Changwon is a special self-governing city that is formed by merging Masan, Changwon, and Jinhae. As such, for the people of Changwon, the word ‘Changwon’ has two distinct meanings: the administratively unified Changwon and the original geographical area of Changwon. It will probably take another generation for these distinct meanings to become fully reconciled. On a broader scale, Changwon is undoubtedly a charming city. Masan is a very old downtown area, while Jinhae is a city centred around a naval port. There are many Japanese-style houses, and various festivals such as the cherry blossom festival are being held there. Following a modern city plan, original Changwon was developed as a satellite city with the establishment of a state-run industrial complex.

Today’s Architecture for Tomorrow’s Earth: Junglim Architecture

 

The 60-year trajectory of Junglim Architecture covers more than just the history of growth of a single large architectural firm. It is a condensed narrative illustrating the cities that were built, the kind of ‘publicness’ that Korean society envisaged through a collective of architects, and the transition from modernisation to sustainability. While Junglim Architecture’s early years saw the firm respond to the demands of the era by building monumental architectural structures that spoke to national growth, cities that have passed their growth phase now require a microscopic approach to untangle the complex knot of disconnection. Architecture must now evolve into a spatial practice that overcomes physical and social disconnection, enhances urban resilience, and embraces citizens’ daily lives. This article aims to examine recent works by Junglim Architecture through the themes of adaptive reuse, resilience, underground urbanism, and locality & community. This is a process of reopening the city through architecture, and a meaningful record of nurturing the city’s vitality not by building more, but by willingly making space available.​

Today’s Architecture for Tomorrow’s Earth: Junglim Architecture

The 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change aimed to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5°C above the pre-industrial levels. However, nearly a decade later, the rise in global average temperature has already approached 1.5°C and, given the accelerating rate of warming in recent years, it is projected to exceed 3°C by the end of the century. The reason 1.5°C was the primary goal, and a symbolic figure in the Agreement on Climate Change, is that it represents the last line of defence for humanity and ecosystems against catastrophe.

Today’s Architecture for Tomorrow’s Earth: Junglim Architecture

 

DGB 2nd Headquarters project began based on the trust built over 30 years since carrying out the design of the Daegu Bank Headquarters (1979). The area around Chilseong-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu was the mecca of the textile industry which drove South Korea’s economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s following liberation, and the site where the building is located was the former Daehan Textile factory grounds. Following the IMF financial crisis, the textile industry declined, leading to the city’s stagnation, and the site was left neglected for a long time.

Today’s Architecture for Tomorrow’s Earth: Junglim Architecture

 

The international competition for the National Museum Complex Masterplan of Sejong Administrative City was conducted in two stages to ensure an integrated vision. The first stage focused on the overall development of the 190,000m² site, while the second stage evaluated detailed masterplans and the design of the first-phase facilities: the National Children’s Museum, the Integrated Storage Facility, and the Integrated Operations Headquarters. Junglim Architecture, in collaboration with the Canadian firm Office OU, was selected as the winner for its entry, Sejong Museum Gardens.