From December 11 to 18, 2024, designer Ruijing Sun showcased her work at the “Phantom Dimensions” exhibition, held at the Black Brick Project Gallery located at 17 N Oxford St, Brooklyn, New York. Her contribution to the exhibition offered a refined exploration of spatial narratives, blurring the boundaries between reality and perception through a meticulously crafted installation.
From Passion to Profession: Bridging Art and Architecture
Ruijing Sun’s fascination with architecture began in childhood, nurtured by an early love for drawing and model-making. Her family environment and natural sensitivity to artistic details laid the foundation for her future career in architecture. To her, architecture is not merely about physical construction; it is a profound medium that integrates humanistic care, artistic aesthetics, and technical precision. Every space she designs tells a story, capturing history, preserving memory, and conveying unspoken emotions.
During her time at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP), Ruijing expanded her architectural perspective and deepened her understanding of the social and cultural implications of design. Her design of the Pavilion for the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) at Montgomery Place in the Hudson Valley exemplified this approach. Covering 12,000 square feet, the pavilion serves both office and exhibition purposes. Inspired by Frederic Church’s Iceberg painting, her design employed blue and teal membranes to symbolize the iceberg, using light and shadow to create a dynamic spatial experience. This project demonstrated her ability to balance aesthetics with functionality, while embedding symbolic meaning into architectural form.
Reimagining Space at Phantom Dimensions
At the “Phantom Dimensions” exhibition, Ruijing Sun brought forth a unique exploration of space, structure, and memory. Using transparent and semi-transparent tracing paper, she meticulously printed and cut floor plans at varying heights, creating a multi-layered installation mounted on the gallery wall. This technique broke free from the traditional two-dimensional constraints of architectural drawings, transforming them into a three-dimensional sensory experience.
Her installation was more than just an abstract composition—it was an experiment in perception. Visitors found themselves navigating a space suspended between reality and illusion, experiencing the fluidity of time and spatial relationships. Through this work, Ruijing demonstrated her mastery in reinterpreting architectural plans as artistic narratives, perfectly aligning with the exhibition’s theme: uncovering the unseen dimensions that lie within space.
Image credit: Ruijing Sun
Social Responsibility and Sustainable Design
Beyond aesthetic pursuits, Ruijing has consistently addressed pressing social and environmental issues in her work. In her Flushing Waterfront District project, she tackled the challenge of affordable childcare by designing a childcare center integrated with affordable housing and green spaces within a Community Land Trust (CLT). The project included a sustainable fabric factory, merging traditional and digital manufacturing processes to create jobs and reduce pollution. Additionally, she incorporated plant-based dye farms to mitigate flood risks, fostering an environmentally resilient and socially inclusive community.
This project was selected for the “On the Critical Point” exhibition at the Penn Museum in November 2024, standing out among 335 submissions as one of 48 selected works. Through this recognition, Ruijing’s design underscored her commitment to blending architectural innovation with social justice.
Image credit: Ruijing Sun
Competitions and Global Recognition
Ruijing’s contributions to the field extend to international architectural competitions. In August 2024, her project was a finalist in the “Open-Source Biennale” Non-Architecture Competition for the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. Her proposal reimagined the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a platform for anti-colonial dialogue, using animated narrative architectures and digital platforms to critique traditional museum narratives. This innovative approach showcased her ability to address complex cultural themes through architectural design.
Image credit: Ruijing Sun
Additionally, her projects received Honorable Mentions in both the Artificial Nature 2 Competition and the Buildner Under Bridge Competition (Top 8%), with her design for affordable urban housing earning a feature in Buildner’s Unbuilt Competition publication. These accolades highlighted her capacity to merge technological advancements with sustainable and socially responsible design solutions.
Cross-Disciplinary Exploration and Design Practice
Ruijing’s creative pursuits extend beyond traditional architectural boundaries into furniture design. Her minimalist, eco-friendly chair design earned Silver Winner awards at the New York Product Design Awards and the Muse Design Awardsin August 2024. This cross-disciplinary success emphasized her commitment to blending architectural principles with practical and sustainable design solutions, demonstrating the seamless integration of form, function, and environmental consciousness.
Image credit: Ruijing Sun
Professional Practice: From Concepts to Realization
Since November 2024, Ruijing has served as a Spatial Designer at HSAD, a design division under LG, based in New Jersey. In this role, she develops visual concepts using 3D programs, AutoCAD, and graphic design software, ensuring alignment with client branding, marketing strategies, and spatial requirements. Her portfolio includes notable projects such as the ESHG Factory Interior Design in Savannah, Georgia, and the P.C. Richard & Son In-Store Renovation in Paramus, NJ.
For the ESHG Factory project (December 2024 – November 2025), Ruijing designed 11,700 square feet of immersive lobby and exhibition hall interiors, integrating interactive elements and brand storytelling. Meanwhile, the P.C. Richard showroom renovation (December 2024 – April 2025) focused on optimizing layouts, lighting, and finishes to enhance customer engagement and spatial functionality.
Conclusion: A Bridge Between Perception and Space
At “Phantom Dimensions”, Ruijing Sun transcended the boundaries of traditional architectural representation, creating a work that was both a physical installation and a perceptual experience. Her work resonated with the exhibition’s theme, encouraging viewers to reflect on the unseen dimensions of space and memory.
Through her projects, competitions, and professional achievements, Ruijing Sun continues to demonstrate her ability to integrate art, architecture, and social responsibility into cohesive narratives. Whether designing a pavilion inspired by an iceberg painting, reimagining museum spaces for anti-colonial discourse, or addressing urban housing challenges through innovative designs, Ruijing approaches each project with precision, empathy, and creativity.
Her vision extends beyond structures—it is about creating spaces that tell stories, evoke emotions, and inspire change. As she continues her journey, Ruijing Sun remains steadfast in her mission to redefine the role of architecture in a rapidly changing world.