Youth does not always signify the new, nor does novelty automatically amount to progress. Even so, the line quoted from the short story above invites a nod of agreement. Few would dispute the notion that to understand Korean architecture of our time we must also look at the world as younger architects see it. This March issue marks the 700th issue of SPACE, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Across these 700 issues lie clues to understanding the contemporary—scattered like beads yet to be strung together. From these countless fragments, which should we select to assemble a representative collage of the contemporary? The 700th issue special feature, ¡®Architecture of Our Time Through SPACE¡¯ (though not conceived with this intention in mind at the article¡¯s conception) ultimately grants a substantial share of its space to younger architects.

Housing Experiments on the Threshold: Unsangdong Architects

 

When thinking of the work of Unsangdong Architects (hereinafter Unsangdong), what tends to come to mind are public projects that boldly reinterpret the ways in which ¡®publicness¡¯ operates. I am curious, in this context, why this month¡¯s FRAME chose to collate and discuss Unsangdong¡¯s recent housing projects. Is housing an experiment peripheral to Unsangdong¡¯s body of work, or another line of inquiry that runs in tandem with its public architecture?

Since it¡¯s ¡®nine kan (room)¡¯, it feels as though it encompasses both Eastern and Western spatial concepts, and you can also sense a kind of spatial system within it. Nine is the largest single-digit number and carries a sense of completeness as well. In addition, the Korean word ¡®kan¡¯ reminds us of the architect Louis Kahn. (laugh) We packed many meanings into the name, but now, when someone asks about it, it¡¯s actually hard to explain everything—so we usually say it simply refers to a 3 ¡¿ 3 grid of nine units. That said, we¡¯re not talking about a visible form or stylistic expression. Rather, it is closer to how we perceive space. We think of it as an intangible diagram that contains diverse thoughts within a single small space, while drawing boundaries and forming relationships between people, architecture, and the city.

Housing Experiments on the Threshold: Unsangdong Architects

 

Busan EDC Smart Village (hereinafter Smart Village) is a living laboratory conceived under the concept of ¡®a city that lives with technology¡¯. While technology rapidly advances everyday life, its speed often disregards human rhythms. Rather than placing technology at the forefront, we repositioned it as the background to life and restored the place of human beings at the centre. The Smart Village is an architectural proposal that seeks this point of balance.

 

Yeoncheon-gun is located at the northernmost part of Gyeonggi-do. It is a remote place, relatively inaccessible from the metropolitan area. Yet this distance has preserved Yeoncheon-gun¡¯s ecological environment, resulting in a beautiful and unique landscape. Yeoncheon Elementary School, located at Yeoncheon-eup, is a public school with a history of over 110 years. For a long time, it maintained the appearance of typical school architecture, built according to standardised plans of the past. Classrooms were arranged in a single linear corridor, forming a unidirectional spatial structure, while the openness of the playground gave a strong impression. With the student population steadily declining to around 210, and with the aging of the building, ʻSpace Innovation Reconstruction of Yeoncheon Elementary School¡¯ project was approved, involving the demolition and rebuilding of all existing classroom buildings except the multipurpose hall, residence building, and garage.