Sae Kim, AIA

Sae Kim, AIA

Kim is a principal at Boston’s CBT Architects, where his projects from around the world have been recognized with a slew of honors and awards. In Abu Dhabi, Kim led a design team in developing a scalable and sustainable methodology for addressing urban heat in extremely hot environments. The program includes a suite of pilot projects at three typological sites: pocket parks, mosque plazas, and urban intersections. Eschewing a one-size-fits-all approach, Kim’s innovative approach explores multiple cooling strategies based on in-depth analyses of each site.

Closer to home, Kim was the lead designer for The Sudbury in Boston, transforming a 2,300-car garage where six neighborhoods converge into a graceful addition to the city’s skyline. He is also leading the design for 585 Kendall in Cambridge, a super-hybrid building where performance, music, community, and life sciences meet. When completed next year, the building will offer a new community-focused paradigm for laboratory buildings.

Kim is a dedicated mentor, and, beyond sharing his considerable knowledge in public forums, he has informally supported many aspiring architects. Within his firm, he recognized disparities in internship experiences and remedied them by establishing the Summer Internship Research Program. Now entering its ninth year, the program underscores both his and CBT’s commitment to elevating the intern’s journey through the profession. Kim has also been a guest advisor and visiting faculty at distinguished higher education institutions like Harvard University and Rhode Island School of Design.

Through his keen understanding of the ways in which architecture is now driven by rapid technological shifts, Kim has remained in the vanguard of professionals focused on integrating established wisdom with today’s advancements. The interactive exhibition Balancing Art: Urbanism & Emerging Technologies, which Kim curated for the Boston Society of Architects in 2019, gathered professionals and the public to explore best practices to make our cities more liveable and equitable. The chapter’s board rewarded his vision and accomplishments with the Earl R. Flansburgh Young Designers Award at its annual gala in 2022.

With his commitment to design excellence and exploration, Kim has been a consistently positive influence on the profession. As an advocate and enthusiastic leader, he will continue to make significant contributions to the practice of architecture.