK Group subsidiaries in Covington, Georgia. https://www.micro-works.us/about/history/history.do
  31. ↑ Rice, Dave (April 12, 2018).  "C.W. Kim's Sundial House". The San Diego Reader.
  32. ↑ "Oceanside City Council Approves [Hotel] Overlooking Harbor". San Diego Union Tribune. July 21, 2005
  33. ↑ "Kim Joins NSA." San Diego Daily Transcript. May 8, 1983.
  34. ↑ Nissen, LuAnn; Faulkner, Ray; Faulkner, Sarah (1994). Inside Today's Home, Special Edition. "Foundations Of Design." Ted Buchholz.



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