When the GT staff arrived at the office that the map indicated, we were in front of a supermarket surrounded by apartments. Surprisingly, there was located the System Lab, an architecture office with a stunning interior. “When architects design a building, their souls get to be reflected,” says Kim Chan Joong('89, Architecture) the founder of the System Lab. Indeed, Kim seems to design his buildings with great elaborateness, with his soul and spirit revealed therein.
Kim’s philosophy in designing buildings maintains that each individual building project have the most optimized “system” for it, in its own circumstance. With an open mind, Kim is extremely flexible in choosing ingredients and designing buildings in order to bring the best outcome. He still recalls his last piece when he had to finish building a flagship store in Garosoo-Gil, in an extremely limited timedue to the request of the client to open it before Christmas. As a result, he produced blocks in factory using the ingredient that is normally used for making suitcases while proceeding with the actual construction. He was able to successfully finish his work, which satisfied both the clients and the visitors. This is one of the numerous episodes where his flexibility to find a solution for the project brought him success.
Because of such an aspect, each of his building has its own uniqueness as well as the designer’s soul in it. Among many of his masterpieces, “Kurumae” in Andong is particularly noticeable for it combines the advantages of both traditional and contemporary buildings. He reformed a Korean style house adding convenient utilities to it, causing the least damage to the original building as possible. It brought great popularity and became one of the most prestigious accommodation facilities in Andong.
Currently his office is being managed by employees who are mainly his students. His office is also designed quite different from ordinary ones in order to provide the best working environment. He transformed a garage into an office where a terrace welcomes the visitors along with the interesting art pieces located at the corners. He emphasized the fact that the ceilings are designed to be higher in order to form a free and open atmosphere within the place. Additionally, he attempts to frequently make changes to the place to motivate his workers.
When asked about his campus life, he shyly smiled and started recalling his memories. When he was a student at Korea University (KU), there was a movement to refuse taking classes, which did not provide the best stability for education. He spent a lot of time alone in a space where he could speculate and study all by himself. Instead of meeting fellow students, he enjoyed debating with people who had much in common with him, normally those who tended to have comparatively free spirits.
In contrast to his expectations, the educational atmosphere in his department did not exactly focus on promoting the creativity of each student. In fact, the school generally focused on the technical aspect of architecture rather than viewing it from an artistic perspective. “When I was a university student, I did not understand why professors tried to teach us the techniques to build structures instead of how to design them. However, they taught us that the basics are the most fundamental factors that we should value,” says Kim.
Looking back at the school system of the past, he showed gratitude rather than dissatisfaction, for it made it possible for him to take a more original approach to architecture. According to Kim, there was no factor that restricted his creativity perhaps eventually leading him to become one of the renowned architects of this day. “It is probably why I still participate in events that are held within our department,” says Kim, chuckling.
Interestingly, in his childhood, he had somewhat similar traits to those of his current self. “I do not know exactly why but I felt responsible as a child to save the world,” says Kim, smiling. He spent a lot of time staying alone in his room, preoccupied with drawing series of pictures that had a particular storyline. For it was quite extraordinary for a young child to concentrate on drawing such detailed pictures, he even decided to submit them to Harvard as part of his portfolio files. “I guess the fact that I tried to contribute to making a happier world never changed,” Kim said.
According to Kim, his experience of studying abroad at Harvard was one of the most influential factors in his life. It was the time for him to learn interaction and communication skills with people around him. He was one of the few people who decided to live abroad by that time. It was never a regretful choice for him as it relieved him from the sense of constraint that he once had as a university student.
Although he is now a professional architect with great experience and proficiency, he never seems to forget his early years in the field. While he was looking for a sofa that was to be placed in a small bar that he designed, he visited a furniture shop in Chungdam-dong. After hearing the price, however, he would argue with the owner in disbelief. “I guess that braveness came from my lack of knowledgge in that area. However, it is funny how the owner of the shop had a positive impression from me in that incident and still keeps in touch with me now,” says Kim. When asked about advice for KU students, he smiled and said that despite such inexperience in their youth, they should keeptheir passion and original motivation to achieve their dreams.