SPACE December 2022 (No. 661)
Winning proposal of International Competition for the (New) Agricultural Resources Management Institute in Gyeongsangbuk-do, S.Korea ©Young & Ayata
On Oct. 17, Young & Ayata (co-principals, Michael Young, Kutan Ayata) from the United States was selected as the winner of the International Competition for the (New) Agricultural Resources Management Institute in Gyeongsangbuk-do, S.Korea from 26 domestic and 25 overseas teams. The purpose of the competition was to establish a facility that would produce and supply high quality seeds. The winning proposal divided the site into quarters and connected them through a single building. A ‘ring’ and two ‘wings’ at the centre divide the site and stretch out, and the four sites have access to the intersecting point of the ring and the wings. Based on a mass formed of a gable roof and finished with steel panels, the ring and wings reflect the surrounding landscape. The jury committee revealed that the main evaluating criteria were that ‘even a specialist facility for farmers should be open to the local community and allow for the natural flow of the public.’ An international design competition with the same title as this one was held last year. Gyeongsangbuk-do decided that the entries submitted at the time did not meet the aims of the competition and so held a new competition this year. The building, of a total floor area of 6,040m2, will begin construction in June next year based on the winning proposal and aims for completion in the second half of 2025.