Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2018 i Space

Last June, a new building was erected in Daechi-dong, Seoul that seemingly spirals up from the ground. The exterior material, which prompts curiosity from passersby, is formed from the Byucksan Autoclaved Cement Extrusion (BACE) panels. At first Jo Jinman planned on using exposed concrete, but because of concerns that the windows would offset the streamlined mass, and place a burden on a potentially failing construction, he came up with a new idea. The first alternative offered was to use thin red cedar to cover the building, but this idea involved the risk of the wood becoming twisted as time passed. In any case, the architect wanted to emphasise the more brutal and primal traits of concrete over wood. Pre-cast concrete, which would be easy to use on a construction site…

The Herald Design Forum 2018, hosted by the Herald Corporation, was held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Sep. 14 – 15. The Herald Design Forum, which is the eighth event this year, discussing the role and direction of design in the ‘future’ by professionals in architecture, design and industry. The theme for this year is ‘Designing the Future’. Fourteen speakers, including Peter Zec (founder, Red Dot), Shin Myoungsup and Byun Sabum (co-CEOs, Plus X), Thomas Heatherwick (founder, Heatherwick Studio) and Bartomeu Mari (director, Nation Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art), delivered speeches over the two days of the forum. The consensus among the speakers was that ‘sustainable design matters’. Of particular note was the lecture given on the second day by Martha Thorne (executive director, Pritzker Architecture Prize),…

On Aug. 8, Seoul Hangang Project Headquarters officially opens the Yeouido and Ichon Hangang Park as Hangang Art Park in the theme ‘Hangang_Art in the Flow’. There are 37 works by a total of 37 participants including 30 domestic and 7 overseas teams. The Hangang Art Park was designed to provide citizens with a high level of relaxation through a more intimate experience in urban life along the Hangang River, which has undergone many historical and cultural changes over many years. It aims to create Hangang Park not just according to the typical logic of development, but with the natural ecology and nature of the Hangang River as a friendly and emotional cultural and artistic space for the citizens of Seoul. The Hangang Art Park is divided into four themes,…

The ‘Kim Chung-up Dialogue’, an exhibition co-hosted by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) and the Kimchungup Architecture Museum to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Kim Chung-up’s death, focuses on Kim Chung-up, the master of contemporary Korean architecture at MMCA Gwacheon. Open from from 30 August to 16 December, the large-scale exhibition covers his architectural works and activities as an artist from the start of his architectural life to the end, designed to highlight various aspects of Kim Chung-up’s work. I would like to invite you to find how the show introduces his unfamiliar works and alights upon new aspects. The Strange Side to a First-Generation Contemporary Architect in Korea Kim Chung-up, known as a first-generation architect of contemporary Korea along with Kim Swoo Geun, is familiar…

A rhythmical building made out of BACE panels has settled in the block near Seolleung Station, where the neighborhood’s banal residential buildings densely populated the area. A round exposed concrete building situated alongside a narrow stream catches people’s attention, which has been mostly surrounded by an old brick church and single-storey houses. Buildings designed by Jo Jinman (principal, Jo Jinman Architects) raise their voice without being drowned out. When asked, in a rough manner, about the origin of his architectural style — which has no metaphorical wall but strong definition — he answered, in the manner of a textbook answer, that he begins by reading the site. After getting a better idea of his working processes, including making site models per every design change and recording the site through photos…

The project is located at the intersection point between the large business area on Teheran-ro and the densely populated housing neighbourhood, in other words, between the city’s domiciliation and labour. Due to the nature of the intersecting space, it is an urban domain in which various restaurants and beauty services — required for both parties — are provided during the busy night hours, recharging the life of exhausted people in a certain sense. The site is located inside the fragmented and congested city with numerous buildings, signboards, windows and walls, floors and floors, and it is extremely narrow when compared with the adjacent land. In addition, the required commercial-oriented programmes cover 2.5 times of capacity than the ground area, and due to the parking and the daylight constraints, the upper…

Manifold Architecture as a Process Zhang Hua (principal, Zhang Hua Studio) × SPACE SPACE: The gallery gives off a strong first impression. The nonlinear mass of the building seems dynamic. The form and texture keep changing continuously, from straight to curvy, static to dynamic, dark to light, broad gap to narrow one, coarse to soft finish. What did you intend to show in terms of your architectural attributes and philosophy? Zhang Hua (Zhang): A sensible description for designing the Yu Qingcheng Gallery is ‘kneading mud’, the same as the creation of Yu’s sculptures, while a rational word for it is ‘manifold’, a new concept summarized from my thinking over several years of design. Manifold is an important concept frequently-used in mathematics, lead by the definition that the manifold (infinite folding)…

Architect: YounghanChung Architects (Chung Younghan) Design team: Lee Jeongryeol, Jeong Seongmin, Heo Younghwan Graphic team: Heo Younghwan Location: 196-9, Seongsan 2-gil, Ochang-eup, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea Programme: residence Site area: 402m2 Building area: 80.26m2 Gross floor area: 80.26m2 Building scope: 1F Height: 4.1 ~ 4.6m Parking: 1 Building to land ratio: 19.97% Floor area ratio: 19.97% Structure: Light steel + wooden construction Exterior finishing: aluminum panel Interior finishing: vinyl paint, birch panel, bean gravel Construction: Dwelling Partners (Lee Kyejun) Design period: Dec. 2016 – May 2017 Construction period: June 2017 – Feb. 2018 Client: Yang Taegyu Chung Younghan graduated from the department of architecture at Hanyang University Graduate School. He has experimented with a diverse range of architectural projects since opening his architecture firm in 2002. From 2013 onwards, he…

In the 1970s, the Housing Construction Promotion Act was enacted to increase the housing supply. Scholars say this is the beginning of the apartment age. The Housing Construction Promotion Act allowed the housing market to be revitalised and as a result the amount of housing increased exponentially. It simply focused on increasing the amount of housing and did not try to improve the underdeveloped housing environment. Later, in order to plan for the scarcity of parking lots and residents’ facilities in the low-rise residential area, a region with the poor residential environment was selected, and a large-scale demolition system, redevelopment and new town project were carried out. However, due to the deterioration of business performance and serious conflicts among the residents, many areas have recently been removed from the designated…

Seoul, the former capital of the Joseon Dynasty and Korean Empire, known as Namgyeong during the Goryo Dynasty, has abundant historical wealth below the ground. Although it is not easy to locate the traces of history between the high-rise office buildings and asphalt-covered downtown areas, the Gongpyeong Historic Sites Museum, opened on Sep. 12, leads visitors to Jongno Street in the middle of the Joseon Dynasty. The museum is located on the first basement of the office building, which was opened for the redevelopment of Gongpyeong-dong. It has a floor area of 3,818m2 and uses the entire floor. In the meantime, it is the first time that the large-scale preservation of the city organisation has been carried out, although there have been many museums honouring the ruins. When you enter…

much digital technology is being used in architecture today? The architecture exhibition, ‘Made in Digital’, which is on-going at the ADIK Architecture Gallery from Sep. 13 to Oct. 13, set out to answer this question. Jeon Youchang (professor, Ajou University), who has curated this show, commented that the aim was ‘to understand the various and complex architectural activities performed by architects using digital based technology, and to capture the process of realisation’. Yang Soo-in (principal, Lifethings), Jeon Youchang, Kim Sungwook (co-principals, aDlab+), Hyoung-gul Kook (principal, HG-Architecture), Jeonghoon Lee (principal, JOHO Architecture), and Jeong Euiyeob (principal, AND) took part in the exhibition and showcase their respective digital processes. Yang Soo-in shared the social interaction process that forms social relations with architecture as the medium. Jeon Youchang and Kim Sungwook presented the…

On Sep. 3, an open talk, ‘Technology Meets Architecture’, hosted by the Embassy of Switzerland in the Republic of Korea, was held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The event provided researchers from various fields and representatives from industry, universities, and institutes with the opportunity to discuss how architecture and technology could improve the sustainability of cities. Enrico F. Marchesi took centre stage with his presentation introducing the works of NEST (Next Evolution in Sustainable Building Technologies), a Swiss research institute which has expanded the potential of architecture with its use of innovative technology. He, an innovation manager, manages and supports research carried out in each unit of NEST. SPACE interviewed him to discuss the research conducted by NEST, such as urban mining and digital fabrication, and how he sees the…

The project is located on a narrow site next to Jeminchun stream, which is elongated like a spine penetrating the old and the new towns that comprise the historical city Gongju. Jeminchun, which has been rather abandoned as a sewage system for a long time, the old villages, historic sites, and shops nearby. Recently it was transformed into a walkway favoured by local residents, through the Ecological River Development project. Commercialism reacted to these changes, and bordering worn-out buildings were remodeled into cafes guided by a sense of nostalgia. It is somewhat ironic that these endeavours to develop the historic street — which have been undertaken by the local government — create a bizarre urban scenery in which strange, hanok-alikes have been mixed in between the villages and houses near…

Balance Between Private and Common Spaces Nguyễn Hồng Quang (principal, Toob Studio) × SPACE SPACE: Where does the title 5×12 House come from? Nguyễn Hồng Quang (Nguyễn): 5×12 (5×12m) is the construction size. They are almost the common size for townhouses in Vietnam, so we named it according to that scale so that viewers could easily identify the type of house. And with 5×12 House, we wanted to share a new solution for the design of a townhouse. SPACE: When designing a house, the size of the family and the ages of the occupants should be taken into consideration. Nguyễn: Our housing projects can generally accommodate the quantity of members and their lifestyles for the proceeding five years. After five years of living, changes can happen as there might be…

Architect: Seo Hyun (Hanyang University) + Sosu Architects (Go Seokhong, Kim Mihee) Design team: Park Yunsun, Kim Seona, Yang Hyeongwon Location: 365-1, Dae-ri, Wido-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do, Korea Programme: observation deck Site area: 648m2 Building area: 115.94m2 Height: 9m Building to land ratio: 17.89% Structure: steel structure Exterior finishing: zinc-graiting, rust prevent paint (white) Structural engineer: THEKUJO Construction: Samgyeong Construction, MiRoo Construction, Lucky Steel Design period: May – Sep. 2017 Construction period: Sep. – Nov. 2017 Client: Buan-gun Seo Hyun graduated from Seoul National University and Columbia University. He is an author of books such as Understanding Architecture, Asking the Meaning of Architecture, Creation and Evolution of Korean Traditional Architecture and designed houses such as Kunwonjae, Shisunjae and Haeshimhun. He is a professor of Hanyang University. Go Seokhong and Kim Mihee…

Sep. 7 – Nov. 11, 2018 Sep. 8 – Nov. 11, 2018 Diagnose the Present Age The season for biennales has arrived. On the day following the opening of the Gwangju Biennale on Sep. 7, the Busan Biennale also raised its curtains. It is 23 years this year since the biennales, which have emphasised the social role of art through radical discourse, socio-political remarks, and presented alternatives for the future, were launched in Korea. The Gwangju Biennale, which boasts a long history and the honour of the five most well-known biennials in the world, alongside the near famous Busan Biennale, are related to each other in this year’s respective themes of ‘border’ and ‘division’. The theme of the Gwangju Biennale, ‘Imagined Borders’, was borrowed from Benedict Anderson’s book, Imagined Communities:…

On Sep. 5, the ‘International Seminar on Waterfront Regeneration: Foreign Case Studies’ took place in COEX. This seminar is part of the rehabilitation project for the Tongyeong Dockyard, which will develop waterside recreational facilities, business complexes, tourism sites and commercial facilities at the former Shina SB shipyard site. It is a place to listen to the successful cases posed directly to the judging committee for the international master plan competition. Speakers included Helen Lochhead (professor, University of New South Wales) and Andrew David Fassam (senior director, Strategic Projects of Urban Redevelopment Authority Singapore) who presented examples of rehabilitation and renovation in Sydney and Singapore. Helen Lochhead introduced the designs of Barangaroo, Darling Harbor, Circular Quay, Western Harbor and Sydney waterfront restoration. In particular, she emphasised that ‘a longterm vision is…

There are countries where people with three heads or holes in their chest reside. In the Cheonhado (Map of the World), which was made in the late Joseon Dynasty, imaginary nations are depicted within the actual countries of China, Joseon, and East Asia. A square-shaped continent surrounded by the sea, with charming symbols and all kinds of lettering drawn across, reflects the perceptions, interests and values of those who lived in those days. The exhibition ‘500 Years of the Joseon Dynasty Maps’ held in National Museum of Korea displays a wide range of maps of Joseon. The exhibition is composed of four sections including ‘space’, ‘time’, ‘humanity’, and ‘the chronicle of maps’, and presents more than 260 fragments of significant maps and geographical imagery possessed by national institutes and individual…

The Seoul Mediacity Biennale began in the Seosomun main building of Seoul Museum of Art on Sep. 5, announcing the start of the biennale season. The title of this 10th exhibition is ‘Good Life (Eu Zên)’. ‘What kind of life is a good life?’ is a question that has been asked throughout human history, but it is one that is hard to answer when faced with the situations of one’s own life, asking questions of identity, lifestyle and socio-political issues such as climate change and the fourth industrial revolution. In this respect, the collective curatorial system behind the Seoul Mediacity Biennale is interesting. Kim Namsoo (dance critic), Kim Jangun (independent curator), Lim Kyungyong (director, The Book Society) and Hong Gibin (director, Global Political Economy Institute) are co-directors of the Biennale.…

Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture hosted the 2018 Asia Cities Culture Forum (ACCF) on Sep. 5–7. The ACCF was launched last year based on the need to discuss urban policy agenda and explore cultural alternatives among Asian cities. This year, urban planners and policy experts from five cities, including Bangkok, Tokyo, and Taipei, convened with the ACCF under the title, ‘Clustering the Culture: What would be the Magnet?’. The participants visited Seoul’s culture cluster sites and held an open policy seminar on the 6th. The seminar integrated the contents of the keynote lecture, case presentation, and open discussions to explore the culture clustering phenomenon in cities, and the conditions and policy tasks for the formation of a more sustainable location. Culture Clusters in Taipei…

Connecting the city and the forest, with the library as a medium. The Naesoop Library is located in front of the neighbourhood park at the Bidansan mountain, Sinsa-dong Eunpeyong-gu, close to six schools and densely populated residential areas. There is a road at the front of the site, Bidansan in the back, an elementary school and children playground on both sides. The site has about 9m of difference in elevation. The merit of its location at the entrance of the Sinsa Neighbourhood park at the Bidansan, the building is well used and appreciated by the residents nearby as a walkway, children playground, and a multipurpose outdoor rest area. The newly designed public library aimed at retaining these existing open spaces while focusing on the way of intimately relating diverse educational,…

Architect: How Architects (Oh Sebeom, Lee Jeongmin, Hong Soonmok) Design team: Hwang Namin Location: 108, World Cup buk-ro, Mapo-Gu, Seoul, Korea Programme: neighbourhood living facility Site area: 317.7m2 Building area: 158.76m2 Gross floor area: 528.53m2 Building scope: 4F Height: 19.7m Parking: 4 Building to land ratio: 49.97% Floor area ratio: 156.01% Structure: reinforced concrete Exterior finishing: granite stone honed finish, exposed concrete Interior finishing: exposed concrete, paint, merbau finger joint board, porcelain tile, wood flooring Structural engineering: Yoon Structural Engineers Construction: Mano Architecture & Interior Mechanical engineering: Hanil Mech.Elec.Consultants Electrical engineering: Dong Myeong Engineering Consultants&Architecture Design period: May – Dec. 2016 Construction period: Nov. 2016 – July 2017 Client: Roh Hyekyung Oh Sebeom graduated from Seoul National University, Department of Architecture and received the Master’s Degree from the same university.…

In 2013, the Swedish fashion brand COS had their eye on the Korean furniture designer Mun Seungji, who showcased the Four Brothers using the ‘waste-free chair’ as a key concept. The collection was exhibited at COS stores worldwide, and in 2016, Mun Seungji became the first Korean to participate in COS’s advertisement campaign, and took the design industry by storm. Karin Gustafsson (creative director, COS) noted, ‘we always look to the worlds of the art and the design for inspiration and are fascinated by different approaches to function and form. Mun Seungji has long been a point of inspiration for us at COS—his ability to produce beautiful uncompromised design without creating production waste is a great example of innovation at the highest level’. Let’s look into the story behind Mun…

The time was about to reach the end of the century. Architects dreamed of a new society but didn’t want a revolution. They took the achievements of the past as a foundation, responded to the needs of the present, and tried to embody a vision for the future. While using modern languages, they attempted to go beyond them. Through deep reflection on the nature of human existence, they strived to overcome excessive functionalism and to create a humane space. The six collective housing projects introduced here all place their focus on different areas, but all are the result of shared labours. Making a Forest of Houses in Downtown Cube House, Central Rotterdam Designed by Piet Blom, completed in 1975 There is an image that is often used to criticise the…