JWA

What JWA does

JWA (Jin & Woo Architects, 건축사사무소 제이더블유) is a privately held architecture and urban design practice co-founded in Chicago in 2018 by Jaeho Jin and Junghyo Woo, which relocated its headquarters to Seoul, South Korea in 2022. The firm provides architectural design, urban design, interior design, and product design services, with a portfolio weighted toward Korean public-sector buildings — government complexes, community centers, museums, cultural facilities, sports centers, and educational institutions. Its core technical approach emphasizes courtyard and atrium spatial organization, multi-level outdoor terraces, grid-based facade systems, double-skin envelopes, and adaptive reuse of old and new structures, all delivered through manual design workflows without any disclosed AI or software-product layer.

The firm's go-to-market is sales-led and competition-driven: JWA actively participates in international and Korean domestic architectural design competitions to win commissions from municipal and district government clients, with placements including 2nd Prize at Gocheock 1-dong Government Complex (2021), 3rd Prize at Ochang Complex Community Center (2022), Honorable Mention at Youngcheon City Museum (2022), and earlier recognition through the Chicago Women in Architecture Award, AIA Chicago Benn-Johnck Award, and Archiprix International nomination (2017-2018). Revenue is generated through professional design fees negotiated on a project-by-project basis and is not publicly disclosed. The customer base is concentrated in Korean public-sector entities, with recurring co-development partnerships with firms such as RePLATFORM, SNB, MPART, SBMA, Beacon Hill Engineering, dnb architects, EXPERIENCE, and ISOENV used to assemble competition teams. Brand visibility is built through a portfolio website, organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), academic lectures, and earned media coverage in outlets such as designboom.

Name

JWA

Legal name

JWA, Jin & Woo Architects

Website

https://jwaarchitecture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

JWA is a small Seoul-based architecture and urban design practice founded in 2018 by Jaeho Jin and Junghyo Woo, providing architectural, interior, and urban design services to Korean municipal governments through public-sector design competitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Public building design
• Urban design
• Cultural facility design
• Government complex design

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Revenue generated from architectural design fees for competition entries, concept design, schematic design, design development, and construction administration services for public and private sector projects in South Korea and internationally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JWA is an architecture and urban design firm that provides full-service architectural design from concept through construction administration for public and private sector projects. Core work centers on government complexes, district offices, community centers, sports facilities, museums, libraries, and educational institutions, acquired primarily through participation in architectural design competitions in South Korea and internationally.

Product overview

JWA (Jin & Woo Architects) is an architecture and urban design firm founded in Chicago in 2018 and relocated to Seoul in 2022. The firm offers architectural design services as its core product, complemented by urban design, interior design, and product design modules. Their portfolio includes a diverse range of notable projects spanning cultural institutions (museums, libraries), public facilities (government complexes, community centers, youth centers, sports centers), and urban developments. Key projects include the Seoul Bandabi Sports Center Expansion, Youngcheon City Museum, Ochang Community Center, Gocheock 1-dong Government Complex, City Main Library Gwangju, Seoul Photographic Art Museum, Seoul Education Hub, Bridgeport Innovation Center in Chicago, and World Writing Museum. The firm is led by principals Jaeho Jin and Junghyo Woo and collaborates with various international and local architecture partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural design from concept through construction administration for public and private sector projects including new construction, expansion, and renovation, delivered primarily to Korean government and cultural institution clients.
• Urban Design Urban planning and design services focusing on public spaces, government complexes, and community-oriented developments, integrated with JWA's architectural practice.
• Interior Design Interior space planning and design services integrated with architectural projects, supporting the firm's building commissions.
• Product Design Design services for products and spatial elements complementing architectural solutions, extending the firm's design capabilities beyond building-scale work.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won 1st Place at Chicago Women in Architecture Award (2018) and Benn-Johnck Award, AIA Chicago (2018)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• RePLATFORM (지역도시건축사사무소 리플래폼)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJWA collaborated with RePLATFORM on the Ochang Complex Community Center design competition, winning 3rd Prize in 2022. RePLATFORM is a Korean local urban architecture firm.
• SNB ArchitectureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJWA collaborated with SNB on multiple projects including Youngcheon City Museum (Honorable Mention, 2022) and City Main Library Gwangju (Entry, 2020).
• MPARTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJWA collaborated with MPART, SBMA, and SNB on the Jongno-Gu Government Complex international competition entry in 2020.
• SBMAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJWA collaborated with MPART, SBMA, and SNB on the Jongno-Gu Government Complex international competition entry in 2020.
• Beacon Hill EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJWA collaborated with Beacon Hill Engineering and dnb architects on the Daegu Complex Power Plant Integrated design competition, winning 3rd Prize in 2020.
• dnb architectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJWA collaborated with Beacon Hill Engineering and dnb architects on the Daegu Complex Power Plant Integrated design competition, winning 3rd Prize in 2020.
• EXPERIENCEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJWA collaborated with EXPERIENCE and ISOENV on the World Writing Museum National Museum competition in 2017.
• ISOENVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJWA collaborated with EXPERIENCE and ISOENV on the World Writing Museum National Museum competition in 2017.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Unsangdong Architects: Korean architecture studio recognized for public and community-oriented buildings, including libraries, museums, and civic facilities. Similar competition-driven approach and Korean municipal client base as JWA.
• Hyunjoon Yoo Architects: Seoul-based practice led by Hyunjoon Yoo with strong focus on public architecture, community facilities, and cultural buildings. Comparable to JWA in project type and Korean competition-driven business model.
• MASS Studies: Renowned Seoul-based architecture practice known for cultural, civic, and public buildings (including Seoul Photographic Art Museum). Comparable to JWA in Korean municipal competition participation and cultural-institution portfolio focus.
• architecture studio hAND: Korean architecture firm where JWA co-founder Junghyo Woo previously worked. Operates at similar small-to-mid scale on diverse project types including residential and cultural work in Korea.
• Tomoon Architects & Engineers: Korean architecture firm where both JWA co-founders (Jaeho Jin and Junghyo Woo) previously worked. Operates at similar scale on residential, cultural, and public projects in Korea, making it a direct comparable for JWA's positioning and project mix.

Broad incumbents

• CannonDesign: Large US-based architecture and engineering firm where co-founder Junghyo Woo worked as Project Designer. Comparable in professional services breadth and design process, illustrating the maturity JWA can target as it scales.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture and engineering firm where both JWA co-founders previously worked. Provides a benchmark for the caliber of large-scale civic and commercial work JWA principals are trained to deliver.
• Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (ASGG): Global architecture firm where co-founder Jaeho Jin worked as Senior Project Designer on landmark towers. Represents the upper end of project scale and technical sophistication that JWA principals can credibly pursue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JWA.arch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jwaarchitecture
• Instagraminstagram.com/jwa_arch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about JWA