Public Architecture at UCLA: Julia Koerner

Architecture is inherently public, and at UCLA we deepen that quality by engaging the city, the community, and the people who inhabit our buildings. The Public Architecture initiative, co-led by UCLA AUD and cityLAB, offers students new skills and perspectives that enhance reciprocity with community partners—particularly those historically underserved and marginalized. Following the recent launch of the Public Architecture initiative, we are pleased to offer a series of “Faculty Spotlights” showcase AUD teachers whose creative work exemplifies the beauty and benefits of Public Architecture.

Today, we feature Julia Koerner, Associate Adjunct Professor and Director of Summer Programs at UCLA AUD, and Creative Director of JK3D.

Public Architecture is funded by UCLA's Center for Community Engagement and responds to the UCLA Strategic Plan’s goal to deepen engagement with Los Angeles.

Public Architecture presents: Julia Koerner
By Carrie Gammell

Julia Koerner is a model of Public Architecture at UCLA AUD. A pioneer in digital fabrication, she has researched and developed iconic, sustainable, and innovative 3D-printed architecture, installations, fashion, and home decor products.

During the 2024–25 academic year, Julia’s MArch third-year research studio, “Fit For the Future: Sustainable 3D printed building facades,” used the anchor of UCLA Downtown, the Trust Building, as a site for bridging building facades with community engagement. Julia prompted students to identify and research a natural system, produce and test physical prototypes, and, ultimately, take the research and testing to a building scale. She collaborated with the Associate Director of the Urban Humanities Initiative, Gus Wendel, and the Associate Director of Public Architecture, Carrie Gammell, throughout the academic year, visiting the Spring Street site and iterating upon the research studio brief, all the while asking the critical question, “How can UCLA Downtown be a good neighbor?” Students researched the material structure and cultural history of the Trust Building and proposed 3D-printed facades that invited both neighbors and visitors alike into the building to participate in UCLA’s urban future.

In addition to taking her studio out to the city, Julia regularly invites the city into the studio. As the Director of AUD Summer Programs, she leads the JumpStart program and TeenArch studio, which introduce students to the conceptual and technical facilities essential to the study of architecture as a discipline and its practice as a profession. To supplement studio activities, she organizes field trips, walking tours, and office visits, as well as weekly lectures from UCLA faculty and notable guest designers. The Summer Lecture Series, which is free and open to the public, not only introduces students to key practitioners, historians, and theorists in the field but also fosters connections between the university and the architecture community.