Dongkuk Steel Mill's 'Luxstelier' cohort completes London architecture tour after beating 17-to-1 odds

Dongkuk Steel Mill said Thursday that seven university students selected as the inaugural cohort of the "2026 Songwon Future Architecture Talent Fellowship" — and officially appointed as "Luxstelier" members — successfully completed a week-long architecture tour of the United Kingdom from Aug. 4 to Aug. 10.

Luxstelier is an architecture talent network Dongkuk Steel Mill has operated since 2017 to identify and nurture future talent in the field. It serves as a platform for ongoing exchange among students, professionals and industry through the medium of architecture.

The group launched recruitment for the fellowship's first cohort in May, putting candidates through document screening, interviews and an orientation before wrapping up the roughly three-month process with the UK tour.

The week in the United Kingdom was organized into five themed days: a Historical Day focused on traditional architecture, a Heatherwick Day centered on a tour of Heatherwick Studio, a North London Day, a Central London Day and a Southwest London Day.

Over the course of the week, the first-cohort fellows saw, heard and touched their way through buildings spanning centuries — from Buckingham Palace and Big Ben to the Bloomberg Building, the Leadenhall Building, the Millennium Bridge and Trellick Tower.

Dongkuk Steel Mill said it expects the tour to deepen collaboration between Luxstelier and Heatherwick Studio. The two sides are actively considering a special workshop program built around the studio's "Makers Room" — a dedicated model-making space where staff work with wood, metal and plastic, setting it apart from architecture firms that rely on outside contractors.

Ricardo Sosa-Mejia, the Heatherwick Studio senior associate who led the tour, said the fellows impressed him despite their youth. "The depth and quality of their questions were remarkably high," he said. "Their portfolios were impressive, but what I enjoyed most was hearing how they see and think about the world — it was a very valuable experience for the studio as well."

The seven Luxstelier fellows said the trip changed how they understood architecture. "Architecture you know from studying and architecture you know from direct experience are different things," they said. "It was fascinating to see how many different perspectives could emerge from looking at the same space — it was an experience that broadened our view of architecture."

Dongkuk Steel Mill plans to release individual architecture-tour vlogs for each of the seven fellows — Ko Yu-jin (Konkuk University, architecture, graduate), Kim Se-yeon (Gyeonggi University, architecture, graduate), Baek Seung-jae (Inha University, architecture, current student), Oh Chang-gyeong (Hanyang University Graduate School, architecture, current student), Yoo Ji-hu (Kookmin University, architecture, graduate), Lee Su-bin (Dankook University, architecture, graduate) and Heo Sang-hyeon (Hongik University College of Architecture and Urban Design, interior architecture, current student) — on its official YouTube channel. The group also plans to compile each fellow's personal reflections into an e-book that participants can use as part of their individual portfolios.

A Dongkuk Steel Mill official said the group plans to select the second cohort of the Songwon Future Architecture Talent Fellowship in the first half of next year. "We will develop this into a differentiated program unique to Dongkuk Steel Mill through annual cohort selections," the official said.

The Songwon Future Architecture Talent Fellowship is a new program launched by Dongkuk Steel Mill, maker of the finished eco-friendly architectural cladding material Luxsteel, to provide architecture students with differentiated experiences and growth — framed not as one-off support but as an investment in the future.