Walking through the streets of Korea, have you noticed the changes Korean architecture is undergoing? Architecture is frequently perceived as a mere place or building to live or work in. Today, though, more and more people are hoping to live, work, and spend time in a beautiful, eco-friendly architecture. Reflecting this, Ssamzigil in Insa-dong is one of the most popular cultural complex centers in Korea, and the SPACE Group Building, recently featured in famous soap-opera A Gentleman’s Dignity, is steadily attracting visitors. This new appreciation for artistic building design and implementation is part of a modern Korea that always seems to be under construction.
Korean architecture is changing. Instead of relying primarily on simple and all too similar rectangular designs, today’s architecture employs a more diverse set of shapes which please the eye while retaining their functionality. In comparison to such often splendid architecture, many buildings of the past appear like shabby eyesores. Probably reflecting such perceptions, the reconstruction of cities, which is represented by “New Town Projects” and the restoration of the Cheonggye stream, which rebuilds the past to create an aesthetic present, has been a major trend in recent Korea. As Korea underwent rapid urbanization and industrialization in the 1960s, 1970s, and to 1980s, quite a number of buildings were put up hurriedly and indiscriminately, without much consideration for the harmony with surrounding townscapes or their effect on human eye.
Well-known redeveloped areas include Pimat-gol and Yongsan-gu. Pimat-gol, located in Jongno, was a popular street for common people since the Joseon Dynasty more than 600 years ago. Its redevelopment began in 2003. During its long history, the street was filled with memorystirring restaurants. Today, most parts of the alley, where the smell of mung-bean pancakes, or bindaetteok, used to fill the air on rainy days, are now demolished and are to be home to modern skyscrapers. Meanwhile, Yongsan-gu, a district developed in the process of modernization, had been considered an example of urban sprawl and was thus selected as a brownfield site to be redeveloped. Although such redevelopment makes the city appear organized and eco-friendly, Professor Kim Ja-Young (Architecture) says, “Upon seeing the demolition of historical architecture, replaced with ‘the present,’ I feel sorry for it. Some buildings might look shabby and squalid for the moment, but we never know how it will look like over time. Seeing the architecture mature and age with time is also good, rather than believing it should always look like new.”
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| ▲ Photographed by Jeong Ji Hyun Seoul Namsam Gugakdong | ||
In fact, redevelopment has been faltering over the past few years, as popular opinion shifted toward those held by Kim. Accordingly, architects, government, and some citizens began to show an interest and put efforts into maintaining Korean style and beauty in architecture. In this context, many contemporary architects say that good architecture is not necessarily big and splendid. While their perspectives differ in details, they hold one thing in common: a harmony with its surroundings and an attention toward serving the people who use it. “Rather than big and famous architecture that focuses on the visual impact of appearance, I believe a building that thoroughly considers its occupants is good architecture. Well-designed architecture harmonizes with the surrounding townscape, links the past, present and future, and actively angles toward its users,” says Kim. Professor Kim Seiyong (Architecture), who is also a Director of the Korea University Urban Lab (KUUL) says, “Good architecture does not loudly impose its appearance but instead makes the people living and working there feel comfortable.”
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| ▲ Provided by WISE ArchitectureThe WWHR Musuem | ||
The winner of the 2009 Korean Architecture Award for honor in the public sector was Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, designed by architects Kim Sang-sik and Kim Yong-mi. Upon entering the Gugakdang, located inside of Namsan Hanok Village, many people are delighted by the beautiful Hanok (traditional Korean-style house), while thinking that the auditorium must be quite small. However, they are soon surprised by an unexpected, large underground auditorium. The architectural design is outstanding in that it wisely utilized the limited space and, at the same time, harmonizes with the surrounding Hanok Village by being a traditional wooden structure. Moreover, the award jury rated the architecture highly for being faithful to its main usage of the following: providing a quality environment for Korean classical music performances. “The distance between a row and the stage is at most 10 meters, which enables the audience to harmonize with performers. That is one of the most important characteristics of Korean traditional music concerts.”
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| ▲ Provided by WISE Architecture The WWHR Musuem | ||
Along with Namsan Gugakdang, there are many unique buildings which utilize Korean aesthetics, rather than following western styles. The late architect Kim Swoo Geun’s SPACE Group Building and Kyungdong Presbyterian Church are two highly important buildings in the history of Korean architecture that show what moden Korean aesthetics is. Though the SPACE Group Building seems to be gaining much attention only recently, thanks to the popularity of the soap opera, A Gentleman’s Dignity, it was built in 1977, and many residents as well as professional architects and architecture students have been steadily visiting the building since then.
The SPACE Group Building is also the home of the prestigious architectural firm SPACE, founded by Kim Swoo Geun. Located in Jongro near Changdeokgung, the building sits on a rather hidden side of the street. Unlike most professional buildings whose entrance faces the street, the building’s entryway is away from the street, placed further into the inner area of the structure. As the outer wall is constructed of black bricks covered with ivy, the building is far from splendid or showy, but rather shows touches of humanity. Kim defined bricks as the most humane material, because they contain sincere attention and devotion of the person who laid bricks.
However, while the inside is very occasionally open to the public, the true value of the SPACE building resides in its interior, a complicated, dynamic structure of diverse spaces. Because Kim Swoo Geun wasted no space, the building contains 14 levels, though it seems like a fivestory building from the outside. Connecting the inside to the outside, placing small stairways and low ceilings to create a friendly atmosphere, dividing the building into several spaces adjusted to human scale, Kim Swoo Geun designed the SPACE building with deep consideration for Koreans and Korean aesthetics. “In pursuit of Korean-styled modern architecture, Kim was engrossed in understanding space, scale, and proportion that best suited Koreans,” says Lim Chang-Bok in SPACE, the magazine of the Space Group. Probably, the effort to create a unique architecture with Korean aspects is why so many people still visit and appreciate his architecture.
The Green Paradigm: Low Carbon Urban Architecture and the ACC
The Korean Institute of Architects has put forward the “Green Paradigm” as one of the five key concepts to define the Korean architecture of the period from 2000 to 2009. The current trend is represented by the phrase “Low Carbon, Green Growth,” the vision announced by President Lee Myung-bak in 2008. Korea University (KU) is also participating in the new trend, through the professors and students in KUUL, the Department of Architecture’s Urban Planning and Design Lab. “The advent of low carbon architecture and cities is one of the most remarkable trends in Korean urban architecture,” says Professor Kim Seiyong. “Until recently, city and its architecture have been the main energy consuming entities.
“Now, it is becoming the main agent that not only conserves but also generates energy.” Kim is currently working on a system of low carbon urban planning and strategies of urban renewal and landscape management. His team was chosen by the city of Incheon in a contest, and their design is being carried out in Incheon’s subway-adjacent area development project. The project, named Breathing City, is a part of an industry - university collaboration. It aims to design a green city with carbon minimizing cover, utilizing new and renewable energy facilities, which use solar radiation, and establishing a green network by making the best use of adjacent parks. “So far, cities and their architecture have been developed in too much haste during industrialization, as the slogan ‘Faster, Higher’ implies. Now, I anticipate that we will move away from the competition of speed and quantity and create a city with deep consideration and sufficient thought,” say Kim.
Construction of environmentally friendly facilities are steadily on the increase and have been well received by the public. Ecological parks represented by Seonyudo Park, designed by architects Joh Sung-Yong and Chung Young- Sun, and passive houses, which require almost no energy to heat, are good examples. The Asian Culture Complex (ACC), designed by architect Woo Kyu Sung is much anticipated. Placed in Gwangju Metropolitan City, the ACC was adapted from Woo’s work “Forest of Light,” which won the 2005 Open International Competition. The most remarkable aspect of the architect’s plan is that it is an underground structure, not a skyscraper. Even though the square is to be constructed underground, it is cleverly designed to maximize the usage of natural light, so that no artificial light is needed during the day. Moreover, Woo was highly praised for designing the complex as a park, which will provide citizens with a place to rest, along with including eco-friendly features, such as temperature controlled with geothermal heat and natural lighting from skylights. By using glass in the outer wall and connecting subway stations as well as underground shopping centers with the complex, Woo designed a space where people can feel free to come by and take a rest.
Korean architects are striving to design buildings and spaces that consider people’s true needs and harmonize with the environment, trying to move beyond the concrete birdhouses that currently dominate Korea’s towns and cities. Only time will tell if their efforts can catch on with the general public.