In this episode of PlotLines, Britni sits down with Peter Choi, Principal-Design at HOK, for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of architecture today and what it will take to build for the future.
With a career spanning New York, Seoul, and now San Francisco, Peter brings a global perspective to some of the industry’s biggest questions. When he arrived in San Francisco in 2022, downtown was largely empty. Four years later, he says, “you can’t find a seat on the train.” That recovery, driven in part by new city leadership and the AI boom, reflects broader shifts across the built environment.
Aviation, healthcare, sports, entertainment, and data centers are thriving. Commercial office, however, continues to struggle. For Peter, the path forward is adaptability. “The standard prototype of development should be more diverse, more inclusive,” he explains, pointing to the need for social infrastructure like schools, stores, residences, and community-serving spaces alongside commercial development.
He cites Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium as one model, where surrounding residential and retail development has helped create an active urban district beyond game days.
Peter believes the best buildings are designed to resist change the least. At HOK, that means planning for flexibility from the start, with strategies such as taller floor-to-ceiling heights, exterior mechanical cores, and open floor plates that allow buildings to be repurposed over time.
The conversation also explores AI’s growing role in architecture. HOK’s stadium design tool allows teams to model stadium bowls in real time, testing sightlines, seat values, and structural tonnage in front of clients. Decisions that once took weeks can now happen in hours.
Still, Peter sees AI as a tool, not a replacement. Architecture, he argues, remains a creative science that depends on human judgment, craft, and purpose.
Reflecting on nearly 20 years in South Korea, Peter also discusses how client expectations differ across markets, especially around sustainability and neurodiverse design. He highlights the importance of designing spaces that support the full range of how people think, work, and experience the built environment.
When asked what headline he would give architecture today, Peter answered: “The architect goes back to the Stone Ages.” His point: as technology advances, architects are being pushed back to the roots of their craft, creating meaningful places for the people who inhabit them.
