MADELEINE SUNG
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Peace Corps | Nkhata Bay, Malawi
Secondary English Teacher | May 2017 - September 2019
• Taught English literature and language lessons weekly to 86 students
• Awarded a $5,000 USAID funded grant to build a complete library structure
• Procured materials and managed construction of the new facility
• Facilitated after school clubs promoting gender equity and sustainability
TASSEL (NGO) | Battambang, Cambodia and Seoul, South Korea
Founding Member, Teacher and Tutor | 2012-2014
• Taught English to children at Children’s Hope Organization in Cambodia
• Tutored North Korean defectors in South Korea for 2 hrs/wk online
Syracuse University | Florence, Italy
Semester abroad | August - December 2014
RoundSquare at Daly College | Indore, India
Semester abroad | June - August 2010
WORK EXPERIENCE
Brooks + Scarpa Architecture Office | Hawthorne, CA
Intern, Junior Designer | Summer 2022, Nov. 2023-Feb. 2024
• Created Grasshopper scripts to establish a comprehensive library for the office
• Generated illustrations and animations for government projects in the Middle East
• Crafted digital 3D models of the University of Florida School of Architecture
• Assisted with designing a master plan for King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh
STUDIOHAU | Los Angeles, CA
Architectural Designer | Nov. 2024-Jan. 2025
• Created 3D digital models of a Convention Center Hotel and Spa in Lijiang, China
• Modified the digital models of a housing project in Lijiang, China
A+D Architecture and Design Museum | Los Angeles, CA
Project Manager | Aug. 2016-May 2017
• Fundraised for the annual gala - Celebrate: DTLA
• Organized collection of artist and architect designed postcards for fundraiser
DOSU Studio ARCHITECTURE | Los Angeles, CA
Architectural Designer | Summer 2021, Nov. 2021 -Feb. 2022, Summer 2024
• Used ANSYS to test viability of Smog Diffusing Panels as a prototype
• Fabricated a self-spinning turbine prototype
• Participated in design and production for Louis Vuitton flagship store in Shanghai
• Assembled and designed an installation for Craft Contemporary Museum in Los Angeles
Mellon Research Fellow
Mead Art Museum, Amherst, MA | Summer 2014
• Designed website/exhibition, “Unlocking Wonder: A Peek into the World of Luxury Cabinets”
Assistant Coach Volunteer, Amherst Women’s Tennis | 2015-2016
• Advised players during season matches
8 BUGGY WHIP DRIVE, ROLLING HILLS, CA 90274
CONTACT
mgsung16@gmail.com
Rolling Hills, CA
Madeleine Sung
EDUCATION
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
M.ARCH | 2023
William Kinne Fellows Traveling Prize
Student Council President Student Council Representative +1-424-634-0802
AMHERST COLLEGE
B.A. Architecture Studies | 2016
Thesis: “Disaster-Relief, Political Refugee and Internment Camps: Seeking Freedoms Within Regulated Environments” Varsity Tennis, 2012-2016 Varsity Tennis Team Captain, 2016
SKILLS
microcosm of paradox (2023)
dis(PLACE)ment (2022)
sanctuary (2022)
technical sponge (2021)
nourish (2021)
minor exuberance (2021)
miniature vernacular (ongoing)
the BRAID (2023-2024)
ministry of environment, water and agriculture (2022-2023)
DCP collaboratory (2021-2022)
berkeley station (2021-2022)
balboa properties (2023-2024)
louis vuitton flagship store (2021)
smog-eating panels (2020-2023)
some of the parts make a whole (2024)
Lijiang Hotspring Hotel and Spa
Lijiang Housing Cluster
Chikwina CDSS Library
ADVANCED STUDIO
Columbia University Spring 2023
Faculty Advisors
Paulo Taveres
Claudia Tomateo
microcosm of paradox
We live in a world of paradoxes, large and small. Paradox in regards to reparations are not as communicated. I have designed 3 small scale exhibits to varying degrees of resolution that demonstrate my internal struggles with the concepts of reparations. “Respect or Suspect” is meant to interrogate how one might perceive bowing - is it respect or subservience? “Take a Seat” speaks about power resulting in the oppression of others or is it rising with support of others? “Unrewarding Resilience” is a dining table of teamwork, but can it be trusted? Each exhibit speaks to a different narrative and are read as individual projects to a larger collection. This project was presented as a series of models and lenticular drawings that emphasize how one must change perspectives in order to gain any deeper understanding. You must physically change your perspective in order to view the drawings.
ADVANCED STUDIO
Columbia University Fall 2022
Faculty Advisors
Marc Tsurumaki
Collaborators
Anya Ray
In light of the current refugee situation and specifically New York City’s recent declaration of emergency regarding asylum seekers, we wanted to look into how we might be able to aid in this crisis. We wanted to design an emergency housing project that keeps in mind the major topics of the studio - thickness and materiality. For thickness we looked at multiple layers - the thickness of the site to our building, the thickness of a conical massing we looked at and the thickness of the wall and facade. We thickened the initial cones to act as a buffer from the high energy of the heart of New York City. The thickness of the cone became the space of the new housing units. And finally, the thickness of the facade becomes functional as storage and as aperture. The unit is thoughtfully designed with emergency housing in mind which lends it to be a very capsule-like system. The beds and storage spaces are built and carved out of the thickness of this radial wall within the cone and is reiterated with the facade being a modular box system that when intersecting with the original conical massing makes interesting storage spaces as well as apertures.
ADVANCED STUDIO
Columbia University Spring 2022
Faculty Advisors
Nahyun Huang
Collaborators
Shuyang Huang
We chose three programs to serve different communities affected directly or indirectly by the carceral system. We deliberately dispersed our programs through different abandoned sites in Poughkeepsie, aiming to both serve those who were previously incarcerated and the larger community. The first intervention is a play zone and apartments for single mothers and children who were affected by the carceral system, the second is a renovation of an existing building into an urban farm and community kitchen that works with Sweet Freedom Farm and Victory Bus Project providing vocational training for those affected by the incarceration system, and our final site is a residential annex that links those previously incarcerated with Dutchess Community College, family services and advocacy support programs.
Technology Sequence IV
Columbia University Fall 2021
Faculty Advisors
Berardo Matalucci
Collaborators
Maxine Gao
Kim Langat
Cecile Kim
Peter Walhout
The construction of a building is essentially a part-to-whole problem. It involves the complex integration of multiple building components, systems and processes into a synthetic whole. Along with my group partners and multiple different consultants in structural, design and mechanical, we completed a full SD, DD and CD set. We were able to design a buildable well-integrated structure through design and application. Overall, we worked through the technical and construction aspects of architecture with thought and consideration of the structural form, environmental systems, materials, construction methods and fire protection elements.
CORE III Studio
Columbia University
Fall 2021
Faculty Advisors
Esteban deBacker
Collaborators
Anya Ray
With this housing project, we challenge the standards of living in New York. The aim of this project is to nourish the community with nature, food, community relationships and autonomy of space. The major driving factor of our project is to provide an artificial landscape that can be the source of healthful living to its residents. Our overall strategy is to create a system of terraces that create an artificial landscape that has the ability to connect the site as a whole, individual to community, inside and outside, and encourages healthful living through nourishment of relationships with food, the collective and self. We propose that a vital aspect of living is to be able to commune with nature, have ownership and appreciate community.
CORE II Studio
Columbia University Spring 2021
Faculty Advisors Erica Goetz
minor exuberance
Play is our human instinct. We play to experience joy, to exercise our creativity and to explore the world. We play to learn cooperation, flexibility and grit—arguably the most important traits an individual can possess in our time. And, perhaps most critically, it is through unfettered play that we learn.
The word minor has multiple meanings. It can relate to a minor key in music, or race and ethnicity, but also to minor age and something that is “lesser” and deemed not as important. This school brings the children to the top of the pyramid so to speak and I designed the space around the experience and exuberance of a child. Exuberance is experienced through the winding pathways and nooks and crannies in the forms of the building. My strategy incorporates the scale of the adult vs child and programs that equalize, enhance and separate the adult and child. This school is designed for the exuberance of children.
GRAPHIC ARTS PROJECT
Columbia University Spring 2023 (2018, Ongoing)
Faculty Advisors
Yoonjai Choi
African vernacular, or traditional building practices of various indigenous communities throughout Africa, is oftentimes characterized by the use of locally-sourced materials and construction techniques that are adapted to the specific environmental, social, and cultural conditions of each region. In Southeast Africa, the availability of material is scarce and government mandated construction practices dominate the vernacular style of family homes, rendering them generic brick boxes with minimal customization or embellishment. In contrast, the ubiquitous hen house, or chicken coop, adjacent to all Malawian houses is designed and decorated extensively, revealing a new level of miniature architecture that better embodies the personality and culture of the region. While in Malawi, Africa in 2017-2019 as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I discovered these hidden gems and began documenting a number of unique chicken houses. So far, I have amassed a collection of over 150 hen houses. I plan to host a physical and virtual exhibition as well as publish a book that provides detailed and comprehensive overview of the various syle, designs and construction techniques.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
Brooks+Scarpa Architects
2023-2024
Site
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Team
Larry Scarpa
Jeff Huber
Carlos Garcia
Wendy Guerrero
Matthew Hunt
Responsibility
Digital modeling
Drawing diagrams
the BRAID
The Braid master plan for King Abdullah Financial District is grounded in human-scaled design principles that are attuned to climate and sustainability issues, blending ecology and culture. The vision is to create a place where the desert comes to life with a sustainable and self-supporting landscape of shade, habitat, recreation, and water reclamation that embraces forward-thinking approaches to urban mobility, a healthy lifestyle and a shaded network of trees and pedestrian experiences that create an authentic garden city.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
Brooks+Scarpa Architects 2023-2024
Site Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Team
Larry Scarpa
Jeff Huber
Eric Mosher
Iliya Muzychuk
Yeawon Min
Responsibility
Digital modeling (Rhino, Revit)
Grasshopper coding
Drawing diagrams
ministry of environment, water and agriculture
The Ministry of Environment Water and Agriculture (MEWA) complex, emphasizes a blend of environmental friendliness and cultural respect, integrating shops, public amenities, and green spaces to promote natural light, ventilation, and a pleasant microclimate. This approach not only fosters a healthier workplace but also aligns with Saudi traditions of generosity and hospitality, aiming to transform the dynamics of community, work, and recreation within a modern, sustainable framework.
In this project, I assisted with completing the 3D digital model in both Rhino and Revit, developed the Grasshopper script to place various panels onto the facade, and created presentation diagrams.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
Brooks+Scarpa Architects 2022
Site
University of Florida
Team
Larry Scarpa
Jeff Huber
Eric Mosher
Levi Richardson
Responsibility
Drawing diagrams
Digital modeling
Grasshopper coding
DCP Collaboratory, University of Florida
The new Collaboratory Building for the University of Florida’s School of Design Construction and Planning will add nearly 50,000 square feet to the existing College of Design Construction and Planning building, which will also undergo a significant remodel. The new building will include reconfigurable, multi-functional space which students, faculty and staff can collaborate on a formal or informal basis, Research Hubs, which will house all DCP research centers and institutes such that faculty and graduate students can freely exchange ideas and work collaboratively to undertake high impact research that shapes the world that we live in by addressing critical societal challenges.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
Brooks+Scarpa Architects 2022
Site
Santa Monica, CA
Team
Larry Scarpa
Fui Svrikson
Yeawon Min
Responsibility
Drafting
Visualization
Material Selection
berkeley station
Berkeley Station is a four-story development featuring 13 units, designed to provide both supportive transitional housing and permanent residences for transition-age youth and low-income families. Located in a northeastern Santa Monica neighborhood, the project uses prefabricated modular construction to streamline building. Funding for Berkeley Station comes from five sources, including a $1 million grant from LA County’s Housing Innovation Challenge Grant, awarded to the NEST Toolkit. This toolkit is a modular system of components adaptable to various project types and lot sizes, allowing customization for specific neighborhoods. Berkeley Station serves as a test-fit demonstration project for the NEST Toolkit, which is being developed with PlantPrefab and the Community Corporation of Santa Monica to enable faster, more affordable construction on urban lots.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
Brooks+Scarpa Architects 2023-2024
Site Redlands, CA
Team
Larry Scarpa
Jennifer Doublet
Eva Besmerti
Matthew Hunt
Responsibility
Created physical models
Drawing diagrams
Drawing plans
balboa properties
This is a multi-family residence complex in Redlands, CA currently in the SD phase.
The units are made with a modular system of 3 different sized layouts that are reconfigured in a layout to create pockets of courtyards. Each configuration ensures that the plumbing is stacked on top of one another.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
DOSU Studio Architecture
2020
Site
Shanghai, China
Team
Doris Sung
Esther Ho
Morphosis
Responsibility
Digital modeling
Drawing diagrams
Designing patterning
Louis Vuitton Flagship Store Proposal
This facade design uses a space-frame structure to suspend a dynamic thermobimetal surface behind glass. This logo-inspired design can block the sun during the day and at night when cool can become transparent to expose a four-story LED screen to the public. Treating the facade assembly like a skirt, new routes to reach the VIP lounge and rooftop are now accessible by a grand staircase adjacent to the LED screen.
Because the thermobimetal rotates to make the gold surface opaque, it blocks the sun from entering the building at the hottest times of day from 12-6pm. Energy-savings and glare control make it easy for shoppers. At night when the facade relaxes and exposes the LED screen located to the rear of the thermobimetal surface, a completely different reading of the building occurs. The city becomes engaged with the store throughout the evening through video feed and branded activity.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
DOSU Studio Architecture 2021-2023
Site
Los Angeles, CA
Team
Doris Sung
Esther Ho
Mitul Luhar
Ivan Bermejo-Moreno
Noah Seder
Responsibility
Digital modeling
Testing for application
smog-eating panels
This innovative building facade panel can control air flow and filtration at a micro-level by using the solar chimney or stack effect. With a multidisciplinary team of designers, aerospace engineers, public health experts and public policy makers, we can passively increase air movement on the inside and top surface of a 3-d printed panel. An articulated building surface directs air flow through filters AND increases surface area for maximum UV exposure and H20 drainage for photocatalytic air cleaning. The result is clean-air pockets in urban canyons.
Despite public policies requiring more efficient automobile engines and cleaner fuels, outdoor air pollution is on the rise in cities worldwide. A high incidence of air pollutant-caused heart and lung diseases is found in the urban poor who live in congested and stressed socio-economic conditions. Mitigating pollution to address public health impacts has increasingly become a crisis that even architecture must be called upon to address. The immense amount of square footage on the urban side of a building’s envelope can be tapped as a new type of infrastructure for supporting public works and mitigating public health problems.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
DOSU
Studio Architecture
2024
Site
Craft Contemporary Museum
Los Angeles, CA
Team
Doris Sung
Ryan Chang
Eric Yu
Akshay Atapattu
Justin Zhu
Responsibility
Digital modeling
Fabrication
Installation
some of the parts make a whole
The DOSU Studio Architecture team installed this project at the Craft Contemporary Museum in Los Angeles. It showcases a light, shell-like structure made from interlocking thermal bimetal pieces. This heat-reactive installation responds to temperature changes by creating pores that open when exposed to a heat lamp. The dynamic design highlights how materials can interact with their environment, transforming in response to heat, and offering a unique sculptural experience.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
StudioHAU 2024-2025
Site
Lijiang, China
Team
Yo Hakamori
Jose Botello-Herrera
Responsibility
Digital Modeling Drawings
Lijiang Hotspring Hotel and Spa
Design for a Hotel Convention Center and Spa in Lijiang China that is comprised of a hotel with a convention center as well as multiple spas. The entrance to the spa is on the lowest level of the hotel that leads you through a plaza into a forest that holds two main spa buildings. Both spas maintain a sense of privacy with the surrounding forest and views to Snow Mountain.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
StudioHAU 2024-2025
Site
Lijiang, China
Team
Yo Hakamori
Jose Botello-Herrera
Responsibility
Digital Modeling
Autocad Drawings
Lijiang Housing Cluster
The design for the housing cluster in Lijiang takes a spin on the traditional housing structures adapted with a modern flare. The units are modular and are organized so that each unit maintain privacy from the public and each other as well as preserving views to Lijiang.
INTERNATIONAL WORK
Peace Corps 2017-2019
Site
Chikwina, Malawi, Africa
Team
Head Teacher, Macnoel Mbotwa
Group Village Headman, Starling Kondowe
Responsibility
Grant writing
Material sourcing
Community outreach
Chikwina CDSS Library
During my service with the Peace Corps in Malawi, I partnered with USAID to write a grant aimed at building a much-needed library for my village, Chikwina, in Nkhata Bay. The existing library was a small, unwelcoming closet that was barely functional, offering little value to the community.
I played a pivotal role in material sourcing, coordinating the procurement of construction supplies, and worked on fundraising initiatives to gather the necessary financial support. Additionally, I collaborated with head teachers, fellow educators, community leaders, and key stakeholders to develop a plan for a proper library, ensuring that the library would be a welcoming and sustainable space for both students and community members.
