Kayeon Lee, AIA

Kayeon (Kay) brings extensive experience in the design and delivery of complex, large-scale residential and workplace projects in New York City and beyond. Since joining COOKFOX in 2022, Kay has worked on Strathmore Square, a mixed-use residential development in Bethesda, Maryland, and The Willow, a residential tower in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood. She is currently at work on several multi-family residential projects, including developments in Tribeca and West Palm Beach, Florida. Kay also plays a key role in early-stage design efforts and RFP submissions for new project pursuits.

Kay began her architecture career in 2005 at TEN Arquitectos in New York City and later joined Studio Daniel Libeskind, building a foundation in concept-driven projects with significant urban and formal complexity. Her portfolio includes 111 West 57th Street with SHoP Architects—where she carried the project from design through construction—and the Google Caribbean Campus in Sunnyvale, California, during her time at Bjarke Ingels Group. She has also contributed to major projects in Singapore, Susono, Japan, and Songdo, South Korea.

With deep expertise in translating zoning analysis into viable massing strategies, Kay enjoys solving the multi-family residential puzzles that require both high efficiency and creativity, aligning design intent with space planning and constructability. She is particularly interested in the intersection of real estate development and the architectural process and the value it brings to cities and communities.

Outside the studio, Kay is active in Columbia University’s ACE program, mentoring students pursuing careers in architecture, and has taught graduate design studios at The New School and the University of California, Los Angeles.