Sommaire pour June 2018 de Space

networks of subway rails and stations, underground shopping malls, to military bunkers and evacuation shelters, the city we know is also a rabbit warren. A significant part of city life also takes place underground. For some time, Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has striven to systematically refine and vitalize these fragmentary underground spaces. The ‘Envision Seoul Underground’ programme, that was held at Donuimoon Museum Village, was an exhibition planned to direct our attentions to what lies beneath. SMG selected nine teams of architects from home and abroad, all of whom were recipients of major SMG hosted design competition awards, and requested their proposals for the underground space in the centre of Seoul. The proposals have been gathered in this one venue. Kees Christiaanse’s (founder, KCAP Architects & Planners) Jongro Connector links…

The light bulb shines, which again reflects in the mirror below the light bulb. Neon lighting repeats innumerably in the mirror and creates an endless abyss. The letters glow in the middle of the square neon sign falling in succession into the reflector. The artist Iván Navarro’s solo exhibition ‘The Moon in the Water’ was held at the Gallery Hyundai. As with the poetic title, ‘The Moon in the Water’, Navarro’s work consists of light and corresponding mirrors. The light as inspiration for him comes from his childhood memories of the brutal military dictatorship that controlled the masses by strict power, but the light that he embodies in this exhibition is rather the expansion of space and encourages a vital experience and freedom. The room with drums is filled with…

Although the eco-friendliness, reproducibility, and sensibility of timber conveys charm to the people, wooden architecture is still recognised as a specialised field in the domestic architecture industry. While modern building materials such as concrete and steel frames can form a single system through unique structural methods, quality certification, and regulations, wooden architecture lacks experts in structural analysis and the certification system is also in a weak condition. Because of this, it is not easy to escape the range of houses even if wooden architecture approaches the public. On this occasion, ‘Talk Concert for Successful Hosting of 2018 World Conference on Timber Engineering’ was held at COEX, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on May 9. This event intended to introduce the purpose and progress of the conference ahead of the 2018 World Conference on…

We met with the contemporary Chinese architect, Liu Jiakun, who was in Korea for the 2018 SNU-Mokchon Lecture. His lecture entitled ‘The Soul of the Place’ is somewhat heavy yet addresses familiar issues. Liu Jiakun, who speaks of the reconstruction of the area devastated by the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, creates bricks using recycled and waste materials, and has built a memorial for one of the young girls among the casualties of this natural disaster. It prompts you to re-think the relationhips between man, nature, and architecture. What did this architect, who was a writer for ten years following college graduation, do to return to architecture, and what does he plan to do in the future? Park Semi (Park): You founded Jiakun Architects in 1999. You’ve also been active as…

The question of ‘what is good architecture’, to those who are studying and practicing architecture, may play the role of a compass throughout their architectural journey. Carrying out his research with students at the University of Seoul and Seoul National University for 42 years, Kim Kwanghyun has been trying to answer this question. His thoughts have deepened as time has passed, as he has been engaged in more and more activities, such as publications, contributions to magazines and newspapers, lectures, and the Common Architectural School. On the occasion of his retirement, he published the ruminative outcomes of this experience as Lecture on Architecture. SPACE interviewed him to hear more about his activities since retirement. Park Sungjin (Park): First, I would like to hear your impressions on retirement. I suppose you…

This is a commercial space located on a trapezium-shaped site that is elongated in the north and the south sits next to the eastern part of Hapjeong station. Because the purpose of the building was to provide rental spaces, the core of the early planning stages was to secure maximum usable space. With this intention to secure maximum space, the vertical core was placed at the front of the road and the floor area was piled up in a curved form while staying close to the legal limits. As a result, the north side where the terraces are located on each floor assume a vibrant exterior look. For synergism between rented programmes, the possibility for a vertical continuity between other stores was considered. Adjacent land was purchased during the construction…

By remodeling a detached house in the residential area of Hapjeong-dong, the building was repurposed as a retail store and connected to the office extension building with the garden at its centre. The decision was made on the basis that it is better to keep the current house (instead of building anew) and extend it in order to secure a better area, and to connect it more closely with the characteristics of Kitty Bunny Pony products by retaining the texture of the old house. In the process of classifying and connecting the traffic lines of visitors, distribution, and staff, the compositions for the basic structure, the level of the yard, and the extension building were decided. In the lobby of the office building, which faces the avenue, a design bookstore…

A Home for the Mothers and the Family Woo Daeseung (co-principal, op’us Architects) The Aloysius Family_ Everyday families are often composed of parents, sons and daughters. A more extended definition of the family would not normally surpass 20 members, including grandparents and other relations. The family of the fostering facility at Aloysius is different. The founding father, Aloysius Schwartz, the 150 sister nuns, and the 15,000 ‘daughters and sons’ they cared for over the past 50 years, the hundreds of staff who helped to nurture them, and the thousands of unseen supporters who reached out with help, are all seen as part of the Aloysius family. The Aloysius Family Center is a home for them all. Above all, the sisters who looked after the children in the fostering facility occupy…

In an urban space constructed from artefacts, we meet nature. The fact is often forgotten as the rapid speed and rhythm of the city does not give us time to interact with nature. However, the experience for the architect will be different. It is because architects are in a class that observes how their architecture will accept light and wind, and how the inhabitant within their structure will experience nature. It seems that the exhibition of Space of Design and Architecture (SoDA), ‘Artificial Nature’, has drawn attention to this point. The exhibition is held at the ‘Roofless Gallery’, where is the outdoor space of the museum. The three invited architects have suggested various ways in which viewers can interact with nature. The proposal of Nam Jungmin is simple and broad…

The Amorepacific Museum of Art opened the solo exhibition of interactive public artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, ‘Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Decision Forest’. Lozano-Hemmer, who has been working with cutting-edge technology, such as face recognition software and VR, exhibits a range of works that respond to visitors’ movements and encourage participation. The title, ‘Decision Forest’, is a data science term that means results that can be obtained in the choice of the viewer and with interaction of the works. Kim Kyoungran (curator, Amorepacific Museum of Art) said that they selected the artist because of his sympathy for audiences and the power of his communication with the public, reflected in the direction of this show at the Amorepacific Museum of Art. Surveillance cameras and sensors, which are frequently seen in Rafael’s work, symbolise the omniscience…

Would it be possible to achieve an agreeable combination of tradition and modernity? How can we create a harmonious and attractive city offering modern services while also preserving a sense of our traditions? These have been longstanding questions framing the discourse in Korea and many other Asian countries, much of which has undergone rapid modernisation. This report will take a look at a design proposal for the Qingguoxiang Block in China, ‘Hanging Courtyards’, the Winner of the Old and New Category in the 2015 AR&MIPIM Future Project Awards. It is possible to read a city, and to thereby gain insight into its historic profundity. Changzhou is a city in the south of Jiangsu province in China, with a history of more than 2,500 years and famous for its abundance of…

Core Genes What are the similarities and differences between the Facebook Office and Uhjjuhdah Shops? The act of creating open spaces, within the interiors of the Facebook Office as well as in the alleyways of the Uhjjuhdah Shops, can be characterised by how personal space is reduced and shared space is increased. If, in the former case, all of the desks, including those of the employees and the CEO, are of an identical size, the latter is defined by how the spaces to be rented out have been divided up into smaller portions, composed of shops or offices of around 9.9 – 16m2 for individuals to manage alone, without external help. The difference lies in the fact that while the former is a single level horizontal office at a large…

Chung Seungyi graduated from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, gained professional experience at several firms including SSangyong E&C and Nae Oe Architects. He is currently practicing as the principal of Yuhan Architects and U-HAUS. His major projects include Suntect City Ccomplex in Singapore and he received numerous awards including Incheon Architecture Culture Award, Gyeonggi-do Architecture Award and LH Housing Award. Following his experiences from various house projects, he published Spatial Richness of Living (2010), A Multiplex Housing with a Story (2014) and A House with a Story (2015). Kim Eungyung graduated from Yeungnam University is currently design director at U-HAUS. She has built her career in the area of architecture and urban development including master plan of casino resort in Cordova, Cebu and Military Facilities Transfer Enterpriser. Following…

In the exhibition ‘2014 Korea Artist Prize’, held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), the artist Koo Donghee presented a vast yellow installation that continuously obstructed the smooth passage of its spectators, resembling a Moebius Strip. In this on-going artwork, she presents a video in which visitors consistently roam across various spaces. Where does the artist stand amidst a seemingly endless representation of time and space, and what message is she hoping to relay? Kim Geumyoung (Kim): If you search for the ‘artist Koo Donghee’ online, the keywords that pop up most frequently are ‘unpredictable’, ‘vague’, and ‘difficult’. Are you aware of these responses? Koo Donghee (Koo): I do not intentionally make my work difficult. I have come to accept the fact that people perceive my…

The exhibition ‘with weft, with warp’ opened at Seoul Museum of Art, Seosomun on 17 April 2018. The exhibition, which repeatedly crosses the short lines as if they were sewn one by one, shows clearly and visually the material of yarn. The weft and the warp are the fundamental units of fabric. The elliptical behaviour behind the title should be the weaving. As clarified in the catalogue essay, the exhibition was guided by ‘women’ and ‘handwork’ as keywords. Shin Sungran (curator, Seoul Museum of Art) notes, ‘In human life, labour constitutes not only identity but also the fundamental aspects of a person. Therefore, this exhibition considers the keywords women and labour with how to live well’. Then, if we observe the 14 participating artists and groups in the exhibition with…

Jeong In-ji, a scholar of the Jiphyeonjeon, the ancient academic institute of the Joseon Dynasty, explained the principle of creating Hangeul in the preface to Hunminjeongeum. Focusing on the phonic characteristics of Hangeul, the National Hangeul Museum presents an opportunity to showcase new design of Hangeul created by artists from various disciplines, such as architecture, furniture design, graphic design, and video art. ‘Sounds × Hangeul: Variation of the Korean Alphabet’, the second project of the Hangul Experiment, began in 2016. The first part of the exhibition, ‘Hangeul Characters: Vessels of Sound’ introduces the principle of creating Hangeul, and the second part, ‘Sounds × Characters × Design’ mainly displays the works of designers. Strange signs on the floor leads visitors inside a curved black passage installed at the entrance to the…

The 63Art Gallery, overlooking soaring skyscrapers through wide windows, presents a new exhibition, ‘City Impression’, part of their New Artist Project. The exhibition reveals various perspectives of the city through the work of artists who have established a certain degree of psychological and visual distance from the ‘city’ in which we live. Scenery of Conversation: Your Choice is Pink, Also My Choice is Pink Too, a seesaw shaped installation work creaks at the entrance of the exhibition hall. It depicts a conversation between a couple disagreeing on moving house. Wooden pieces and baskets tied with thread, cord, and wire symbolise the ups and downs of conversation, such as the frustrations of the partner who fails to understand the other. Contrasted with the noise of the machine and grey buildings outside…

for Human Settlements. The conference was conducted to share overseas urban policies and case studies, and to explore new directions under the New Deal policy of Urban Regeneration. Korean experts working in U.K, U.S, and Japan gave their presentations in Part 1, ‘Environmental and Smart Urban Regeneration’ and Part 2, ‘Overseas Urban Regeneration Policies and Cases’, which was followed by a discussion panel of experts working in Korea. Kim Dowon (Ph.D., TransScientia) advocated a more sustainable urban regeneration based on the theme of ‘urban regeneration recycling of resources through industrial symbiosis’. He argued that economic, environmental, and social benefits can be achieved only when the recycling of energy, water, resources, and organic matter is more firmly established with policy support from the circular economy. Yoo Hyunjoo (Smart City Unit manager,…

Panmunjom has been named the ‘Joint Security Area (JSA)’ and it runs approximately 800 metres across from east to west and 400 metres from north to south along Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The moment North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met and shook hands on the MDL of Panmunjom in Korea was broadcast live across the world in April 2018. Since then, Panmunjom has become a familiar space to many people. The space of Panmunjom may affect politico-military outcomes, peace-and-war, the division and reunification of the Korean peninsula through some symbolic effects while the space has been their complex outcome. This article reveals the politics of space which underlies Panmunjom. The Symbolic Effects of Spatial Layout On 10 July 1951, a year after the outbreak…

The Beginnings of Uhjjuhdah Shops Early Thoughts By chance, we opened an office in 2015 without even obtaining an architect’s license. It has been 10 years since architects office SAAI (SAAI) transitioned into a corporate body. During those years, we have continued to adapt to change by following the choices and projects that we were drawn towards. Looking back, we are often reminded more profoundly of the people with whom we worked than of the work itself, and sometimes we wonder if the mutual trust that we shared at the time is still there. As we noted in 2011 in the SPACE 520th issue, Young Architectural Organisation Probe’, ‘in the long term, we are dreaming of an autonomous management policy where each member in the office can either work independently,…

Two cilents share the basement of an adjoining site and build together, and uhjjuhdah manages all of the spaces except for the detached residence. As a residential area in the Hongdae region, it is a stable region that is in the midst of a transitional stage towards commercialization. The artist couple who were living in the detached house (number 19) requested the reconstruction of a rentable commercial facility, as their personal workplace, and that their house would share an interest for the neutral exterior and the unique flow of external traffic in Uhjjuhdah House@Yeonnam and Uhjjuhdah Shops@Mangwon. At a point of time when we were finishing a plan to have traffic flow around the exterior of the semi-basement, they asked around and introduced us to the people who bought the…

Topological Publicity Chang Yong Soon (professor, Hongik University)  The KB Youth Step has transformed the Seokyo branch building of KB Kookmin Bank, designed by Space Group in 1968, into a cultural facility for young people. The site is located at the point where the road connecting Hongik Univ. station and Hongik University crosses the pedestrian friendly route or Juchajang-gil. The area, which used to be the centre of indie culture, is now a commercial zone developed by a new consumer group pursuing new trends, constituted of members of the younger generation and foreign tourists that form a floating population, especially at night and on weekends. The main design concepts can be summarized as follows: Publicity_ The starting point of this design was the idea that there is no public space…

The Outline of a Broadening Universality Chun Kyunghwan (principal, thescape) In general, the public health centre, which is called ‘Bo-geon-so’ in Korean, is a place that provides the primary medical services with a small burden, but it also an abbreviation of Office for Ordinary Architecture (O-OA). O-OA’s Korean name is ‘Bopyeonjeogin-Geonchuksa-Samuso’, and it can abbreviated as ‘Bo-Geon-So’. An abbreviated name becomes an irrelevant word that has no relation to architecture. Once you hear it, it is hard to forget. The name suggests that the O-OA want to make it easier and more comfortable for those who need architectural design services. If it is really ‘an architectural office like a public health centre’, then you may be reminded of ‘construction permission agencies in front of ward offices’. However, if this is…