Youn’s striking black-and-white images of the architectural models we made using 3-D printing — They were part of an ambitious city-block-sized expansion concept for the modern, metal-clad Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisville, as well as the large, multimedia installation that Youn and Doug unveiled for the European Cultural Center’s “Time Space Existence” exhibition in Venice (May to November 2025). The installation’s purpose: To demonstrate how a large commercial development in an urban setting can indeed answer the AIA’s call for all public buildings to be net zero and carbon neutral by 2030. Doug and Youn have the data from six months of rigorous research. These models are now happily ensconced in Brooks Hall, NCSU College of Design, Raleigh. #ncstateuniversity #collegeofdesign #3dprinting #netzero #carbonneutral
Construction continues on the Ogden Beach House. The designers — Doug Pierson and Youn Choi of pod architecture + design — like to picture the owners relaxing on their lofty new deck overlooking the intracoastal waterway just north of Wrightsville Beach. It won’t be long now!
#beachhouse #woodconstruction #wrightsvillebeach #residentialrenovation #podarchitectureanddesign
The Ogden House (aka, “a house overlooking the intracoastal waterway in Ogden, NC…”) sports new waterfront stairs made of stacks of thick wood planks. Imagine the wood’s patina after weathering… #beach #beachhouse #wooddecking #coastal community #ogdennc
Doug & Youn have been asked to serve on the jury panel for METAL ARCHITECTURE mag.’s 2026 Design Awards! This photo was taken while they were setting up their amazing installation for the European Cultural Center’s “Time Space Existence” Exhibition in Venice.
#podarchitectureanddesign #metalarchitecture #designawards #modernarchitecture
An updated model of pod a+d’s concept for a block-sized expansion project at Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisville, previously on display in Venice, Italy, during the Time Space Existence exhibition. It will soon be on display in the lobby of the School of Architecture, College of Design, NC State University. Gray forms represent the 2018 distillery (designed by pod a+d) and repurposed historic structures on site. White sections depict the expansion project. #venice #ncstate #rabbitholedistillery #regenerativedesign #ncstatecollegeofdesign
Under construction: A special table designed and built by NC State University student Sora Pierson with her parents — Youn Choi and Doug Pierson — and William Condra of pod architecture + design. Why special? Because it will soon appear in NC State’s School of Architecture lobby to support an updated model of the block-sized, net zero, carbon neutral expansion project for Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisville, KY, designed by pod a+d that was on display in Venice, Italy, during the 7th “Time Space Existence” biennial exhibition of innovative architecture from around the globe.
#europeanculturalcentre #venicebiennial #rabbitholedistillery #ncstateuniversity #modernarchitecturedesign
Inside the 1930s bungalow that pod a+d is repurposing into three modern apartments at 818 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, NC, partners Doug and Youn have built this plywood wall. As modernist architects know well, plywood is a highly durable, versatile, and cost-effective engineered wood that offers an authentic aesthetic to interiors along with its exterior applications.
#plywood #modernconstruction #adaptivereuse #westasheville #modernapartments
Liberty & Plenty/Wilson’s future Tasting Room viewed from the mezzanine, as pod architecture + design continues the transformation of an old Butler Building into a modern spirits distillery.
#distillery #distillerydesign #adaptivereuse #modernarchitecture #wilsonnc
To accommodate Liberty & Plenty/Wilson’s 45-foot-tall column still, pod a+d inserted a modern “doghouse” tower into the metal building’s otherwise blank roofline. Pictured after the rendering: The steel frame for the doghouse tower.
#architecture #adaptivereuse #butlerbuilding #wilsonnc #libertyandplenty
PAST AS PRECEDENT — Sixty Beverly Hills Hotel & Restaurant, designed by Doug Pierson as partner in (fer) studio. Completed in phases from 2009 to 2022, the project called for completely renovating the 92,000SF hotel’s exterior and interior and restaurant, and adding 2 new levels. One new level is a rooftop lounge and pool surrounded by 12-ft-high frameless glass overlooking downtown LA and the Hollywood Hills. The transformation blends the sophisticated cool of late ‘70s/early ‘80s architecture with the casual chic of California modernism. For more details and photos, go to podand.com, click on “work,” then scroll down to Sixty Beverly Hills.
#hospitalitydesign #renovation #additions #moderndesign #hollywoodhills
The house overlooking the intracoastal waterway has a new wood-slat skin and will have built-in integrated millwork. Pictured here: Pilings for the future second-floor deck.
#beachhouse #renovation #intracoastalwaterway #deck #nccoast
“To be aware of how a building responds to its context, you have to start with a belief in the primacy of the site. It informs everything, down to the material choices. You’re not trying to compete with the landscape, you’re trying to find where the architecture belongs within it.” — Tom Kundig, Olson Kundig, Seattle, WA
